TIMKEN TEAM DOMINATE IN WESBANKV8 RACING
17 March 2008
 


by
Roger McCleery

With a win and a second place each the Timken Wesbank V 8 racing team of Hennie Groenewald (Chev Lumina) and Robert Briggs (Jaguar) had a good day at the office in round 1 of the Wesbank Super Series at Kyalami on Saturday 15 March 2008. 

They now share the top spot in the Championship points table   with 27 points a piece.  

In the first race, reigning Champion Groenewald from pole position dominated the race with Briggs in close attendance and even leading briefly in the early stages to finish a second apart at the flag.  Mark Auby (Johnnesway Tools Lumina SS ) kept them honest just a second behind.  J Gutzeit – ( Dezzi/ Trysome Mustang) was a little further back with veteran Will Hepburn (Project - Orange Corvette) and Mister “Consistency’ Richard Pinard  the third member of the Team Timken team in his Jaguar, sixth. 

Race 2 was more dramatic with the starting grid reversed for the first 10 drivers home in race 1.  Terry Wilford (Fuchs Lubricants Mustang) led off the line with Jaco Corrëia (Omega Motor Spares Corvette) Richard Pinard and Hepburn pushing hard.  

Briggs and returning champion Reolf du Plessis (Venter Motors Lumina SS) and Groenewald were passing in impossible places to get to the front with 16 year old Brandon Auby (Masana Petrolium Jaguar) in his debut race showing class and joining the experienced Wesbank men in a slugging match for 4th place after passing 13 other cars in the process. 

With just 2 laps of the 10 lap race to go Briggs, Gorenewald and Pinard were running their Timken cars line astern in first, second and third.  Pinard was unfortunately a few kilogram’s underweight when measured at the end of the race, which advanced Brandon Auby to third place ahead of Hepburn, Du Plessis, Franco di Matteo (Optima Batteries Jaguar), Terry Wilford (Fuchs Lubricants Mustang), and Gordon Connelly (Cowan Signs/Dezzi Jaguar).  

RESULTS

Race 1             Groenewald, Briggs, M Auby, J Gutzeit, Hepburn, Pinard

Race 2             Briggs, Groenewald, B Auby, Hepburn, R du Plessiis, di Matteo  

POINTS

Groenewald 27, Briggs 27, Hepburn 17, T Wilford 12, du Plessis 12, Connelly 10, B Auby 10, M Auby 10, F di Matteo 9, J Gutzeit 9.