The Fastest in the Land at the ODI track upcountry is one of those events where the really big guns go to test the top-end as it can only be tested over a full one kilometre run.
Organised by Nazeer Loonat of RaceSA, and attended by 76 super-hot two- and four-wheel machines, last weekend saw the ODI Racetrack humming.
At a blistering 37 degrees centigrade, the day was not for the faint-hearted, though Nazeer does say that he tried a new format, organising the race queue differently, with the result being that racers no longer had to wait in line for an hour and a half, and instead would wait for under 10 minutes. “What we did is call up the classes separately,” he explains.
Bobby Nitro spoke to Rondebosch East boytjie Nur Hendricks after the day. Nur saw the climax of three years’ hard work when he came back home with the South African record for normally aspirated bikes, at 302.01km/h registered at the 1km mark. Riding a BMW S1000RR tuned by Infinity Performance, Nur has been gunning for this record for years.
KAK VINNING: Jaleel Firfrey clocked a moerse 331.18km/h last weekend
Pics by Wian Vermeulen of Blackwolf Photography
He says: “When I first went out it was to break the record. I hit a 292, then a 294, then this year smashed the record [and joined the 300 club].” He tells of a certain sense of satisfaction in achieving his goal, saying: “I still can’t believe it, I wake up and pinch myself.”
Bobby asked what it takes to get in the record books. Nur replies: “I just kept pushing, tuning a little and trying something new. Getting the launch right is essential, you cannot lose this valuable acceleration metres at the start, as is getting the gear shifting right. There is no trackbite at ODI, so launching right is vital.”
KAK VINNING: Jaleel Firfrey clocked a moerse 331.18km/h last weekend
By the way, local business Infinity Performance now holds the records in both bike classes, supercharged and normally aspirated, with Jaleel Firfrey doing a 331.18km/h last weekend.
The Suspect Lumina, often seen on these pages and piloted by Herman Manke, has had a helluva start to the year, what with breaking its own half mile record (measured at 804.6 metres), and V8 record, with 310.8km/h , finishing on 327.71km/h over the 1km.
HELLUVA START TO THE YEAR: Suspect bakkie measured a 327.71km/h
Nazeer explains the half mile register, saying “that way we can compare with international results”.
Stelios Sissou, in his awesome NXGen GTR 35, topped the log with 344.99km/h , also breaking his own half mile record with 339.4km/h .
Another remarkable feat came from Shaid Essop from Jozi, who is one of those rare guys, in these days of putting a 2J into everything who actually drives a BMW-powered BMW. There’s a lot of banter that goes on along the sidelines in this regard, and Shaid is an ‘originalist’ in this age of the hybrid.
GO THE DISTANCE: Tahir Khan, from Joburg Auto Tech, with his lovely BMW
Shaid ran a 308.74km/h over the distance, which makes him the fastest E30 BMW in the land. Prean Govender also joined the 300 club with a 303.7 over the half mile, in his Supra.