Everybody loves a fight for honour and glory, and that’s exactly what the Saldanha Airstrip Attack was all about.
Bragging rights are the gift that keeps on giving in the drags game, and the competition between Cape Town and Joburg has always been awesomely fierce.
Last weekend’s event at the airstrip was a collaboration between West Coast Racing and RaceSA, appropriately dubbed JHB vs CT, and saw the best of both cities metal battling it out over a true half-mile track, which measures exactly 804.6m.
The speed hunters came from all over South Africa to jumpstart the sleepy West Coast town in what was probably the most well-attended top-end drag racing event in the southern hemisphere.
Big claim, but by now the mense flock to Saldanha.
A FEAST: The audience was thoroughly entertained. Photo: Jason Williams
Friday night saw the customary Outlaw Drags over the quarter mile, where everyone gets the chance to do a timed 400m run.
It gives all the drivers who entered for the main event a chance to test their cars one last time before the 804.6m assault the following morning. Odd number yes (it’s usually 800m), but the organisers say this was to stay in line with international norms, giving drivers a better indication of how they compare to cars abroad with regards to speed and times.
The Outlaw Drags proved to be invaluable to some of the teams. Joburg Autotech in particular had new found appreciation for the shakedown with their 2J-powered BMW E46. On one of their runs they grenaded their gearbox and worked through the night repairing the car.
APPRECIATION: Joburg Autotech’s woelige BMW e46. Photo: Jason Williams
Then came race day. As the sun peeked over the horizon, the big boys were on the track. The NxGen crew from up north had taken full advantage of the previous evening’s track time with the two Lamborghini Huracans, Porsche 911 Turbo S and army of Nissan GTRs R35s. Maistry Motorsport brought their R35, Mercedes Benz C63 and VW Polos.
As always the Pertamina Fastron GTR was on the scene with their Nissan GTR R35 and pitted next to the CPI Innovations Crew who rolled in with their Nissan GTR R35 and a squadron of AWD VWs.
FULL ADVANTAGE: One of Nxgen Crew’s Lamborghini Huracan. Photo: Jason Williams
The traditional parade lap really got the fans excited, giving them a taste of what was to come.
Racing kicked off shortly and it was not long before Achmat Israel took his Kawasaki ZX14 on gas down the strip to set a top speed of 308.6km/h, a two-wheel time that held for the day.
FASTEST BIKE: Achmat’s Kawasaki ZX 14 ran 308.8 km/h.Photo: Jason Williams
Many of the faster cars on the day opted for solo runs. While this may not be ideal for fans, it’s better for drivers in top-end racing.
After all, it’s not about who is first over the line, but about who is going the fastest over that line. Solo runs avoid the distraction of another car on track.
Also, at these high speeds, anything can happen so it’s probably best not to have another car in the vicinity should things go south.
A van der Berg in a Nxgen Nissan GTR R35 with an Alpha conversion slayed the strip to lay down a top speed of 318.7km/h, making him the fastest driver/car at Saldanha Airfield Assault.
BRAGGING RIGHTS: Sameegh’s Corolla thumped a Nissan GTR R35. Photo: Jason Williams
That’s exciting, but it’s the garage builds coming out to play with the big boys that brings top end thrill to Saldanha, the whole David vs Goliath thing. The crowd absolutely loved it when Sameegh in his 2jz powered Toyota Corolla chased down and passed a GTR R35 down the strip. RMZ Motorsport went head to head with their Audi TTRS against a twin turbo Lamborghini Huracan and annihilated it in the 1/2 mile.
Grant Steenveld took his CPI Tuned VW Golf 7R and laid waste to another GTR. They were dropping like flies. The fans loved it. The drivers loved it.
FASTEST BIKE: Achmat’s Kawasaki ZX 14 ran 308.8 km/h.Photo: Jason Williams
Ultimately that’s what it’s all about.
What really stood out is that everybody was there for the right reasons: good-natured competition and fun. A prime example was when Performance Solutions gave their Toyota Supra to two Joburg drivers and two Cape Town drivers.
CAMARADERIE: Performance Solutions’ Toyota Supra looks tight! Photo: Jason Williams
In the end it was JHB driver that had the fastest speed in a Cape Town car. We are never going to live this one down.
LIKE A BEAST: Great bike shot. Photo: Jason Williams