The 2025 BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series will start this coming weekend (31 January – 2 February) as part of The 24th Passion For Speed at the Zwartkops International World Of Motoring with a significant shake-up to the status quo.
The desire from competitors to be part of the BMW Car Club Gauteng-operated series, regularly fielding the biggest grids in South Africa since 2022, now sees a sixth class added. This also resulted in the Breakout Times, the criteria used to classify entrants, being adjusted. Therefore, a couple of 2024 competitors are set to drop to a lower class when this weekend’s field.
Class A, where all drivers compete on slick Dunlop tyres, will be impacted the least by this change. Leon Loubser will look to start the season victoriously as he aims to add his third consecutive class title. Bob Neill will ensure that Loubser’s quest will not be easy, while the possible participation of Ryan Naicker could also mix things up at the front.
Class B will see Renier Smith start his Series title defence against regular rivals Andreas Meier and Nek Makris. Also in contention will be Carlo Garbini. While his 2024 outings were few and far between, they were dominant and decisive.
The changes to the breakout times see Oz Biagioni, Gary Martins, and Salvi Gualtieri drop back into the Class C pack. They will form part of the competitive group looking to dethrone Reinhardt Miller. Regular campaigners Alan Hilligenn, Anand Naidu, Andre van Vuuren, Bennie Luyt, Hein van der Merwe, Neil Pillay, and Willie Kok will also be in contention. Mish Sing is set to make his first outing in nearly three years, while 2024’s end-of-season, victorious debutant Nicky Dicks will also look to add more silverware. Former Class A competitor Fabio Fedetto has opted to change to semi-slick tyres, with his recorded times making him eligible for Class C. Rob Gearing, who won the class at last year’s Passion for Speed event, will look to repeat his performance.
Bernard de Gouveia, Troy Cochran, and Varish Ganpath will drop into Class D, where the 2024 champion, Nicholas Herbst, will miss the season opener. The latter’s end-of-season rivals, Bilal Ahmed, Johan Miller, Shane Grobler, and Trevor Long, will look to establish their dominance early. However, two more drivers should not be discounted, the first being George Economides, who contended for the Class D honours until the halfway mark of the 2024 season. The second driver is Dawie Olivier, who returns to the series. Olivier’s previous outing, in 2022, saw him compete in Class C. The latter pair will continue the battle that saw them set the pace in the Ferro Energia GT Sports & Saloons Series throughout 2024. Paolo Cavalieri will pilot the former Tony Viana BMW E23 745i Modified, one of the most successful cars to compete in South African motorsport.
Dropping back to Class E are Claudio Jardim, Craig Herbst, Dave Rehse, Eddie Rodrigues, Olerato Sekudu, Roland Hopkins, Stefano Cavalieri, and Tihan van Rooyen. Regular Michael Grobler will join them.
Class F will be populated by Arri van Heerden, Caren Nienaber, Ferdi van Staden, Gerald Anthony, Jacques Smith, Justin Brown, and Zaheer Seedat. They competed in Class E in 2024, apart from Van Heerden and Van Staden, who dropped down from Class D.
The season opener will also see a host of newcomers to the series. Former Investchem Formula 1600 competitor Karabo Malemela is moving to tin-tops as part of BMW South Africa’s newly launched Driving Academy programme. Desmond Bloem will pilot the BMW Car Club Gauteng Track Taxi, formerly driven by Class E champion Matthew Wadeley. The rest of the debutants are Richard Gerntholtz, Gerhard Du Plessis, Ignus du Plessis, Kyan Boodaya, Mario Hattingh, Shriyav Naidu, Wessel Mostert, and Weylin Volschenk. All newcomers will be placed in timed classes following their first official sessions, and as has become the norm in recent season openers, these sessions are likely to see quite a few class changes as well.
The field will again be split into two groups, with Classes A, B & C competing separately from Classes D, E & F. The races are scheduled to start at:
08:00 – Classes D, E & F
09:30 – Classes A, B & C
13:20 – Classes A, B & C
15:20 – Classes D, E & F
All races will be provisionally run over a 10-lap distance. However, delays in the programme might require the distance to be altered. This might be decided by the event promoter, who also reserves the right to change the programme at short notice.
Weekend tickets for the Zwartkops International World Of Motoring Passion For Speed can be purchased ahead of the event from Computicket. When buying online, tickets are available at R220 per adult and R140 per student. Tickets will also be available at the entrance gate at R230 and R150 for adults and students, respectively. Friday-only tickets can also be purchased at the entrance gate at R130 per adult and R120 per student.
For more about the upcoming BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series season opener and rule changes, please tune into BMW Club TV on Thursday, 30 January 2025, at 19:30. This year’s first episode will also feature an interview with the authors of the coffee table book “BMW – The Unique South African Story”, as well as take an in-depth look at the training received by Gauteng’s various motorsport marshals associations. There is also a very important BMW Car Club Gauteng announcement that will be made during the show.
