Crayfish and Racing Parties with Alpinas in South Africa

[TopCat]

Dear All
Are any of you E21 owners living in South Africa?

We are hosting 2 amazing racing (and Crayfish) parties whilst there and will be showing the 2009 and 2011 Killarney races and my part in Sarel van der Merwe's racing!

6 Feb in Cape Town and 11 Feb near JoBurg

Don't forget racing at Zwartkops this weekend and Killarney 4/5 Feb

please pm me for further info

[Jeroen]

Not exactly next door so may I request a shipload of photos and videos?

[TopCat]

pse pm me with your address and I will send you a dvd (of the races) when they arrive! You will see what the excitement is all about!

Have organised dvd stickers, cover sheets and everything just awaiting DVD copying!

Plan is to organise these get togethers for my clients and racing mates down in RSA

[regals]

i don't know will the SA guys do this type of meets?

[TopCat]

Parties have both happened!
They were a sell out!!
DVD sent to Jeroen who I think has plans to list here............

[Jason_323i]

Only crayfish party I have been to was Sweden which was more drink and crayfish party, but I know a few S.A guys and they now how to party.

J

[Jeroen]

Yeah here's the full video on the 2009 and 2011 races, thanks for sending the dvd over. Any pics from this year's events btw?

[TopCat]

Dear All
Now the (Top)cat is really out of the bag!
set out below is the background to Sarel and perhaps explains what all the excitement is about!!

Sarel Daniel van der Merwe (born December 5, 1946) is a South African former rally driver, who was a multiple South African Rally Drivers Champion. He is sometimes referred to as "Supervan"
Van der Merwe won the South African Rally Drivers Championship a record eleven times in 1975, from 1977 to 1985 and in 1988. He also held the SA Saloon Car Championship (1994), SA modified Saloon Car Championship (1994 & 2001), and won the 1996 Castrol International Rally in Swaziland.
Van der Merwe began his racing career in 1967 racing saloon cars. His international career took off in 1983 in the IMSA series in the USA, with his most notable win in the 1984 24 Hours of Daytona race driving for Kreepy Krauly Racing, an all-South African team in a March 83G-Porsche. He shared the win with Graham Duxbury and Tony Martin. Van der Merwe did exceptionally well in the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished 3rd on debut. In the 1986 Le Mans race, Sarel pulled in a lap early and Jo Gartner took over. A lap later the suspension broke and the car veered off the Mulsanne Straight in the middle of the night and Gartner was killed.
In Historics he is often seen at the wheel of the fearsome 1963 7.5 litre Red Ford Galaxie owned and prepared by Peter Du Toit, who owns Zwartkops Raceway as well as some 53 racing cars. The Galaxie is a reproduction of the Galaxie driven by Bobby Oltoff in period. Peter’s son Mark Du Toit is seen aggressively driving the cream 1964 Chevrolet Biscayne proudly displaying “500HP” on the bonnet.

[Jeroen]

I was more surprised to find out about that other guy lol

anyway, great vid, great racing action, defo worth watching!

[TopCat]

Er.......... modesty forbids my posting "the other guy's" racing CV here (such as it is)! Unless you insist (and you think it would be appropriate)? In previous years there has been a lovely white M535i - one of the original ones racing in same race- very few BMWs here.

here is the M535i (being overtaken by Chevrolet Corvette):

[Jeroen]

Well I have that CV in writing here but by the lack of response it appears no one's interested... wrong brand of racecar perhaps. Weird tho, that's why I love these classic racing events, the pluriformity and wonderful mix makes it all the more fun for me!

[TopCat]

Only crayfish party I have been to was Sweden which was more drink and crayfish party, but I know a few S.A guys and they now how to party.

J

You are spot on there the SA guys know how to party!
For Jeroem
I agree am slightly surprised by the lack of enthusiasm for our racing exploits! I suppose it is a bit esoteric - and Sarel is really only well known in SA as a household name- but you can see why it was such an amazing experience.


Still VMT indeed for cutting it all into shape etc!

I am hoping that Mark of E21 Mark fame will be out in the Manx Classic in April in MIB Vs Herman- that should get everybody's attention...................hopefully?? Pix and you tube shows to follow etc......

[dannyboy]

The last race where you had too come back through the field and just grab 2nd is pure class.. excellent..
p.s is that an ex Allan mann mk1 escort i saw?

[TopCat]

thanks Danny Boy I was beginning to feel a little unappreciated!!

That is an Alan Mann replica- as is the Broadspeed Anglia- quite a lot of the historics in SA have been modified beyond what is allowed in Europe - mainly because of lack of availability of items
eg the AHealey 3000s usually run Toyota 5 speed g boxes

BTW I have been approached by a new Team to run Butch- they already have 2 that we built from the same stable as Butch for my chums in the 90s (a 70 RSSS Z/28 running SB and a 69 Z/28 running ZL1 gear ie 427 bb all aluminium 630 bhp)

we are likely to run at Brands 3-5 June the bank holiday and Spa 15-16 June
watch this space- but helpful for those members living in SE England who may wish to see the action?

[dannyboy]

427.. as in the old side oilers...?
if at brands june 3/5 i may bring the old man along... he does like a good old big block at full chat..... he used to own a "72" grand torino but not the normal clevlend 351 v8 but a 429 spec lump back in 1979.. my ride from school, blue with the white stripe ... his current run around is an 08 plate vortech supercharged grand cherokee jeep srt-8. 500+bhp 6.1 hemi with the borla ss system... check out you-tube to see how quick these 4x4's are..
he will like butch!