David Piper Classic Races Cape Town

The week-end of February 7 and 8 saw a fantastic classic race meeting at Cape Town's Killarney circuit. David Piper and partner, Mike Knight, who head up the series brought with them 16 sports cars from the UK, a Porsche 906 from Germany, a Porsche 917 from Spain and seven 1960s single seaters. In addition 180 local entries were received in all classes ie sports cars, single seaters, production cars and bikes. I find this phenomenal worldwide growth in classic racing most encouraging and exciting . What's the reason?
Do the 'oldt too soon schmart too late' brigade believe that the 1960s were better. Personally I think so. Watching a screaming 917 hotly pursued by two thundering Lola T70s I say to myself that era will never be repeated other than in classic racing. Eras seem to come and go and for some reason the best classical music was composed in the 18th century with Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, etc, never to be repeated.

We arranged a barbeque at the new GT40 factory for several of the overseas visitors which gave Robbie Senekal an opportunity to take them on a conducted tour of the factory.

Talking of eras some recent experiences make me wonder about pre-destined plans or coincidences in our lives. I was recently told that the definition of a coincidence is God's way of remaining anoymous!

Ed and Marion Rossler from Jersey in the Channel Islands are currently staying with us. In 1962 Ed and his younger brother,Bud (see earlier posting about Steve McQueen's Le Mans film special effects) moved to the UK, taking their GSM Dart sports car with them (also see earlier posting about the GSM Dart). They ended up running the Stirling Moss Automobile Racing Team (SMART) in London. When I was with Porsche, Stirling ordered a 904 from my department for his team. I delivered the car to Ed on February 19, 1964 and by coincidence he'll be with me on the 40th anniversary of the delivery. In the pic below is seen to the right my English colleague, Roger Holliday. Roger left Porsche when I did and moved to the US. Since then we haven't corresponded much. Two days after Ed and Marion arrived I received a e-mail from Roger saying that he and his wife Claudia will be visiting us in November. Roger and Claudia run tour groups to the UK and Europe and would of course be the right people to organise a tour for GT40 forum members to South Africa. Hint, hint!

About two months ago I received an e-mail from Bob who lives in Monaco. He told me that he and associates are publishing a book on the history of the Porsche 904 and for the second edition would like my input and memories on the car. Out of the blue last Friday the beautiful 372 page book arrived in the post and both Ed and I appear in it. How's that for another coincidence? With Ed here the timing couldn't be better!.

I left Porsche at the end of May, 1964 (the week-end of the 1000 Km race at the Nurburgring when the GT40 raced for the first time) to join the Stirling Moss Paint-a-Car System also in London. I assisted with the setting up of 19 centres in the UK and one each in Brussles and Paris. When I told Stirling at the end of 1968 that we wanted to return to South Africa he suggested that we do a similar Paint-a-Car deal but when he discovered that his Canadian and two American associates had him contractually tied up worldwide he wished me the best of luck. In Johannesburg I set up the Mike Hailwood Autospray System and pioneered an automotive polyurethane paint. In three years 23 companies were established across South Africa.

The plot thickens! At the end of 1970 Ed contacted me to tell me that he was bringing a SMART Formula Ford Palliser to South Africa for the five race BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) Sunshine series in January/February, 1971.The car would be driven by New Zealander, Peter Hull, from Auckland and would Autospray sponsor the car. Of course I said and by a strange twist of fate the Palliser painted in Stirling Moss Paint-car-System acrylic was rubbed down, sealed, primered and resprayed in Johannesburg in the polyurethane paint of the Mike Hailwood Autospray System ( a far better paint of course!). Hugh Palliser Dibley who drove a Brabham sports car, the 904 and a Lola T70 Spyder for SMART financed the Palliser race car company, hence the name . Hugh set some record when at age 28 he was promoted to the rank of captain with BOAC. Malcolm Guthrie's (GT40-1009) father, Sir Giles, was at the time chairman of BOAC. Have you heard the expression 'wheels within wheels'or better still 'I scrath your back, you scratch mine?'

