19th Hyperformance Club Mykonos Gymkhana
author: Patrick Vermaak
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7 André Dreyer - Patrick Vermaak - Golf1
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André Dreyer fulfilled an ambition when he succeeded in winning the 19th Hyperformance Club Mykonos Resort & Casino Gymkhana in front of a very supportive crowd. Driving his regular Weskaap Bakwerke / Discover Home Loans class A VW Golf GTi 2.0 16v the West Coast ace will now be known as the driver who stopped Mike Nathan in his tracks. With six titles behind his name Mike Nathan was no pushover, but a blown engine on his third run saw the Dals Autobody / 911 Energy Drink class B Mazda Rustler 1700 out of the overall running.
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100 Mike Nathan - Stuart Johnston
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Navigating for both André Dreyer and Mike Nathan provided Patrick Vermaak with a unique perspective of how two very different driving styles and vastly different machines could challenge for the same title. The LDV of Nathan handled like a dream with a super smooth feel through the route whilst the Golf packed a mean punch but required a little man handling to get down to serious times. Never the less impressive driving by both men led to some intense concentration and it was a genuine pity to see the Rustler put a leg out of bed on it’s third run.
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18 Duncan Jepthas & Nashrene Schloss - VW Jetta1
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Duncan Jepthas and Rowen Creamer claimed third overall in the CSS supercharged class G VW Golf Citi 1660 and with this team planning a new car for the 2007 season this is a race ready vehicle for a serious newcomer. Eugene Bower and Jo-Anne Groenewald once again impressive with fourth overall in their Knysna based class C Black Ice Toyota Conquest RSi 1600. Brent Laurings and Duncan Andrews broke their bad luck streak by bringing the Autodick class A Opel Kadett 2.0 home in fifth spot after some very consistent driving.
Mike Nathan and Car Torque’s Stuart Johnston shared the Gp N2 SA Championship winning, AWI Toyota Corolla RXi 1600 and they managed a very respectable sixth overall.
Stuart claiming that this was the first trophy he had earned in motorsport without having to say a word! Hopefully their antics will be televised shortly. Geoffrey Wellstead and Mike Brown finished their season in fine style with another top ten placing in their blue class C VW Golf 1600. Expect these two to be exceptionally competitive come 2007.
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68 Jean-dré Pepper & Jehan de Jongh - VW Golf
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Surprise of the day however came in the form of the Ouens Racing Team captain, Jehan de Jongh. Suddenly discovering that he is not only a gifted wine maker, he discovered that the throttle could reach the floor and set some impressive times to make it home eighth overall with Johan Swart as navigator in the Ouens class C VW Golf MkI 1600 and ninth overall with Jean-dré Pepper the somewhat miffed navigator in the class D Okavango Car Wash VW Golf MkI 1.3. The neat gold Golf is owned and prepared by Jean-dré and he has spent all year developing this car to come and win at Mykonos – doubt whether Jehan will see this offer again! Well done chap!
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57 Cobus Erasmus - Liezel Roux - VW Fox
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Cobus Erasmus and Liezel Roux had a torrid day in the Bosch Tech class G supercharged VW Fox 1.9. First the wheels studs sheared on the right front wheel, then a CV broke and the list grew longer as the day progressed, limiting them to tenth overall. Jean-dré Pepper and Jehan de Jongh eleventh in the Okavango Car Wash Golf with Tertius van Tonder and Danye Louw bringing the third Ouens entry home twelfth. The red class C Golf becoming decidedly smokey during the afternoon. Donevan and Adrian Denyssen fourteenth after a somewhat lackluster day in the Uniref class B Opel Kadett GSi 1800. The family war not really present as Hilary was suffering from the effects of a stomach bug.
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53 DJJ van Zyl & Henko de Klerk - VW Golf 51
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94 Johann Hough - Ouch!
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Mike Brown and Geoffrey Wellstead was another team that impressed, trying to drive the wheels off their class C VW Golf MKI 1600 and really deservedly taking a fine fifteenth overall. If you could win overall with sheer determination Mike would have had this taped.
