Tag: Viking Mining

BMW Car Club Racing Series steps up a notch

BMW Car Club Racing Series steps up a notch

Paul BlackburnBMW Car Club Gauteng, BMW Club Racing Series, Inland Championship

Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series

2016 heralds a brand new era for the successful Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series. After 5 years of being one of the strongest single-make club racing series in South Africa, 2016 will be their first season as a regional championship and as such at the end of the year will crown a regional BMW Champion. The regional status also means increased support and structure from the motorsport administration body MSA.

 

Inland Championship

The series will now permanently race as part of the Inland Championship regional tour. The shared approach to racing for fun, logistical considerations and the ability to be involved in building a better regional tour at ground level ultimately sealed the deal for the organisers and drivers. The club series has raced with the tour previously on an invitational basis and are happy to call it their new home.


Race-2015-07-18-420

The championship will host races at all 9 rounds of the tour with the introduction of a new class aimed at novices and 4 cylinder BMWs. All classes are regulated by breakout times allowing drivers to improve their talents and progress in the series without having to spend a fortune to stay competitive in a technically regulated class.

 

Together with their partners and other categories racing on the tour, such as the INEX Legends and Big Boss Auto Super Saloons/MPC, the various chairmen will be embarking on an aggressive marketing and PR overhaul for the tour in 2016 that include all media facets. The club has secured title sponsorship from Bridgestone South Africa, primary sponsorship from Viking Mining Solutions, Roof Surgeon as well as Big Boss Auto and Tri-Cor Signs. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for both the BMW club series and the tour events for any parties interested in becoming part of what motorsport really should be about – ‘Real People, Real Racing’.

Provisional Calendar for 2016

5 March   –   Zwartkops Raceway

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2 April   –   Phakisa
7 May   –   Kyalami
18 June   –   Midvaal Raceway
16 July   –   Zwartkops Raceway
13 August   –   Red Star Raceway
17 September   –   Zwartkops Raceway
15 October   –   Midvaal Raceway
5 November   –   Kyalami

For any enquiries on the Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series or the Inland Championship,
please contact Michael Broom on 084 325 2744 or broombmw@gmail.com.

Website: www.BMWCarClub.co.za
Facebook: BMW Car Club Gauteng
Twitter: @BMWCarClubGP
Event Photographs: www.RacePics.co.za

Media requests must please be forwarded to RacePics at media@racepics.co.za

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More about BMW Car Club Gauteng

The Club was formed in 1981 to afford like minded enthusiasts the opportunity to interact with each other through a comprehensive calendar of events, a club magazine and website portal. The Club also organizes adrenaline and social based events such as breakfast runs, classic car gatherings, Concours d’Elegance competitions, noggins, weekend trips, gymkhana’s and top speed events. The Club is proud of its family ethos where all enthusiasts are welcome. Annual membership starts from as little as R350, more information is available at www.bmwcarclub.co.za.

Photographs of BMW Car Club Gauteng Events

BMW CCG Club Racing Series Sponsors in 2016

Bridgestone BMW CCG Club Racing Series – Round 1 – Zwartkops Raceway

Greg ReillyBMW Car Club Gauteng, BMW Club Racing Series, Race Reports, Zwartkops Raceway

The first round of the 2015 racing season for the popular Bridgestone BMW CCG Club Racing Series kicked off at the Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday 28 February.

With a number of cars still being built and prepared for the season, a field of 23 cars was an impressive start for the season opener.

The dedicated competitors of this well organised series once again produced some exciting and competitive racing between the four classes.

 Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series
Mish-al Sing (E92 M3) made a welcome return to the series after a twelve month sabbatical and promptly claimed pole position ahead of Ricky Giannoccaro (E46 M3 GTR). Zimbabwean import Darren Winterboer (F30 335i) made an impressive debut in the series by grabbing pole position in class B, ahead of Riaan Woest (E46 M3). Daniel Koekemoer (E36 M3) dominated the class C qualifying to take pole position by more than half a second ahead of series newcomer Fred Kruger (E46 M3). Tana Klue (E46 330i) surprised the rest of the class D field by claiming the top grid slot ahead of Shane Grobler (E36 328i) and other series regulars.

Race 1
Mish-al Sing returned to the series with victory in mind
Mish-al Sing returned to the series with victory in mind
The first race got off to a frantic start; with the large field jostling for position through turn one. Sing grabbed an immediate lead with the rest of the field in tow. Giannoccaro was hot on his heels with Winterboer hanging onto their coat tails. Viking Mining Solutions team mates Woest and Morne Visagie (E36 M3 Turbo) were nose to tail as they tried to stay with the leaders. Koekemoer made the most of his starting position as he led the class C field on the opening lap.
As expected the battle amongst the class D competitors was closer than ever. A great start from Mike Salt (E36 323i) saw him grab the class lead ahead of Klue and Noordeen Sing (E30 325is) with the proverbial blanket being able to be thrown over the trio! The battle at the front was still playing out with Giannoccaro and Winterboer staying in touch with the race leader. Winterboer’s challenge would come to nothing however when a boost pipe came loose on his car causing a sudden loss of power.
The action amongst the class D brat pack continued with Klue desperately trying to find a way past Salt. He made his move on the sixth lap when he dived down the inside of Salt heading into turn four, only to over shoot the corner, spinning out into the kitty litter in the process. Noordeen Sing took over where Klue left off and started applying the pressure on Salt through almost every corner. He made his move on the penultimate lap of the race when he dived through to grab the class lead through turn five. Grobler was closing quickly as well after a lacklustre start and relegated Salt to third position through turn two a lap later.
When the chequered flag came out it was Sing who claimed the Overall and class A honours ahead of Giannoccaro. An ailing Winterboer was being reeled in at a rapid rate of knots by Woest and only just held on for third position and first in class B – with 0.028 of a second separating the pair across the line! Koekemoer proved that he had the pace in class C as he claimed the victory ahead of Ebrahim. Noordeen only just held on for the win in class D. Grobler broke out however and was bumped up to class C, handing second place to Salt.

