Celso saves his best for last at Aldo Scribante
Three Eastern Province circuit racing championships came to a head at Port Elizabeth’s Aldo Scribante Racetrack last weekend with the highlight of the day the Eastern Province Saloon Car Championship.
Seventy-four-year old Celso Scribante won a dramatic race on track day to take the Class A championship before announcing his retirement from racing, while Class C driver Gordon Nolan took the overall championship by a single point after his chief rival Class E man Neil Roos crashed in qualifying.
Son Aldo Scribante put his Audi S4 on pole position ahead of the similar cars of Nick Davidson and Celso, Bevan Schwartz’s Corvette, Cape visitor Shane du Toit’s rudely quick Golf and Class B leader Ian Riddle’s BMW.
Davidson fell off on lap 1 leaving Aldo to lead Celso before the old man moved ahead to take the first race win with Schwartz third, before father beat son and Davidson in race 2.
Davidson took the final as Celso followed him home, knowing he’d still take the class title by two points with Aldo third.
In Class B, Ian Riddle beat Deon Slabbert’s Polo and Thys Geyser's Golf each time as Kevin Kelly’s Mitsubishi hit trouble to leave Riddle to clinch the class title from Slabbert and Kelly as Riddle secured a hardfought second in the overall championship too.
There was high drama in Class C as James Mattison (BMW) twice beat Nolan (Polo) to leave Nolan tied in the overall title race lead with Class B man Riddle with one race left to run, but Nolan duly took that final win to clinch the overall and class titles. Mattison ended second in the class title fight from Anthony Bridgett (BMW).
Richard Rath (Nissan) made short work of Class D with three wins, twice over Jeff Guscott (Porsche 928S) and once ahead of Stephan Aucamp (Jetta), who got the better of Guscott in the final; but the absent George van Baalen had enough points in hand to fend Guscott off for the class title.
The hard luck story of the day had to be overall title contender Neil Roos (Polo), who arrived in the overall championship lead, but suffered a qualifying crash and could only watch as Michael Hart (Golf) beat Derik Gouws (BMW) and Daniel Bright (Golf) to all three class wins, while Nolan and Riddle pipped him to the overall championship win.
Roos ended third overall in the end, but duly took the class title from Gouws and Bright.
Wickus Basson (BMW) beat Fanie Aucamp (Jetta) and Theo Scholtz (Polo) to the Class F win as Aucamp took the class title from Ryan Britton (Golf), who endured a tough day at the races.
So just one point separated 2018 EP Saloon Car Champion Nolan from Riddle and Roos at the end, as Riddle took second on a count back.
Celso Scribante and Nick Davidson took fourth and fifth from Gouws, Mattison, Aucamp and Deon Slabbert as Van Baalen rounded out the title top 10.
There is still one more race meeting at Aldo Scribante on November 17 highlighted by the popular annual Midas 3 hour, for which entry is already fully subscribed.
It should be a cracker as always!