Another team showing vast improvement was Danye and Marcille Louw in the Ouens Racing class C VW Golf MkI 1600 with Nashrene Schloss and Gary Segers bringing the CSS class G supercharged Golf of Duncan Jepthas home seventeenth.
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62 Nashrene Schloss & Gary Segers - VW Golf
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Now also sporting turbo power the Dynatech class G VW Golf GTi of Izak van Zyl and Leon Mostert sounded like a Cape Cobra doing PT and eighteenth spot was an encouraging debut amongst serious competition.
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73 Danie Smuts - Pieter Hugo - BMW 325i
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Danie Smuts and Pieter Hugo were so neat in the Aquality class E BMW 325i their runs almost went by unnoticed. Must have been extremely tough for this crew to be this disciplined but they had their eyes on the Casino Mykonos Challenge and would reap the benefits later in the afternoon. To see a rear wheel driven car amongst the top twenty was quite an achievement.
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99 Ettiene du Toit & Hendrik Verwoerd
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Ettiene du Toit and Mr F1 SA, Hendrik Verwoerd, constituted the second camera car for the afternoon but Hendrik really did not say a word and it took Ettiene some time to get the McCarthy N1 City Corolla onto the correct route. Fighting back to twentieth spot at least saving face with the locals. Of course in both cases it was Patrick Vermaak suffering most as his name adorns the side of both rally cars and commentators, Neels Rabe and Pieter Swanepoel made it their mission to point out exactly why neither were winning the event overall.
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34 Lindsey Carlse & Edward Kruger - VW Golf1
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Morné Roux and Chris Bouwer also made it clear that they have learned much in 2006 by placing their virtually standard class B VW Golf MkI 1800 21st with the standard class A CSS VW Jetta 2.0 of Duncan Jepthas and Nashrene Schloss hot on their heels. Jacques Otto and Emile Blanché put in their best ever performance with the class C Toyota Sprinter Twin Cam 1600 with the 1800i Sprinter of Nashrene Schloss and Meghan Nortjé winning the ladies category in fine style. This young lady came from nowhere and have certainly proven exceptionally talented behind the wheel of her Toyota, regularly taking her male opponents to the cleaners. Watch her in 2007! Actually it is interesting to note that both Sprinters completed the day on exactly the same total time – right down to 100th of a second after four runs!
Nathan Turner deserves special mention as his enthusiasm is really quite infectious. If you need to fill up an entry list in future simply tell Nathan there are a few slots open – he is bound to volunteer the Corolla and himself for any open slots! A great sport and pretty serious driver the spirit with which he competes makes him a winner every time. Janine Visser navigating the silver class C Corolla RSi to 25th spot.
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45 Anton Smit & Emile Blanché in die opblaas Nissan LDV1
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Birthday boy, Albertus Loubser, celebrated his big day by joining the Silver Falcons and Car Torque teams on a really rough ride with Theo Lötter on the one and only Bugaloo R.I.B. and with Liezel Roux navigating the Speedy Brackenfell class C Toyota Conquest RSi 1600 20v slotted into 26th spot. With positions 23 to 27 on the same second it was clearly some fight. The class E BMW 325i of Pieter Hugo and Danie Smuts finishing on exactly the same total time but taking 27th spot. And we were convinced that we would never need to add a third zero to the timing system! Neville is not impressed!
Arno Vlok and Charl van Rooyen slotted into 28th spot with their class B Bux4Tyres VW Polo 1800 and they had Linda Binedell and Liezel Roux breathing down their neck in the beautiful class I Audi TT AWD 1800.
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2 Hilary & Adrian Denyssen - Opel GSi1
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Hilary and Adrian de Nyssen simply glad to be able to finish the event in 30th spot as Hilary was suffering badly from the effects of a stomach bug and could not challenge his dad seriously in the Uniref class B Opel Kadett GSi 1800. Eugene Brand and Nathan Turner had Loslap in 31st spot with Willie and Cindé Swart 32nd in their neat class A Nissan Sentra 200STi. These HHH based teams once again given it their all. Attie and Koos Groenewald another son and father combination who really enjoy their motorsport and the Langebaan based duo finished 33rd in the Pearley’s Restaurant Opel Kadett 1400. Shaun Fairbairn and Shukoor Dramat close behind in the popular purple class C Honda Civic 1600.
