Namibian racers face mechanical mishaps in South Africa

The Namibian motorsport team that took part in the Power Series Round 6 at the Killarney International Raceway in Cape Town did not have it easy as various mechanical failures haunted them from the beginning. 

Derek Jacobs, from the Namibia Motor Sport Federation, told Top Revs that three of the four Namibians entered, did not make it due to  various reasons. 

Clive Strydom experienced gearbox and other technical problems, preventing him from starting the race. MP Pretorius ended up in fourth place after the first heat, however, engine failures robbed him of a higher position. 

Zachary Martin from Walvis Bay looked mighty impressive in his green and white 1,8L  VW Polo, but fate struck and his car caught fire. 

When he got out to extinguish the fire, three other racers rear-ended his car, causing a pile up after some cars slipped on oil. He was slightly injured, but was declared fit on site, and despite a few bruises, Martin was back in high spirits. 

The trio raced in the Power series Round 6 in the Clubman X class among several of South Africa’s best. 

Mark Sternagel, who raced in the A category of the Progress Precision Engineering BMW CCCT series, finished in third place overall. 

Sternagel told Top Revs that although he managed a good spot, he is disappointed about the mechanical problems and failures of his BMW. 

“I am disappointed in my results. I could’ve done much better. I am sure I could have fought for first place, but unfortunately, nothing during this entire event turned in my favour.” Sternagel says. 

Knowing Sternagel on both MX and circuit racing tracks, he is always well prepared and motivated. Both his MX-motorbike and circuit racing car is always in tip top condition. 

He says he was in Cape Town for about ten days prior to the event to prepare and upgrade his BMW. Some of the upgrades included a computer box which is better and safer in many aspects, Sternagel says. The system warns the driver and even goes into limp mode if the vehicle spots any errors that might damage the car or endanger the driver. 

Being a racer means long hours, lots of stress and many hours in the workshop to get the best performance out of the vehicle for the next event. 

But any racer will tell you that regardless of preparations, training and many litres of fuel raced out, it is not a given that you will see the chequered flag. 

“After the vehicle was tested on the dyno and all seemed fine, the prop-shaft broke on the same day, literally a  few hours before I had to partake in the qualifying rounds. I rushed to a place that builds prop-shafts and had to rush back to the car. We were literally on the track ten minutes before the qualifying rounds,” Sternagel says. 

In this sport, it is not always a race against each other on the tracks, but also a race against time to get the car ready for the event. 

The next event on local soil at the Tony Rust Raceway is scheduled for 28 September.