Traditionally, the CAR editorial office is abuzz with the clattering of keyboards as we put together our next issue and update our website. OccasionallyJake Venter, who saunters around telling politically-incorrect jokes and complaining about his wife's cooking, breaks the monotony, but of late the daily grind has been broken by the wail of an 810 kW V10, squealing tyres, and the sounds of pedals being mashed against plastic plate.
CAR's most competitive Virtual Le Mans team is fully prepared for this year's CAR Liqui Moly 24-Hour Virtual Le Mans Challenge, taking place this year at the Tygervalley Shopping Centre on 12-13 June.
Team veteran Duwyne Aspeling, newcomer Keaton Kock and yours truly have been chosen to restore CAR's honour, after the humiliating fifth place achieved at last year's event, and from what's been indicated so far - all three team members are evenly matched in terms of outright pace, and we've agreed on a tyre and fuel strategy - a far cry from the shambles we were in at this point last year, when only one team member had put in any significant practice, our BMW LMR was more unpredictable than the outcome of this year's Soccer World Cup finals...
But our biggest problems come from the rest of the teams competing this year. In the write-up after last year's challenge, I concluded by saying that there was no way the event could possibly be faster - with the winners M Technique setting absolutely unbelievable lap times and completing more laps in the 24 hours than we thought possible - up 12 over the previous year's 405 lap total. Well, I was wrong.
As a returning Virtual Le Mans driver I know what kind of pace was set by the drivers last year, and I can confidently predict, just judging by our own practice sessions, that pace is going to be shattered.
The fastest teams of the last two years have made the starting line-up, among them the defending champions, who usurped the previously unflappable GT Worx. Two years ago, a team called Los Tres Amigos ran pretty close to GT Worx, and have re-entered as Raceweb.co.za, with a rookie member as well. After a sixth place finish in 2008, and narrowly missing a podium spot last year FFR is back, and my intelligence team suggests they threaten podium again this year. To make matters worse, it turns out that GT Worx has a racing school - and their junior drivers have been entered too. We're all racing highly-modified versions of the game's Playstation Pescarolo C60 Judd racecar, so there's no real advantage to any team - if their set-up is 24 hour-proof, that is.
This event has become very competitive (with all-expenses paid trip for the winning team to the Brazilian or Malyasian Formula One Grand Prix, it should be - ed) and it's really great that we have sponsors such as Tiger Wheel and Tyre, F1GrandPrixTours.co.za, Maisto and Bolton's GPS warehouse on board to reward the teams for their commitment to virtual racing excellence.
Please come and say hi at the Tygervalley Shopping Centre's central court this weekend, and if you've bought a copy of CAR's first paperback, Cranked Up: Confessions of a Petrolhead by Hannes Oosthuizen, the man himself will be there for his official book signing.
The competing teams are...
CAR Magazine
Duwyne Aspeling (Age 35)
Keaton Kock (Age 19)
Kyle Kock (Age 21)
Obox
Werner Lotter (Age 22)
Marc Perel (Age 23)
David Perel (Age 25)
GT Worx
Junaid Allie (Age 28)
Ian Kolbe (Age 33)
John Cowley (Age 33)
GT Worx Academy
Clint du Plessis (Age 28)
Nicholas Freeling (Age 29)
James Cowley (Age 34)
Raceweb.co.za
Ernest Page (Age 31)
Garrin Tuck (Age 31)
Braam Peens (Age 34)
FFR Racing
Feerhan Fredericks (Age 34)
Faiek Fredericks (Age 33)
Rafeeq Koopman (Age 29)
M-Technique
Nasief Dalvie (Age 22)
Ashraf Enus (Age 20)
Iftikar Dalvie (Age 23)
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