2026 Historic/ Inland Championship – 28 March 2026
What a rollercoaster of a weekend! We started the day with a full field of 36 entries across the Legends V8 Production Cars/U2, Little Giants, ISP (International Sports Prototypes), and Trans AM categories. However, the racing is a fickle mistress; by the end of the day, mechanical failures, accidents, and a few non-arrivals whittled our field down to 27 cars.
The highlight for many was the welcome return of Shaun Cabrita in the legendary re-created “Streepie.” This car is pure South African racing royalty, having debuted in 1969 as one of the country’s first “modified” production cars. It was a nostalgic sight to see the car handled with such verve by the likes of Andre Pieterse, Ian Hetma, and Doug Surrurier. Speaking of Andre Pieterse, he was a pioneer of the Drive-In cinema scene in the late fifties and was a key figure—the “Head Man”—in the creation of the original Zwartkops Circuit (then known as the Zwartkops Drive-In Circuit).
The Kameeldoring Motorsport Ford Capri, piloted and engineered by the formidable duo of Carel Pienaar and Hennie Groenewald, was nothing short of a masterpiece. The car is a credit to their engineering prowess, though it might be too good for Pre-1970 Legend Production cars.
Clocking in at a blistering 1:08.5, it was four seconds faster than the breakout time! While we love having a car of this calibre in the field, it presents a challenge for parity with this series; Seef gave it his all in the Cougar with a 1:09.6 qualifying lap, but the sheer pace of the Capri remains in a league of its own.
It wasn’t all celebrations, however, as the “mechanical gremlins” took a heavy toll on some of the field’s heavy hitters. Peter Lindenberg’s Capri unfortunately blew a head gasket early in the day, and Ben Morgenrood also forced to withdraw, the grid felt the absence of two iconic competitors. On a more positive note, the paddock was thrilled to see the return of Colin Ellison, having recovered from his devastating January accident that destroyed the Thunderbolt Fairlane, Colin proved his resilience by stepping into the TAR Camaro to keep his competitive edge sharp while his new car is being built.
It was a tough outing for several other high-profile machines as well. The TAR Camaro, fresh after a rebuild, struggled with teething issues throughout the day and refused to cooperate. The ISP and Trans-Am categories were similarly plagued by bad luck: the Datsun 240Z suffered a broken differential, while the “little black” Chevron was sidelined by a shattered gearbox. Most dramatically, Ryan Quan-Chai’s red Daytona experienced a catastrophic transmission seizure; the sudden lock-up catapulted both the car and the driver into the barriers, marking it a harrowing weekend for the Singaporean driver.
Racing
The Legends truly lived up to their name, evoking a different era where style and profile commanded respect. That magnetic appeal was on full display at Zwartkops, drawing a crowd eager to see these historic machines pushed to their limits.
On the track, the racing was exceptionally tight. The now restricted Cougar and Chad in the “Black Widow” found themselves under constant pressure from Mark in the blue Mustang, delivering some of the best nose-to-tail action of the day. Jonty Needham also showed a remarkable turn of speed in his Mustang, staying right in the mix at the front of the pack. In the Trans-Am class, Djurk Venter claimed the win, finishing just ahead of Marc Miller’s Alfa Giulia.
The Little Giants category saw Deon Schwabsky take the honours in his Escort, followed closely by Ishmael Baloyi in the ever-faithful GSM Dart. Elke led Joshua in the silver Alfa, with the blue Cortina of the Williams family keeping up the pursuit. Adding to the nostalgia, Chris du Plooy’s Volvo 122S was a real crowd-pleaser, stirring up fond memories of the iconic Lawson Motors white Volvos of the 1960s. The future of the sport also looked bright as young Josh du Toit, just 15 years old, put in a highly impressive performance behind the wheel of the little silver Alfa GT Junior.
In the ISP (International Sports Prototypes), following the drama of qualifying and several mechanical heartbreaks, the battle at the front was nerve-wracking. Larry’s big green Lola, Mark’s Lola Spyder, and Seef in the WesBank Opel Astra traded places in a spectacular display. Larry clinched the first heat, but Mark surged ahead to take the flag in the second race as Larry’s Lola began to fade on the final lap.
