V8 racing fever sweeps South Africa
6/2/2001 13:39 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
V8 racing fever has swept South Africa – and now they want a piece of our Supercar action.
After the collapse of the country’s two litre series last year, South Africa has embraced the V8 racing formula, with no less than three major tin-top championships to feature eight cylinder machines this season.
The premier Wesbank V8 Series will this year include 5.7 litre V8 Opel Astras, thanks to Opel Motorsport’s re-entry into South African motor racing. Meanwhile, a Holden Commodore SS will do battle with an XR6 Falcon in the Group N Production Car Series, while the all-V8 NASCAR-like Championship (SASCAR) will also give locals a healthy dose of V8 fumes.
South Africa’s foremost racing driver, Opel works pilot and SASCAR campaigner Dean Joubert, has taken V8 racing to heart.
"South Africans will get a real dose of V8s this year and I'm going to have a ball," Joubert exclaimed.
Joubert – who recently guested at the GMC 400 in Canberra – has made no secret of his intentions to one day drive a V8 Supercar in Australia. Failing that, he’d like South Africans to get a taste of Australia’s favourite racing category.
"Along with NASCAR, Australian V8 Supercars are the peak of V8 saloon car formulas. If I can't drive one in Australia, then we'd better invite them to come (and) race here," he said.
While V8 governing body AVESCO is focussed on securing an Asia market (with a Shell Series event likely to be held somewhere in South East Asia in 2002), South Africa has been mooted as possible hosts in the future. An African visit in 2003 could be on the cards.
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