Mansell claims SA Masters GP title
Brad Morgan
15 November 2005
The roar and scream of brutal engines filled Kyalami in Johannesburg at the weekend as some of the greats of yesteryear did battle in front of 70 000 fans at the inaugural South African Grand Prix Masters.
It was clear from qualifying that the racing was going to be very close. With all the contestants in identical cars, sporting McLaren V8 Cosworth engines, producing more than 450 kilowatts, it came down to the skill of the drivers.
Tight qualifying
Nigel Mansell, the 1992 Formula One world champion, claimed pole just ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi, the F1 champion in 1972 and 1974. But it was clear just how tight it would be in the race proper when less than one-and-a-half seconds separated the top 10 qualifiers.
In the race itself, Mansell again came out on top, but veteran Brazilian Fittipaldi pushed him all the way, finishing just 0.408 in arrears. Fittipaldi had predicted a tough time for the
Englishman, and he certainly provided it.
Ricardo Patrese completed the podium finishers, followed across the finish line by fellow Italian Andrea de Cesaris. Then came Britain's Derek Warwick and Germany's Han Stuck.
'What a race! What a race!'
Sounding a lot like the man known as "The Voice" - the great Murray Walker who came out of his retirement to commentate on the action - Mansell exclaimed afterwards: "What a race! What a race!"
Praising Fittipaldi, Mansell said he just couldn't open up any gap on the Brazilian, while Fittipaldi, in turn, said Mansell made no errors and drove a fantastic race.
While the tussle for victory was tight, so too was the dice for third spot. Patrese was pushed hard all the way by De Cesaris, Warwick and Stuck before claiming his podium place.
Patrese described the challenge of holding his pursuers off as being like a lot of dogs biting behind him, adding: "This was real racing".
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