Angolan racers shine at Tony Rust Race Track

Circuit racers from Angola, South Africa and Namibia took to Windhoek’s Tony Rust race track over the weekend for the fifth leg of the national circuit racing championship.

As expected in motorsport, Lady Luck favoured some and failed others.

Several competitors did not start their races, while others were forced to withdraw during warm-up laps or mid-race due to mechanical failures. Engines, steering pumps and water pumps gave in under pressure, leaving frustrated drivers watching from the sidelines.

“When we arrived at the pits, many racers were already out, staring at the cars still running,” a member of the Top Revs crew said at the event.

“Some tried to fix their vehicles, while others could only sit in disbelief as mechanical problems ruined their race day.”

Clubmans Class A driver Michael van Zyl was among those battling issues.

“We’re struggling, but we’re getting there. We had power steering problems, and before that injector issues, but we managed to sort them,” he said over the weekend.

Van Zyl said the high-revving engines endure extreme heat and require regular maintenance, typically after about eight laps, making reliability a constant challenge at Tony Rust.

The 2.6km circuit, with its five curves and 36m elevation change, is considered one of the fastest and hottest tracks in southern Africa.

Among the standout performers was Angolan racer Nelson Machado, whose ‘Speed’ Formula 1-style car impressed early on.

Machado overtook two leading cars to claim victory in one of the heats before mechanical issues forced him to retire when an arm bolt came loose.

Despite his disappointment, he maintained his sportsmanship, urging his teammates to “give the Namibians a hard time”.

Namibian racer Cecil Koorts, behind the wheel of a standard Mitsubishi Lancer Evo-4, claimed first place in Clubmans Class C.

It was his first return to the circuit in six or seven years.

“It’s been a while, and I was racing in a new car, so there was some uncertainty,” he said.

“The Angolan team is fast and gives us a real challenge.”

Koorts said he plans to compete again in the final circuit race at the end of November, this time in an upgraded Evo-4, but will first focus on the Swakop Shell V-Power/M+Z Motors Rally later this month.

The King of Tony Rust (KoTR) race, revived after several years, saw all classes competing together in a ‘winner-takes-all’ showdown. Angolan driver Luis Fernandes in a Honda and Namibian Ekko Eisenberg in a V8 Lumina delivered the fiercest battle.

Eisenberg briefly went off the track in the first lap but recovered quickly to finish second, unleashing the full power of his V8.

Fernandes held his lead to claim the win.

Among the support crew, Tabitha Nehale of OSH-Med ALS joined as a co-driver in the lead vehicle to familiarise herself with the track for safety purposes.

“It’s quite fast and exciting, but also risky – I can never get used to that,” she said.

The next race event will take place at the Tony Rust Race Track at the end of November.

Results:

Clubmans Class C: First – Koorts; second – Clive Strydom; third – Jan Everson.

Class D: First – Horazio (Rassie) Riets; second – Eisenberg; third – Michel Rust.

Class A: First – Machado (Angola); second – Fernandes (Angola); third – Steven Heydenrych (South Africa).

Class B: First – Rui Ferreira (Angola); second – Eisenberg; third – Fernandes (Angola).

KoTR: First – Fernandes; second – Eisenberg; third – Strydom.

Meanwhile, super modified drivers Allan Martin and Mark Sternagel were sidelined after technical issues kept their cars from starting.

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