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Ready to race again - SA Endurance Series heads for Port Elizabeth

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• The SA Endurance Series heads to Port Elizabeth this weekend.

• No spectators may be admitted to Aldo Scribante for the event.

• Clare Vale will share the Black Art Racing entry.

• For more motoring stories, go to www.Wheels24.co.za

The 2020 South African Endurance Series was scheduled to get underway at Port Elizabeth's Aldo Scribante Racetrack back in March. The Covid-19 pandemic put delay to that, but the series will make its way to the windy city for the second round of the championship on Saturday, 15 August when the Mandela Bay 500 takes place.

In the opening event of the season, held just three weeks ago, Charl Arangies and Xolile Letlaka took what ended up as a reasonably comfortable victory in the Into Africa Mining/Vaal Fluid Systems Lamborghini Huracan. This was after Marcel, and Dayne Angel (Autohaus Angel Ferrari 458) crashed out.

The Scribante Racing Suzuki powered Chevron B26 with Franco and Silvio Scribante at the wheel spent a lot of time in the pits while the crew traced an elusive misfire. The Angels will be back in a Ferrari 488, the Scribantes are confident the mechanical niggles have been sorted out, and with Stuart White joining Arangies and Letlaka in the Lamborghini, the fight at the front of the field should be a good one.

Bryan Morgan and Donovan Taylor lead the Backdraft
Charl Arangies and Xolile Letlaka will be joined by Stuart White. Image: Paul Bedford

Three Ligiers, Romano Sartori and Franco Di Matteo in the AMC JS49, James Forbes and Riaan Bothma in the Auto Investment JS51, and Trevor and Shannon Frost in the Strocam Mining JS53 Evo will join the Scribantes in Class S as will Eric Salomon and Dave Sinclair in the Team Lesson Elf.

Dean Wolson, Philip Meyer and Gerald Wright took third overall and second on Index of Performance in the opening race and will again be a threat in their Class V Wright Motorsport Sports 2000.

Sun Moodley and Andrew Culbert have joined forces in the GT4SA class, piloting a Bigfoot Express Feight Porsche 991 GT3 Cup car. At the same time, the Backdraft Racing Roadsters of Brian Martin and Trevor Graham, and Tony Martin and Mike McLoughlin will again battle it out in the GT5SA class.

Ten teams have entered cars in Class E for Backdraft Production Roadsters. Bryan Morgan, who has recovered from the crash that brought the opening round to a premature close, has again teamed up with Donovan Taylor in the Great Soft entry. They lead the Class E and Index of Performance standings after victory last time out.

Andre Bezuidebhout and Saul Hack
Andre Bezuidebhout and Saul Hack. Image: Paul Bedford


Steve Clark and Reghard Roets (Old Dog Racing) finished just over 30 seconds behind Morgan and Taylor at Zwartkops and will be trying to turn the tables in Port Elizabeth. Stiaan Kriel and Kosie Weyers (Platinum Wheels/Phantom Sound & Security) have drafted Stiaan's wife Robyn in to share the driving duties. At the same time, the team that ended fourth in the season opener, Eduan Bester and Barend Pretorius (Team Petsy Racing) will be joined by Harm Pretorius.

Nick Davidson and Brendan Smith will join Zane Pearce while Wade van Zummeren and Clare Vale will share the Black Art Racing entry. Graham and Jean du Toit should be joined by Tania du Toit in the Dream Ahead car with Colin Ellison and Duncan Dos Reis at the wheel of the Medusa entry. A pair of Maximo Racing cars, one in the hands of Paul Richer and Ryan Bakewell, the other piloted by Kurt Bakewell and Bevan Williams round out the Class E field.

Two GTC cars, a Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTi in the hands of Daniel Rowe and Keagan Masters, the other a Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla driven by Michael van Rooyen and Mandla Mdakane are likely to be the front runners in the tin-top categories. They will, however, face some competition from the Scuderia Scribante Audi S4 of Aldo Scribante and Bryn High as well as the Team Perfect Circle Volkswagen SupaCup car of Andre Bezuidenhout and Saul Hack.

Bryan Morgan and Donovan Taylor lead the Backdraft
Bryan Morgan and Donovan Taylor lead the backdraft roadster standings. Image: Paul Bedford


A trio of Eastern Cape BMWs has also indicated their intention to join the fray. Stephan Aucamp and Henco Booysen will be at the wheel of the Injection Technik/A1 Cooling entry while Marais Ellis, Rynhardt Potgieter and Gerhard Oosthuysen will be in the PopCycle entry. Jayendren Naidoo, Rajendhren Naidoo and Moshin Mia will share the Trubrick car.

Former multiple South African champion Michael Stephen has joined forces with Bradley Scorer and Mikaeel Pitamber in the Fast Developments Mini with Kris Budnick and Christopher Pretorius scheduled to line up in the Tilt Advisory Mini. Mike Barbaglia, Chris Dale and Andy Gossman have teamed up in a Class A PoziDrive VW Polo.

In the one-hour Sports & GT, which will run in conjunction with the Mandela Bay 500, Harry Arangies (Stradale Motorsport Ferrari 360), will take on Roy Obery (Haval Edenvale Porsche 996 GT3) and Sean Hurly (Caterham CSR). 

The Covid-19 protocols imposed on all MSA sanctioned events by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture mean that no spectators may be admitted to Aldo Scribante for the event. However, fans will be able to follow the action on the SA Endurance Series Facebook page with the live stream of the Mandela Bay 500 getting underway shortly before the start of the event at 13:20.

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