Killarney Circuit, day at the races

Killarney race circuit is just outside of Cape Town City and on the Potsdam road.

Not just any day but the International Invitation Event, now named Passion for Speed, which brings back memories of the Springbok Series in the mid sixties and seventies when I was racing a Hillman Imp some forty three years ago and at the same circuit.

The entry fee was R90 each, the program cost R15 so for R115 you were set to go for an entire day, this includes free access to the pits on both sides of the circuit, so very good value.

I was very keen to see Jody Sheckters race winning Tyrrell F1 car with its Ford Costworth 3 ltr V8 engine.

It was recently restored by Dickon Daggit of Hout Bay and to a very high standard. 

On the day Ian Shecketer drove five demonstration laps so that we could see and hear this car running.

These cars are smaller than I had imagined!

Tyrrell in 1974 gave him his first full-time drive in F1. Jody rewarded them with a third-place finish in the drivers' championship and a pair of wins in Sweden and Britain. During the year, he scored points in eight consecutive races, one of the longer scoring streaks of the time. A slight off-year followed, although he did become the only South African to win the South African Grand Prix, but his third year with the team in 1976 gave him another third place finish in the drivers' championship. In that season, Tyrrell introduced the most radical car in F1 history, the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34. Scheckter gave the six-wheeler its only win on Sweden's Anderstorp circuit and in his twelve races with the car, he scored points ten times. This included a thrilling race-long battle for the lead in the American Grand Prix between himself and his great friend James Hunt

My thanks to Wikipedia for the info above.

Roy