Unexpected winners, lap records and close racing typified rounds 13 and 14 of this year’s Bridgestone South African Production Car championship at the Free State Phakisa Raceway on Saturday (August 9).
In the process, the category’s two premier title chases for 2008 were left wide open. Indications that the usual order was to be upset came during Friday’s official qualifying session, when Leeroy Poulter planted his works Sasol Nissan 350Z firmly on pole position. He would share the front row of the grid with Etienne van der Linde (Afrox BMW 330i), ahead of Marco da Cunha (Tubular Tech Nissan 350Z), Anthony Taylor (Afrox BMW), Michael Stephen (Engen Xtreme Audi A4 3,2 quattro) and Melvill Priest (MiKar Lenovo Audi).
Poulter showed his qualifying form was no fluke by leading Saturday’s opening race from start to finish, scoring his first race victory of the season.
He was followed by Taylor, Da Cunha, Stephen, Van der Linde and Priest.
The quickest lap, a new overall Bridgestone Production Car lap record at Phakisa, was set by Anthony Taylor.
Race two, started from an inverted grid, saw Johan Fourie (Indy Oil Audi) lead from the start. His two toughest challengers fell by the wayside when the Audis of both Michael Stephen and Melvill Priest retired with punctures, while Marco da Cunha crashed his Nissan out of contention.
Fourie finally won from Etienne van der Linde, Anthony Taylor, Leeroy Poulter, Darryn Lobb (Tubular Tech Nissan 350Z) and Shaun Watson-Smith (Engen Xtreme Audi).
Class T’s opening race saw a huge dice between current title leader Graeme Nathan (SEAT Leon Cupra) and Reghard Roets (Webcom Opel Astra OPC). Roets finally took control two laps from the end and went on to score the Opel Astra OPC model’s first South African motorsport victory.
Adding spice to the achievement, he set a new Class T lap record.
Nathan finished second, leading home Gary van Heerden (Webcom Opel Astra OPC), Ford Racing Focus ST drivers Shaun Duminy and Gary Formato, plus Iain Pepper (PG Glass VW Golf GTI).
In race two Graeme Nathan’s SEAT was bundled off the circuit on the first lap, and he retired with suspension damage.
That left Roets to score another victory in the Opel OPC, ahead of Formato’s Ford, Pepper’s VW, Duminy’s Ford, Michael van Rooyen (RSC VW Golf) and Van Heerden’s Opel.
Ben Morgenrood (Agip Mazda RX8) won both the Class B races, with Kosie Swanepoel (Barnett’s Toyota RunX RSi) and Danie van Niekerk (Stanger Ford Fiesta ST) swapping the respective second and third places.
The next round of the 2008 Bridgestone South African Production Car championship will take place at Zwartkoops on Saturday, September 6. High resolution photographs of Saturday’s racing action can be downloaded, free of charge, from the Tracksidepics.co.za and the Motorpics.co.za