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Team Car Torque
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Team Car Torque
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Swopping roles and now driving the Bux4Tyres class C VW Golf it was Charl van Rooyen and Arno Vlok in 35th place. Danye and Marcille Louw 36th in the Okavango Car Wash class D VW Golf MkI 1.3. Ever enthusiastic Geoffrey Wellstead and Mike Brown shared the family class B VW Jetta 1800 to 37th with Vredendal debutants, Henko de Klerk and Johannes van der Westhuizen 38th in their class A Mazda Rustler 2000. Having done extremely well in their home event this team was somewhat shocked to experience the level of competition present at Mykonos and 38th spot was not what they expected. It does however serve as great motivator and compliments those making the running. Lindsey Carlse and Edward Kruger another HHH team in 39th place with their class A VW Golf . The always well prepared Mini 1310 of Wian de Villiers and Liezel Roux once again proving that sheer power is not the secret to success by achieveing a very credible 40th overall, just ahead of the class B Access Auto VW Golf of Jannie Swart and Willie Morries.
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Casino Mykonos Challenge winners
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Johann and Petra Zulch tried slicks for the first time on the Worcester BMW class E BMW 325i but M would have to give 007 some time to acclimatize to the new toys. Abduraghman Amlay and Clint Lingeveldt made a welcome appearance in their class C Toyota Conquest RSi 1600 rally car but found the going very tough without power steering. They also burst a brake hose in front of the PA truck but rally
Experience saved the day and Manie was wearing big grin most of the day. Gary Segers and Rowan Creamer found themselves down in 44th overall with the normally dominant class D VW Golf 1.4i and this certainly does not represent their best effort. Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger and Anette Vermaak shared the Mike Nathan AWI rally Corolla and though they posted the fastest time of the day for the ladies a lack of consistency saw them down in third spot. Newcomer Sean Venter had Nashrene Schloss show him the way in his class D Toyota Tazz 1.3.
Wynand Loubser had his son, Albertus, as navigator in the Speedy Brackenfell class C Toyota Conquest 20v and it became obvious why Albertus wanted to point out the route. He could ensure that dad simply never got a smooth run!
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38 Estelle Muhlenbeck & Janine Visser - Toyota
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Estele Muhlenbeck had the commentators struggle to pronounce her surname but certainly showed that she could swing a wheel, bringing the Loslap Corolla home in 48th with Janine Visser as navigator. Clifford and Stanley Bacon made a welcome return to Mykonos and placed the topless Porsche 944 49th.
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Eugene Brand - Keith Dorrell - Ford Escort
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Winning class F was Eugene Brand and Keith Dorrell in the Pops 1 Ford Escort MkI 2.0 and they were followed home by Zumeika McGregor and Leandré Booysen in their VW Golf IV 1800. Pops, alias Keith Dorrell, had to be satisfied with second in class with the Ford Escort MkI 2.0. No proof, but it is said that Eugene Brand might have had the edge on the handbrake! Janine Visser and Estelle Muhlenbeck swopped roles in Loslap and obviously enjoyed every second as they were laughing all the way to 53rd – or was that sheer nerves showing? Anton Smit and Emile Blanché fitted a smoke tank to their Toyota 1600 powered Nissan LDV and substituted for the Silver Falcons enroute to 54th.
Abduraghman Amlay and Clint Lingeveldt also had a very mean looking Toyota Run X RSi 1800 persent and with some tweaking this class B car could finish much higher in the next gymkhana. Willie Morries and Jannie Swart next in the Access Auto class B VW Golf with the large rally spec Nissan Skyline 2.8 of Gavin Grierson and David Delaney making it’s debut in 57th spot. Martin Esterhuyse Snr and Francois Erasmus really impressed the judges with superb control in their class E Toyota Corolla 3.0, netting the coveted Radio Tygerberg 104Fm Most Spectacular Driver of the Day award. Nicole van der Westhuizen and Jo-Anne Groenewald brought their VW Polo 1800 home in 59th with the neat class C Ford Bantam 1600 of Calvin and Stanley Bacon 60th. Sheraaz Bux and Charl van Rooyen shared the Mrs F Bux VW Touran to 61st and popular Mossel Bay traffic officer, Steph Petersen, shared his Ronat Nissan class F LDV with Pieter Hugo to 62nd.
