Festival cars go like the wind
EAST LONDON: COUNTRY’S FASTEST CIRCUIT HAS MOTORSPORT FANS BAYING FOR MORE
Veteran driver Willie Hepburn still has what it takes.
Spectacular racing, unexpected winners and brilliant spectacle typified Saturday’s Extreme Festival events at the East London Grand Prix circuit, to fully entertain a massive crowd that braved extremely windy conditions.
The bill-topping races for Sasol Global Touring Cars saw drivers using their turbocharged cars’ new Push to Pass systems in strategic manner, working better for some than others on the country’s fastest circuit.
Pole-sitter Simon Moss (Engen Audi) experienced electronic engine problems while leading the opening race.
That left Gennaro Bonafede (Sasol BMW) to take the win from Michael Stephen (Engen Audi), Michael van Rooyen (RSC BMW), Johan Fourie (EPS Couriers BMW) and Robert Wolk (Sasol BMW).
Race two, started from an inverted grid, went to Fourie, ahead of Wolk, Stephen, Bonafede and Daniel Rowe (VW Motorsport Jetta). Devin Robertson (Champion Mini JCW) won the first GTC2 race from Keagan Masters (VW Motorsport Golf Gti), Trevor Bland (Kyocera Golf Gti), Bradley Liebenberg (Ferodo Mini JCW) and Charl Smalberger (Golf Gti).
Masters won the next time around, chased by Robertson, Adrian Wood (Golf Gti), Bland, Liebenberg and Dayne Angel (Autohaus Angel Honda).
Starting from the first pole position of his career, Jonathan Mogotsi (VW Motorsport Polo) led the opening Engen Polo Cup race from start line to finish flag, setting up the category’s best lap time of the day in the process.
He led home Tamsin Pepper (Polo), Clinton Bezuidenhout (Ferodo Polo) and Keagan Campos (Campos Transport Polo).
Pepper’s car stopped with a broken radiator on the warm-up lap for race two.
Mogotsi then delivered another dominant winning performance, finishing ahead of Jason Campos, Bezuidenhout and Daniel Duminy (SMI Polo).
Veteran single seater expert Nicolas van Weely (Magnificent Paints Van Diemen) took both the Investchem Formula 1600 races ahead of Scott Temple (KMT Electrical Mygale) and Stuart White (Fantastic Mygale).
Benjamin Morgenrood (Morgenrood Ford) won the opening V8 Supercar race from Mackie Adlem (Jaguar) and Franco di Matteo (Jaguar).
Adlem won the next time around, chased to the flag by Terry Wilford (Ford Falcon) and Larry Wilford (Fuchs Ford Mustang).
Local hero Jason Lamb (ZX10R) won the first Red Square Kawasaki Masters race from Greame van Breda (ZX10R) and Sven Grune (Kawasaki ZX10R).
Lamb crashed out of race two, which then went to Van Breda, leading home Grune and Jad Gutzeit (Dezzi ZX10R).
Michael Radloff (BMW 325i) won both races for 111 Sport and Saloon Cars from Shaun Miller (Honda Civic).
Wouter Roos (Volkswagen Golf) and Thys Geyser (VW Golf) took the respective third places.
Willie Hepburn trailered his Opel Rekord V8 to East London for the BMSC Regional Saloon Car races, and easily won both heats, with Shannon Barun (Mazda RX8) and Simon Thesen (BMW) taking turns in the respective second places.
The next round of the 2018 Extreme Festival will be held at the Port Elizabeth Aldo Scribante circuit on Saturday, July 14.