LIME ROOKIE

Track Debutante Finds One Can "Run What Ya Brung"

By Kobus Reyneke with additional photos by Ed Hyman

From the November / December 2020 Registry Magazine - With Bonus Photos & Video


Open PDF article

It’s been a while since high school—a time in the late sixties when I longed to race cars.

Television was banned in South Africa, so my buddies and I got our car fix through visits to Kyalami and time spent reading Road & Track (which arrived about a month late by ship).

I’ve desperately wanted to get a taste for racing for a long time, though I’ve always known I’m too chicken to be the fast one. As with many bucket lists, life always got in the way. Not enough money, never having the right car, not knowing how to go about it, and so on. My bad.

Since arriving on these shores in 1978, Lime Rock Park vintage racing has been my racing fix - as a spectator. A turning point came in 2019, when I started watching some of my newfound car buddies like Gaspare Fasulo, Chris Turner,and Bobby Singh race their Porsches at Lime Rock.

The 2019 Lime Rock Fall Finale was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I simply had to take the plunge, so I joined the Vintage Sports Car Club of America (VSCCA). As fate would have it, COVID-19 forced the cancellation of their spring “driver’s school,” leaving me few short term options. Fortunately, Charles Bordin suggested that if I attended a racing school, he’d let me race in the Empire Cup at Lime Rock later in 2020. Game on.

Bertil Roos had an opening at New Jersey Motorsports Park and their 3-day, socially-distanced race school was a blast. I never thought open wheel cars could stick to the road like that and be so much fun! I also signed up for their 2-day advanced racing course, but the second day got rained out. Nevertheless, I’m now eligible for a Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) license and can race at VSCCA events.

I still don’t have the proper car, but with my entry into the Empire Cup, my 1959 Porsche 356A cabriolet boulevard queen was tagged for racing duty. After dropping a small fortune on protective gear and a “pre-race” checkup of my 356A by Gaswerks Garage, I was, sort of, ready to race.

The 2-hour drive to Lime Rock was uneventful, and after driving around the paddock looking for a parking spot, I found Bobby Singh’s tangerine 911. I spread out a tarp and then out of the car came the spare and every other loose object.

My first practice was definitely a bit nerve-racking, as the fastest cars lapped me more than once. I tried keeping a steady pace at around 1:36 while searching for the racing line. With cars approaching from behind at almost every corner, it was really difficult to put together a clean lap. Best lap times for the group varied from 1:11 to my snail’s pace, but at least several were just a few seconds faster than me. By the last race, and without pushing my limits, I had dropped to 1:22, with a few competitors within 2 seconds of me.

I got “yelled” at for “not holding the race line” during the earlier sessions but fixed that during the last two races. Turns out you’re not supposed to be polite by letting the freight trains by. Keep your line unless someone pokes a nose in next to you. Lesson learned.