STORY BY IAN GROAT and Dave Abrahams and PICS BY IAN GROAT

In near record temperatures in Cape town the Killarney circuit played host to the second leg of the SA TT Classic TT Series and with an excellent crowd present all camped out trackside, the two leg race series was bolstered by the huge noise and activity of the 14^th running of the Passion for Speed Races.

The final leg was celebrated by six time world champion Jim Redman and Jimmie Guthrie a Manx GP winner who is now 80 years young, riding for Team Incomplete. Riding the Manx Norton from 1962, which is from a forgotten era, with a racing difference of over a 100 horse power between the race bikes present, leaders had to blast their way around carefully picking off the slower back markers.

European champion Mick Grant was out on a square four from Suzuki 500 GP bike from the Steve Wheatman Collection in the UK.  But the top “Noise of the day” went to the Honda RC180 of Mike Hailwood’s Honda, ridden by Series organizer Clive Strugnal.

The successful day was also host to the Historic Motorcycle Group’s eventful demonstration runs. Practice times saw the Cape Town contingent to be right on the pace in the TT race with Danie Martiz, David Bolding and John Kosterman fighting it out for pole position.

In Race One of the TT Series, the Flying Scotsman, Ian Simpson grabbed the hole shot in race one taking front runner Graeme van Breda and Danie Maritz in a three way dice that lasted for eight laps with less than a second between the leaders. The pace was electric but Graeme van Breda finally edged out Simpson’s advances as Maritz scooped the final podium place in third, but sadly Les van Breda lost the Suzuki GSXR into the kitty litter in his second tumble of the series.

The second leg of the TT races – Dave Maritz simply had no answer to Ian Simpson’s pace as he led from the front all race long, setting up the fastest lap of the day at 1,17sec. Second place went to Graeme van Breda some eight seconds down and once again Danie Maritz stamped his authority on third spot. It was great to see stars like Rod Grey, Peter Labuschagne in high speed pursuing the leaders in the Scottish and South African match race series.

Match Races

The GE Asset Management Series between four Scottish champions and four South African ace’s saw an end result of the Scots taking the challenge by just 2 points to win overall. The machines GSX Suzuki’s prepared by the competent van Breda team took over 150 hours of painstaking work to build up to the race series and all machines were identical in power and performance. Gordon Grigor from Scotland said that the series had been a resounding success for them all with riding weather a million miles better than the cold Scottish winter now seen in the UK.

The only racer who remained unbeaten for every event in the TT series was 80-year-old Jimmie Guthrie who powered his Manx Norton without any difficulty to win the Pre-65 Classic Racer division. To wind up winning all seven races in the series Guthrie thanked the outstanding hospitality of the Western Cape Car Club in the way they hosted the events at Killarney. 

Another winner was Mike McSkimming who won his division of the Classic TT on yet another GSX 1000 machine.

Mick Grant was upbeat about the SA Classic TT events this year saying that with improved spectator support this year the Series was moving forward in South Africa.

Clive Strugnel demonstrated the Mike Hailwood  RC181 Honda. With a four pot ear splitting sound, it was great.

Ian Simpson scooped the Series with amazing results and reliability in each event on the Suzuki Classic racer.

Bringing back sounds from the 60’s, Ian Groat and Jimmie Guthrie delivered the bark of GP machines from a forgotten era.

Multiple Isle of Man TT winner Mick Grant rode a Suzuki 500cc four cylinder machine in the demonstrations at Killarney.

Peter Labuschagne took the South African team to almost clinching the match series against the Scottish racers.

Jimmie Guthrie shows classic style on the 1960 Manx Norton to remain unbeaten in the whole TT race series and clinch second place overall for both events with consistency on everything. 

STORY AND PICS BY IAN GROAT

Stepping back into the past at Zwartkops Raceway’s 14th Passion for Speed were many racing world champions and celebrities from South Africa and abroad.

The racing was held over two full days with glorious summer temperatures at Zwartkops, near Pretoria.

The match race between Scotland and South Africa featured eight identical machines, all Suzuki GSR 1000 machines. Featured riders were Gordon Grigor, Bill Simpson, Ian Simpson, Howard Selby, Rob Burns and Stephen Maxwell (all from Scotland). They faced up against super quick Springboks like Les van Breda, his son Graeme, Peter Labuschagne and popular ace Rod Gray, in the series sponsored by GeLock Asset Management.

Saturday’s events were packed with action and thrilled enthusiastic bikers with machines dating back 60 years or so and was held before a record crowd of close to 10 000 spectators. Sunday’s races, boasted the “Day of Champions” and saw another big rider tussle on the programme.

Super stylist Jimmie Guthrie, now 80 years old, put on a superb display to win the Pre 1961 Vintage Classic Racing section with the “Team Incomplete” Manx Norton, while the Kawasaki Z900 of Etienne Louw ran off with the silverware in the Production Racing Pre 1985 Era machine class.

Despite a big fall in practice due to oil and water on the track in practice, Les van Breda scooped his rightful win in the 1984 section of the awards. But no one could catch the multiple TT winner and flying Scotsman, Ian Simpson as he romped off with the win in the TT racing series followed by TT specialist AJ?Venter on another GSXR Suzuki.

Third overall in this class was another Suzuki, that of Les van Breda’s. It’s looking like a Suzuki cup benefit as the racing circus heads down to Cape Town this coming weekend for the next “Day of the Champions” contingent who are fully intent on rolling back the nostalgic period of the 70’s and 80’s in what’s called the Golden Era of motorcycle racing.

ALL PICS TAKEN BY JAY GROAT

The Match Race Series between Scotland and South Africa features machines all of the same capacity from Suzuki. It is a popular concept and will probably grow even larger next year.

Multiple TT Winner champion Mick Grant paraded the Mike Hailwood Honda four to deliver a glorious howling sound at Killarney in early February.

With many exotic period classic racers to see and hear this years Classic TT Series has the right mix to tingle a few memories of past two wheel racing glories.

Who can catch the “Flying Scotsman” - Ian Simpsons from Scotland on his Suzuki. That was the question South Africa’s best were trying to answer in this years races.

Mick Grant is seen powering the Honda RC161 500cc grand prix Honda machine at Zwartkops Raceway.

Supreme stylist Jimmie Guthrie is a marvel at 80 years of age. He took the “Team Incomplete” Manx Norton to win the Pre 1961 Classic Racers award.

In action is Ian Scheckter in the Formula One Tyrell Ford.