The Legends of South African motorsport tackled the challenge of Kyalami on Saturday in the second Citi Celebrity Challenge. This event pitted the best drivers from Volkswagen and Audi’s history against one another in that most venerable of South African automobiles, the Volkswagen Citi Golf.
The Citi has been a mainstay in terms of transportation for thousands of families in this country since the 70s. During these years mechanical and technological changes have taken place under the skin but the exterior, other than a few cosmetic touches, has remained largely unchanged.
There are thousands of these cars on local roads, covering a spectrum of drivers from entry-level students to retirees and everything in between. They perform duty for civilian and government purposes and their performance is legendary – just like the racers who tackled the circuit on Saturday.
Names like Sarel van der Merwe, Terry Moss, Chris Aberdein, Glyn Hall, Geoff Mortimer, Giniel de Villiers, Jan Habig, Hergen Fekken and Douglas Judd are recognised throughout South Africa. They cover the spectrum of tar and gravel competition and have been involved in motorsport for decades.
On Saturday they took to the track in identical Volkswagen Citi Golf 1.6 litre cars fitted with a bolt-in roll cage and racing seat. These were the only modifications made and the best of South Africa’s race talent were put to the challenge. Race one saw Van der Merwe slow off the start – De Villiers by contrast put in a strong showing off the line.
It was De Villiers, Van der Merwe and Moss making up the leading trio at the end of lap one with Mortimer moving up to fifth and Habig handing out a few tense moments to Denis Droppa, one of the three media entries.
While De Villiers was making no mistakes at the head of the field, it was Van der Merwe who was posting the quickest lap times and he was slowly reeling De Villiers in. The last two laps was when things really started getting interesting between the leaders with Van der Merwe clipping De Villiers and then getting things hugely sideways towards the finish.
Van der Merwe managed to drive around De Villiers, with positions changing back soon after and then on the final corner it was again Van der Merwe diving past De Villiers who didn’t give an inch, fighting back to claim the win on the line.
In the second race it was Moss, Van der Merwe and Aberdein in a one-two-three battle when, between turns 12 and 13, there was a huge crash that saw an abrupt end to the race for Moss and Van der Merwe.
De Villiers moved up to take the lead with Aberdein in second and Habig and Mortimer in third and fourth respectively. In the wet conditions Habig had a big moment but his rally skills immediately kicked in and the not only recovered, but held on to his place in the field as well.
Hall put the moves on Mortimer, moving up a position and, when Aberdein spun out, the fight really got underway between Mortimer and Hall – the pair racing door-to-door.
With the sky going very dark in the closing laps of the race, visibility wasn’t great out on track but this didn’t slow down the drivers at all. By this point the field were sporting an array of dents, scrapes, missing bumpers and a collection of other damages.
It was again De Villiers who claimed the race win, followed by Hall and Mortimer. After the two races on the day, it was Giniel de Villiers in first overall – showcasing just why he is involved in international competition with Volkswagen’s Touareg programme, Glyn Hall in second place and Geoff Mortimer in third.
While some of these drivers have turned a wheel in anger for several years, there is no shortage of skill and they showcased this fact again at Kyalami in the Citi Celebrity Challenge.
The Citi has proved itself a workhorse for decades and has again proved that it has race credentials that easily match its performance on the road.
Visuals courtesy of Motorpics.