They were followed across the line by James Temple in the Le Mans Shelby Cobra and Peter Bailey’s GT40, the latter recovering well after a wild spin coming out of Turn 3. Warren’s Cobra put in a neat performance with Djurk’s Daytona close behind, while John Ten looked impressive in the Marauder, a car that proves racing can be cheap, effective, and uncomplicated. Class D was claimed by Robbie Frank in his well-prepared Lotus B23, and Steve Pickering’s Porsche 910 remained a stunning sight on the circuit. Despite the day’s high attrition rate, the quality and standard of racing was good.
Additions to our grid
The Legends Series currently has some 180 cars on its informal registers, but many of these machines are gathering dust. Over time, interest can wane, or owners simply retire from competition.
These iconic cars often face a strange fate: some are sold well below their replacement value, while others are tucked away behind inflated dreams of what they might be worth. Unfortunately, many simply disappear from our circuits, making only the occasional, non-competitive appearance at a Hill Climb.
We are actively trying to motivate these owners to release these cars or, at the very least, assist in the re-returning of these machines for the track once again. Even if an owner has retired from the physical demands of competing in motorsport, their experience is invaluable; they can play a vital role in mentoring and assisting the younger generation, helping them to prepare and compete in these iconic vehicles.
It’s about passing the torch, or the steering wheel, to ensure the legacy of these cars don’t just sit in a garage, but continues to be used where it belongs.
Looking ahead, the future of our grids is bright. We are expecting five to six new additions to the ISP, Le Mans, and Trans-Am fields before the end of the year.
In a similar vein, the momentum is set to carry into the new year; we anticipate having roughly eight restored cars and newcomers joining the grid by January 2027. This influx of “fresh metal” is exactly what the series needs to maintain its vibrancy and ensure that the legends of the past remain a thrilling part of our racing future.
What’s Happening – Passion for Speed January 2027
Planning for our major events is already in motion, and we have some truly exciting additions in the pipeline. However, we have to be realistic about the current economic landscape. Factors beyond our control—ranging from international political shifts to local currency fluctuations- are making the “cost of bringing” primary racing to South Africa a formidable challenge.
The logistical math is daunting, between international freight and insurance agents, coupled with the ongoing challenges of sourcing parts, the total cost for a single container is now hovering close to R130,000, and that is before sea freight is even added to the bill.
To stage a “Passion for Speed” weekend at the standard our heritage sport deserves, we are looking at a budget that could reach R2 million. It is a big figure, but we aren’t throwing in the towel. We are moving forward with hope and persistence, living with the belief that things will normalise so we can continue to deliver the racing spectacle the public has come to expect.
The Passion for Speed remains a vital pillar of our motorsport because it is a participative, rather than a professional, aspirational entity. This distinction is what keeps the soul of the series alive; it’s about the drivers, the mechanics, the history of the cars distinguished as different and better.
By keeping the focus on participation, we ensure that the passion for the sport remains the driving force, even as we navigate the financial and logistical headwinds of the world today.
Championship Points
We are pleased to announce the current qualifiers for the prize fund. As it stands, the drivers in the running are:
- James Temple
- Warren Lombard
- Jonathan Needham
- Robbie Frank
- Peter Bailey
Please note that, as per the regulations, Trans Africa Racing (TAR) cars are not included in the prize fund championship standings.
Future Events
- 11th July – Historic/ Inland Championship
- 24th & 25th July – Top of the Hill
- 26 September – Historic/ Inland Championship
HTP – Historic Technical Passports
Every car must have an HTP, including a logbook. John Ten is our technical advisor and is at Zwartkops almost every Wednesday and on official practice and qualification days. Please see the classification note below as a guideline.
Historic Racing Clubs/ Associations
Following the National Historic Motorsport Commission Meeting of 23rd August 2020, it was agreed that an HTP-rating system be introduced in South Africa. The overriding reason to establish a rating order is to preserve the domain of Historic Racing in the country. There is a vast diversity of cars participating with varying organizing club rules and regulations. The identity of what constitutes Historic and other categories must be preserved. Historic racing has a clear identity which must be preserved.
