SHANE Gutzeit raced to second place in Gold Cup Tandems (SupaDrift Series 05) at The Rock Raceway in Brakpan last weekend.
He was pretty pleased with the result.
“It was some redemption for me after the disappointment at the Dezzi Raceway in the previous event,” he said, where he had hoped to take advantage of home course knowledge.
Gutzeit, who qualified second, was also placed overall second for the day.
He felt his consistency was improving.
He went into the race seven points behind the leader, but may have jumped to the top of the log in his section, but is still waiting for the official standings to be released.
“It’s really close with only a few points separating the top three. It’s nice and bunched, as it should be, and just the way we like it,” he said.
Gutzeit enjoyed racing on the highveld, and basically didn’t deviate too far from his usual race day preparations and tactics.
“We made a few minors tweaks to the engine and suspension, but not much. No need to reinvent the wheel. The car runs really well,” he said.
There are three races left before the champion is crowned.
The next one is at the Dezzi Raceway on Saturday, August 22, followed by a race in Mafikeng in September.
The final race’s venue has not been confirmed yet. “It’s exciting. The pressure’s on,” said Gutzeit.
He thanked his main sponsors Dezzi Raceway and Dunlop Tyres for their help.
On a lighter note, drifting’s gain is golf’s loss. Gutzeit is a talented left-hander who could easily play for the local league team if he applied himself.
“All that talent squandered,” he joked.
One can hardly blame the adrenaline junkie – the speed of the two sports can hardly be compared!
* He wasn’t the only South Coaster who had a good weekend on the track.
Gavin and Brendan Puren from GT Logistics & Puren Plant Hire also took part.
Gavin qualified in eighth place in the Gold Cup. He went up against George Myburgh in the tandem finals, but unfortunately spun out in the second run following his opponent.
Brendan qualified in the Silver Cup and went up against Fayaaz Alibhai in the final tandem for first and second place, and managed to secure the win in spectacular style.
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