Fans of Group N and Touring Car racing were recently treated to a night of nostalgia. Two BMW racing legends, Farouk Dangor and Deon Joubert, were reunited in Cape Town on 22 October. These former on-track rivals met for a special night organised by Double Apex and hosted by our managing editor, Sudhir Matai. The guests of honour competed in the hotly contested Group N and Touring Car arena in the 1990s. Most fans regard this as the ‘golden era’ of SA motorsport.
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Motorsport Enthusiasts
Almost 200 fans gathered at BMW Century City for the nostalgic showcase. The audience was entertained with stories of how the drivers started racing, the inner workings of top flight motorsport as well as friendly and unfriendly racetrack rivalries. Furthermore they learned of many humorous tales of creative rule interpretation applied by teams. There were several young fans in attendance. Many of whom were not born until after the two drivers had retired from full-time circuit racing. Even these youngsters listened with complete attention, soaking up every word the racing drivers uttered.
This was quite possibly one of the coolest things I’ve done with my dad. An evening spent laughing about the glory years of SA motorsport – modified saloons, Group N and the beginning of Touring Cars with these two drivers will live with me for a very long time – KK
Emotional Evening
“It was an emotional walk down memory lane for me,” said Dangor after the event. “It is heartwarming to see the impression we left on so many racing fans here in the Cape after all these years. So many guys told me how they watched from the grandstands, cheering every time the Speedy Car Sales BMWs went by. I must have signed about 100 posters tonight. I am thankful to Sudhir and Double Apex for putting together this very special evening,” said the respected racer. Dangor’s sentiments were echoed by Joubert who was a BMW SA Motorsport driver in the same era.
“It was lovely to share my experiences in Group N and Touring Cars. I was privileged to be a part of that incredible era of racing. It was really interesting to hear stories from Farouk’s perspective, some of which I didn’t know because I was immersed in the BMW effort. Thanks to Sudhir for organising this wonderful get together of the racing drivers and BMW aficionados,” said Joubert.
“It was also lovely to see the respect there is for Farouk and his groundbreaking achievements in the sport as a person of colour. It is interesting to hear how some people embraced him in the sport, especially Tony Viana who was a friend and mentor to Farouk, and me, was nice to hear,” concluded the multiple SA champ.
A brilliant and well-executed concept that afforded us a trip down memory lane. Getting personal recollections of the drivers’ many career highlights was a rare treat, as was the one-on-one time I got to spend interacting with them. The autographed posters were a nice touch – AB
The Star Cars
There were multiple significant and historic BMWs on display. Propellerheads drooled over and snapped countless photos before and after the drivers’ interview. Included in the display were three racecars. Dangor’s E30 BMW M3 Touring Car, was a crowd favourite. Another historic machine was a pukka Group N 325iS campaigned by Shaun van der Linde. In addition there was a tribute to Joubert’s E36 ‘Envirocar’ owned by Marco Retter. Also in attendance were three classic road cars in the shape of Derwyn Oxley’s 325i Shadowline, which he bought new in 1987, a mint 325iS and an original E23 BMW 745i. The latter was one of 200-odd produced, one of only 17 made in manual guise. Lastly, representing the new age of M machines were an F27 M2 CS, a G80 M3 CS and the latest M3 in Touring guise.
An incredible time being able to meet some of my racing heroes and the stories that they were willing to share of their past. The host had incredible questions and insight. An experience I will never forget and will cherish forever, with knowledge and facts that will never leave me. Truly awesome – JTH
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