The recent Cape 1000 Grand Touring and Regularity Rally saw classic and modern cars motoring up hill and down dale through the prettiest parts of the Western Cape. PETER FROST tracked down the Classic Class winning couple to understand the appeal – and challenges – of touring in a classic car.
Dean Versace is a happy man. After 1600km of sunburn, maths and thumb sucking, he and his wife Robyn are now the proud owners of the Cape 1000’s Arthur Wassenaar Floating Trophy.
The Cape’s premier grand rally, underwritten by Private Clients by Old Mutual Wealth, is no walk in the park, but a mix of regulation, careful driving, planning and skill. Four days, a timed rally, and mountain passes add up to an extensive long-haul driving adventure. To manage it at all in a ‘new’ car is admirable enough. To be one of the winners is pretty special.
A Little Brit That Could
New to them, that is. “The first Cape 1000 we did was in my Porsche Carrera. To be honest, we didn’t find it to be a real challenge. So for the second we decided to buy a classic car and try that. What can I say? We found our little 1967 MGB Roadster to be very challenging. Good fun though.” Challenging indeed. Dean and Robyn’s Brit classic ticks all the boxes in terms of cute, inspirational, fun. But there were very real tests. “From the distances you have to achieve on certain days to weather elements, to the regularity side of things – it was a lot.”
A Long and Winding Road
The rally has an enviable routing, taking in some of the world’s best roads for driving pleasure. From the V&A Waterfront it headed to Knysna and Fancourt over Bainskloof, then up the Outeniqua Pass and through Meiringspoort before doubling back over Outeniqua just for the fun of it. The trip back was through Barrydale and then on to Hermanus through the Tradouw Pass. The final day wound along the coast down Clarence Drive to Fish Hoek via Chapman’s Peak and finally back to the V&A Waterfront.
Challenges, Challenges
“On the regularity side of things we tried to use the tables, but our mathematics wasn’t up to scratch, so we resorted to a bit of guesswork. We also downloaded two apps (for speed in kilometres and for average speed), which we used for our timing. Of course, we got stuck behind slow-moving vehicles and had to make up the time, which was very hard to do in a classic car when it doesn’t go too fast. This wasn’t my Carrera.
“And of course, teamwork is essential; I’ve learnt to listen to the navigator. That’s very important …”
Dean’s success is that much more impressive when seen against the wider competition. Winners are determined by the lowest number of points, based on time adherence. Given the Roadster’s age and instrumentation, a fine job. International entries included cars from the USA, UK, Botswana, Namibia, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, France, Italy and South Korea. All told, 66 cars took part.
More Than Just a Rally
But the Cape 1000 is more than just fun in the sun(burn). This year the event raised R350 000 for the QuadPara Association of South Africa and the Motorsport Legends Benevolent Fund. Most of the money was raised on the final gala evening from the charity auction, a splendid evening at the Table Bay Hotel ballroom, good for networking and letting the hair down after the stress of all that maths.
Dean agrees wholeheartedly. “It was a grand evening and a grand rally. We belong to the Super Car Lifestyle Club and we regularly go on weekends away with like-minded people. The Cape 1000 is the best rally we’ve ever done – we’ve met many new people with whom we are now friends.”
A Tech-Savvy Future
Looking ahead, the Cape 1000 will grow in size, authority and in the important area of tech. The organisers plan to introduce a technology solution aimed at providing participants and enthusiasts with real-time access to live scoring, which will mean competitors can assess and compare on the fly. It adds up to a bright future and another tourism feather in the Cape’s cap. Good job.
Top Achievers in Each Category
Classic Class
1st place: Dean and Robyn Versace in a 1967 MGB Roadster
Modern Classic Class
1st place: James and Frida Cottingham in a 1996 Ferrari F355 GTB
Sports Cars Class
1st place: Jan-Hendrik Delport and Jonathan Barron in a 2012 Porsche GTS Convertible
Specials Class
1st place: Justin Clark and Etienne Bezuidenhout in a 1933 Ford Model T pick-up Restomod
Overall Winners
Jan-Hendrik Delport and Jonathan Barron in a 2012 Porsche GTS Convertible