For the first time ever, Killarney International Raceway will host a ‘time attack’ event on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 April 2022.
The Killarney Speed Festival is a new event catering for historic, road going vehicles, motorcycles, modified race cars, single seaters, sports prototypes and GT cars.
The contestants will run one at a time over a 1.9 kilometre course, starting about 150 metres before Malmesbury Sweep, proceeding up the Tygerberg Straight through Interceptor Corner, followed by Quarry Corner, the Joubert Straight and Hoal’s Hook to finish on the Porsche Straight at the current finish line.
That’s anti-clockwise, the opposite of the conventional circuit direction. But the big difference between the Speed Festival and racing as we know it, is that contestants run solo. The start procedure is also unique: the contestants will make a standing start when the flag is dropped but timing will only begin when you cross the timing line, about 10 metres from the start line.
Other than that, there’s no racecraft or strategy involved – it’s just you, your car and the track. Are you up for the challenge?
The event will run over two days, Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 April. Saturday will see practice and qualifying runs, while Sunday features a warm-up session, final qualifying and class finals, culminating in a shootout featuring the fastest vehicles in each category.
Spectator tickets for each day, from Computicket or at the gate, are R80 for adults, R20 for scholars under 16 and free for children under 12 – but you can also purchase discounted tickets for both days at R100 for adults, R40 for scholars under 16 and free for children under 12. Western Province Motor Club members also get in free on both days, on production of their membership book at the gate.
The Speed Festival course has been designed to provide exciting spectator viewing, with a superb view of the start from the Clubhouse balcony and most of the course visible from the stands on the Tygerberg straight and at Interceptor and Quarry corners. All of Killarney’s food and beverage outlets around the course will be open all day on both days to keep spectators ‘fuelled up’ and, as always, you’re invited to park alongside the course with your gazebo or umbrella, your cooler box and skottelbraai and make a weekend of it.
The entry fee for competitors is R1500 for Western Province Motor Club members and R1800 for non-members, and an MSA Competition Licence is a must.
Entry will be limited to about 80 contestants: Your entry form won’t automatically get you on to the start line, but it will get you on to the preliminary list, from which the Western Province Motor Club will choose the most exciting entries based on the history of the car, its driver’s pedigree and just how special the vehicle is, to put together a memorable day’s racing at the very first Killarney Speed Festival.
The course is exactly 1.9 kilometres long – exactly the same as the famous Simola Hillclimb in Knysna.
The course record for Simola is 34.965 seconds, set in 2021 by Andre Bezuidenhout in a Gould GR55 – that’s an average speed of 195km/h! Killarney’s Speed Festival course is tighter but flatter – do you think it can be done in under 35 seconds? Be there and find out!
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Picture: Supplied