I don’t think I have ever been so nervous in my life. The prospect of racing was initially a lot more attractive before the magnitude of the task dawned on me. Earlier this year, I was asked by editor Hannes Oosthuizen whether I would like the chance to compete in a full season of the Engen VW Cup. A little less than an eye-blink later I had agreed to what must surely be one of the coolest work assignments ever.
As the weeks passed the preparation began in earnest. The requisite paperwork was filed, safety gear purchased and eventually a meeting with the car that would be mine to campaign for the entire season. And then it slowly started to wash over me how big a deal this really was. A test session a week before race one was the first time I drove a Polo Cup car. Two things quickly occurred to me: a) it was a very nervous machine to contend with and b) I seemed to be woefully off the pace.
With some guidance from regular production car racer Graeme Nathan – whose workshop is also responsible for preparing “our” car – saw me learn the lines and deal with the braking zones at Zwartkops a bit better than I was able to do so on my own. With about an hour’s worth of driving under my belt, I was still nowhere near where I needed to be in terms of pace or level of experience. As the first race was only 10 days away and, still with plenty of work to be done on the car, another test session was on the cards – but, sadly, it was not to be.
The week leading up to the first event I was a wreck. I had no idea how I was going to deal with the race weekend and associated stresses – a task made no easier by the constant ribbing by my work mates (thanks for that guys). Several nights leading up to the race weekend I woke up at odd hours and lay awake with a thousand thoughts racing (pun completely intended) through my mind.
As the first race was in Gauteng I made way up to the Big Smoke on the Thursday before the event weekend to do some last minute adjustments for my seat and harness, etc. Nathan was his usual calm self and tried to keep me as relaxed as possible as we did the final car preparation.
The lack of sleep in the week leading up to this point had to have a positive and on the night prior to our first official practice sessions, I slept like a log. Completely refreshed the next day I headed to the track a few hours earlier than was necessary, just to try to get my mind in gear… so to speak.
I have to admit that my nerves were on fire the morning before the first session. But, there was no time to over-think or option to back out; I simply had to get out there and drive. After the first few laps on track I settled into a comfortable, if not blistering, pace. In my groove and trying to chase faster cars the laps disappeared sooner than I anticipated. At the end of the 20 minute practice, I was soaked through to the bone (it gets seriously hot in the car) and managed to complete a fastest lap time of 1 min 19,03 seconds, which is some way off the front-runners. But, I always knew that I was going to be slower than most. Surprisingly, I was not the slowest in the field.
With laps under my belt I was ready to go out again and, ideally, extract more pace out of the myself and the Polo. Free practice two arrived sooner than I had expected and before I knew it I was heading out onto the track with fresh rubber and brake pads for the very first time. Wow, what a difference these two changes made. I was instantly more at ease with the car and found, in race terms, an eternity of time, ending with a 1 min 17,6 second best lap time. In the last practice outing I did not fare any better, when I really wanted to dive into the low 17-second bracket.
A day at the track really takes it out of you and by 21:30 on Friday I was pooped. Again, a solid night’s rest followed and I rose a good 30 minutes before my alarm clock on Saturday (raceday) morning.
Qualifying for our category took place early on Saturday morning and it was the last time I had to try to reduce my lap time, and in doing so try to get a better grid slot than some of those around me. During the early part of the session, while my new, slick rubber was at its best I was held up by a slower car – compromising a fast lap. In my haste to set a good lap time I also spun at turn eight. When qualifying was over I was placed third last.
The moment for quick laps had ended and now it was time to race. With a few hours between quali and the race I took some time to sit down and chill. There was little I could do in terms of improving my grid position, now the strategy we laid out earlier had to come into play. As it was my very first major race experience Nathan and I set a very simple goal: finish both races.
As race time drew closer I was suspiciously calm, but I went with it and decided not to question the state of my mind. In the pre-race pep talk I was told to be careful of the first lap carnage, which was likely to ensue. After donning all the safety paraphernalia, which seems to take a while, I was good to go. One warm-up lap is all you get before kick-off. Once that was over we lined up on the grid for the standing start. I wasn’t too slow off the line and found myself tussling with a bunch of cars into turn one. Amazingly, not one of the five cars jockeying for position touched a single body panel as we negotiate the first few corners.
By the time we reached turn four, however, the aforementioned carnage had already begun. As the front-runners all blasted through this fast right-hand sweep there was a fair deal of bumping and barging and eventually all hell seemed to break loose. Cars were going in every direction off and across the track. I carefully picked my way through the litter of bodywork and glass and by the time we approached the start finish line the Safety Car signs were displayed.
We spent many laps under a full course yellow while the debris and wreckage were removed from the track. As the safety car pulled into the pits to let racing resume, yours truly was caught napping a little and the field got the jump on me. I spent the remaining laps holding off Francois von Tonder who put up a great fight and provided me with enough motivation to keep up my pace.
At 12:30 on Saturday, 3 March, I successfully completed my very first Polo Cup race, a personal high point in my work and relatively short racing career. By the time I removed my helmet I had a face-wide grin that would not go away. Courtesy of the first lap melee I was classified 16th overall, and third in the Masters Cup (for drivers older than 27). As far as the goal was concerned, we were half way there.
From my grid slot in race two, I could not see the starting lights. As a result I was a little tardy off the line and immediately passed by a few other fast starters from behind me. I managed to hold onto the pack through the first few corners and at by turn five I was able to challenge for position. As we all slowed for the tight right hander, I followed the hard-charging Mandla Mdakane, who took to the dirt to gain a few places. On the run into turn six I passed a few cars and in turn seven I held onto the higher position. Somehow, and for the life of me it escapes me now, but I cannot recall how I was re-passed by the cars I had just overtaken. Two laps later I was down to third last position. An over enthusiastic entry into turn five saw me lose the back-end under braking and I spun a full 180 degrees. Facing the wrong way on a racetrack is never a nice feeling, and it is made even worse when you see your pursuer about to grab your on-track position.
I waited patiently as I was passed by Graham Press and after recovering set off trying to catch him. It was in vain though as we lapped at a constantly similar pace. We finished the race line astern with me in second-last place. Last year’s champion Devin Robertson ran into car troubles but continued to circulate and he would be the only car to finish behind me.
While I was disappointed by my “racecraft” (or lack thereof) in race two, the weekend as a whole was amazing. Learning to drive the car, which I am doing all the time, is an undertaking all on its own and almost all other competitors in the field have extensive experience in Polo Cup cars and/or racing. Our mission to finish both races was accomplished and we can only improve from here. I realise that I need to extract more out of myself as a driver and plan to do so as the year progresses.
The next round of the Wesbank Super Series takes place at Killarney Racetrack in Cape Town on 31 March, it will be great to see fans of CAR and racing in general at the circuit. And if you do make the trip out to the track be sure to come say hello or look out for car number M0.
Special thanks to Zaahir Essa for use of selected images facebook.com/ZPhotographySA