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74 Martin Esterhuyse & Francois Erasmus - Toyota
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16 Tertius van Tonder & Danye Louw - Golf1
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Failing to set a good time on route B had the Porsche Cup 911 of Herman Scholtz and Patrick Vermaak down in 63rd, but with this driver now settled on the West Coast one could expect to see him return and improve with every future outing.
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61 Mynhardt de Jongh & Danie Smuts
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Mynhardt de Jongh and Danie Smuts had an erratic outing in the normally super smooth class E Berns Panelshop BMW M3 and simply could not produce their normal spectacular routine. DJJ van Zyl and Henko de Klerk enjoyed a quiet debut at Club Mykonos with their class A VW Golf V driven cleanly, if not super fast. DJJ the second handicapped driver to join the series and the Vredendal combination look set to contest the full series in 2007.
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33 Willie & Cindé Swart - Nissan Sentra
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Zaine Louw and Johann du Toit returned to the action in their class C Nissan Almera 1600 and the class F 1965 Ford Cortina 1600 of Malcolm and Mark Uytenbogaardt attracted much attention. Martin Esterhuyse Jnr and Francois Erasmus found themselves attracted to the Mykonos pavements with the class D VW Golf MkI 1300 but will return. The much abused class A Mazda 323 EGi of Marius and Morné Roux survived another day of crowd pleasing smoking. Jacques Olivier and Attie Groenewald shared the class B Honda Ballade 1800 in 70yh spot with the class F BMW 320i of Richard Hough and Jaco Matthee 72nd. Bart and Sonja Smit 73rd on their Mykonos debut in the class F Nissan LDV 1400 and they were followed by Mark and Malcolm Uytenbogaardt in their 1965 Cortina 1600. The Noddy car of Knysna based Chris Julyan provided great entertainment with the Mini 1000 powered gholf cart attracting much attention. Christiaan Bezuidenhout doing the navigation. The final classified finisher Mynhardt de Jongh and Hendrik verwoerd in the always sideways class E Chevrolet Lumina SS 76th.
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37 Henko de Klerk & Johannes van der Westhuizen - Mazda Rustler
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The single seater category was won by the very talented Dee-Jay Boosyen in his 400cc Formula M racer and he was followed by Eugene Bower in his Black Ice Conquest, the class C Golf of Danye Louw and the purple Honda Civic of Shaun Fairbairn. Nashrene Schloss taking fifth. Unfortunately the Formula M newcomers found the navigational element too much to manage.
Casino Mykonos Challenge 2006
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Casino Mykonos Challenge winners
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Though he might not have retained his King of Mykonos status, Mike Nathan (Flamingo Vlei) did retain the the Casino Mykonos Challenge floating trophy for the second successive year thanks to two overall victories and a second place in the Dals Autobody Mazda Rustler 1700. Knysna based Eugene Bower taking second place in the Black Ice Toyota Conquest RSi 1600 and Danie Smuts (Wolseley) third in the Aquality BMW 325i. All three drivers finished the season will full points having scored class victories in each of the three qualifying events. Final positions split on overall score.
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94 Johann Hough - Ouch!
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The Casino Mykonos Challenge incorporates the three annual Hyperformance Club Mykonos Gymkhana events and in order to qualify for the awards a driver has to start all three events in the same class and car.
The individual class winners were:
Class A André Dreyer Weskaap Bakwerke/Discover Home Loans VW Golf GTi 2.0 16v
Class B Mike Nathan Dals Autobody / 911 Energy Drink Mazda Rustler 1700
Class C Eugene Bower Black Ice Toyota Conquest RSi 1600
Class D Jean-dré Pepper VW Golf 1.3
Class E Danie Smuts Aquality Plumbing BMW 325i
Class G Duncan Jepthas CSS VW Golf Citi 1660 Supercharged
Class I Nashrene Schloss Toyota Corolla Sprinter 1800i
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