Bent cars, battered egos and unexpected winners typified rounds seven and eight of this year’s South African Production Car Championship at the Eastern Cape Aldo Scribante circuit on Saturday (May 29). –
– In the process, the tin top racing brigade provided many highlights of an action-packed Vodacom Power Tour visit to Port Elizabeth. The weekend’s surprises started during Friday afternoon’s Official Qualifying session, when Steve Wyndham set the quickest overall time in his Ford Credit Falcon XR8, to snatch pole position for Saturday’s first race. Marginally slower – claiming pole position for Saturday’s second race – was WesBank V8 Champion Johan Fourie, enjoying a once-off outing in one of the Kaye-Eddie team’s BMW 330i models. –
– Wyndham’s glory was short-lived on Saturday. His big Ford – sluggish off the startline – was passed by various BMWs and then collected by the works LG Alfa Romeo 147 GTA of Martin Steyn. Both the Ford and Alfa retired while Steven Morris (Kaye-Eddie BMW 330i) and Richard Sorensen (Titan Aviation BMW 330i) made repeated contact while avoiding the excitement. All of which left works Castrol BMW 330i pilots Etienne van der Linde and Anthony Taylor to take the first and second places in the race. They were followed across the finish line by the Kaye-Eddie BMWs of Johan Fourie and Steven Morris, Leeroy Poulter (Champion EON Mercedes-Benz C320), plus the Alfissimo Alfa Romeo 147 GTA entries of Morne Jurgens and Marco da Cunha. –
– In race two, the factory Castrol BMW onslaught ran into problems halfway around the opening lap when the cars of Anthony Taylor and Etienne van der Linde sought the same piece of tarmac through the 160 km/h Firestone Sweep. The resultant collision sent Van der Linde’s car skidding through the sand trap and into immediate retirement, while Taylor’s progress was impeded. This time, the Kaye-Eddie BMWs of Johan Fourie and Steven Morris took the first two places, with Morris setting a new overall Production Car lap record at the circuit. The rest of the top six places went respectively to Anthony Taylor’s BMW, Martin Steyn’s Alfa Romeo, Leeroy Poulter’s Mercedes-Benz and Richard Sorensen’s BMW. –
– Shaun van der Linde took his Castrol MINI Cooper S to victory in the opening race, chased to the flag by Clinton Weston (Furman Glass Ford Focus ST170), Craig Nicholson (Sabat MINI Cooper S) and Bert Grogor in his German Workshop Toyota Corolla RSi. Front-running contenders Phillip Kekana (Sasol Toyota RunX RSi) and Brian Martin (Havoline Toyota RunX RSi) retired after colliding on lap three of the race. –
– Race two saw Van der Linde’s Castrol MINI retiring with mechanical maladies. That left Clint Weston to win in his Ford, ahead of Craig Nicholson’s MINI, Brian Martin’s Toyota RunX, Bert Grogor’s Toyota Corolla and Phillip Kekana’s RunX. –
– Class C saw robust tactics and bent vehicles both times. In the opening race, initial leaders Fanie de Bruin (Makita Ford Ikon 1600i) and Carlos Nobre (VW CitGolf 1,6i) were punted off the circuit in separate incidents. That left Miguel Pasqualli (M&R Ford Ikon 1,6i) to win ahead of James Menin (Goldco Midas Opel Corsa 160 GSi), Robi Beninca (Tech Services VW CitiGolf), Eckhart Schoenknecht (Gilo VW Polo 1,4 TDi) and Darren Murphy (Genuine Parts VW CitiGolf 1,6i). –
– Race two produced the scariest crash of the day, when the Golf of Roby Beninca was tagged sideways by the similar car of Darren Murphy coming into the pit straight. Beninca’s car slammed into the tyre wall next to the road and flipped over it, narrowly missing seated spectators and a bakkie that was traveling down a service road. Meanwhile the Ford Ikon of Miguel Pasqualli blew up while chasing for a second victory on the day. Eventually Carlos Nobre took victory with his Golf, followed by Fanie de Bruin’s Ford Ikon, Darren Murphy’s Golf and the BumperTech Toyota Tazz 1600 of Dave Compton. –
– After the meeting Eckhart Schoenknecht was chosen as the CAR Magazine Rookie of the Day.
