Tour du Cap Rally

Fired up by Graham's unbridled passion for this event, Nerina (navigator) and I, together with newly acquired stop watch,arrived at the Start point in the MX5, (TR7 left at home---considered too fast for a beginners rally) determined to take the Rally seriously. Imagine my dismay on arrival when "Double Rugged(?)" stated that my racing suit, fireproof racing gloves and full face helmet were a "little over the top" for a local Club rally. Fortuitously my regular clothes were in the boot of the car and quick as a "flash" I was attired like all the other competitors i.e.,looking like a regular person dressed up for an ordinary Saturday afternoon spin in a sports car. 

After a drivers/navigators briefing we queued in line waiting for the "off". Watches were synchronized and set to Triumph Rally Time, navigators busily did calculations, nerves and tensions began to mount. Me, I did what I do best, talking nonsense to all and sundry, well, second best now that I think of it. Eventually, we were the last scheduled car to leave, it was time to go, DR gave us a 10 second countdown and then dropped a pillow (I kid you not!!) to set us on our way. In the rear view mirror I could see a disconsolate Gian Mani waiting, one day for his navigator, Ronan Sanderson to arrive. Ha Ha, fat chance now of him entering--never mind competing-- in the rally. 

Back to the action. We were now driving at speeds that saw smoke belching old bangers, firing on three of their four cylinders overtaking us at pace! Thank heavens racing suit and helmet were safely ensconced in the boot. Even in second gear, with the handbrake on, I was having difficulty keeping the MX5 down to the required "speeds". How Ashley in his big Porsche, or Roger in his Sunbeam Tiger V8 managed to cope, I simply do not know. On reflection both these guys are racing drivers, maybe they fitted rev limiters to their cars that cut in at 1,200rpm? To give credit where credit is due, the rally was well planned and the instructions and route maps were well presented and laid out so that only an idiot would have lost their way (sorry Roger,Gordon, Michael et al, didn't intentionally mean to call you idiots) 

After what seemed an age we eventually arrived at the finish point. More surprises awaited when Gian Mani, this time with Mr One day Sanderson, arrived at the finish line sometime after the moon had risen. A braai, together with that wonderful sense of camaraderie that can only be found when "car people" congregate--not to mention the rally post mortems and reflections on what might have been-made for a thoughly enjoyable evening. Tension mounts as DR announces the results, We finish 5th or 6th, all penalty points incurred for arriving too early (no surprises there). Then to his own fanfare DR announces that Gian and Ronan, in a SIDESCREEN are the winners. SURPRISE SURPRISE!!!! Now, all you F1 bleaters, forget Ferrari and Austria--forget the driving gymkhana in Worcester two years ago, this one tops it all! Sour grapes? Maybe, but we WILL be back next year, this time with a team of professional auditors to do the scoring. PS> Well done Graham, despite what you might just have read, it was a brilliant little rally which obviously required much planning and intellect (did Muriel help you?) and I would sum it up as being highly enjoyable. Pity about the result but, I suppose, that's motor sport. 

Mike Napoli

The prize giving:

An alternative view: Sidescreen Wins Again!

Swiss sensation Gian Mani and his navigator Ronan Sanderson have cruised to victory in the inaugural Triumph Sports Car Club “Tour du Cap” Classic Rally, held around the South Peninsula on Saturday, June 22. The dynamic duo, competing in an immaculately conditioned Triumph TR3A “Sidescreen”, navigated themselves around the rugged terrain and mountain passes in a near perfect time; proving once again that the TR3A is still the finest automobile to come off the Triumph assembly line. 

Starting at Glenhook Motors in Fish Hoek, the 22 competitiors had to reach the set of five checkpoints at a precise time, using the cryptic clues given to them by the race organisers. Competitors were penalised for arriving at the checkpoints either too early or too late, having to use not only the correct route, but also the correct speed. The race featured a range of cars, from the TR3A, TR4, TR6, Spitfire, Herald and Triumph 2000, to the Austin Healy (Derek Laws), Porsche 911 (Ashley Ellis), Mazda MX5 (Mike and Nerina Napoli) and Sunbeam Tiger (Roger Wood). The rally did not begin well for Mani, who was forced to endure an anxious wait as his navigator Sanderson arrived late (as is the Sanderson tradition) at the start. But it is difficult to shake the cool exterior of this winning team, and once underway, the TR3A and her occupants were soon in the swing of things. They even managed to help out the muddled Gordon Waring in his TR6, who was so lost, he was spotted along the route going in the wrong direction! Not surprisingly, Gordon was to pick up the wooden spoon award in the rally. 

Such was the confidence of the Mani/Sanderson team, they even decided to stop off on the final leg and enjoy a frosty beer near the Ocean View Police Station. Daredevils indeed! The dicing duo came in with just two minutes and twenty seconds worth of penalty points, winning the race by the proverbial country mile. Mani was his usual gracious self in victory. “It feels fantastic to have clobbered them!” he said. “My navigator Ronan Sanderson was superb and never looked flustered. We managed to show what was a star-studded field, including exprofessional drivers, that the TR3A is as reliable now as it was in 1958! And having said that, we were slightly handicapped in that our speedometer had stopped operating just before the event.” 

“I would like to dedicate this win to Mike Napoli,” he added. Indeed Napoli, regarded by many - including himself - as an up-and-coming “young” (he is over 50!) racing driver, has forfeited his entry into this competition for next year by saying before prize giving: “If Gian Mani wins this, I will never enter another rally again!” So long, Mike. The one disappointment of the day was the absence of the TR7’s. Rumour along the route was that these “hairdressers cars” were too scared to enter the competition for fear of being shown up by their predecessors. There were also some casualties along the way, such was the ferocity of the competition and the will to win. Eric and Jessica Setterberg are said to be considering marriage counseling after teaming up in their TR Spitfire. All in all, it was another great day of racing for the Triumph Sports Car Club and thanks must go to those who helped organise the prestigious event The Mani/Sanderson team will hold the title (and trophy) as champions for 2002, but will no doubt be already thinking ahead to next year, and added competition. Perhaps even from those TR7’s……… 

Gia