Cape Town, 3 June 2025 — Championship hopes and reputations are on the line this weekend as the Southern African Endurance Series (SAES) connected by Vodacom 4U roars into Cape Town for Round 3: the Six-Hours of Killarney. Taking place on Saturday, 7 June at the historic Killarney Raceway, this double-points endurance epic promises a fierce display of motorsport mastery, technical ingenuity, and strategic brilliance in what is set to be the season’s most crucial encounter yet.
With a packed programme including the headline six-hour race, a competitive 1-Hour Dash, three SA GT Cup and SA GT Super Trophy races apiece, and no fewer than 32 motorcycles across MRSSA classes, motorsport fans are in for a high-octane feast. But the spotlight will undoubtedly fall on the six-hour endurance contest where national champions, seasoned pros, international talent and passionate privateers clash in a bid for supremacy.
Champions Return with South Africa’s First GT3 Evo 2
Reigning champions Xolile Letlaka and Stuart White arrive in the Cape on top of the SAES championship standings after a decisive win in Gqeberha—and they’re doubling down. The pair will debut Into Africa Racing’s brand-new Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo 2, the first of its kind on South African soil. Joined by Zimbabwe’s Axcil Jefferies—also aiming to pre-qualify for the season-closing Nine Hours of Kyalami—the trio are eyeing a significant points haul to widen their advantage in the title race.
Nova Proto Threatens with Four-Driver Firepower
Looking to derail Into Africa Racing’s dominance is the formidable Adjust for Sleep/Rico Barlow Racing Nova Proto NP02. Returning to his home track after a European absence, Nick Adcock leads a potent driver lineup including multiple SA champion Michael Stephen, Port Elizabeth round regular Jonathan Thomas, and 23-year-old French star Louis Maurice, fresh off an Ultimate Cup win at Magny-Cours in the same machine.
New Entries, New Contenders, New Questions
All eyes will also be on the all-carbon Ligier JS P4 of Albert and Oliver Hintenaus—a local father-son duo debuting the futuristic machine. Powered by a 3.7-litre Ford V6 and equipped with a six-speed sequential gearbox, the Ligier introduces a striking new silhouette and a technical wildcard to the SAES grid.
Meanwhile, Stradale Motorsport brings renewed firepower to the mix with their Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo. Charl Arangies, Arnold Neveling, and the rapid Bradley Liebenberg—who narrowly missed last year’s crown—are gunning for an upset. Their resilience was on full display in Gqeberha with a solid second-place finish.
V8 Brutes, Local Heroes, and Class Clashes
Further down the field, the brawny Backdraft Carbon car of Steve Clark and Mike McLoughlin will have to fend off the aggressive Ford Mustang IRC of Familiaris, De Matteo and Sartori—an Aussie-built machine making a strong impression after a P5 debut last month. The team is lobbying for a class B reclassification, which could shake up the mid-field dynamics.
In Class B, the stylish Scuderia Rossi Alfa Romeo Giulia QV leads the standings but faces stiff competition from Sphere Motorsport’s Toyota Altezza and the Audi R8 GT4 of the Giannoccaro brothers. After a season-opening disaster, the G&H Transport team is hungry for redemption on the Cape tarmac.
Class C offers a tantalising Honda vs Volkswagen duel as Paulo and Riccardo Loureiro in the Combined Racing Honda Civic Type-R square off against locals Roberto and David Franco in the VW SupaPolo. Just two points separate them—expect sparks in this maiden Killarney clash between the two marques.
And in Class D—the spiritual heart of SAES—the National V8 Roadster Championship presents a battle royale. With 11 of the top drivers in the Index of Performance standings housed here, it’s all-out war in Backdraft territory. Defending champs Harm and Barend Pretorius (Team Pesty) are under pressure from the Dutch Browndeck duo of Gavin Rooke and Richard van Heerde, along with American Dan Hirsch and fan-favourite Fabienne Lanz—though the latter two are parting ways for this round to mix up their campaigns.
1-Hour Dash: Short Sprint, Big Stakes
The opening hour of the Six-Hour main event doubles as Round 3 of the 1-Hour Dash Championship—where speed meets sprint strategy. Championship leader Andrew Horne in the Ligier-Honda JS49 will need to fend off a rapidly advancing Damien Hammond (Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo) and Antonie Marx (Shelby Can Am), with just seven points separating the top three.
They’re joined by Ligier driver Juan Stander, veteran Mike Verrier, and newcomers like Marius Jackson debuting the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 992 and Sam Hammond in another Huracan Evo 2. But wildcard entries like Axcil Jefferies and Oliver Hintenaus—both driving full-spec endurance cars—could steal vital points, shaking up the championship picture.
Get Trackside: Affordable Access to a World-Class Weekend
Qualifying takes place on Friday afternoon, with the grid-setting night session concluding at 19h30. Tickets are just R50 for the full day’s action, while Saturday’s main event offers general access for R150. Children under 12 go free, and a R450 grid walk pass puts fans face-to-face with the stars of endurance racing.
A Championship Defining Weekend Awaits
With double points, debuting machinery, top-tier international talent, and tightly packed class battles, the Six-Hours of Killarney promises to be a defining moment in the 2025 Southern African Endurance Series. For teams, a misstep could spell the end of a title bid; for fans, it’s an unmissable spectacle of motorsport excellence under the iconic silhouette of Table Mountain.
The Southern African Endurance Series connected by Vodacom 4U is proudly supported by Vodacom 4U, Foton and Proton, Dunlop, ATS Motorsport and SuperSport.
