Sudhir Matai walks away with a bruised ego after riding shotgun with a real pro for CAR’s January 2009 issue Ultimate Hot Hatch Shootout at Killarney.He is mild-mannered, soft-spoken, gentlemanly and completely unassuming but as I saw the 50 m brake marker flash by, and we were still hard on the gas, I wondered where the hell the soft-spoken man from earlier had gone? And who exactly was this maniac that replaced him behind the wheel? But first, let me take you back to the beginning.
For our recent track shootout (which you can read all about in the January issue of CAR) we enlisted the services of two race drivers, Hennie Groenewald and Phillip Kekana to do the wheel twirling. By virtue of the fact that Deputy Ed Hannes Oosthuizen and I are nearly the same mass we were the “fortunate” ones to record the professional drivers’s in-car appraisals. I was Hennie’s co-pilot.
Now I know that Hennie can drive. A stint overseas in British F3, a string of national, and three consecutive Wesbank V8 titles, all underline this fact. I’ve been to several race meetings over the last few years and seen him carve up the opposition with utter disdain and precision. I’ve even seen him ham it up for the camera and crowds during driving exhibitions. And despite all of that, his commitment as we bailed headlong into turn one at Killarney was eye opening – to say the least.
Now, I’m no mug behind the wheel. I know how to follow a racing line and have caught (and held) a few power slides. I’ve driven fast cars on local and international racetracks (and though he won’t admit, he’s known to pedal quickly on the roads, too – Ed), but I’m no racing driver, and here’s why:
Getting on the loud pedal and turning the wheel smoothly are just the basics; the real business happens in the braking zone. Hennie’s commitment into turn one, and distressing disregard for brake markers, is where he makes up time.
Apart from the fact that he’s incredibly late on the anchors, he’s also amazingly early on the gas. I’ve completed a few hot laps of Killarney and thought I could turn in a decent time; that is until I met this guy. I did not drive Killarney on the same day and in the same machinery to compare lap times, but maybe that’s a good thing, I don’t think my ego would take the beating.
Hennie drove 18 cars on the day, almost all of which he was unfamiliar with and from the moment we passed the pitlane marshal he was on it. Full throttle and hard on the anchors from lap one, he was immediately exploring the limits and generating a feel for the vehicle below. No exploratory laps were necessary and he did not find the need to build up to pace – FWD, RWD or AWD; turbocharged or high-revving naturally aspirated, he was quick in all of them.
Later, on when we needed some dramatic pics to go with the story, Hennie was only too happy to oblige. He has disgusting levels of car control and can fling anything into a broadside at absolute will. Check out that Audi S3 pic on page 61 of the January issue or download it as a wallpaper or see the BMW 130i get sideways on page 63 (also available as a wallpaper). When swapping “war” stories after the day’s activities, Mr Groenewald admitted that he could do 2m19 sec lap at Kyalami in the new M3. Not that impressive, you may say? Well, that’s until you hear that he can do that time without touching the brakes, AT ALL! Now think about that really carefully…
Hennie is considered to be one of the quickest race drivers in SA at the moment and judging by his track record (pun entirely intended, eh, Sudhir? – Ed), you have to believe that suggestion.
A day after our racetrack shenanigans I was back at my desk transcribing his verbal notes, working on road test data, and news stories, etc, basically being the Associate Ed, and Hennie was probably throwing an M3 or C63 into lurid power-on slides. Three corporate passengers (with wide grins on their faces) were perhaps too enthralled to realise they’re experiencing a true master at work.
And now I realise the reason I’m an Associate Editor and someone pays Hennie Groenewald to race.
In a vain attempt to restore his pride, Sudhir was overheard challenging Hennie to a race from zero to 1 200 words on the styling of the Hafei Lobo. – Ed.
Download wallpapers from the Track Shootout here: Batch 1, Batch 2 and Batch 3, or Batch 4.