Dippenaar king of the O-ring

Last Saturday's hugely successful Shell V-Power International Oval Track Challenge at the Tony Rust Race Track close to the capital brought families and petrol heads together to enjoy a fun-filled day of action galore.Spectators were spoiled by eight top South African racers in the two-litre Pinto hot-rod class, and in the Rotary hot-rod class, Jandré Dippenaar, Wilro Dippenaar and Bazil van Rhyn joined six South African drivers. The crowd favourite event was most certainly the eight V8 Sprint cars’ roaring engines from South Africa that made everything vibrate with glee. The third leg of the Namibian National Dirt Oval Championship was also part of the hugely successful competition. It was once again the V8 class that draw the attention of supporters. Shell V-Power has - since 2015 - been the main sponsor of the international challenge and rallies organised by the experienced Redline Motor Club Namibia team.At the launch of the Shell V-Power International Oval Challenge, Edward Walugembe, the managing director of Vivo Energy Namibia, said: “I want us to remain number one in our market. It is one thing to sponsor an event, but it is another thing to get spectators on the day of the competition to support the racing teams.“We are pleased to see the number of racers from South Africa who are here. This is only the second time we sponsor this race and it relates to what we do in motorsports. Shell and its products are well renowned in this sport code for many many years.“We are pleased to be part of this event and we will continue to support motorsport. Thank you to Redline Motor Club for their passion and for organising this event. "Without partners like Redline, it is not possible to have competitions like this.” Meanwhile, Willie Zurich, the oldest competitor at 72 and the winner of the V8 Sprint class, said: "I’ve been coming to Namibia for a number of years to race here. This is the best you can get. Even if there is a National Oval Championship to race in South Africa, I will prefer to be here in Windhoek to enjoy the country and its people. “We race almost every month of the year in South Africa and are used to the best, but Namibia and its people are truly the difference. It is a real honour to be here and I hope this event will continue for years and years to come”.ResultsIf the 2023 Shell V-Power International Oval Track Challenge is described as a huge success, it is certainly a watered-down version of the fiery action that was delivered at Tony Rust.In the two-litre pinto hot-rod class with eight South Africans in action, Chantelle Lewis was the only rose among the men. She did an excellent job to win the first of four races against Jordan Larson (first overall), Gerhard Koekemoer (second overall) and Donovan Duffy (third overall).The Namibians Jandré Dippenaar (first overall), Dylan Paiva (second overall) and Wilro Dippenaar (third overall) taught the six South Africans a lesson in the rotary hot-rod class. Dippenaar raced excellently and showed the South Africans who's boss.The roaring 6.7-litre V8 sprints that vibrated everything and everyone at maximum decibels were definitely one of the highlights of the competition. The fearless drivers throw their cars - that barely weigh 640 kilograms - through the corners. At 662 kilowatts, 9 000 revolutions per minute and 750 newton meters of torque, the methanol-powered cars accelerate lightning fast.Of the eight South Africans in the V8 sprint class, Zurich dominated the four races with Shane Carlson second overall and Kobus Strydom coming in third. Zurich has been racing for the past 43 years.The third round of the Namibian National Dirt Oval Championship provided good entertainment between Gerhard Visser (first overall), Frikkie Engelbrecht (second overall), Jaco Coetzer (third overall), Armandt Swart, Johan Schoonbee and Henry van Aarde in the V8 class . Unfortunately, Willy van Wyk could not showcase his talent.In the Namibian four-cylinder class, Eugene Swart won with Bertus van der Heever in second and Phillip Stoman in third. – tielman@republikein.com.na

Dippenaar king of the O-ring

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Republikein 2025-04-30

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Dippenaar king of the O-ring

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