Charl Arangies scoops SA Endurance title at Nine Hours of Kyalami

The Southern African Endurance Series Nine Hours of Kyalami delivered action and drama from the first minutes of the first free practice session on Friday until the dying minutes of the race on Saturday evening. An hour-long rain shower and seven safety car breaks added to the drama and constantly changing strategy calls the teams had to make.

Charl Arangies emerged as the 2023 SA Endurance national champion while the log leaders going into the blue riband event, Xolile Letlaka and Stuart White, endured heartbreak as their title hopes evaporated with mechanical issues after seven-and-a-half hours of hard racing.

Nick Adcock, Michael Jensen, Leyton Fourie and Jonathan Thomas powered their Adjust4Sleep Nova-Proto to victory after taking the lead in the fifth hour, ending seven laps ahead of the BBR Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Hein Lategan, Verissimo Tavares and Keagan Masters.

Mike McLoughlin and Steve Clark powered their Backdraft Roadster from the back of the grid after failing to qualify on Friday to a podium finish on Saturday evening.

Arangies, teamed with Arnold Neveling and Kwanda Mokoena, was forced to change from his Mercedes-AMG GT3 to the team’s Audi R8 GT3 after a practice accident. They clawed their way back into title contention after a 45-minute delay to repair a side shaft to end fourth overall after the championship appeared to be a lost cause.

In his first season of endurance racing, rookie Jean-Paul Briner (Tradecor Steel Backdraft) was crowned the SA Endurance Index of Performance national champion after nearest challenger Daniel Rowe retired from the race.

Toyota Gazoo Racing won their second consecutive Index of Performance, this time with a Toyota GR86 driven by motoring journalists Setshaba Mashigo, Chad Luckoff, Mark Jones and Denis Droppa.