ROBUST driving tactics, bent cars and battered egos came into play at the East London Grand Prix circuit on Saturday (May 24), during Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2003 South African Production Car Championship. It all added up to superb spectacle throughout the five-class racing field, which brought a total of 32 cars to the East London grid. –
– In Class A, Anthony Taylor won both of the day’s races in his works-assisted Castrol BMW 330i, but he was one of few competitors to enjoy such a smooth passage. Taylor grabbed the lead at the start of the opening race, closely pursued by Reghardt Roets (Kaye-Eddie BMW 330i), Richard Sorensen (Vaal-HP BMW 330i), Etienne van der Linde (Castrol BMW 330i), (Martin Steyn (LG Flatron Alfa Romeo 156 GTA) and Leeroy Poulter in the Champion EON Mercedes-Benz C320. –
– Drama struck for Poulter on the fifth lap, when an oil pipe came adrift in his Mercedes-Benz just after the flat-in-fifth Pottters Pass sweep. The Merc swapped ends at some 220 km/h and retired after a series of wild gyrations. Then, lapping slower traffic through the infield, Roets spun his BMW, leaving a closely following Martin Steyn with nowhere to go in the Alfa Romeo. The two cars made contact and the Alfa came to a halt with a broken control arm. All of which left Taylor to take an untroubled win in his BMW, leading home the similar cars of Sorensen, Van der Linde and Roets, with Steve Morris rounding out the class in his Kaye-Eddie BMW 330i. –
– The days second race saw Castrol BMW team mates Taylor and Van der Linde lead from flag to flag, finishing line abreast after the ten laps. Behind them, contact between the cars of Roets and Sorensen sent Roets’ BMW into a spin at the end of the first lap. Then Leeroy Poulter’s Mercedes-Benz and Steve Morris’ BMW touched at the same spot two laps later, sending Morris off the circuit and out of the race. –
– Poulter did not get much further – a lap later, the Mercedes slid off the circuit through Potters Pass again, to retire. Amidst the confusion, Martin Steyn drove the Alfa Romeo smoothly and faultlessly, to take third place behind the two Castrol BMWs. He led home the BMWs of Sorensen and a recovered Roets. –
– Dawie Brough (Prominent Paints Honda Ballade V-TEC) won the first Class B race from Mike O’Sullivan (OKI Honda V-TEC) after early leader Brian Martin’s Havoline Toyota RunX RSi retired with electrical maladies. Martin made no mistakes in the second race, winning ahead of Brough and O’Sullivan. In both cases Jessie Adams (Ray Ban Honda V-TEC) brought up the rear in the class. –
– Doug Reekie (Ray Ban Honda Ballade 180i) won the first Class C race, followed by Craig Nicholson (Sabat Honda Ballade 180i) and Greg Gordon (OKI Honda 180i). The second race went to Lawrence Boshoff, who had suffered a puncture with his Orbit Coach Honda, the first time out. The Hondas of Reekie and Nicholson chased him to the flag. –
– Dave Compton won both of the Class D races in his Bumpertech Toyota Tazz 1600. On both occasions Fanie de Bruin – returning to competition after a ten-month illness – took superb second places in his M&R Ford Ikon 160i. Jody Powell (Opel Corsa 160 GSi) and Robi Beninca (Motorhouse VW CitiGolf) shared the respective third places. –
– Francois van Zyl (Opel Corsa 140i) and Darren Murphy (Volkswagen CitiGolf) swapped the first and second places in Class E. At the end of the meeting, Fanie de Bruin was awarded the Sasol Top Gun accolade, while Francois van Zyl scooped up the CAR Magazine Rookie of the Day award.
