BY Donna Collins
RAINS and a wet race track did not damper the spirit of drivers who turned up at the Tony Rust Race Track, for the season opener of circuit racing, which brought some new enthusiasm to the event.
New faces, new cars and a newly surfaced race track, was a good start to the year, which saw a new record being scored on the high tech timing system of the Windhoek Motor Club (WMC).
Young Mark Sternagel set up a new circuit racing record of 68.208 beating veteran Namibian Driver Record Holder Robby Eichoff with 43 points. He has gone from ‘zero to hero’ in just one year, proving himself as Namibia’s super racing talent at just 18 years old.
A Class driver, Sternagel is making a name for himself competing in the hotly challenged Clubman’s category, with big guns such as Allan Martin, Francois Smith, and Michel Van Zyl hot on his tail.
Some interesting developments also took place within the Karting category where the ‘big boys’ are now coming out to play. Well-known rally personality Melvin Gous was out there dicing with the youngsters, which he said requires a huge amount of physical fitness keeping up especially when you are racing against Athi Mankonkwna who also won the new Clubman’s Class X circuit race.
Joining the line-up of front runners in the various Karting Classes, were Guido Bidoli, Richie Slamet, and Chase Norval. The Quad race were also a highlight and was won by Franco Junius.
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