Following on from our report from the Motorsport South Africa Awards evening, which celebrated a motorsport scene in rude health in SA, comes the race report from the Kyalami 9-Hour race, which saw not only great racing across all classes but also the crowning of a new SA Endurance National Champion.
Xolile Letlaka and Stuart White sealed the title after taking victory at the Nine-Hours of Kyalami with Mikaeel Pitamber drafted in as a third driver for the season-ending double-points race. The father-and-son team of Harm and Barend Pretorius won the inaugural V8 Roadster and Index of Performance National Championships in their Team Pesty Backdraft
Roadster.
The Nine-Hours of Kyalami, proudly driven by RACE! was a frantic race from when the lights went out to unleash the 34-car grid until the chequered flag fell at 10 pm.
Charl Arangies, the defending SA Endurance champion sprinted into the lead in his Bobcat Audi R8 LMS GT3 until pitting on lap 36 to hand the car over to his teammate Arnold Neveling who wasted no time re-gaining the lead from the Adjust for Sleep Nova of Nick Adcock, Michael Jensen, Charl Visser and Jonathan Thomas three laps later.
The Nova quartet won Friday’s Three-Hours of Kyalami and fought hard for the 100 points on offer by taking the lead once more on lap 51 when the Audi pitted for fuel. Neveling did a double stint but was forced to retire from the lead on lap 126 with alternator failure, ending a thrilling cat-and-mouse three-way battle.
The Nova was back in the lead with the Into Africa Lamborghini moving into second position, which was sufficient for Letlaka and White to win the championship if they brought the car home. With the Audi’s demise, White took the lead and held it through their next pit stop cycle, when Letlaka took over the driving duties.
Thomas jumped into the Nova and rapidly reeled in the green Into Africa car, setting a new Kyalami lap record in the process and finally took the lead on lap 164. Visser drove the final stint, keeping the Nova in front. With ten minutes remaining, the Proton safety car was called out once more and while driving slowly in convoy, Visser took off a glove to wipe his eyes, an incident that drew the race officials’ attention from the on-board camera and although crossing the line in first place, a 20-second penalty was issued for the infringement, and the Nova was classified second overall.
Taking third overall was the BBR Porsche 911 Cup team of Hein and Henk Lategan, Verissimo Tavares and Keagan Masters. The ultra-reliable Porsche developed a misfire and pitted just before 8 pm where the team lost seven minutes while the spark plugs were changed; the BBR team had a sufficient cushion to remain in the final podium step
which earned Hein Lategan and Tavares the overall championship runner-up position.
Fourth overall and winning class B was the Samlin Racing Trinity Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo of Sam and Damien Hammond and Wayne Roach. The trio had an on-board jack issue which meant the car wouldn’t lift to change tyres during pit stops in the fourth hour of the race which cost them six laps as the technicians successfully worked to resolve the problem.
With 25 minutes remaining the Trinity Lamborghini made a splash-and-dash pit stop and had to be push-started as the car developed a starter motor issue.
Fifth overall and the class C win went to Samlin Racing’s MKT Tactical Volkswagen Polo SupaCup which ran like clockwork except for a mid-race fuel pressure issue which was traced to a malfunctioning fuel tank breather, which meant the car was short fuelled.
Team Pesty, fighting for two championships, ended sixth overall and had a tense race as their Backdraft Roadster was stuck in fifth gear from hour four of the race. They were involved in a furious battle with the Team Qhubani Backdraft of Fikile Holomisa, Bapi Rubuluza and motoring journalist Setshaba Mashigo, during the opening hour before
steadily pulling away before their mechanical issue struck.
Liqui Moly: Supporting SA Motorsport
Motorsport has never been able to stand on its own two feet, requiring ever-increasing support from sponsors. There was a time when cars raced in their national colours but, since 1968, the quest for finance has rendered that practice largely redundant and there have been a bewildering array of graphic designs gracing – or blighting, depending on your point of view – racing cars. Some have even become design classics.
Of course, motor racing is a valuable shop window for companies, whether their products have anything to do with motorsport or the automotive industry, and the wise ones hang their hat in the window. Motorsport is also a crucial laboratory for the development of products; the punishment lubricants and mechanical components take during races has only benefitted the normal, everyday motorist.
Liqui Moly has been at the forefront of South African racing for many years and the brand had a strong and unmistakeable presence at Kyalami; Liqui Moly proudly supported the SuperVee in the Single Seater event and Samlin Racing in the Endurance series who won their Class B and Class C?
But why spend all that money? Motorsport isn’t cheap, but there are huge benefits, both in terms of product development, support for SA racing and giving back to racing fans. Liqui Moly’s Melicia Labuschagne explained;
“Our sponsorship is rooted in a deep passion for motorsport. We see these events as an opportunity to connect with a dedicated community of enthusiasts, showcase the high-performance nature of our products, and support talented athletes as they pursue excellence. Motorsport aligns perfectly with our brand’s values of precision, endurance, and
innovation.
“The event was a resounding success, both in terms of the thrilling competition and the outstanding performances from our sponsored drivers. It’s always inspiring to see them push boundaries and demonstrate the reliability and strength that Liqui Moly stands for.
“We’re incredibly proud of the SuperVee event, which saw an incredible 37 cars on the grid, making it the biggest single-seater event in South Africa. The North vs. South Challenge has grown tremendously, and with its elevation to a national challenge, it’s cementing its place as a premier motorsport event. This milestone reflects not only the growing passion for motorsport in the region but also the impact of partnerships like ours in supporting this growth.”
Whilst there is obviously a marketing benefit to Liqui Moly’s involvement, it is clear that the involvement is driven by passion as much as profit.
You only have to talk to motorsport participants to understand the goodwill that Liqui Moly’s efforts have generated, not ignoring the fact that their products have helped multiple race and championship winners achieve their goals over the years.
