Crashes, mechanical failures mark circuit racing championship

The second leg of the National Circuit Racing Championship was a challenging one, with low entry numbers, mechanical failures and an accident that brought racing to a halt. Driver Horazio “Rassie” Rietz escaped injury after his Volkswagen Golf reportedly developed braking problems and crashed into the safety barriers. After being treated by track medics, Rietz told Top Revs he hopes to return for the next race once he has recovered from the impact. Of the eight entries, two competitors failed to finish. Michel Rust’s Volvo and Rietz’s Golf were both forced to retire because of mechanical problems. Chané Havenga, the only female competitor in the field, describes the racing as competitive and says Rietz’s accident made her more cautious. “I just decided to improve and take it from there,” she says. Making his competitive debut, Zirk Coetzee of the Zirkas Racing Team attracted attention in his BMW as he battled against the more experienced Ekko Eisenberg in a Chevrolet Lumina V8. Coetzee’s first heat ended prematurely when the BMW’s left-front control arm broke. His team repaired the damage in time for the second heat, and by the third race the blue-and-white BMW was back on track. “The race with Eisenberg was nice and he is one hell of a driver,” Coetzee says. He adds that he plans to return for the third leg of the championship after making minor adjustments to the car. Eisenberg describes racing as a form of entertainment that “brings out your spirit”. Rookie racer Ndapa Auala again showed promise and continued to encourage young people to pursue motorsport. His battles with veteran Clive Strydom were among the highlights of the day, with the pair often separated by only narrow margins and running side by side on the straights. Auala praises his fellow competitors, saying everyone on the track drove “like champions”. He singles out Clive Strydom, whom he raced closely throughout the day, as well as Havenga, who recently returned to competition. Auala says he will be back for the third leg of the championship, scheduled for the end of June at the Tony Rust Race Track. Located about 15 minutes outside Windhoek, the circuit is Namibia’s only permanent asphalt racing track. Its distance varies between 2.3 km and 3.2 km, depending on the configuration, and it features a 36-metre elevation change. The facility also includes a drag strip and a karting circuit. The standard circuit layout consists of five corners – four left-hand turns and one right-hand turn. The lap record belongs to Mark Sternagel, who set a time of 62.69 seconds in September 2022. The results are as follows: Class A: First – Eisenberg best lap time: 68.86 seconds. Class B: First – Deon Friedenthal – best lap time: 73.01 seconds. Class C: First – Strydom – best lap time: 76.75 seconds. Class D and X : Auala: – best laptime: 80.66 seconds. Class E: Havenga – best laptime: 85.63 seconds. Class X: Coetzee – best laptime: 69.82 seconds. The post Crashes, mechanical failures mark circuit racing championship appeared first on The Namibian .