Race 1 Results by class

Class A

Class B
  1. Mishal Sing – Best lap: 1:06.566
  2. Ricky Giannoccaro – Best lap: 1:06.656
  3. Jimmy Giannoccaro – Best lap: 1:09.182
  1. Darren Winterboer – Best lap: 1:07.793
  2. Riaan Woest – Best lap: 1:09.009
  3. Morne Visagie – Best lap: 1:09.007

Class C

Class D
  1. Daniel Koekemoer – Best lap: 1:10.147
  2. Feroz Ebrahim – Best lap: 1:10.350
  3. Fred Kruger – Best lap: 1:11.740
  1. Noordeen Sing – Best lap: 1:14.154
  2. Mike Salt – Best lap: 1:14.417
  3. Arri Van Heerden – Best lap: 1:14.408
Winterboer made an impressive debut in the series
Winterboer made an impressive debut in the series

Race 2
An inverted grid for the second race would certainly shake things up with plenty of overtaking expected. It didn’t take long for Sing to once again get to the front of the pack with an ambitious move around the outside of Jimmy (E46 M3 Ti) and Ricky Giannoccaro through turn one! Giannoccaro Junior’s race came to an end before it had begun however when a fan belt snapped and ripped apart a wiring loom, ending his race on the spot. Class C front runner Koekemoer ran wide in turn two on the opening lap and then had to chase from the back of the entire field.
Sing stretched his lead out in front with Winterboer doing his best to stay in touch. Woest was also on a charge as he grabbed third position from Giannoccaro Senior. Ebrahim was also fired up as he grabbed the class C lead ahead of Kruger, Johan Dreyer (E46 330i) and Grobler. Klue had another disastrous result when he retired on the third lap with mechanical gremlins ruining his chances of a decent result.
Koekemoer was driving like a man possessed and was scything his way through the field at a rapid rate of knots. He grabbed eighth position from Grobler on the fifth lap and then seventh position from Dreyer a lap later. The class D battle was a close run affair once again with Salt, Noordeen and Arri Van Heerden (E30 2.7) at each other’s throats. Noordeen then grabbed the class lead through turn four on the seventh lap. The battle at the front was just as intense with Winterboer closing in on Sing fairly quickly. Sing, who was suffering from an intermittent fuel surge, lost the lead to the Zimbabwean on the eighth lap and tried desperately to stay in touch with the new race leader.
Winterboer romped home to victory ahead of the ailing Sing to claim the Overall and class B honours ahead of Woest once more. Ebrahim claimed a deserved win in class C ahead of Kruger and a hard charging Koekemoer. Noordeen was impressive in class D but broke out and was moved up to the class C ranks. This handed the class D victory to Salt with Van Heerden chasing him all the way to the line.

Race 2 Results by class

Class A

Class B
  1. Mishal Sing – Best lap: 1:06.417
  2. Jimmy Giannoccaro – Best lap: 1:08.601
  1. Darren Winterboer – Best lap: 1:07.824
  2. Riaan Woest – Best lap: 1:08.844

Class C

Class D
  1. Feroz Ebrahim – Best lap: 1:11.027
  2. Fred Kruger – Best lap: 1:11.391
  3. Daniel Koekemoer – Best lap: 1:10.795
  1. Mike Salt – Best lap: 1:14.751
  2. Arri Van Heerden – Best lap: 1:14.139
  3. Craig Ball – Best lap: 1:16.454
Salt had to work hard to stay at the sharp end of the class D pack
Salt had to work hard to stay at the sharp end of the class D pack
The second round of the season will be held in conjunction with the Extreme Festival Road show at Zwartkops Raceway on 21 March. A bumper field is expected, including the first of the new BMW Challenge class entries.
For further information, visit www.bmwcarclub.co.za or email the organiser, Michael Broom, at Click-to-Reveal@bmwcarclub.co.za.
Website: www.BMWCarClub.co.za
Facebook: BMW Car Club Gauteng or
BMW CCG Club Racing Series
Twitter: @BMWCarClubGP
Event Photographs: www.RacePics.co.za
Race Report by Greg Reilly
Media requests must please be forwarded to RacePics at Click-to-Reveal@racepics.co.za

More about BMW Car Club Gauteng
The Club was formed in 1981 to afford likeminded enthusiasts the opportunity to interact with each other through a comprehensive calendar of events, a club magazine and website portal. The Club also organizes adrenaline and social based events such as breakfast runs, classic car gatherings, Concours d’Elegance competitions, noggins, weekend trips, gymkhana’s and top speed events. The Club is proud of its family ethos where all enthusiasts are welcome. Annual membership starts from as little as R350, more information is available at www.bmwcarclub.co.za.

Photographs of BMW Car Club Gauteng Events
BMW CCG Club Racing Series Sponsors in 2015