Day of the champions at Zwartkops Raceway
On January 30/31 and February 1, Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria will see not only bumper crowds but also action on the track
Thirty five events, 300 to 400 cars which will include Formula 1 cars, Le Mans cars, Sarel van der Merwe, Michael Briggs and Jody Scheckter, to name but a few, will display their skills and driving prowess.
The English and the Scotts will also challenge one another on bikes and to this end, local bike fundi and afficionado, Gary Edwards has decided to join the fun and enter four of his own bikes. He, his son Tyrone and an “imported” rider Anthony Shelly will ride his entries which are: a 1983 1100 Katana, (maak-’n-plan) built up from spares.
The second bike is a 1980 GSXR 750 which has on occasion crossed the 300km/h mark in 1990 and which Gary will ride in the main event. Then Tyrone will ride an ex-Darron/Brad Binder (Moto GP 3 champions) full race spec Honda RS125 in the C Class races. Last but not least, Tyrone will ride a 1968 Suzuki TR with a “slightly” tweaked engine in the 50cc challenge.
“We rode these bikes on the track before but this being such a big event, I am a little nervous but then, we are fortunate to have some pretty knowledgeable people who are helping me with suspension set-ups and so forth,” said Gary. And let me assure readers that he is pretty cued on all things motorcycle.
Well, Gary we wish you and Tyrone the best – oh, and don’t forget the knee pads. Remember beyond the pads is nothing but pain and plenty of medical expenses! For the readers, Autodealer Lowveld’s regular classic race expert Ian Groat, will be on hand at the event with his team of racers and will also provide a full report in due time.
