PE's Aldo Scribante circuit set the stage for a great day's racing in
Round 3 of this year's WesBank Super Series on Saturday with a
bumper crowd taking advantage of the perfect autumn weather to see
the WesBank V8 Supercars add to the day's spectacle.
Brandon Auby in the Super GT ELT Jaguar took pole position on
Saturday morning with Jaco Correia in the Liqui Moly Corvette
alongside him. The pair led the field away at the green light in
Heat 1, with Brandon immediately taking charge of proceedings.
Behind him, Jaco soon fell prey to Wade van Zummeren in the Border
Mustang, with Brandon's father Deon in the other ELT Jaguar latching
on to the pair and leading Ben Morgenrood in his BM Auto Jaguar who
followed close behind.
As this battle progressed, Franco di Matteo in the Varta Jaguar
inched closer from seventh on the grid. Opportunity knocked when Van
Zummeren damaged a tyre trying to pass Jaco for second place and
retired soon after, enabling Di Matteo to pass Morgenrood and catch
up with Deon Auby. Terry Wilford too, in his Fuchs Jaguar, was
enjoying all the excitement of a five-car battle raging behind the
leader. Di Matteo was taking no prisoners, however, and after
dispensing with Auby senior, snatched second place from Jaco Correia
at the death. Another impressive performance came from 19-year-old
Vicki Kemp in her Super GT Comptech Jaguar, who finished her debut
V8 Supercar race after a mature drive.
Not to be outdone by the more powerful Super GTs, the GT field
provided lots of thrills of its own. Larry Wilford, again at the
wheel of the Astra, which he drove so successfully at Killarney,
showed the rest a clean pair of heels as he took a convincing win.
Darron Gudmanz in the Indigo Corvette finished second, with Romano
Sartori in the AMC Jaguar taking an excellent third, after a
race-long battle which also involved Patrick Seddon in the Contact
Omega.
In Heat 2, the partially-inverted grid was always going to guarantee
fun and games and so it was proved. Clare Vale in the Gatorback
Mustang led everyone away, bravely keeping the howling pack behind
her for the first couple of laps, in a car that just would not turn
left or right throughout the weekend. But the inevitable soon
happened, and Danie Correia in the second Liqui Moly Corvette found
a way past her, to lead the race, much as he had in Cape Town. Deon
and Brandon were also on the move, scything their way through the
field. Correia fell out with a broken clutch, while Van Zummeren
again pulled off the track just out of the Esses.
The Aubies were soon all over Danie and Deon was quickly through to
lead the remaining laps. Loath to settle for third place, Brandon
then also muscled his way past the hapless Danie, in a somewhat
robust move to finish second behind his father. However, after the
race he was demoted to third and Danie re-instated in second. Di
Matteo finished fourth to round off a good day. Young Vicki Kemp
again brought her Jaguar home, to complete an impressive debut.
In the GT Class, the elder statesmen of V8 racing were again having
just as much fun as the rest. Roelf du Plessis in the RJ Mustang did
not start Heat 1 because of broken clutch, and had to be push
started for Heat 2 from the back. However, as one would expect,
before long the Randfontein veteran was in the throes of a fierce
battle with Gudmanz, Seddon and Larry Wilford. As the four came into
the pit straight halfway through the race, Larry took evasive action
but the other three all made contact and retired on the spot at
Goodyear corner. An over-zealous would-be official then tried to
usher a furious Roelf from trackside to safety, only to compromise
his own well-being by stopping one of the former Mr Randfontein's
fists. There's never a dull moment, is there? Roelf escaped censure
and severe punishment only after it was established that the
official's attire was not in accordance with his status, which thus
rendered him unqualified to ensure the safety of anyone but himself.
At the end of it all, Larry took his second win in the GT Class for
the day, with Sartori second, and Ray Wilford in third position.
The next round of the WesBank V8 championship is at Kyalami on 5
June.
Results: WesBank V8 Supercars:
Race 1: Super GT Class:
1. Brandon Auby ELT Jaguar
2. Franco di Matteo Varta Jaguar
3. Deon Auby ELT Jaguar
4. Jaco Correia Liqui Moly Corvette
5. Ben Morgenrood BM Auto Jaguar
Race 1: GT Class:
1. Larry Wilford Astra
2. Darron Gudmanz Indigo Corvette
3. Romano Sartori AMC Jaguar
Race 2: Super GT Class:
1. Deon Auby ELT Jaguar
2. Danie Correia Liqui Moly Corvette
3. Brandon Auby ELT Jaguar
4. Franco di Matteo Varta Jaguar
5. Terry Wilford Fuchs Jaguar
Race 2: GT Class:
1. Larry Wilford Astra
2. Romano Sartori AMC Jaguar
3. Ray Wilford Liqui Moly Corvette |
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