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We, the members of the Porsche Club of Cape Town, had the most wonderful weekend away with the Porsche Club Eastern Cape, thanks to the initiative of Karl Ellenbogen. 

Ken and Lynda Wentzel organised the event from the Cape Town side, and we are so impressed with a fun-filled, superbly organised weekend.

 

This year there were approximately 90 in attendance, I imagine next year, there will be even more!

 

Our thanks go to the Traffic Department of Prince Albert, who were professional, friendly, and welcoming in every way. As people who are passionate about their machines, the drivers could not have been better supported!

 

We held two events, the first being a top-end run, where the traffic enforcement closed off a straight section of road for us, and the drivers were able to test their metal and their mettle! The road was kept clear, and this was conducted safely and professionally.

The fastest time recorded was 301km/h by Gary Kieswetter in his 996 GT2.

He was closely followed by Ian Harries in a 3.8 litre GT3 and Andrew Gun in his monster 991 GT3 RS.

All the drivers found the event exhilarating and the observers found it exciting and scary!

 

The second event was an auto-cross, a short route laid out by Karl Illenberger with traffic cones set out to make it challenging for all of the competing Porsches. The local residents turned out en-masse and cheered enthusiastically.

The overall event winner was Karl, himself. His skill and tight turns were impressive to witness. Knocking a cone over was cause for a 2 second penalty. Shane Williams clocked a fantastic time, but has a propensity for cone-demolition.

Guiseppe Tagliaferri achieved the 2nd fastest time with Hennie Botha a close third.

 

Most drivers wanted to have at least two more turns, and will definitely be back for more!

 

Clifford Bacon is always exciting to watch, and good for keeping spectators on their toes! Andrew Gunn, in his silver and red monster, was very impressive, and also very popular with the Prince Albert locals. When an observer asked him what is so special about the Porsche brand, he couldn't put it into words, and so settled for a quick demonstration, taking a few lucky local observers for a run in his special 911 GT3 RS. 

 

Also very sweet, was Michelle Hambly-Grobler, who piled kids into her car, like pilchards, and made their year, by taking them for rides around quaint Prince Albert.

She now numbers the children of Prince Albert as her newest fans.

 

The Swartberg Hotel went out of their way to accommodate us, and the guest houses who took in those who couldn't be accommodated at the hotel, were clean, beautiful, and so welcoming!

 

The Hotel kept its bar open till the early hours of the morning, and did everything in their power to keep us happy. The restaurant went out of its way to accommodate our dining needs.

 

Prince Albert is a gem of a town! I left with the small boot of our Porsche crammed to the brim with the local olive oil and a substantial assortment of preserves.

 

I look very forward to our return, and to seeing what our clubs cook up for us in future events. This one will be a hard act to follow.