The 2023 Border Motorsport Club circuit racing season got off to a great start at the East London Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday, 18 February, when the first round of the Border Modified Saloon Car and Eastern Cape Historic Pre ’80 and Pre ’90 Coastal Challenge Club Championships took place together with the club motorcycle series.

Mark Els (East London Towing & Recovery BMW) led the way in the Modifieds qualifying session, taking pole position from Gareth Hewitt (Steel & Pipes BMW), with Craig Czank in third. Zillen Harding led the Class C brigade in his BMW, qualifying fourth overall, while Cherne Marais (Steel & Pipes BMW) led the way in Class D. Class E went to Bevan Choudree (The Doctor Racing BMW). Hewitt claimed the opening race win from Czank after Els’s BMW cried enough. RJ Green (Herbalife BMW) Took the final podium position from Shaun Vallance (Maglab BMW), with Choudree and KC Myburgh in fifth and sixth, respectively. Hewitt and Czank occupied the top two places in the second race, but this time it was Zillen Harding (BMW) who joined them on the podium. Vallance was again fourth ahead of Marais and Shaun Beetge (VW Golf). Hewitt made it three wins on the day in the third heat, with Czank and Harding again in second and third. This time Marais got the better of Valance to take fourth, with Myburgh rounding out the top six.

In the Historic category, it was Rudolf de Vos (Chev CanAm) who topped the time sheets in qualifying from Craig Czank (Cobra) and Brett Franklin (Warren Ford Grenada Perana ). Alec Gudmanz (Ford Capri) got the better of Johan van der Westhuizen (Ford Interceptor) to take fourth, with Alwyn Kretzman in sixth. Quentin Lessing, Ryan Gudmanz and Andrew Karshagen rounded out the top nine. De Vos took the opening race from Franklin and Czank. Alec Gudmanz claimed fourth, with Lessing and Karshagen rounding out the top six. Franklin’s Grenda didn’t make it to the start of the second race leaving de Vos to take the win from Czank with Alec Gusmanz in third. Lessing was next up, followed by Ryan Gudmanz and Kyle Rose. The top four in race two occupied the same positions in race three, this time with Rose moving up to fifth and Kashargan in sixth.

In the bikes, Travis Warne led the way in qualifying, but he had to settle for second place in both heats behind Bradley Rehse. Gerrie Havenga and Michael Smal shared the third-place finishes. Warne did, however, come away with the win in the 26-lap endurance race that took place at the end of the day, with Rehse having to settle for third behind Smal. In the Index of Performance, which measures consistency across the 26 laps, Saml led the way from Warne and Rehse.

The next outing on the East London Grand Prix Circuit takes place on Saturday, 11 March.