The captivating Alfa Romeo versus BMW rivalry continued in Class A of the SA Production Car Championships in East London on Saturday, with the Italian marque coming up trumps twice.
The captivating Alfa Romeo versus BMW rivalry continued in Class A of the SA Production Car Championships in East London on Saturday, with the Italian marque coming up trumps twice.
Rounds 13 and 14 of this year’s series were held at the famed East London Grand Prix circuit and the racing thoroughly entertained an 18 000 strong Eastern Cape crowd.
At the start of the opening race Martin Steyn (LG Alfa Romeo 147 GTA), Johan Fourie (Kaye-Eddie BMW 330i) and Castrol BMW 330i drivers Anthony Taylor and Hennie Groenewald engaged in a no holds barred battle for the lead.
They were ahead of Steven Morris (Kaye-Eddie BMW 330i), Morne Jurgens (LG Alfa Romeo 147 GTA), Nuno da Cunha (LG Alfa Romeo 147 GTA) and Robbie Smith (Kaye-Eddie BMW 330i).
Steyn’s Alfa held the advantage on the circuit’s main straight and through the fearsomely-fast Potter’s Pass and Rifle Range sweeps, but the BMWs were best through the venue’s twisty infield.
Fourie dropped out of the equation on lap 7 when his BMW tangled with a backmarker and suffered a puncture. Steyn won ahead of Taylor, Groenewald, Smith and Richard Sorensen (Titan Aviation BMW 330i). After the race, Morris’s BMW and Jurgens’ Alfa Romeo were found to be marginally underweight, and disqualified.
Round 14 produced similar action, with Steyn’s Alfa being fiercely challenged by the works BMWs of Taylor and Groenewald.
In the end they finished in that order, with Steyn crossing the finish line half a second ahead of Taylor, and Groenewald another second adrift. Kaye-Eddie BMW drivers Steven Morris and Robbie Smith finished fourth and fifth, ahead of Richard Sorensen.
In Class B Shaun van der Linde won both times with his Castrol Mini Cooper S, both times narrowly ahead of Craig Nicholson’s similar, Sabat-sponsored Mini. Brian Martin (Havoline Toyota RunX RSi) and Clint Weston (Furman Glass Ford
Focus ST170) took the respective third and fourth places.
Mike O’Sullivan (Bluetooth Fiat Palio) won both of the Class C races. In the opening event he was trailed at the finish by Carlos Nobre (VW CitiGolf 1600), Dave Compton (Toyota Tazz 1600), Theunis Eloff (Bluetooth Fiat Palio) and Fanie de Bruin (Makita Ford Ikon 1,6i).
In Round 14, Compton took the runner up spot in Class C, followed by Rob Preuss (VW Golf 1600), Fanie de Bruin and Eckhardt Schoenknecht (Caltex VW Polo TDi). At the end of the meeting, Preuss was named CAR Magazine Rookie of the Day.
The non-championship Honda Cup races were both won by Lawrence Boshoff (Net IQ Honda Ballade 180i), ahead of Doug Reekie and Molefe Lebethe, in similar cars.
