The second of the day’s two panel crunching Class A events was won by Leeroy Poulter in the Champion EON team’s Mercedes-Benz C320.
In the process, Poulter scored the Mercedes-Benz marque’s first national circuit racing victory in the history of South African motorsport.
The Mercedes-Benz triumph counted among various unexpected victories of a tough racing day.
The opening Production Car race saw Castrol BMW 330i driver Anthony Taylor storm into the lead at the start.
He was closely pursued by Shaun van der Linde (Castrol BMW 330I), Leeroy Poulter in the Mercedes-Benz, Etienne van der Linde (Castrol BMW 330i) , Kaye-Eddie BMW 330i team mates Reghardt Roets and Steven Morris, plus Richard Sorensen (VaalHP BMW 330i).
Nudged from behind, Roets spun out of contention on Lap Two, while Martin Steyn (LG Flatron Alfa Romeo 156 GTA), Steve Wyndham (Ford Credit Falcon XR8 and Mark Allison (Kaye-Eddie BMW 330i) lost touch with the leading bunch.
On a charge, Taylor hung on to the lead for the ten-lap duration to win.
Behind him, Poulter forced his Mercedes past Shaun van der Linde’s BMW to take second place, while a determined Steve Morris snatched the fourth place from Etienne van der Linde on the final lap.
Poulter’s big moment arrived halfway around Lap One of the second race, when the leading BMWs of Shaun van der Linde and Anthony Taylor touched and slowed at the end of the main straight.
The Mercedes-Benz slipped past and led for the rest off the race, setting the day’s quickest Production Car lap time for good measure.
Poulter was chased to the line – but never seriously challenged – by Shaun and Etienne van der Linde, with Taylor five seconds adrift in fourth place.
Richard Sorensen, Reghardt Roets and Steve Morris took the next three placings, with all three BMWs bent and battered after a race-long car war.
Dawie Brough (Prominent Paints Honda Ballade V-TEC), Mike O’Sullivan (OKI Honda Ballade V-TEC) and Bert Grogor (German Workshop Toyota Corolla RSi) survived a multi-car pile-up to take the first three places in the opening Class B race.
Grogor drove brilliantly to win the second race from Brough and O’Sullivan.
Lawrence Boshoff (Orbit Coach Works Honda Ballade 180i) took his customary win in the first Class C race, leading home Molefe Lethebe (OKI Honda Ballade) and Gary Gordon in a similar Honda.
The result came about after Doug Reekie (Ray-Ban Honda) and Craig Nicholson (Sabat Honda) were delayed in the Class B competitors’ multiple off-road excursion.
Reekie came back with a vengeance in Race Two, winning ahead of Boshoff, Nicholson and Lethebe, while Gordon was punted off the track and rolled his Honda heavily.
Miguel Pasqualli (Ford Racing Ikon 1,6) won the opening Class D race from Angus Thompson (Garonga Safari VW Golf 1600) and Robi Beninca (VW Golf 1600).
Thompson triumphed the second time around, beating off a fierce attack from Beninca and Fanie de Bruin (M&R Ford Ikon 1,6) to take his first national Production Car victory.
Darren Murphy (VW Parts CitiGolf) and Francois van Zyl (Opel Corsa 140i) took turns to top of the respective Class E podiums, with local privateer Deon Crous (VW CitiGolf) second both times.
At the end of the meeting, Angus Thompson was voted Sasol’s Top Gun of the race meeting, with Deon Crous the CAR Magazine Rookie of the Day.
Motoring Editor
SOUTH African motorsport history was made during Saturday’s Production Car Championship events at Zwartkops.
One of the day’s two panel crunching Class A races was won by Leeroy Poulter in the Champion EON team’s Mercedes-Benz C320.
The triumph was the Mercedes-Benz marque’s first national championship victory in South African motorsport history.
It did not come on a platter, either.
Castrol BMW 330i driver Anthony Taylor took a flag-to-flag victory in the opening race with Poulter’s Mercedes second, narrowly ahead of Shaun van der Linde (Castrol BMW 330i), Steve Morris (Kaye-Eddie BMW 330i) and
Etienne van der Linde (Castrol BMW 330i).
In race two, Poulter snatched the lead on the first lap and he stayed there for the duration, setting the day’s quickest category lap time for good measure.
Poulter was chased to the line – but never seriously challenged – by Shaun and Etienne van der Linde, with Taylor five seconds adrift in fourth place.
Richard Sorensen, Reghardt Roets and Steve Morris took the next three placings, with all three BMWs bent and battered after a race-long car war.
Dawie Brough (Prominent Paints Honda Ballade V-TEC), Mike O’Sullivan (OKI Honda Ballade V-TEC) and Bert Grogor (German Workshop Toyota Corolla RSi) survived a multi-car pile-up to take the first three places in the opening Class B race.
Grogor drove brilliantly to win the second race from Brough and O’Sullivan.
Lawrence Boshoff (Orbit Coach Honda Ballade 180i) easily won the first Class C race, leading home Molefe Lethebe (OKI Honda Ballade) and Gary Gordon in a similar Honda.
The result came about after Doug Reekie (Ray-Ban Honda) and Craig Nicholson (Sabat Honda) were delayed in a multiple off-road excursion.
Reekie came back with a vengeance in Race Two, winning ahead of Boshoff, Nicholson and Lethebe, while Gordon was punted off the track and rolled his Honda heavily.
Miguel Pasqualli (Ford Racing Ikon 1,6) won the opening Class D race from Angus Thompson (Garonga Safari VW Golf 1600) and Robi Beninca (VW Golf 1600).
Thompson triumphed the second time around, beating off a fierce attack from Beninca and Fanie de Bruin (M&R Ford Ikon 1,6) .
Darren Murphy (VW Parts CitiGolf) and Francois van Zyl (Opel Corsa 140i) took turns at the top of the respective Class E podiums, with local privateer Deon Crous (VW CitiGolf) secon both times.
Apart from scoring his first national race win, Angus Thompson was named as the Sasol Top Gun of the day, while Crous scooped CAR Magazine’s Rookie of the Meeting accolade.