Rackstraw Readies Himself For 9-hour
Not that 9 hour, not yet at least. Whilst having another South African driver in the Kyalami 9-Hour would be a dream for us all, Rackstraw is only just starting his endurance racing journey alongside his open-wheel specialty.
This weekend marks an important milestone in his racing career. He has been invited to join Stradale Motorsport in the Killarney 9-Hour, getting behind the wheel of a stunning piece of Italian machinery. His office for the day will be a 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP520 GT3 EVO.
If you think that’s a handful to say out loud, can you imagine driving such a thing? With 10 cylinders and “all of the torques” all of the time, it’s a monster. A beautiful, incredible monster.
The team will consist of Charl Arangies, Adrian Dalton and Andrew Rackstraw. Charl is running 2nd in the South African Endurance Series Championship, so there’s a lot of trust being placed in the young Capetonian driver.
That trust has been earned.
Rackstraw has had a terrific year, banking one great result after the next in the National F1600 races this year and the Formula Libre series in Cape Town in which he campaigns his stunning red Formula VW.
The Lambo is a very different car to the lightweight open-wheel racecars that Rackstraw is accustomed to. From karting right up to Formula VW, Rackstraw has proven his talent with these types of vehicles.
The Lamborghini will require an adjustment to his driving style as it is much heavier of course. In addition, this is Rackstraw’s first endurance race vs. his regular sprint race efforts. This means that he needs to preserve the car and the brakes to ensure that the team finishes the race.
He will also have to cope with an incredible entry list of 50 cars racing into the darkness. This is an incredible learning opportunity and Rackstraw is approaching it with his signature level of maturity.
“My aim is to learn and grow as much as possible from this very professional and experienced team. The main thing in endurance racing is bringing the car home in one piece, not taking any risks and adhering to the pace requirements and instructions from the team.”
Rackstraw’s goal for 2021 is simple: win the Investchem F1600 National Championship.
The experience he will gain this weekend will be invaluable in that campaign, as Rackstraw matures as a racing driver and steps into the world of GT3 racing.
We don’t know yet where this will lead, but we are incredibly proud of what this young star is achieving.