Motor mayhem on the track
The first race meeting of the year took place on Saturday.
Smoke, dust and petrol fumes have become synonymous with one thing – race day.
At the Newcastle Oval Raceway’s first meeting for the year, the expectations were lived up to.
Racers were keen to get out onto the track and prove their dominance on the circuit, perhaps setting a tone for the year, although some vehicle engines did not manage the entire race.
Roux van der Colff gave the crowd an unexpected show, when his engine blew and the arena filled with smoke.
Boet Buys and Riekie Snyman of Volksrust demonstrated the most tense racing of the day, which eventually resulted in Riekie slamming into the barrier wall.
However, he finished first ahead of Boet, with Mynhardt Myburgh in third place.
Ruan Beetge of Volksrust finished first in the rookies class ahead of Tiaan Buys, while the 1600s were dominated by Anthony van der Merwe, Johann de Jager and Hendrik van der Merwe.
In the 1660s, Liefie Bester fended off Andre Greyvenstein and Imraan Ameer to take pole position.
Hendrik van der Merwe held onto a lead over Roux van der Colff and Gideon Hand in the Hot Rods division, with Hendrik first in the 2-litres ahead of Mynhardt and Gideon.
Organisers thank all residents who came out in numbers to cheer on their favourites.
Preliminary race dates for the rest of the year are as follows: February 22, March 29, April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27, October 25, November 29 and December 20.
