Cape Town’s mercurial winter weather served up a high-octane drama of endurance, grit and razor-thin margins as Round Three of the SA Endurance National Championship connected by Vodacom 4U unfolded at the Killarney International Raceway on 7 June. What began in torrential rain ended in a last-lap thriller, cementing this event as one of the most dramatic and closely fought battles in recent series history.
A Start Drenched in Chaos
From the moment the lights went out at 2pm, the conditions dictated caution—though few heeded it. Pole-sitter Stradale Motorsport’s Audi R8 GT3 Evo, piloted by Charl Arangies, Arnold Neveling and Brad Liebenberg, had barely cleared the front straight before aquaplaning at Turn One. Right alongside them, Into Africa Racing’s Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo 2, driven by Xolile Letlaka, Stuart White and Axcil Jeffries, also spun after being mistakenly fitted with intermediate tyres instead of full wets. Within minutes, both front-runners found themselves tangled in mid-pack mayhem.
Emerging from the chaos was the Adjust for Sleep/Rico Barlow Racing Nova Proto NP2, confidently handled by a four-driver lineup of Nick Adcock, Michael Stephen, Louis Maurice, and Jonathan Thomas. The sleek prototype surged into the lead, navigating the dense spray and capitalising on the GT3 titans’ early missteps.
An Interruption—and a Resurgence
Two hours in, the drama escalated as the Di Matteo Racing Ford Mustang IRC lost control at the Sarel van der Merwe Sweep and slammed into the tyre wall, prompting a 40-minute red flag period while safety crews repaired the barrier. The incident underscored the perilous nature of the saturated circuit.
As the race resumed and conditions briefly improved, a dry line began to form, allowing the GT3 machines to reassert themselves. But the reprieve was short-lived. As dusk fell, so too did another curtain of rain, amplifying tension across pit lane.
By then, attrition had claimed several frontrunners, including the G&H Transport Audi R8 of Ricky and Gianni Giannoccaro and Ant Blunden, which suffered radiator damage after contact with a Backdraft entry. Their Class B-leading machine was heartbreakingly retired with just 30 minutes to go.
The Final Act: From Puncture to Podium
With half an hour remaining, the stage was set for a grandstand finish. Jeffries, leading in the Into Africa Lamborghini, was forced to pit with a puncture, relegating the team to third. Ahead, the Rico Barlow Nova Proto and the Stradale Audi diced for supremacy.
Then came the final safety car—15 minutes on the clock, 2.7 seconds covering the top three. When the green flag dropped, Jeffries launched a relentless charge. He pounced on the Audi immediately, then set his sights on the leading Nova.
With just 20 seconds left on the clock, Jeffries seized the lead. The Into Africa pit erupted as the #55 Lamborghini crossed the finish line after six hours of relentless racing, clinching a sensational win by the narrowest of margins.
“That was the longest half an hour of my life,” team boss Xolile Letlaka admitted, while Jeffries and White praised their team’s unyielding spirit in overcoming multiple setbacks.
Podium Disappointment and Class Battles
The RBR Nova Proto—flawless for much of the race—was left to settle for second, its one-tyre strategy ultimately costing grip in the dying moments. The Stradale Audi, meanwhile, suffered a final blow when Liebenberg, leading at the time, collided with a backmarker at Turn Two, damaging the front end and falling back to third.
Behind the headline act, Albert and Oliver Hintenaus brought their mud-splattered Ligier P4 home in fourth despite numerous spins, while Steve Clark and Mike McLaughlin wrestled their Backdraft Roadster through torrential conditions to secure fifth.
Class D honours went to Harm and Barend Pretorius in their Team Pesty Backdraft, showing strategic caution early on that paid dividends by the chequered flag. Meanwhile, the Bluff Meat Supply trio of Denver Branders, Robert Maudant and Mark Futcher were rewarded for consistency with the Index of Performance trophy and a third-place Class D finish.
More Standouts from the Storm
- The Combined Racing Honda Civic Type-R, driven by brothers Paulo and Ricardo Loureiro, claimed Class C honours in ninth overall after an impressive six-hour stint on semi-slick tyres.
- The Sphere Motorsport Toyota Altezza of Sergio Alvares, Pieter van Heerden and Marco da Cunha earned a debut Class B win, showcasing reliability in unforgiving weather.
- The Scuderia Rossi Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV lost its early Class B lead to mechanical gremlins, eventually recovering to second after a 50-minute pit repair.
One-Hour Dash: Horne vs. Hammond
The shorter 1-Hour Dash race saw a similar level of chaos. After early spins by the leading GT3 cars, Andrew Horne surged into contention in his Ligier-Honda JS49. Despite damaging his car’s alignment, he pushed Damian Hammond’s Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo 2 to the wire, finishing just 0.7 seconds adrift.
Wayne Roach rounded out the top three in another Lamborghini, while Marius Jackson’s new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup held off a spirited challenge from Mo Mia and Byron Mitchell. Further back, Antonie Marx endured a bruising outing, bringing out two separate safety cars in his stricken Shelby CanAm.
Looking Ahead
The curtain now falls on a memorable day in Cape Town as teams prepare for the next round: the Four Hours of Kyalami, scheduled for 26 July. With championship points, pride, and momentum all on the line, one thing is clear—the 2024 Southern African Endurance Series, supported by Vodacom 4U, Foton, Proton, Dunlop Tyres, ATS Motorsport, Silverlakes Farm Hotel and SuperSport, is delivering motorsport at its most unpredictable and exhilarating.
