ENTERTAINMENT PLUS AT WESBANK SUPER SERIES AT PHAKISA
author: Rory Brown
Something or everyone
Full darkness was not far away when Anthony Taylor and Etienne van der Linde put the finishing touches to what had been a pretty good day for BMW and, in particular, the Afrox BMW F30 team in Class A of the Bridgestone Production car championship. Taylor and van der Linde came home first and second in the 12 lap feature race after two back to back six lap races earlier in the day.
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Anthony Taylor
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The opening six lapper saw Taylor lead home former champion Leeroy Poulter, having a one off drive in the Pirtek BMW 335i, and van der Linde in a BMW clean sweep. From an inverted grid in race two reigning champion Michael Stephen lead home Xtreme Team Audi S4 team-mate Tschops Sipuka, in a dominant display, with van der Linde and Taylor third and fourth.
In the feature event Stephen took third place ahead of Poulter and with closest championship rival Hennie Groenewald (Sasol Subaru) have a wretched day, the Port Elizabeth driver consolidated his championship lead. Taylor and van der Linde, however, breathed new life into their championship challenges as the season heads into the home stretch.
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Gavin Cronje
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Class T produced three different winners with Graeme Nathan (Indy Oil/Kaye Eddie VW Golf6) consolidating his championship lead over arch rival Gary Formato (Castrol Ford Focus) who also had a day to forget. Heat one saw a return of the MINI name to victory lane with Gavin Cronje leading home Castrol MINI team-mate Lee Thompson and Nathan.
The inverted grid start to the second heat favoured Gennaro Bonafede (Ferodo VW Golf6) who was comfortably clear of Thompson and Nathan. With the 12 lap feature race producing a high rate of attrition Nathan romped home ahead of Bonafede and Devin Robertson who, somewhat fortuitously, gave the Big Boss Renault Megane a podium finish on debut.
The first ‘joint venture’ outing with the V8 Supercars being joined by the Shelby Can-Am brigade produced a pair of heats that indicate the merger has plenty of potential. The amalgamation of the two formulas produced a large field, although the tight confines of a circuit like Zwartkops could make life interesting for the big bangers.
Race one proceedings in the GT1 category in the V8 Supercars were dominated by a pair of veterans in former champion Ben Morgenrood (Indy Oil/BM Auto Ford Falcon) and Franco di Matteo in the Varta Batteries Jaguar. Morgenrood led until a late puncture let di Matteo through with local favourite Danie Correia third in the Omega Chev Corvette.
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Ben Morgenrood
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Race two saw no such misfortunes for Morgenrood. He was comfortably ahead of di Matteo with Romano Sartori (AMC Mustang) on the podium for the first time this season. On the championship front Morgenrood went home with a healthy lead still intact.
Veteran Willie Hepburn (Chev Corvette) and Ray Wilford (Fuchs Chev Corvette) shared the GT2 category wins. Behind them little happened to alter the championship picture.
Patrick Seddon (Contact Aircon Lumina) and former champion Des Gutzeit (Dezz/Cummins Ford Falcon) arrived at Phakisa separated by a single point. The pair then shared seconds and thirds with the status quo left unaltered.
On the Can-Am front championship leader Brian Algar (Hollarrd Can-Am) took the first heat from reigning champion Rui Campos (Q8 Oils Can-Am) and veteran Alan Eve in the Pilot Can-Am. Algar then blotted his copybook with a huge off track excursion in the second heat with Campos leading home Thomas Reib (Liqui Moly/Grand Prix Motors Can-Am) and the vastly experience Eve.
The Engen VW Cup event produced a double for KwaZulu-Natal driver Shaun la Reservee (Alpine Motors VW Polo) who scored his first national championship wins. Two impressive drives saw la Reservee take the first heat ahead of reigning champion Devin Robertson (Big Boss Auto VW Polo) and youngster teenager Kelvin van der Linde in the Ferodo VW Polo.
The KZN driver then lead home teenager Dewald Brummer (Horns/UMP VW Polo) and Robertson. It was Brummer’s best result to date but for van der Linde it was one of thos races that is character building.
His hard fought podium place in race one was followed by a second heat disaster. An early coming together with Kosie Weyers (Xtreme Team VW Polo) saw van der Linde into the pits for a tyre change and he ended up a lap down with Robertson making inroads into his championship lead.
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Jayde IKruger
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In the SA singleseater event Jayde Jruger (First Freight/GF Plastics FVW) tightened his grip on the Formula VW championship with Matthew Merton (Matsam Mygale) edging ahead in the Midas 1600 series. Kruger took two comfortable wins to widen the gap to Simon Moss (Tsogo Sun FVW) who followed up a fight back second place in race one with a disappointing seventh in heat two after losing his nose cone.