Historic Technical Passports (HTP) — Background:
The Historic Racing Register of South Africa was established in 1973 with the prime objective of “Preserving the racing cars of the past and creating a series in which they can compete”. This objective was achieved in the seventies/ eighties with competitive fields of original cars. In the early eighties David Piper and Mike Knight established an international series. “International Sports Racing Prototypes” which started the ball rolling on a European and later US front for these cars. Events however were not significant. On 1988 the ISP Series came to South Africa with all icon cars. Killarney, East London, and the famous Durban Street race. Kyalami and Zwartkops were under construction. All the cars were original. With Goodwood, first the Hill Climb Festival, and then the Revival plus Silverstone annual Historic day the scene started changing. The icon cars became the target of collectors. Some were restored and raced at special events others became museum pieces. This all happened in the nineties and early 2000s. By this time the recreations started emerging and the FIA took control which resulted in the genuine and some recreations having to be registered. The birth of the HTP. If you own an original historic racer today and want to put a value on it a FIA accredited HTP is a necessity. The rules and conditions are set by the FIA and are international. A USA HTP or an Italian HTP means nothing and is useless in determining value and eligibility for events. The world knows that where there is a FIA accredited event for histories the standard is set by the HTPs.
South Africa introduced HTPs to set standards for eligibility on a national basis. This is controlled by MSA where all documentation is filed. The issue and operational control of HTPs is under the control of the participative clubs, however we have a problem with our local HTPs.
In May this year 2022 at the Simola Hillclimb the problems emerged as to what is historic/classic and what is not. The Chevrons were banned from competing. One Chevron is a complete original car (it had modifications which were corrected but no HTP). The other was an exact recreation with an HTP. Further what went up the hill classified as historic were mostly recreations. Here lies the problem. Promoters are confused as to what constitutes historic eligibility. HTPs are being issued by clubs according to their “own set of rules” and ignoring the national rules which are lodged with MSA. MSA receives these HTPs at face value. We have situations where an HTP is refused or declined, the owner simply joins another club which welcomes car and driver, no questions are asked an the HTP is issued. There is a national set of regulations for all Production, Sports Racing, GT cars, and Single Seaters. These are being ignored. The indiscriminate issue of HTPs is resulting in clubman cars (with some form of a profile of yesterday) being classified as Historic, resulting in the bad chasing away the good and making life difficult for promoters, and public/ sponsor support.
This is detrimental to Historic Racing. A partial solution is the grading of our HTPs at national level, using our existing HTPs we need to categorise our vehicles.
Category 1— HTP A
- Original cars which are FIA compliant
Category 2 — HIP B
- Original cars which have been modified to South African National Rules (Goodwood spec type cars — sports, production, etc.)
Category 3 — HTP C
- Continuation cars which have period mechanicals, engines, drive trains etc. (includes production cars)
Category 4 — HTP D
- High profile historic cars which may not have original components, e.g., Porsche 917s, Turbo Porsche engines, where the original engines are totally unobtainable.
Category 5 — HTP E
- Invitation cars. Have the profile of the period, but not compatible components. These cars can be included with promoter discretion, but not eligible for championship status. (That is cars which do not comply to HTP A to D above)
Conclusion:
The Historic Clubs throughout South Africa issue the HTPs must follow their own rules and regulations. Whatever these rules and regulations, the HTPs must comply to the above ratings. MSA is the controller. The clubs/promoters are at operating level. In compiling the rules, it must clearly understand that what is written is “what is allowed”, anything else no matter what the argument is, is not allowed. The Historic Clubs throughout South Africa must submit their rules and regulations to MSA who will call for adjudication by the Historic Commission. Should the respective rules contradict “what constitutes historic eligibility” the clubs/ association will not be recognised, and the “Historic Profile” of the series be removed.
There is also a national rule that has been in place for fifty years and that is a Production/ Sports/ GT car must be out of production for at least 30 years to be classified historic.
Details regarding the next Noggin Meeting will be advised shortly.
See you at Zwartkops!
Peter Du Toit
Current Points
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