While I have made the trek down to Dezzi Raceway a few times in the past for drifting, this time was for something different. It was time to watch my first ever Time Attack event.
Time Attack is a slightly different form of motorsport, compared to regular circuit racing and drifting. Instead of competitors directly racing against one another, they each head out on the track individually, and compete against the clock. The origins of time attack are a gift from Japan, and have since spread worldwide in various incarnations.
I arrived at Dezzi Raceway nice and early on the Friday morning to watch the qualifying, and planning to catch the drift practice later in the afternoon. The weather had looked slightly dubious on the drive down, with the clouds hanging around for the entire day and keeping the sun at bay. Being a Friday, the crowd turnout was very small, as many people were still sitting behind their desks in an office somewhere. The less crowded appearance of Dezzi was a refreshing change though, and it lent itself to a much more informal atmosphere, with spectators walking around the pits and chatting to drivers (whether or not the organizers were happy with this arrangement, I don’t know).
Glancing in the pit area, there were a wide assortment of cars being prepared to attack the track. While most of them came in the form of highly tuned cars specially made for purpose, I also spotted two Italian supercars lurking in the back, as well as a few road legal cars. The feeling of driving a road legal track car on the street must be quite a rush.
After listening to the drivers briefing, I took up a spot alongside the main starting point. This was the perfect vantage point to see the various machines as they waited for their turn to lay down a time. While all of the cars were unique in some way or another, this black Nissan Skyline R34 GTR really caught my attention as it idled at the start line. I’ve always been a die-hard fan of the R34, and this one in black just looked so perfect. Pity that this car falls into the category of “not road legal” (at least for South Africa).
Taking my attention away from the starting area for a while, I spotted a Martini Racing Porsche Turbo lurking in the far corner. Driven by Andre Bezuidenhout, this Porsche had one of the loudest engine tones I have ever heard, with a spoiler to end all spoilers strapped to the back. I didn’t get to see the Porsche make most of its runs on the track, but it was nice to see such a classic being taken out and driven the was it was intended to be.
Heading inside the main hangar, my focus was immediately drawn towards a grey R34 sitting in the corner. Driven by Quinsley Sale, this R34 put out some very respectable times on the track. As mentioned earlier, I am a big fan of the R34, so I spent a lot of time here just appreciating this car. For a car that started production in 1999, it still looks better than most new cars on offer today. A truly timeless design.
Later on in the day, the two Porsche GT3’s of Bigfoot Express Racing eventually rolled out of the pits and took up their positions on the waiting grid. This opportunity presented itself for no more than a minute, so I jumped at the chance to get these two in all their glory. I had a CPL filter threaded to the front of my standard lens, which really helped in emphasizing the menacing appearance of the clouds (which, thankfully, were still holding their rain at bay).
All in all, it was a good day spent at the only racetrack in KZN.
To see a video of Jade Gutzeit doing a lap in his Mitsubishi Evo, click here.
TOP 10:
1: Mike McLoughlin (1:44.629)
2: Jade Gutzeit (1:45.302)
3: Greg Parton (1:46.756)
4: Anton Cronje (1:47.209)
5: Craig Czank (1:48.033)
6: Ricky Giannoccalo (1:49.092)
7: Willie de Beer (1:49.300)
8: Duane Galloway (1:49.340)
9 & 10 (tied): Quinsley Sale/Leon Loubser (1:49.632)
