adminA RARE motor racing treat awaits Zimbabwean motorsport enthusiasts at Donnybrook Raceway in Harare tomorrow.
Tomorrow will see the return of main circuit racing at Donnybrook where, for the first time in this country, a number of female drivers will be taking on each other in a demonstration race during the Hamish Cameron Race Day.
In fact, never before in the history of motorsport in Zimbabwe have we seen women taking on each other at a motor racing event at Donnybrook and this Sunday will see some aspiring female motor racing drivers competing in the Hamish Cameron Race Day.
Although Zimbabwe has had a number of female motor racing drivers such as Laureen Marufu, Shamiso Chitima, Michelle Fortman, Michelle York and Sasha Watson taking part in motor rallying events in the past, no women competitors have raced against each other in main circuit racing in this country before.
And tomorrow will see a number of aspiring Zimbabwean female motor racing drivers taking part in the Hamish Cameron Race Day at Donnybrook.
The organisers of this event said they have decided to include a “Ladies Race” tomorrow to add more excitement to it.
“Danica Patrick recently boasted that she was the best female racing driver in the world. Then she qualified at the back of the grid for the Nascar race at Kansas in the United States, and then hit the wall on the first lap.
“Surely our ladies can do better, and to prove it we have included a Ladies Race as part of the programme this Sunday at Donnybrook.
“Our thanks go to the Camerons for sponsoring the Hamish Cameron Race Day which will also feature Superbike races (five are expected from Bulawayo ) and a Novice Training race which was very popular at the last meeting.
“We will, of course, have the usual Sports, Saloon and Megelli classes, as well as the final round of the Toyota 1600 Cup, and Toyota Driver of the Year,” the organisers of the event said in a statement earlier this week.
In fact, the 2013 Zimbabwe Motor Racing Championships will be decided at Donnybrook tomorrow when the country’s top riders and drivers gather for the Hamish Cameron Grand Prix.
This is the final round of the seven-event racing season, and while some championships have already been decided, several are going right down to the wire.
One of the titles which has been claimed is the Unlimited Sports Car Championship where Harare schoolboy Cole Bond powered his Birkin to 10 race wins and an unassailable lead over the similar car of Richard Robinson. An ex-motocross champion, Bond clinched his first four-wheel title shortly before travelling to South Africa to represent Zimbabwe at the FIA Young Driver Excellence Academy.
Fourteen of the top drivers from all over Africa were assessed in various areas, including physical fitness, driving performance, media technique, teamwork and psychology, with Bond reaching the final five before finally losing out to South African Kelvin van der Linde who currently races in Europe.
Another driver who can already claim a national title is Ian Howden who used his Subaru WRX to good effect to defend his Unlimited Saloon Car championship from Bulawayo drivers Darren Winterboer (BMW) and Angelo Tavares ( Subaru ) despite the driving becoming somewhat exuberant at times.
In the 1600cc Saloon class, Harare’s Christian Berkau has one hand on the trophy as he only needs a handful of points to stop Bulawayo driver Darren Pradji overhauling him in the standings. After a shaky start when engine troubles plagued his Toyota Corolla, Berkau put together a string of wins, fending off the similar Corolla driven by Alister Howden as well as a gaggle of Toyota MR2s to lead by 19 points with 20 available tomorrow.
The closely contested 1600cc Sports Car class is far from settled as no fewer than four drivers are in with a chance of the title.
With all the drivers competing in similar Toyota powered Super 7 cars, the races have been hotly-contested, and despite winning the bulk of the races, Harare driver Gary Kirk finds himself tied with John Cameron and only two points ahead of Stephanus van der Linde who is enjoying a highly successful rookie season.
However, all three trail Brett Cameron on the points table, and the Harare driver has to maintain a cool head and finish in third place or better in both heats tomorrow to clinch a narrow victory.
Another championship that is far from decided is the prestigious Toyota Driver of the Year where Stephanus van der Linde enjoys a two-point lead over Cole Bond and Brett Cameron, with Richard Robinson only slightly behind. If the Harare schoolboy manages to defend his slim lead tomorrow, he will become the first teenager ever to lift the Toyota silverware.
Superbikes will be making a welcome return to Donnybrook as Ian Gutherless and a team of five fearless riders travel from Bulawayo to take on Phil Archenoul who leads the Harare contingent.
Archenoul will also be in action in the 250cc class where he has a mere one-point advantage in the club championship over Gavin Randall, who is in turn one point ahead of Shaun Whyte.
With 15 bikes expected on the grid, an exciting finish to this year’s racing is certainly guaranteed. — Sports Reporter/Donnybrook Facebook Page
Hamish Cameron Race Day Programme
8:30am–10am – Scrutineering and registration
10am – Practice
11am– Qualifying
12noon – Megelli Cup Scratch 8 laps
12:20pm – Sports Cars National Scratch 8 laps
12:40pm – Superbike Scratch 6 laps
1pm – Saloon Car Scratch 8 laps
1:20pm – Megelli Scratch 8 laps
1:40pm Sports Cars National Scratch 8 laps
2pm – Superbike Scratch 6 laps
2:20pm – Saloon Car National Scratch 8 laps
2:40pm – Training Race 5 laps
3:10pm – Megelli Handicap 6 laps
3:30pm – Car Handicap 6 laps
3:50pm – Superbike Handicap 6 laps
4:10pm – Hamish Cameron Grand Prix 10 laps
4:40pm – Ladies Demo
Online Reporter