aBr May 2014 | Page 102

By Roger McCleery GLOBAL MOTORSPORT OVERVIEW A new era of world and local motorsport has dawned A new era of world and local motorsport has dawned. Whether you are a died-in-the-wool Formula 1 fan or you watch other car racing, do yourself a big favour and see motorcycle racing history being made. W e had the Brit Mike Hailwood, American Kenny Roberts and Italian Valentino Rossi changing the face of high speed motorcycle racing when they arrived on the scene. Even American World Superbike Champion now in MotoGP for six years, Colin Edwards, is retiring because he can’t change his riding style to that being set by Spaniard and current World Grand Prix Champion, 20 year old Marc Marques. The Moto2 Class (600cc Honda engines) is also up there with something like eight riders going for a win, whilst Moto3 racing (250 singles) is even closer. It’s dominated by another Aussie, Jack Miller, on his way to stardom. He has won two Grands Prix and rides a KTM up against Hondas and Indian manufactured Mahindra doing well with the South African, Brad Binder on board. World Champion Englander, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) leads the World Superbike Championship with huge talent in tow. Sheridan Morais from Jo’burg on his Kawasaki does well amongst this top field. Cape Town’s David McFadden (Kawasaki) gets top results in the Super Stock Class run at International Superbike races. We have local two-wheeler competitors making their mark in the world. Riaan van Niekerk and Brett Cummings did it in the Dakar and Wade Young leading our South African Motorcycle Enduro champs went to Romania and won the King of the Hill Enduro race there the other day. In a rally car 19 year old Henk Lategan is learning the ropes of international competition in Italy, Greece and Hungary and doing well. Remember these names for the future. National Championship Rallying is providing world class events in highly competitive cars. There is a high speed war going on between Ford (the reigning champs), Toyota and VW – all to the benefit of the non-paying spectators. Continuing with their spectacular South African motorsport is the Donaldson Filter Cross-Country Racing. Toyota came first and second with their Dakar bakkies down near Harrismith with Ford following up a one-two in Round two in Mooi River. Another war between two of South Africa’s leading manufacturers. 17-year-old Johannesburg schoolboy, Kelvin van der Linde (father South African champion Shaun, uncle Etienne European single-seater champion, grandfather WesBank Modified champ and 14 year old brother, Sheldon, twice a South African Karting Champion already) won the 2013 Volkswagen International Cup in Germany and was voted the 2013 South African Guild of Motoring Journalist’s Motor Sportsman of the Year, against an array of top achievers. Niki Lauda says basically to us all that we must enjoy the technology of the F1 because it is how cars will be in the future. The motor industry these days can do all this anyway. They have proved it. Formula 1 is supposed to be a sport and entertainment using the fastest and most powerful cars in the world, driven by the world’s best drivers, which they are. But come on. We have had years watching Pirelli tyres degrade, (which they do not do on a normal road car), and changing order of races. Now we have an economy run checking the fuel flow into the engine to make sure that not too much of the 135 litres of fuel is being used. Penalise teams if it is using too much more. | Wheels in Action 100 may 2014 Those are the rules this year. What are they running – an economy run? All the exciting features of Formula 1 racing which appealed to our senses since 1950 are gone. The smell of hot racing oil, the noise of powerful V8, V10 and V12 cylinder engines, the spectacle of cars being driven on the limit, sideways by the world’s best is not seen thanks to wide slick tyres and wings front and rear that don’t let the car get out of line under any circumstances. We have had four GP’s so far. Most of the passing is still done in the pits. How exciting is that save the last ten laps at Bahrain which is a good passing circuit. After a long safety car period all the cars were bunched and let loose for the final stint to the flag. There were quite a few no holds barred passing manoeuvres particularly between the two leaders, Hamilton and Rosberg from the same Mercedes-Benz team. Normal GP racing was resumed in the 4th round in Shanghai. On a featureless circuit Lewis Hamilton romped away to a hat trick of wins with Nico Rosberg repeating a 1-2 for the Mercedes Team for the third time in a row. Alonso with newfound speed in his Ferrari was 3rd followed by the Red Bull of Ricciardo and Vettel. Generally a procession from start to finish.