Olivier a suprise winner ar Zwartkops Raceway

The biggest surprise was a double victory for Dawie Olivier in the Bridgestone Production Car event. Olivier, in the Bosal Subaru Impreza, went from midfield also ran to double winner in two easy races and scored his first national wins in emphatic fashion.

The only serious pressure on Olivier came from Melvill Priest in the MiKar Audi A4. When the Audi expired in both races Olivier strolled to comfortable wins – subject to a not surprising technical inspection.

But while Olivier was grabbing his moment of glory, it was a miserable day for joint Class A championship leaders Leeroy Poulter, in one of the three factory Sasol Nissan 350Z entries, and Shaun Watson-Smith in the Xtreme Team Audi A4. Poulter was sixth in heat one and out of the points in heat two, with Watson-Smith (Xtreme Team Audi A4) way down the pecking order in race one and third in race two.

That allowed Johan Fourie, in the JF Racing/MD Transport Audi A4, right back into the championship running. On a recently resurfaced circuit that played into the hands of four-wheel drive cars, Fourie picked up two seconds and the championship situation is interestingly poised with three race meetings left.

Former champion Anthony Taylor, in the Castrol BMW, picked up third in race one with team-mate Etienne van der Linde and Michael Stephen (Xtreme Team Audi A4) rounding out the top five. In race two it was Watson-Smith, van der Linde and Taylor who completed the top five.

The Class T wins were shared by Hein Bose (Speed Tuning VW Golf GTi) and Graeme Nathan in the Webcom/Kaye-Eddie Golf GTi. Veteran Iain Pepper (PG Glass/Plastomark VW Golf GTi) took a second and a third to stay at the top of the Class T championship table – and Poulter’s miserable day gives the veteran Pepper breathing space in the overall championship. Veteran Ben Morgenrood (Zoom Zoom Mazda Rax 8) won two tight Class B races ahead of youngster Ryad Jaffer (Sasol Toyota RunX) to move into the lead in the championship. Two comfortable Class C wins also put Trevor Tuck (Motorsport Infinity/Agip Fiat Grande Punto into the Class C championship lead.

On the WesBank V8 Supercar front local driver Robert Briggs (Timken Jaguar) confirmed his status as a rising star with two wins that rocket him up the championship table. The two-time Engen VW Cup champion held off runaway championship leader Hennie Groenewald (SP Racing/Timken Jaguar) to win race one with Gordon Connelly third in the Cowan Signs/Dezzi Jaguar.

A partially inverted grid for race two saw Groenewald and Briggs sixth and seventh on the start line. The pair were scything through the field when it all went pear shaped for Groenewald.

On lap three Mackie Adlem (Fuchs/Kyalami Ford Mustang) dived down the inside at turn one and Groenewald and Jade Gutzeit (Trysome/Dezzi Ford Mustang) got caught up in the ensuing mayhem. Both dropped way down the field with Groenewald eventually limping home 11th and out of the points.

Briggs avoided the turn one mess and systematically picked off the cars ahead of him to complete an impressive day. Adlem was second with veteran Willie Hepburn, at the age of 65, showing the youngster a thing or two with third place in the Project Orange Chev Corvette.

A second and a race two win saw Engen VW Cup championship leader Lee Thompson (Xtreme Team VW Polo), another local driver, consolidate his position at the top of the leaderboard. Thompson’s closest challenger, Graham Donker (Mini/Maxi Panelbeaters VW Polo) picked up a fifth and a third to lose ground in the championship race.

Gary van Heerden (Webcom/Soviet VW Polo) took the race one win ahead of Thompson and Miguel Pasqualli in the second Xtreme Team entry. Thompson took control of the second race midway through proceedings and led home Curt Alchin (Bodyman/Assist2Sell VW Polo) and Donker, with Pasqualli winning a huge scrap with Neville van der Merwe (USN/Chelston Motors VW Polo) and Kosie Swanepoel (Barnetts VW Polo) for the minor placings.

Results:

Bridgestone Production Cars (Class A) – Race 1: 1 D Olivier (Subaru Impreza); 2 J Fourie (Audi A4); 3 A Taylor (BMW 330i); 4 E van der Linde (BMW 330i); 5 M Stephen (Audi A4). Race 2: 1 D Olivier (Subaru Impreza); 2 J Fourie (Audi A4); 3 S Watson-Smith (Audi A4); 4 E van der Linde (BMW 330i); 5 A Taylor (BMW 330i).

Bridgestone Production Cars (Classes T, B & C) – Race 1: 1 H Bose (VW Golf GTi); 2 I Pepper (VW Golf GTi); 3 G Nathan (VW Golf GTi); 4 R Wolk (Mini Cooper); 5 G Waberski (Mini Cooper). Class T – H Bose (VW Golf GTi); Class B – B Morgenrood (Mazda RX8); Class C – T Tuck (Fiat Grande Punto. Race 2: 1 G Nathan (VW Golf GTi); 2 H Bose (VW Golf GTi); 3 I Pepper (VW Golf GTi); 4 R Wolk (Mini Cooper); 5 G Waberski (Mini Cooper). Class T – G Nathan (VW Golf GTi); Class B – B Morgenrood (Mazda RX8); Class C – T Tuck (Fiat Grande Punto).

WesBank V8 Supercars – Race 1: 1 R Briggs (Jaguar); 2 H Groenewald (Jaguar); 3 G Connelly (Jaguar); 4 J Gutzeit (Ford Mustang); 5 S Smith (Jaguar). Race 2: 1 R Briggs (Jaguar); 2 M Adlem (Ford Mustang); 3 W Hepburn (Chev Corvette); 4 G Connelly (Jaguar); 5 Deon Auby (Jaguar).

Engen VW Cup – Race 1: 1 G van Heerden (VW Polo); 2 L Thompson (VW Polo); 3 M Pasqualli (VW Polo); 4 C Alchin (VW Polo); 5 G Donker (VW Polo). Race 2: 1 L Thompson (VW Polo); 2 C Alchin VW Polo); 3 G Donker (VW Polo); 4 G van Heerden (VW Polo); 5 M Pasqualli (VW Polo).