The new year in South Africa does not really get going for the petrolhead fraternity until the Passion for Speed festival at Zwartkops Raceway — scheduled for January 28/28 — where some of finest fast cars will strut their stuff.

Speed is the challenge, but the machine is his weapon. It all started in America with the oval Daytona-type tracks and events in 1950. However, by the sixties big American family cars were racing on road racetracks. The drivers were the heroes of the day. These thunder sound monsters with 350 to 500 Horsepower engines with standard suspension and brakes became the rage.

In South Africa it started in the 7-litre Galaxie (the red monster) which Lee Thompson will be driving followed by the Ford Mustang Commit (Hennie Groenewald), Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt (Mark Du Toit) the Chevs, and Barracudas.

Graeme Nathan will be out for the first time to tame the Chevelle. Franco di Matteo will race the Black Widow in a 1975 Chev Bel-Air. Stiaan Kriel in the black Studebaker Lark. With Hennie Groenewald, Ben Morgenrood Mark du Toit, Lee Thompson, Jaki Scheckter, and Paolo Cavalieri to compete with the big new bangers.

Class B is equally competitive with repeating champion Paige Lindenberg in her grey Ford Fairlane being pushed to the limit by Oliver Broom’s 1965 Ford Mustang and the purple FIA Mustang. Carel Pienaar in his Ford Escort MK1 could just slip by the big bangers.

This is an annual “ONLY FOR THE BRAVE.”

Race No Class Name & Surname Vehicle

13Z A Graeme Nathan 1965 Chev Chevelle

15Z A Jeffrey Kruger 1968 Mercury Cougar

57Z A Franco Di Matteo 1957 Chev Bel-Air

60Z A Stiaan Kriel 1961 Studebaker Lark

88Z A Hennie Groenewald 1965 Ford Commit

110ZAJonathan du Toit 1965 Plymouth Barracuda

177Z A Lee Thompson 1963 Ford Galaxie

207Z A Mark du Toit 1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt

00Z A Jaki Scheckter/ Paolo Cavalieri 965 Ford Galaxie

19Z B Paige Lindenberg 1968 Ford Fairlane

123Z B Oliver Broome 1975 Ford Mustang

175Z B Warren Lombard 1965 Ford Mustang