Herbie hits the track as Fun Cup debuts in Africa
Over 50 VW Beetle-styled Fun Cup cars will on Saturday head to Kyalami for Africa’s first Fun Cup endurance race.
Back in the 1960s, The Love Bug kicked off a film franchise featuring Herbie the VW Beetle, a ‘Volksie’ with a mind of its own that becomes an unlikely racing champion.
On Saturday, more than 50 modern-day Herbies hit the track at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit when the Fun Cup made its African debut, reports The Citizen. Based in Europe, the Fun Cup is a one-make, eight-hour endurance race split into two classes.
Launched in the United Kingdom in 2002, the Fun Cup championship aims to provide cost-effective, close, and exciting racing for all competitors. Engines and gearboxes are sealed and strictly controlled to ensure low running costs and competitive racing, keeping fun at the heart of the event.
Advanced racing machines with Beetle styling
While Herbie’s famous racing stripes and his number 53 were the only visual clues to his racing ambitions, the Fun Cup entrants are far more advanced machines. The VW Beetle-styled bodywork is where the similarities end.
The Fun Cup cars are race-designed, single-seaters, with strong space-frame chassis weighing just 740kg. They are all powered by 1 800cc VW/Audi petrol engines producing 97kW — more than three times Herbie’s 30kW. All cars are identical in specification, with no performance modifications.
They also feature Sadev sequential gearboxes, race brakes, fully adjustable suspension, pit-to-car radio, and paddle shifters, depending on the entrant’s budget.
Race format keeps all teams competitive
Races usually last between three and six hours, with a 45-minute or one-hour qualifying session on race day. Testing takes place on Friday, and grid positions are determined by a random ballot rather than qualifying times. The overall winning team from the previous event starts from the back of the grid at each round.
Each race is split into stints of 30, 40, 50, or 60 minutes. During the pit-stop window at the end of each stint, cars must stop and may refuel, which is not allowed at any other time.
During pit stops, the driver must either exit the car and run around it before returning, or be replaced by another driver. This ensures teams of any size face no disadvantage. Teams with drivers aged 55 or older compete in the Masters Championship.
Tickets and event times
Tickets are available through Quicket. General access costs R200 per adult, while children under 12 enter free. Gates open at 07:00, with racing action starting at 09:00.
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