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| Big
4 Series |
Broadcast
date : 22nd October 2006 |
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The FutureFin Big 4 race-series
arrived at rustic Midvaal Raceway in Meyerton for a day of
high-horsepower action from both supercars and superbikes.
The unique format of the Futurefin event enabled motorheads,
both young and old, to enjoy a day’s racing in a relaxed
atmosphere.
The event’s profile follows a concept initiated by the late
Jose Graca, who ran an event called Lap of the South
some years ago.
The Big 4 circus had spent the previous two days at Phakisa
Raceway in Welkom and Wesbank Raceweay near Germiston.
Both the Porsche/Ferrari brigade and the two-wheeler boys were
keen to get down to business at Midvaal, which dishes up a
unique challenge with its mix of tight bends, fast sweeps, a
narrow bumpy track surface and a super-long back-straight.
The event was run to full Motorsport South Africa rules,
despite the amateur status of the competitors.
It’s the reality of these events that appeals, as
street-legal machines take to the track.
The quick guys included the usual suspects, like Andre
Bezuidenhout’s RSR-spec GT2 Porsche, Jaime Vilela in his
Merc DTM, as well as the Nobles, with the odd Audi RS4 mixed
in.
The presence of Andrea Taurino’s Ferrari 360 Challenge added
menace in the pit lane, although the Nobles turned out to be
very quick track cars in this company.
The big Lumina belonging to KwaZulu-Natal enthusiast Des
Gutzeit was a real turn-up for the books.
It runs a six-litre Chev V8 with a supercharger and massive
rubber, and a rear-wing to provide a modicum of traction.
Even after decades of track work, Brian felt his driving
benefited from instruction at a French racing school.
Paraplegic Jaime Vilela was spectacular in his Merc DTM
despite driving only with hand controls, while the bikers were
enjoying this unique chance to share the weekend with exotic
four-wheel-machinery.
In terms of power-to-weight ratio, bikes like the BMW 1200 and
the Honda CBR are light years ahead of any of the supercars,
including Andre Bezuidenhout’s 500-plus kilowatt Porsche.
For instance, the K1200 delivers over 120 kiloWatts and weighs
a little over 200 kilograms. Acceleration is mind-blowing,
with 0-100 coming up in around 2,5 seconds.
The Honda is just as quick, if not quicker around the track.
But overall the cars blow the bikes away, simply because they
have four wheels and more rubber on the road.
At each round of the Futurefin Big 4 the competitors were
given a 15 minute familiarisation session, two warm-up laps
and five timed laps. Each and every timed lap counted towards
the overall results, so the emphasis was on consistency.
You couldn’t put in a scorcher and fall off the track
because that would ruin not just your session, but your entire
race weekend.
Of course hot cars and hot girls go together like beer and
peanuts, and there was no shortage of beautiful babes at the
track. Just look at even organiser Carmen Pretorius and her
bevy of beauties!
Clerk of the Course Tony Taylor says the driving standards
improved with every outing.
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Maralize Diepraam was running in
her husband’s Nissan 350Z Roadster and really started to
turn it on.
The 350Z Roadster may look elegant, but it’s no pussycat,
with over 200 KiloWatts on tap, which suited Maralize’s
"undercover operation".
Another pleasing aspect of eventing motorsport is that the
rules are kept to a minimum. If your car’s street legal and
it has at least some performance credentials, you’re in –
as long as you come up with the entry fee. It’s like a step
back in time, before commercialism hi-jacked the sport.
Futurefin Big 4
overall results
Cars:
1. Andre Bezuidenhout –
Porsche GT2
2. Brian White – Porsche Cup 911
3. Mathew Becker – Lotus Exige S
Bikes:
1. Marius Jardinha –
Suzuki GSXR
2. Mark Rex Honda – CBR 1000
3. Mike Hatton-Jones – Suzuki GSXR
After a long weekend’s
worth of sawing at the wheel, it was Andre Bezuidenhout that
ran-out the winner, ahead of Brian White for a Porsche err –whitewash.
A surprising third overall was UK Lotus Exige test driver
Mathew Bekker, who hadn’t even seen these tracks before.
And on the bikes, it was a popular Suzuki victory for Marius
Jardinha.
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