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Pablo Clark Racing was founded in 1980 when Production Car Racing as we know it today was called ''Group One''. At that time, Group One was an international formula supported in South Africa by factory teams from Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ford, Mazda and VW.
- South African motorsport and Kyalami in particular were very much part of the global picture:
- Jody was our first world champion F1 driver!
- Kyalami had just been ''saved'' in a sale to a consortium represented by Bobby Hartslief.
- Mike Reid Chairman of our beloved SCC 'mortgaged everything' with the first international Superbike meeting at Kyalami in 1981. A massive success! Despite the rain.
- The crowds were back in big numbers to cheer on the Group One "doorhandle against doorhandle" racers and amazing Superbike heros. Kyalami's 9 Hour endurance race was about to enter a new exciting period, dominated by Porsche victories.
- Naturally, Kyalami was firmly on the F1 calendar, Ayrton Senna 'The best' scoring his first GP point finishing 6th at Kyalami in a Toleman.
Pablo Clark's one and only race was to provide many important lessons:
- With the help of the Domingo family, working out of their racing workshop based in Fordsburg, Pablo prepared his rotary engined Mazda for their first race. Dave Charlton was both a boyhood hero and supporter employing Clark as part time mechanic during his FIAT campaign in the Manufacturers' Challenge in 1980.
Lesson #1: You cannot do it on your own and despite the highly competitive environment, SA motor racing has a strong sense of community. Learn from those that have done it before.
- He chose the season's primary event, a 50 lapper day-night race at Kyalami for his ''initiation''
Lesson #2: Go big or stay at home? Make the most of the big moments.
- The race required a pit stop with compulsory wheel change, using original tools and jack!
Lesson #3: Practice and preparation guarantee the result (university student buddies - up against professional factory teams - perfected the pit stop process in super quick time!!)
- Despite having no brakes from mid-distance in the race, the team's slick pit stop ensured that they finished the race and captured 3rd position overall.
Not bad for rookies!
Lesson #4: Don't give up till the flag drops, even if your brakes fail!!
- Setting fastest lap of the race and winning the ''Driver of the Day'' award
The final lesson: Dream big, you can do it!
These modest experiences simply illustrate the very serious value that the experience of motorsport brings to every passionate participant.
Once in your blood, it is not easily extinguished.
And so, some 30 years on, PCR is proud to present an interesting collection of competition cars of historic significance.
We hope that these cars, the content of this web-site and our initiatives in general will generate special memories and reinforce the important qualities of this community of ours, it's heroes and personalities, some of whom are still competing behind the wheel to this day.
Motor racing is ''character building'' like no other sport on earth.
But most of all, it has a soul, of note!!
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