Retro meets modern at Killarney with Passion for Speed on Saturday 3 February, presented in association with Smile FM.
The track will come alive with the roar of authentic International Historic Grand Prix Cars from the 1960s plus the thundering classic V8 muscle-cars, pre 70s Le Mans Sports & GT Cars, as well as two-stroke motorcycles, taking you back to the golden era of racing – and then we bring you right up to date with modern Superbikes and Sports & GT Cars.
Tickets from Ticketmaster at R110 for adults and R40 for under-16s, or at the gate at R150 for adults and R50 for under-16s; under-12s enter free – so bring the whole family for a day of epic racing at the home of motorsport in the Western Cape.
There are no less than 16 international entries for the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association races, eight of which have a South African connection, including the Cooper Climax with which John Love so nearly won the 1967 SA Formula 1 Grand Prix at Kyalami in January 1967, finishing second after having led the best drivers in the world for 13 glorious laps.
Also entered is the Lotus 21 in which Jim Clark finished second in the Cape Grand Prix at Killarney in January 1962 after spinning out of the lead in Hoal’s Hoek. The car was later sold to former double South African champion Ernest Pieterse, who won the 1962 Rhodesian Grand Prix, came second in the Mozambique Grand Prix and sixth in the Rand Grand Prix at Kyalami with it.
It will run alongside the BRM in which Jackie Stewart finished sixth in the 1965 South African Grand Prix at East London, as well as the Gary Hocking’s Lotus 18/21 and the ex-Tony Maggs Heron F1 Alfa.
But the grand old lady of this class is without a doubt the 1954 Maserati 250F, driven in Grands Prix by Harry Schell, Ivor Bueb, Jo Bonnier, Masten Gregory (who took it to an epic third place in the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix) and Carroll Shelby – yes, that Carroll Shelby.
The 45 minute SATT race is open to Le Mans Sports and GT Cars made before 1970; most of these cars are powered by big, thundering V8s and despite being more than 50 years old, they’re as fast as many of our contemporary racing cars. You’ll see iconic sports cars such as Lola T70s, Ford GT40s, Porsches and even a McLaren M5 from Sweden, as well as classic big-inch muscle-cars such as Ford Galaxies, Cougars and at least one ultra-rare Shelby Daytona Coupe.
There will also be sprint races for our own Laude Classic Cars, with more V8s at the front of the field, and the Bejo Trustees Fine Cars, as well as the Kaltron Formula Supercars. And then we come right up to date with the state-of-the-art Wild Rose Sports & GT Cars and 200-horsepower Superbikes.
More classics will relive the good old days during the parade laps for classic racing motorcycles, including a large contingent of two-strokes, and golden-era single seaters; these vehicles are too valuable to race, so their owners relish the opportunity to stretch their legs at Killarney while “parading briskly”!
