Team Update – The Ghost of racing past, present and future

It’s been a while since Team V2 has given yo an update… What an interesting year 2023 has been! And 2024 has started out with a BANG (literally)!

2024

Would you believe it? We’re only in May of the 2024 season, and we’ve already had a whirlwind of captivating moments.

Let’s break down some of the highlights:

1. Golf Revamp: She got a makeover with that fresh glitter paint and those extra blue details. Looking fancy is essential – after all, style matters both on and off the track!

2. Chandre and Ruan’s Silvercup 2.0 Seasons:
o Ruan: Impressive performance! First in class and 18th in the championship – that’s no small feat.
o Chandre: Holding his own at 7th in class and 24th in the championship. Consistency pays off!
3. Gearbox Gremlins: Ah, the joys of racing – just when you think everything’s sorted, those pesky gearbox issues pop up. But hey, it keeps things interesting, right? And the love for the sport keeps you going.
4. Clubmans Racing: Moving to a new series in July – exciting! More seat time means more chances to fine-tune your skills and become even faster.
5. The V2 Team: 2024 has already delivered its fair share of drama and excitement. Buckle up – the rest of the season promises even more twists and turns!

The new year began unobtrusively, especially when compared to the bustling 2023 season. We had ample time to prepare our Golfs and Polo for the upcoming season starting in February. Little did we know that bad luck was brewing just beneath the surface.

The first BRM race day arrived with a surge of excitement for the new season. Old and new faces flocked to the track, eager to burn rubber. The day kicked off with a BANG – quite literally. A typical race day consists of three races, and the first two went smoothly for us, despite a complaint or two. However, it was during the third race that disaster struck. An unsafe driver, lacking control over his V8 Cobra, careened around the track. Unfortunately, fate decided that I would be his target. In a daring move, he divebombed me in a turn, sending my car straight off the track. My driver’s side door and fender crumpled, but thankfully, I emerged unscathed (though extremely angry). The roll cage and safety harness did their job, preventing any serious injuries, but my poor Golf bore the brunt of the impact. Off to the panelbeater and paint shop it went, leaving me without a ride. With the Golf still undergoing repairs, we decided it was time for me to learn how to drive the Polo – just in case the Golf couldn’t be ready in time. Little did I know that this decision would lead to its own set of challenges.

March’s BRM race came and went, and I found myself sitting it out. The Polo, unfortunately, revealed its own gremlins, rendering it undriveable. It took over a month of trial and error to diagnose and fix the issues plaguing the Polo. As if that weren’t enough, another opportunity arose: Kyalami. Although we weren’t driving at Kyalami ourselves, we had rented out the Polo to friends. This meant that she had to be in perfect condition by mid-April. Kyalami seems synonymous with chaos and sleepless nights – at least in my experience. Nevertheless, the Polo performed admirably during the event, clocking decent lap times.

In the meantime, my Golf returned to me, looking utterly rejuvenated – a fresh coat of glitter paint and those extra blue details transformed it into a head-turner.

But that’s not all. Chandre and Ruan have embarked on their Silvercup 2.0 seasons:
• Ruan: He’s truly shining, leading the class and securing the 18th spot in the championship standings.
• Chandre: Holding his ground at 7th in class and 24th overall – consistency pays off in the long run.
Yet, as any racing enthusiast knows, there’s always a twist in the tale. Both the yellow Golf and the silver Polo are grappling with gearbox issues. It’s a perpetual battle, but our love for this sport keeps us going.

As for me, I’m eyeing a move to a new series in July – Clubmans Racing. To get there, I’ll need ample seat time, honing my skills for speed and consistency.

Wishing our sponsors and the V2 Team an exhilarating and successful season ahead!

2023

The year had many milestones for the team. After a successful maiden season, we had our eyes on bigger and better things. We wanted new tracks, faster competition and better racing – Enter Silvercup 2.0. The boys have entered a new racing club, where they compete in C class. Classes are based on engine sizes, so all the 2.0l 8 valves are competing for class championship, while they compete for overall championship points as well against space frame speed demons, RX7  rotaries, and 1.6l Golfs that weight practically nothing. We quickly learned that not all 2.ol,8 valves were built the same and that we were lacking some speed and weighing too much, but this new series posed and interesting challenge for Chandre and Ruan. With this new series, came new tracks – specifically KYALAMI. You can just imagine the excitement in the V2-stables when the opportunity came up to race on THE Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. We have always planned to add an extra car to our collection, especially since myself and Chandre share the Golf. So when Kyalami came up, we decided that a new track wasn’t challenging enough, so we set out to build not 1, but 3 Polo’s from scratch within 2 months (and prep 2 more cars as well). We had plenty of late nights, headaches, fights, laughs and tool throwing moments – it came down to the wire. We had 5 cars race ready (we think) for Kyalami by Friday-morning scrutineering – what a feat that was.

I stayed at BRM for the season, the Silvercup series was a bit too fast for me. The BRM season went smoothly and I came back with another overall 3rd place for the 2023 season, with a few close races and close calls. Not too shabby for a rookie – 2 overall 3rd palces in 2 seasons.

In between racing and building cars, we were pit crew and support team for fellow-racing friends. We made it to the Kyalami 9-hour as pit-crew for the BMW and Polo Cup support races. We did some hot laps at the Festival of Motoring. We were support crew for Polo Cup at Zwartkops and BMW series at Redstar. And the yellow Golf completed a 24 hour race with minimal issues at Redstar raceway.