Huge fields set to entertain at 25th Passion for Speed
The 2026 South African circuit racing season gets underway at Zwartkops Raceway this weekend, 30 and 31 January, with the 25th anniversary running of the Passion for Speed. Over 250 drivers, both local and international, will be showcasing their skills at one of the biggest motorsport events of the year.
The Legends of the 9 Hour Pre’70 Productions Cars races are firm crowd favourites at Zwartkops. These massive V8 machines dominated racing in America in the 1960s and still show an impressive turn-of-speed over 60 years later. However, getting them to slow down when the brakes get hot after 10 laps of hard action can be problematic. International racers Michiel Campagne in a Chevy Bel Air, Frans van Maarschalkerwaard and Harmen van Putten in a Ford Mustang will pit their skills against a field containing some of South Africa’s best drivers. Hennie Groenewald and Alistair Simpson will be out in a pair of Capri Peranas with a trio of Ford Mustangs, driven by Ben Morgenrood, Jonathan Needham, and Chad Ten Doeschate, also in the mix. Colin Ellison will provide further Ford interest in his Thunderbolt, Lee Thompson and Paolo Cavaleri in their Galaxies, and the Fairlanes of Mark du Toit and James Temple. Chevrolet has not been forgotten, with Jonathan du Toit at the wheel of a Nova and Michael Kernick in a Camaro. Seef Fourie Jr will be in a Mercury Cougar, while Warren Lombard will challenge the rest of the field in a Studebaker Lark.
While the big V8s thrilled crowds in the 60s, they weren’t the only cars putting on a show. The smaller, more agile Alfas, Lotus Cortinas and Minis were also showing their mettle. The Legends of the 9 Hour Pre’66/68 LITTLE Giants, incl. U2 races will showcase some of these classics and more. Denzil Bhana (Ford Anglia), Alan Poulter (Volvo 122s), and Carel Pienaar (Lotus Cortina) will fight for Class U2+ honours, while Roger Houston, Marc Miller, and Francesco Lombardi will be in action in their Alfa Romeo Giulias taking on John Bronner (Alfa GT Junior) and Chris du Plooy (Volvo 122s) for the U2 class win.
The highlight of the day’s racing will be the 45-minute Le Mans Sports & GT Tourist Trophy, which features a compulsory pit stop and allows entrants to include a second driver. 2025 winner James Temple will be back for another bite at the cherry in his Daytona Coupe, as will 2024 winners Jonathan and Mark du Toit in their Ford GT40. International drivers Janne Kling (Ford GT40), Michiel Campagne and Frans van Maarschalkerwaard (Daytona Coupe) and Patrick Mortier, who is sharing a Cobra with Ryan Quan-Chai, will all be out to make the previous winners work to repeat their victories. Warren Lombard (AC Cobra) and Oliver Dalais (Ford GT40) should provide a challenge at the head of the Class A pack, while Peter Bailey (Ford GT40), Marc Miller (Daytona Coupe), and Allen Meyer (Chevron B8) should add to the Class B action.
A bit further back, there could be an interesting tussle between the Ford Escort piloted by Shaun van der Linde and Clive Wilmot and the Lotus Cortina in the hands of Carel Pienaar and Hennie Groenewald for Class C honours, with Johan de Bruyn (Porsche 911) and Jason Campos (BMW 328i) also in the mix. Chris Davison and Stuart Mack (Opel Superboss) will look to get the better of Robbie Frank (Lotus 23B), Josh and Jake Dovey (Ginetta G4R), and Kosie Swanepoel (Toyota Celica) in Class D.
The International Sports Prototypes races will also feature a couple of international drivers. Kennet Persson, in his McLaren 5B CanAm, will have to fight off Larry Wilford (Lola T70), Mark du Toit (Lola T70 Spider), Jonathan du Toit (Chevron B8), and Rui Campos in his V8-powered Shelby CanAm if he wants to take Class A. Janne Kling, in an original Le Mans 1965 Ford GT40, will be aiming for Class B victory, but will have to out do Peter Bailey (Porsche 917), Neil Lobb (Lola T70), and the Porsches of Andre Bezuidenhout and Keegan Campos. Lee Thompson (Lolette), Seef Fourie Jr. (Ecosse), Rudolf de Vos (Chev Firenza Can Am), and the Datsun 240Z driven by Hennie Groenewald will add to the show.
