Ford and Friends - 13 August 2022

The two BMWs were invited to participate in a retrospective event of old Wesbank Modified Saloons during the Extreme Festival on Saturday 13 August 2022 at Zwartkops Raceway. The event was put together by Louis Powell of 'Ford and Friends' and was a demonstration run of 5 laps in two heats where spectators could once again see and hear these iconic cars.

Only a handful of the old Wesbank racers made it to the event, the highlight being Ben Morgenrood behind the wheel of his triple rotor Class A Mazda 323 TRS.

A number of old racing legends were invited to the event and hosted by Steve Koterba's Chequered Flag Museum. Among the invited drivers was Llewellyn Anthony, who was re-united with B16 after almost 30 years. Llewellyn was delighted to see his old race car and took the opportunity to sign the gearbox tunnel of the 535.

Another surprise of the day was to meet Rentia Viana, Tony Viana's daughter. It was quite an emotional reunion, and it was the first time Rentia had visited a race track again since her father passed away in 1993.

The day ended early for B16 with the driveshaft once again failing on the second lap of heat one. In spite of this, it was a great day out and it was good to see both the 535is back on the track again.

Photo credit: Anton Wannenburg

Photo credit: Anton Wannenburg