This weekend’s production car action was as action packed as ever as hot drivers Johan Fourie and Philpi Kekana got more than just their egos bruised.
This weekend’s production car action was as action packed as ever as hot drivers Johan Fourie and Philpi Kekana got more than just their egos bruised.
Class A’s battles were once again waged between the teams from Alfa Romeo and BMW.
The racing got off to a hairy start as on lap two of the opening race the LG Alfa Romeo 147 GTA of Marco da Cunha and Johan Fourie’s Kaye-Eddie BMW 330i banged wheels through the Esses with the impact breaking one of the BMW’s front discs. Subsequently, when Fourie tried to slow for the next corner, his car hurtled into the tyre barrier at great speed.
Seconds later, the Sasol Toyota RunX RSi of Phillip Kekana was clipped at the same spot, hitting the tyre wall and rolling violently. The race had to be stopped as Kekana was removed from the wreck.
Both drivers escaped the collisions unharmed.
After the restart, Martin Steyn (LG Alfa 147 GTA), Anthony Taylor (Castrol BMW 330i), Marco da Cunha and Hennie Groenewald (Castrol BMW 330i) exchanged blows before Taylor was tapped sideways approaching the Kyalami chicane, hitting the retaining wall head on.
That left Steyn to win from Groenewald and Da Cunha with Steven Morris (Kaye-Eddie BMW 330i) and Leeroy Poulter (Champion Mercedes-Benz C320) completing the pack.
In race two, Taylor led from flag to flag in his repaired Castrol BMW. Groenewald and Fourie – whose BMW’s front suspension had been rebuilt between the two heats – followed Taylor across the finish line.
Slowed by overheating front tyres, the Alfas of Da Cunha and Steyn were fourth, followed by the Titan Aviation BMW 330i of Richard Sorensen.
Shaun van der Linde took both of the day’s Class B victories in his Castrol MINI Cooper S, to extend his overall SA Production Car Championship lead.
In the first race he was hounded by Clinton Weston (Furman Glass Ford Focus ST170), Bert Grogor (German Workshop Toyota Corolla RSi), Mark Allison (Vaal Mac Mercedes-Benz C270 CDI) and Craig Nicholson (Sabat MINI Cooper S).
The second time round Nicholson made a comeback to take second place ahead of Weston, Allison and Grogor.
Dave Compton (Toyota Tazz 1600) won both of the Class C races, setting a new lap record en route.
Eckhart Schoenknecht (Caltex VW Polo TDi), Shane Williams (Trident Press VW CitiGolf 1,6i), Mike O’Sullivan (Bluetooth Fiat Palio) and Miguel Pasqualli (M&R Ford Ikon 1,6i) took the remaining four places in the opening race.
O’Sullivan finished second in race two ahead of Pasqualli, Schoenknecht and Carlos Nobre in his VW CitiGolf 1,6i.
Both of the non-championship Honda Cup races went to Doug Reekie (CM11 Ballade 180i), ahead of Molefe Lebethe (MoLeRat Ballade 180i).
