The excitement around Round 6 of the 2024 BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series, held at Killarney International Raceway on 9-10 August, has spilt into a new Cape Town-based all-BMW series, scheduled to have its inaugural outing this coming weekend (30-31 August) at the same circuit.
Provisionally called the BMW Car Club Cape Town (BMWCCCT) Race Series, it will be operated by the Cape Town charter of the BMW Car Clubs, with the series’ rules largely based on the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series, operated by BMW Car Club Gauteng and backed by BMW South Africa.
While the recent Cape Town visit ignited an interest in starting the new race series, the passion for the brand has been alive for decades already within the region. Western Province regional racing has seen a host of BMW owners taking silverware and titles. However, some of these series also have a bust-rule. This is similar to the breakout rule in the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series, albeit with the added fastest time for the top class, whereafter a driver/car combination is not eligible to compete further in the series. The Western Cape also does not have various open-manufacturer saloon car series, which makes it challenging for a driver to enter another series. The BMWCCCT Race Series will provide a competitive platform for these drivers and cars.
One of the new additions to the BMWCCCT Race Series rules is the introduction of Class F. Apart from this, scoring and class progression will be similar to the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series. The Cape Town series will also utilise Dunlop Direzza tyres, supplied by ATS Motorsport.
Assisting the newly founded Race Series committee will be Bernard de Gouveia, Chairman of the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series. Having taken charge of the Gauteng series in 2018, De Gouveia has been key to transforming what essentially started as a club racing series into one of South Africa’s leading revenue-generating motorsport brands. This is also what he hopes to continue in Cape Town, and in doing so, build a legacy of competitive, all-BMW races throughout South Africa, contested by capacity grids similar to those seen in the glory years of South African motorsport.
The maiden outing for the BMWCCCT Race Series will see a host of drivers who competed in the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series returning to the grid.
Nian du Toit, who dominated the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series round earlier this month, will look to continue his superb form in Class A. He will again be joined by Amaar Coetzee, Marco Retter, and Ryan Kat, who had to withdraw earlier this month, will also be on the grid. Mansoor Parker will head up Class B, with Baby Jakes also set to make his debut. Danyaal Coetzee, Anwar Levy, and Dexter Bruce are the frontrunners in Class C. Ebrahim Levy will compete in Class D, having shown good form against his Gauteng rivals. He will be joined by Martin Bensch. Ernest Page, Faizel Jacobs, Yusuf Hendricks, Fiekie Pather and Reza Levy will start the weekend as the Class E contenders. Class F will see Arno Michels, Bradley Sickle, Mark Sternagel, Jacque Prins, Jacque du Toit, and Andre Voorn debut.
The maiden outing for the series will see two eight-lap races scheduled for 13:20 and 16:35 and form part of the Western Province Motor Club Power Series presented by Lime Property Management and Smile 90.4 FM. Spectator tickets can be purchased via WebTickets, and the event promotor will announce broadcast information in due course.
The BMWCCCT Race Series has yet to announce its official communication and social media channels so that fans can keep up with the latest news and results. However, initial support in this regard will be provided by BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series. Media Manager Reynard Gelderblom, a former Capetonian, has volunteered his assistance and shares De Gouveia’s passion for the exciting new chapter that lies ahead for BMW owner-based motorsport in South Africa. A detailed insert about the series will also be included in the September episode of BMW Club TV, which will premiere on the BMW Car Club Gauteng YouTube channel on Thursday, 12 September.
Issued by Brandsponential on behalf of BMW Car Club Gauteng
MSA Publishes media releases from a host of different sources on our website as a service to the sport. It is not practically possible to vet/approve every release that is published. Some news items and articles are written by correspondents and do not necessarily represent MSA’s views.