The loads of new people that we had the pleasure of meeting during the December recess (or in our case; more of a January recess) was a huge, but very welcome surprise.  We do hope that they will soon have enough confidence to take part in our club races.  I know Chris Nel is ready…  As far as our “old” members are concerned, you can be sure that after the long Christmas break, it was equally nice to see all the familiar faces again.

 

The 28 entries were not one of our biggest success stories ever, but we are not overly concerned, as we gathered from other RC clubs that they experience a similar slow start to the year’s RC activities. We accept the fact that people must look after the more important things in life, such as school fees, first, before they can spend on hobbies.  And over and above the financial side of things, the race also coincided with Valentine’s Day, and THAT is a day that very few guys can dare spend away from the missus!! For the sake of LOVE, we will excuse you this time…. 

We were also happy to see Onika Barnard at the track after a long absence. Being here to support her husband Johan, or just to be with him on Valentine ’s Day? It doesn’t matter; it was good to have the both of them in our midst for a change. Not to mention the Bann clan; we really though that you forgot all about us. Welcome back!

Now let me get to the race: Not everyone that entered for the Qualifier Heats went through to the Finals. But I overheard confessions from some that it was because of a lack of maintenance on their cars. Oh yeah, before I forget; the laptop was swept clean for the start of the new year (to remove all duplicate names, dated transponder numbers and so forth) and André loaded all the entries for the day on a clean slate…no driving history at all. That caused a few lifted eyebrows, because you would find experienced drivers in the same heat as the less experienced. They were however told that the computer will undoubtedly sort them out for the Finals. No need to stress. And it seems like drinking nitro was a common phenomenon at the track this past Sunday. I caught Jakkie red-handed with a fuel bottle like a bottle of cold drink with a straw in front of his mouth, and Ronel says that Kevin also consumed a mouthful when trying to unblock the fuel line.... Did they REALY think they could drive faster if they take some nitro themselves??  Hahaha.

Heat 1 Round 1  -  Nitro Buggies:

Schalk Vorster took a comfortable lead when he won the race with a lap more than his rivals. His best lap was not faster than most of Pedro’s, but his average lap time certainly made up for that. Johnny Claes did well and so did Jakkie Landsberg. JP Pessoa seemed to have had car trouble. Pedro’s fastest lap – 48.9 sec. This race saw 3 DNS’s.  (did not start) Colleen Vorster did not start, due to the receiver on her buggy that wasn’t set up correctly. Gavin Lesching unfortunately broke something serious on his car, because he left before the race even started. What a pity?! And Piet du Toit entered, but also never started.

Heat 1 Round 2 – Nitro Buggy:

This time Pedro Maldonado claimed the 1^st place, with Johnny behind him and Schalk now 3^rd.          JP and Stephen Smith suddenly made themselves known by doing some incredible fast laps. Jakkie showed off by improving on his previous best average. Jp’s best lap – 48.02 sec. Well done!

Heat 1 Round 2 – Nitro Buggy:

Pedro won again with Stephen now behind him in 2^nd place. Schalk deserved his 3^rd place, boasting laps much faster than any of those he did earlier in the day. But although not in the top 3, JP had the fastest lap yet again, now only 47.61 seconds. Wooop woop!!

For the 6 month series points, Pedro will get some bonus points for his TQ status. Congrats!

Heat 2  Round 1  -  Nitro Buggies:

Marco David won this race with a lap more than the runner up, Kobus Griesel. Behind Kobus we find Ronel Bann in 3^rd place. Tertius van Rooyen and Jason Landsberg were both doing lap times of 50 seconds, but due to car problems, they did not achieve their rightful places.

Henry and Kevin Bann were also in this race, doing average times, but Piet du Toit withdrew before he even got started.  And Tertius, without the help of his dad that is currently abroad, could not get his OS motor to co-operate. He decided to quit and not participate any further for the day. Jason’s best lap – 50.03 sec.

Heat 2 Round 2 – Nitro Buggy:

Jason won this race comfortably. A five seconds lead is something one does not often see in this game. Kobus ended 2^nd once again and Kevin Bann was the 3^rd one to cross the line. Seconds behind Kevin came Marco, Ronel and Henry, all with 6 laps. That was the last time that we would see Ronel on the track for the day with her nitro buggy, because she did not return for the last qualifier or the Final nitro race. Jason’s fastest lap – 49.24 sec

Heat 2 round 3 – Nitro Buggy:

Marco David performed well by winning this race. His average lap time of 55 seconds is quite an achievement. Kevin came in 2^nd with Jason now in 3^rd place. Henry ended shortly on Jason’s heels and Kobus had trouble with his buggy this time around. Jason’s best lap – 50.07 sec.

Heat 3 round 1 – Nitro Truggy:

Kobus Griesel won this race with Kevin in 2^nd and Jason in 3^rd place. Johan Barnard and Johnny Claes followed soon. Wayne Smith and Schalk Vorster did not start. Fastest lap: Jason – 51.97 sec.

Heat 3 round 2 – Nitro Truggy:

Johnny led this race with Jason moments behind him. Kevin ended 3^rd. Johan Barnard repeated his earlier performance, doing 6 laps again, but with faster laps in this round. Kobus was having car problems. Schalk and Wayne still with DNS. Best lap : Jason 51.28 sec.

Heat 3 round 3 – Nitro Truggy:

Kevin Bann won the race with Johan in 2^nd place and Wayne is 3^rd. Johnny joined the race late and only had time for 5 laps. Kobus ran into trouble after 2 laps and had to quit.  Best lap: Johnny -53.57 sec.

Heat 4 Round 1 -  Electric Buggy:

Piet du Toit won this race convincingly. He led the rest with at least 10 seconds! Well done!  His best lap was 53.9 seconds.

Heat 4 round 2 – Electric Buggy:

Piet won again, but now Ronel was only 4 seconds behind him. Colleen, in her first ever Electric buggy race, completed 3 laps. Kevin only completed two laps. I heard that a bent side shaft was the cause of his car problems.

Heat 4 round 3 – Electric Buggy:

The race was mainly between Kevin and Piet, of whom Kevin was the better driver in this round. Newcomer Colleen is not in their league yet. Ronel did not start.

THE FINALS : 

Final Buggy Race:

Kobus Griesel won the day’s competition in this class. He did 30 laps.

Stephen ended 2^nd and also boasts the fastest lap of the day – 46.73 sec

Jakkie Landsberg surprised with a well deserved 3^rd place

Final Truggy Race:

Johnny Claes won the Truggy race. He did 33 laps. Jason Landsberg equaled Johnny’s 33 laps and although his average was slower, his best lap was faster. Jason ended 2^nd. Kobus ended 3^rd, after losing about 5 minutes of racing time after a flame out. Kevin had several long flame outs, but completed the race, while Johan and Wayne were forced to quit the race early on.

Final Electric Buggy Race:

It took 3 legs to determine the Overall result for this class. These 3 legs were dominated by brothers – in –law Schalk and Kevin, while Piet du Toit made them nervous by chasing them relentlessly. Colleen tagged along, but she did so with an increasingly level of skills.

Car of the Day :

Piet du Toit with his beautifully painted Electric Buggy.