Pretoria, Saturday – Surprise results and
championship hopes cemented or dented characterised round eight of the
WesBank Super Series national meeting at the Zwartkops Raceway today.
On the WesBank V8 Supercar front local driver Robert Briggs (Timken
Jaguar) confirmed his status as a rising star with two wins that
rocket him up the championship table. The two-time Engen VW Cup
champion held off runaway championship leader Hennie Groenewald (SP
Racing/Timken Jaguar) to win race one with Gordon Connelly third in
the Cowan Signs/Dezzi Jaguar.
A partially inverted grid for race two saw Groenewald and Briggs sixth
and seventh on the start line. The pair were scything through the
field when it all went pear shaped for Groenewald.
On lap three Mackie Adlem (Fuchs/Kyalami Ford Mustang) dived down the
inside at turn one and Groenewald and Jade Gutzeit (Trysome/Dezzi Ford
Mustang) got caught up in the ensuing mayhem. Both dropped way down
the field with Groenewald eventually limping home 11th and out of the
points.
Briggs avoided the turn one mess and systematically picked off the
cars ahead of him to complete an impressive day. Adlem was second with
veteran Willie Hepburn, at the age of 65, showing the youngster a
thing or two with third place in the Project Orange Chev Corvette.
Results:
WesBank V8 Supercars - Race 1: 1 R Briggs (Jaguar); 2 H Groenewald
(Jaguar); 3 G Connelly (Jaguar); 4 J Gutzeit (Ford Mustang); 5 S Smith
(Jaguar). Race 2: 1 R Briggs (Jaguar); 2 M Adlem (Ford Mustang); 3 W
Hepburn (Chev Corvette); 4 G Connelly (Jaguar); 5 Deon Auby (Jaguar). |
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