First Race of the new decade! Strong Down-Force Cars Dominate Kyalami.
Because of the incredible turn-out, teams were allowed only one car in Kyalami race. The new down-force rules were introduced. Four out of eight teams opted for normal down-force settings. On the other hand, Tyrell used weak down-force and Ferrari, Volkswagen, and Lotus opted for strong.
The eight cars that lined up on the starting grid were managed by veteran players and there were no rookies in the field.
Tyrell’s Jackie Stewart and Owen BRM’s Jacky Oliver lined up on the front row. With its acceleration and speed advantage the Tyrell car looked like a sure winner, but the car would be plagued by instability in the corner sections throughout the race.
During the first lap, Oliver began to pull away while the pack bunched up in The Esses.
Lotus driver Jochem Rindt took advantage of his car’s superior down-force setup to charge through the corners and catch Oliver on the front straight, but Oliver crossed the line first to earn a bonus point.
During lap 2, Rindt took the lead and Volkswagen’s Pete Lovely slipped by the field of competitors. Ferrari also dodged through the pack. The strong down-force cars set a blistering pace.
At the beginning of lap 3 Rindt, Lovely, and Ickx sprinted away from a wear depleted field.
During the last lap, many players ran out of wear and luck. Oliver and Beltoise battled for fourth place and then Beltoise spun at Sunset Bend.
Meanwhile, Rindt took the lead through the Esses with Lovely and Ickx in hot pursuit.
Lovely made a daring move in Leeukop Bend and passed Rindt.
Lovely and Rindt ended up dead even after the kink and heading toward the finish line. The Ferrari was the only car near the the leaders.
Rindt powered his Lotus ahead of Lovely to win the race.
Final race results follow:
1st Den (J. Rindt) 60/60/20/180/4* S
2nd Ray G. P. Lovely) 60/40/40/160/5 S
3rd Steve (J. Ickx) 80/40/20/160/5 S
4th Terry (J. Oliver) 80/40/40/140/5
5th John H. (D. Gurney) 80/20/40/140/6
6th Dan (Beltoise) 80/40/20/160/5
7th Ray R. (Amon) 60/20/20/180/6
8th Travis (J. Stewart) 80/20/60/140/5 W
The race was completed in 27 turns with an average speed of 128.148 mph.
Thanks for the turn out and a fun night of racing.
Special kudos to Steve for painting the new cars and providing a new printing of the classic Kyalami track.
Next race is planned for Monaco in February 2020.