The new year in South Africa does really get going for the petrolhead fraternity until the Passion for Speed festival at Zwartkops Raceway - scheduled for January 28/28 - where some of finest fast cars will strut their stuff.

Speed is the challenge, but the machine is his weapon. It all started in America with the oval Daytona-type tracks and events in 1950. However, by the sixties big American family cars were racing on road racetracks. The drivers were the heroes of the day. These thunder sound monsters with 350 to 500 Horsepower engines with standard suspension and brakes became the rage.

In South Africa it started in the 7-litre Galaxie (the red monster) which Lee Thompson will be driving followed by the Ford Mustang Commit (Hennie Groenewald), Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt (Mark Du Toit) the Chevs, and Barracudas.

Graeme Nathan will be out for the first time to tame the Chevelle. Franco di Matteo will race the Black Widow in a 1975 Chev Bel-Air. Stiaan Kriel in the black Studebaker Lark. With Hennie Groenewald, Ben Morgenrood Mark du Toit, Lee Thompson, Jaki Scheckter, and Paolo Cavalieri to compete with the big new bangers.

Class B is equally competitive with repeating champion Paige Lindenberg in her grey Ford Fairlane being pushed to the limit by Oliver Broom’s 1965 Ford Mustang and the purple FIA Mustang. Carel Pienaar in his Ford Escort MK1 could just slip by the big bangers.

This is an annual “ONLY FOR THE BRAVE.”

Race NoClassName & SurnameVehicle13ZAGreame Nathan1965 Chev Chevelle15ZAJeffrey Kruger1968 Mercury Cougar57ZAFranco Di Matteo1957 Chev Bel-Air60ZAStiaan Kriel1961 Studebaker Lark88ZAHennie Groenewald1965 Ford Commit110ZAJonathan du Toit1965 Plymouth Barracuda177ZALee Thompson1963 Ford Galaxie207ZAMark du Toit1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt00ZAJaki Scheckter/ Paolo Cavalieri1965 Ford Galaxie19ZBPaige Lindenberg1968 Ford Fairlane123ZBOliver Broome1975 Ford Mustang175ZBWarren Lombard1965 Ford Mustang

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