The Cape Town leg of the BOAC Sunshine Series was held at Killarney on February 8, 1971, the day on which Ed and Marion's daughter, Anna Louise, was born in Jersey. And where, by another complete coincidence was Ed on February 8, 2004? At the same Killarney circuit. He phoned Anna Louise on his cell phone in Jersey to wish her happy 33rd birthday and reminded her that he was phoning her from the same circuit on the day she was born!

Anyway, sponsoring Peter Hull proved a good bet as he won the series. Jody Scheckter finished third and this won him the 'Driver to Europe'award after which he went on to bigger things.

Coincidences, wheels within wheels, pre-destined plans, 1964 reborn????????
Andre 40
 
Chris Chiles's original ex-Scuderia Filipinetti GT40.

Table Mountain in background. Bit of a problem with late afternoon shadows.
 

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A blindingly fast Chevron B19 and David Piper in the Ford F3L, which has featured several times in the past on this forum.
 

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Nigel Hulme's Lola T70 MK111B.

Nigel is the UK distributor for the new Superformance Coupe.
 

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Don't know what went wrong there. All pics are well below 100 KB.

Try again!
 

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Frank Sytner's Lola Mk111 in Jo Bonnier's BONGRIP colours.Only difference was that the BONGRIP car was a Mk111B
 

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Juan Baratzi's Porsche 917. This is the actual car, chassis number 917.021 that David Piper shared with the Dutch driver, Gijs van Lennep in the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hour.

Steve McQueen's Solar Productions based the film on the 1970 race and then spent a futher three months at the circuit to complete the filming and special effects on which Bud Rossler worked. About two weeks after the 24 hour race David Piper was to loose his foot is a horror accident in his own 917 during a filming sequence.
 

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Hans-Peter Richrath's Porsche 906. Sitting on the sill is Wolfgang Schuesler who heads up the Porsche factory's After Sales Department.

The Ford Capri Perana V8 (not correct spelling pirhana) was developed by Basil Green who enjoyed a similar relationship with Ford of South Africa as did Colin Champman with Ford of Great Britain.
 

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Max Wakefield's Ferrari P4 replica powered by a Lamborhini V12.

This replica was developed by Lee Noble of M12 fame. He sold the project to Neil Formeman who still markets the kits.

Max is a descendant of CC Wakefield who founded the Castrol Oil Company.
 
The barbeque.

Robbie Senekal, Keith Bright, David Piper, Norman Lewis, me and Ken MacLeod.

The McLaren F1 is a fibreglass replica built by Keith for the THUNDERCITY automotive and aircraft complex next to Cape Town International Airport. THUNDERCITY claims to have the largest fleet of operational military jets in the western world. You pay your money, you go for a flip.

A friend recently went for a joy ride in the English Electric Lightning. He says it was the most mind blowing experience of his whole life. He also says that anything you've done on either two or four wheels is in the petty cash league!

The body panels in the background are a 90% scale Audi R8 look alike destined for the US. The formula has two classes, 1000 and 1300cc and is powered by motor cycle engines. First time out at Killarney the prototype was quicker than all the Piper classics!
 

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the barbeque.

From left Sonja and Wolfgang Schuessler, Hans-Peter Richrath, David Piper in beige trousers and blue shirt, back to camera, and right Ed Rossler.
 

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Me handing Ed Rossler the Porsche 904 40 YEARS AG0 on the 19th of this month! On the right is Roger Holliday.

HERE ENDETH THE HISTORY LESSON!!
 

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yes,
great event - but it was hot, hot, hot... :)
here is a pic for the Cobra fans:
a real 289 followed by a local replica and a Ford Granada Perana V8 in the street class.

dom, cape town
 

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Trying to contact Ed Rossler about a boat he used to own we're thinking of buying - this all happening in Greece - plse could anyone - Andre40 or other, message me with current contact details as last ones we have are in Jersey. Our contact email [email protected] - he could contact us - we'd like to ask him some historic questions about a 10m catalac he owned from 1989 to 2005 - tks and best regards:)
 
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