Nicholas van Weely (AngloRand FVW) took third place in race one and race two saw teenagers Mikey Taylor and Ernest van der Walt, both in Ferodo FVWs, score their first podium finishes.
Merton went to Phakisa leading the Formula Midas title chase by one point from Werner Scholtz in the Scholtz Civils Mygale. A win and a third for Merton against a fourth and a second for Scholtz widened the gap.
A second and a win were a good return for Jason Campos (Etana Mygale) with James Temple on the podium in race one with third ahead of Scholtz. In race two Campos led home Scholtz and Merton.
On the bike front reigning champion Greg Gildenhuys (Motorrad BMW) eased a little further ahead of Dave McFadden (Pepper Racing/Race Prep Kawasaki) in the SA Superbike championship. In race one Gildenhuys, on his home track, led home the ever improving Nicolas Grobler (Jonway/Go Motor BMW) and McFadden.
It was a different story in race two with McFadden hitting the front with four laps to go. He then romped away from Grobler and Gildenhuys with Chris Leeson (Ducati) taking a pair of fourth places.
Two second places also saw Clint Seller (Bikefin Honda) tighten his hold on the SA Supersport title. A superb race one saw Seller finish second to Stephen Odendaal (MS Aircon Suzuki) who this year is competing in the Spanish championship, and veteran Lance Isaacs on another Bikefin Honda.
Isaacs then took his first win of the season in race two leading home Seller and Brent Harran on a third Bikefin Honda. Odendaal, feeling unwell before the start of the race, gradually dropped out of the picture.
Results:
Bridgestone Production Cars: Race 1 – Class A: 1 A Taylor (BMW F30); L Poulter (BMW 335i); 3 E van der Linde (BMW F30). Class T: 1 G Cronje (MINI); 2 L Thompson (MINI); G Nathan (Golf VW6). Race 2 – Class A: 1 M Stephen (Audi S4); 2 T Sipuka (Audi S4); 3 E van der Linde (BMW F30). Class T: 1 G Bonafede (VW Golf6); 2 L Thompson (MINI); 3 G Nathan (VW Golf6). Race 3 – Class A: 1 A Taylor (BMW F30); 2 E van der Linde (BMW F30); 3 M Stephen (Audi S4). Class T: 1 G Nathan (VW Golf6); 2 G Bonafede (VW Golf6); 3 D Robertson (Renault Megane).
V8 Supercars: Race 1 – GT1: 1 F di Matteo (Jaguar); 2 B Morgenrood (Ford Falcon); 3 D Correia (Chev Corvette). GT2: 1 W Hepburn (Chev Corvette); 2 P Seddon (Chev Lumina); 3 D Gutzeit (Ford Falcon). Race 2 – GT1: 1 B Moregenrood (Ford Falcon); 2 F di Matteo (Jaguar); 3 R Sartori (Ford Mustang). GT2: 1 R Wilford (Chev Corvette); 2 D Gutzeit Ford Falcon); 3 P Seddon (Chev Lumina).
Shelby Can-Am: Race 1 – 1 B Algar (Shelby Can-Am); 2 R Campos (Shelby (Can-Am); 3 A Eve (Shelby Can-Am). Race 2 – 1 R Campos (Shelby Can-Am); 2 T Reib (Shrlby Can-Am); 3 A Eve (Shelby Can-Am).
Engen VW Cup: Race 1 – 1 S la Reservee (VW Polo); 2 D Robertson (VW Polo); 3 J Pepper (VW Polo). Race 2 – 1 S la Reservee (VW Polo); 2 D Brummer (VW Polo); 3 D Robertson (VW Polo).
Formula VW: Race 1 - 1 J Kruger (FVW); 2 S Moss (FVW); 3 N van Weely (FVW). Race 2 – 1 J Kruger (FVW); 2 M Taylor (FVW); 3 E van der Walt (FVW).
Midas Formula 1600: Race 1 – 1 M Merton (Mygale); 2 J Campos (Mygale); 3 J Temple (Mygale).Race 2 – 1 J Campos (Mygale); 2 W Scholtz (Mygale); 3 M Merton (Mygale).
SA Superbikes: Race 1 – 1 G Gildenhuys (BMW); 2 N Grobler (BMW); 3 D McFadden (Kawasaki). Race 2 – 1 D McFadden (Kawasaki); 2 N Grobler (BMW); 3 G Gildenhuys (BMW).
SA Supersport: Race 1 – 1 S Odendaal (Suzuki); 2 C Seller (Honda); 3 L Isaacs (Honda). Race 2 – 1 L Isaacs (Honda); 2 C Seller (Honda); 3 B Harran (Honda).
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