Streaming tyres, roaring engines dominate Tony Rust

Namibians were in for a surprise this past Saturday when Redline Motor Club hosted the 2023 Shell V Power International Oval Challenge at Tony Rust Raceway.

This event was not only well attended by hundreds of spectators, but Intercape brought a busload of participants, their families and supporters from South Africa.

However, the powerful V8 sprint cars, with their out of the ordinary shapes, were the biggest crowd puller, as these cars do not only outperform themselves on the tracks, but the drivers also have a special skill to keep these sprint cars under control on the tracks, while smoke billows from underneath their specially fitted tyres.

Their powerful machines are fitted with 6,6L V8s, delivering close to 900 horsepower, said ‘Wild’ Willie Zurich from South Africa and multiple international titleholders on the tracks, considering these cars weigh barely 550kg. Meaning, they need a lot of mechanical changes and amendments to keep the vehicle under control and on the tracks.

In layman’s language, the vehicle delivers just over 1kW per kilogramme, making it an extremely fast and powerful vehicle for the code. The cars needed to be push-started due to the engine’s high compression that cannot be started like a normal internal combustion engine.

The odd-looking “wings and roof” on top of the vehicle is to assist the driver for better control when manoeuvring the car around tight corners as well as on the straits and to keep the vehicle on the tarmac.

“As long as I race, I will always come to Namibia, as this event is one of the best races of the year,” 71-year-old Zurich told Top Revs. He has been involved in sprint cars for the last 43 years and a regular visitor to Namibia.

The only rose among the thorns was Chantelle Lewis up in the 2L hotrod class when she worked her way up from last to the second position in the first heat, but she could not secure a podium place in the remaining two heats. She was a favourite throughout the race, judging from the crowds cheering her up as she worked her way through all the races.

The event was well attended and it was a clear indication that motorsport enthusiasts are hunger for high octane performances on local soil. Maybe it it is the beginning of bigger things in Namibia, one of the spectators made himself heard when they had the opportunity to meet and see their favourite drivers and their cars up close and personal.

As expected, there were a few minor incidents when cars left the tarmac and ended in the safety barriers due to the fierce competition and high speed, but no injuries were reported to the officials. Since motorsport could be dangerous if safety rules and regulations are not abided by, the organisers ensured all precautions were in place and adhered to.

The main sponsors for this event were Shell V Power, MAN, Intercape, PZN Panelbeaters, Redline Motorclub, Karts Store Namibia and Bush Bar.

The results are as follows:

4-Cylinders: First place: Eugene Swart and second place: Bertus v/d Heever and Phillip Stoman.

Hotrods: First place: Jandre Dippenaar, second place: Dylan Paiva and third place: Wilro Dippenaar.

V8’s: First place: Gerhardus Visser, second place: Frikkie Engelbrecht and third place:Jaco Coetzer.

V8 Sprints: First place: Zurich, second place:Shane Carlson and third place: Kobus Strydom.

2l Hotrods: First place: Jordan Larson, second place: Gerhard Koekemoer and third place: Donovan Duffy.