Sharonlea-based drivers Michael and Alan Kernick took part in round five of the Historic Single Seater Association (HSSA) Historic Formula Vee class and the Legends of the 9-Hour V8 Production Car class.

Michael returned in the Cargo Bulk Movers 1965 Capital Historic Formula Vee in the HSSA Historic Formula Vee class, while Alan drove his Tasman 88 from 1988. Trans Africa Racing also invited Michael to race their 1968 Chevrolet Camaro in the Legends of the 9-Hour V8 Production Car class.

The Legends of the 9-Hour V8 Production Car class was competitive and combined with the pre-1974 international sports racing prototypes. The qualifying session for the historic Vee class proved eventful. Michael managed three good laps before his gearbox jammed, forcing him out of qualifying, which left him disappointed. Alan did well and took fourth place in class.

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“When I got back to the pits, I found out I got pole position and was one second quicker than second place,” said Michael. “I was happy, but we needed to see if we could fix the gearbox, which we were able to do. We patched it, which meant I needed to be really careful with gear changes in the races.” Qualifying in the Camaro also went well, with Michael securing second position in class.

In the first HSSA race, Michael had a good start, took the lead, and won the Historic Formula Vee class by two seconds. Alan finished fourth in class.

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Michael then got out of the Capital and jumped straight into the Camaro for race one of the Legends of the 9-Hour V8 Production Car class. He said he was in good spirits and ready for the race. “I had a decent start and started trying to make my way further up the field. I was really enjoying the car and the race.”

Unfortunately, mechanical troubles struck on lap three. Despite the issue, Michael managed to finish the race. “I did my best to drive around the problem. I then decided to enjoy the car, bring it to the end of the race, and do the best I could. I made it to the end, finishing second in class. It is always so much fun to drive that car. It’s such a different challenge and skill to drive. I absolutely love it.”

The second HSSA race was more challenging from the start when Michael dropped to last position. He pushed to catch up to the field, made good progress, and fought for first position. “It was my fault. I messed up the start, so I put my head down and caught up. I managed to get ahead and pull a gap, which I was able to maintain to the end of the race.”

Michael won the class race, while his father had another good race to finish fourth again. Michael described it as a hard but fun drive that capped a successful day in the HSSA races.

Michael thanked Trans Africa Racing for trusting him with their car, as well as Cargo Bulk Movers and everyone supporting them along the way.

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