Cape Town - It was a day of drama at Killarney on Saturday as several violent crashes stunned a crowd of spectators and played a major role in the outcome of the races.
The form book was certainly turned on its head during an exciting Women’s Day Power Series meeting and motorsport fans were again reminded that their sport was dangerous as cars and motorcycles spun and crashed into barriers - and into each other.
Luckily the drivers walked away from the action with relatively minor injuries.
The day started on a disappointing note when gearbox problems forced Craig Jarvis to withdraw his powerful V10 Dodge Viper from the Sports and GT events before the meeting had even begun.
It would have been the first time Cape enthusiasts had seen this monster car in action.
Dawie Joubert then started on pole and was fighting for the lead in the same category shortly afterwards when his Lotus Exige spun viciously on the grass while he was attempting to pass a slower competitor.
The car then flew through the air before cannoning into the tyre safety barrier and disintegrating in spectacular fashion on the main straight in front of the pits.
Fortunately, although the crash occurred at more than 250km/h, the many safety precautions enforced by the organisers ensured the driver was not seriously injured. Ironically, with the event red flagged immediately after the incident and scored on the order in the previous lap, Joubert was rewarded with a second place behind Johan Engelbrecht’s Porsche GT2R.
The race also included a thrilling Class B battle between the evenly matched Porsches of Keith Fourie, Gary Kieswetter and Matt Krewe. The trio went on to finish virtually nose to tail, in that order.
MORE CRASHES
There were several other incidents, most notably in the GTi Challenge races and a big one down the long main straight during a Masters V8 race when two front runners touched, spun out of control and hit the barrier wall almost directly opposite the track’s main entrance.
But milder upsets of a different nature also had a big effect on the outcomes, including Kosie Weyers being defeated by Nian du Toit in the first GTi Challenge race despite starting from pole position and setting the fastest race lap time.
Although not classified as hot favourites, Brad Wadely and Dave Kopke went on to win the opening Formula Supercar and Cars Unlimited Classic Car categories.
Then there was also a fine performance by the 15 year old Joshua Dolinschek who came through to take the flag in the first single seater Formula Libre race despite opposition from older and more experienced drivers such as the second and third placed Mike Verrier and Jurie Swart.