Some surprise results at East London national race series
ONE OF South Africa’s fastest tracks hosted National Circuit Racing on Saturday when the Extreme Festival tour contested its fourth of eight rounds at the East London Grand Prix Circuit.
With two second places on the day Mathew Hodges (959 Panelbeaters) took over the EngenVolkswagen Cup championship lead from Sheldon van der Linde (Champion) who crashed his Polo out of the first heat. Daniel Rowe (Ferodo) scored the first heat win, and Shaun La Reservee (Alpine Motors) took third.
Van der Linde then made up for his first race mistake by winning heat two, but will need to make up ground on Hodges at the next round, to be held at Zwartkops Raceway on August 8. Chris Shorter (Hollard) finished third in the second race.
Surprise results in the Production Cars races saw smaller, but lighter, four-cylinder turbo cars win all three heats from the more powerful supercharged Audi S4 brigade. In race one Graeme Nathan (VW Genuine Parts Golf GTI) snatched the win from Hennie Groenewald (Sasol S4) on the last lap, with Hennie’s team-mate Gennaro Bonafede coming home third.
Michael van Rooyen (Williams Hunt Chevrolet Cruze) then took the second win, followed across the line by Nathan and Simon Moss (Engen Xtreme S4). Nathan took another victory in the final race, chased by Hennie Groenewald and reigning champion Michael Stephen, who blew his Engen Xtreme Audi’s engine in the first race.
With a pair of second places, Hennie Groenewald left East London with the championship lead.
The fastest cars on the day belonged to the G&H Transport Extreme Supercar series, where Charl Arangies took all three race wins in his Stradale Lamborghini Trofeo. Craig Jarvis (Panacea Dodge Viper) and Jonathan du Toit (TAR Ferrari 430) also rounded out the podium on all three occasions.
Veteran single-seater protagonist Robert Wolk (Ivestchem Mygale) won both the Formula 1600 Duratec races.
He was
followed home
by Werner Scholtz (Motorvia Mygale) and Dewald Brummer (MAD Mygale) in race one, and Julian van der Watt (Investchem Mygale) and Keagan Masters (Performance Masters Mygale) in race two.
Greame van Breda (Reef Supplies) won the opening Red Square Kawasaki ZX10R Masters Cup race from Kyle Robinson (Tech Group) and Tony Klem (Frontier Diamonds. Van Breda repeated the performance in race two, this time followed by Pieter de Vos (Jongingozi) and Robinson.
The day’s quickest lap time belonged to Daryn Upton, who won both of the Thunderbike races on his Turn-Skill Kawasaki. On the first occasion he led home Kyran de Lange (BMW 1000RR) and Nicholas Kershaw (Kawasaki ZX10R), and on the second Kyran de Lange and Ian van Niekerk (Kawasaki ZX10R).