Super Series delivers superb racing

Published Aug 6, 2012

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Round 6 of the WesBank Super Series at Phakisa at the weekend produced sparkling racing, a surprise or two and a couple of first-time winners.

PRODUCTION CARS

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 in the 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.

The first six-lapper saw Taylor lead home former champion Leeroy Poulter, having a one-off drive in a BMW 335i, and Van der Linde, in a BMW clean sweep. From an inverted grid in Race 2 reigning champion Michael Stephen led home 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 ahead of Poulter and consolidated his championship lead, as closest championship rival Hennie Groenewald (Subaru) battled through a wretched day. Taylor and van der Linde, however, breathed new life into their championship challenges as the season headed into the home stretch.

Class T produced three different winners with Graeme Nathan (VW Golf6) consolidating his championship lead over arch rival Gary Formato (Ford Focus) who also had a day to forget. Race 1 saw a return of the Mini name to victory lane with Gavin Cronje leading home team mate Lee Thompson and Nathan.

The inverted-grid start to the second race favoured Gennaro Bonafede (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 its South African competition debut.

V8 SUPERCARS/SHELBY CAN-AM

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 such has Zwartkop could make life interesting for the big bangers.

Race 1 proceedings in the GT1 category of the V8 Supercars were dominated by a pair of veterans in former champion Ben Morgenrood (Ford Falcon) and Franco di Matteo in a Jaguar. Morgenrood led until a late puncture let Di Matteo through with local favourite Danie Correia third in a Chev Corvette.

Race 2 saw no such misfortunes for Morgenrood. He was comfortably ahead of Di Matteo with Romano Sartori (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 (Chev Corvette) shared the GT2 category wins. Behind them little happened to alter the championship picture.

Patrick Seddon (Lumina) and former champion Des Gutzeit (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 took the first race from reigning champion Rui Campos and veteran Alan Eve. Algar then blotted his copybook with a huge off-track excursion in the second race as Campos led home Thomas Reib and the vastly experience Eve.

SUPERBIKES/SUPERSPORT

Reigning SA Superbike champion Greg Gildenhuys (BMW) eased a little further ahead of Dave 'McFlash' McFadden (Kawasaki) in the SA Superbike championship. In Race 1 Gildenhuys, on his home circuit, led home the ever-improving Nicolas Grobler (BMW) and McFadden.

It was a different story in Race 2 with McFadden hitting the front four laps from home and romping away from Grobler and Gildenhuys with Chris Leeson (Ducati) taking a pair of fourth places.

Two second places also tightened Honda rider Clint Seller's hold on the SA Supersport title. A superb Race 1 saw Seller finish second to Stephen Odendaal (Suzuki) who this year is competing in the Spanish championship, and veteran Lance Isaacs on another works Honda.

Isaacs then took his first win of the season in Race 2, leading home Seller and Brent Harran on a 'official' Honda. Odendaal, feeling unwell before the start of the race, gradually dropped out of the picture.

VW CUP

The all-Polo races produced a double for KwaZulu-Natal driver Shaun la Reservee who scored his first national championship wins. Two impressive drives saw La Reservee take the first race ahead of reigning champion Devin Robertson and teenager Kelvin van der Linde.

The KZN driver then lead home teenager Dewald Brummer and Robertson. It was Brummer's best result to date but a 'character-building' day for Van der Linde.

His hard-fought podium finish in Race 1 was followed by a second-race disaster. An early coming together with Kosie Weyers 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.

SA SINGLESEATERS

Jayde Jruger tightened his grip on the Formula VW championship with Matthew Merton (Mygale) edging ahead in the Midas 1600 series. Kruger took two comfortable wins to widen the gap to Simon Moss who followed up a fighting second in Race 1 with a disappointing seventh in Race 2 after losing his nose cone.

Nicholas van Weely took third place in Race 1, then teenagers Mikey Taylor and Ernest van der Walt scored their first podium finishes in race 2.

Merton went to Phakisa leading the Formula Midas title chase by one point from Werner Scholtz in another 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 (Mygale) with James Temple on the podium in Race 1 after coming in third ahead of Scholtz. In race two Campos led home Scholtz and Merton.

RESULTS - 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)

3 G Nathan (VW Golf6)

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

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 Morgenrood (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

2 R Campos

3 A Eve

RACE 2

1 R Campos

2 T Reib

3 A Eve

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)

VW CUP - RACE 1

1 S la Reservee

2 D Robertson

3 J Pepper

RACE 2

S la Reservee

2 D Brummer

3 D Robertson

FORMULA VW - RACE 1

1 J Kruger

2 S Moss

3 N van Weely

RACE 2

1 J Kruger

2 M Taylor

3 E van der Walt

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)

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