The huge field in the Evapco HRSA Racing field has been split into two groups: the faster Class B to E cars in one group, and the slower Classes F to H in the other. The Porsches of Keegan Campos, Andre van der Merwe, and Mo Mia are likely to be the front-runners, although Wayne Botha (Ford Escort) could spring a surprise. Class C is likely to be a fight between the Mazda R100s of Werner Kotze and Hermanus Babst, the VW Sirriccos of Jannie van Rooyen and Andre ten Napel, and the Ford Capri of Andre Diederecks. A host of Datsuns and Ford Escorts, with the odd Fiat and Mercedes-Benz thrown in for good measure, will contest the lower classes.
Minis, Alfas, Ford Escorts, Datsons and a couple of BMWs make up the bulk of the Class F to H runners, but it could be the Peter Lanz Fiat Uno that will be in the running for Class F honours. Mike Bishop (Renault Gordini) could also be there or thereabouts. Riaan de Ru (Ford Prefect) could be challenged by Johann van der Walt (Mercedes 190E) and the Ford Anglias of Anton Booyens, and Chris and Richard Williams in Class G, while Class H will include Wynand du Plessis (Porsche 944), Gary Stacey (Mazda 323), and Headley Whitehead (Mini GTS).
Over 20 cars will take to the track in the Historic Single Seater races. Josh Dovey (Chevron B20) is likely to lead the way, but the fight behind him is expected to be extremely tight. Andrew Horne (Royale RP31), Ben van der Westhuizen (Royale RP24), and Paul Gerber (Ray 83) have all run at the sharp end of the field before and should be there again on Saturday. Others who should be in the mix include Ryan Ludik (Titan), Paul Richardson (Dulon), Ron Liddiard (Lotus 51A), and Michael Hillary (Lotus 23B T-SC). The Formula Vee battle will feature Michael Kernick (Capital MK1), Tony Beecher (S+J MK9), Paul Manegold (Wilkie), and Jody Morrison (Cobra), among others.
An innovation for the 25th running of the Passion for Speed is the inclusion of a Classic GT category. There, a quartet of Lamborghini Gallardos, driven by Sam, Damian, and Nathan Hammond and Wayne Roach, will take on Thys Volschenk (1992 Audi S2 Quattro), Mark du Toit (Ford GT1), and Maurizio Bianco (BMW E9 CSL Batmobile). Running with the Classic GTs, the Greats of the Past will feature Franco di Matteo (Ford Mustang), Lee Thompson (Opel Astra), Seef Fourie Jr. (Opel Rekord), Joe dos Santos (Opel Calibra) and many more.
The BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series represents the newer attractions on the programme, and they also come with a new format for 2026, with this weekend being the season opener for the Series that forms part of the Extreme Festival roster. This year sees two, standalone championships in the series, namely the Turbo Cup and NA Cup. Both championships consist of four time-based classes.
In the Turbo Cup, Leon Loubser (Monaco Motors BMW E92 335i) will be looking to set the pace at the front of the field in Class A. The reigning series champion, Renier Smith (FAST Development BMW E36 M3 Turbo), will be one of the drivers to watch for in Class B. Hen van der Merwe (SavSpeed Racing BMW E36 328i Turbo) will look to head up Class C. This trio also won their respective classes in 2025’s edition. Kyan Boodaya (Wardens Cartage BMW F30 330d) could well set the pace in Class D.
In the absence of any Class A drivers, Class B’s Bernard de Gouveia (De Gouveia Accountants BMW E46 M3) will look to head up the field. Karabo Malemela (Liqui-Moly BMW E46 330i) will be one of the drivers to watch in Class C, while Henry Platt (Mosco Specialised Contractors BMW E36/7 Z3 will look to take charge of Class D. In this group, De Gouveia and Platt were the respective Class D, and F champions in 2025. Friday will be dedicated to practice sessions, with qualifying scheduled for the late afternoon. Saturday will deliver a full day of racing action, interspersed with drifting demos and a Ford vs Ferrari tribute, with action getting underway at 07h50. Tickets to the event are available from Computicket or at the gate.
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