Phakisa 200 Inland Extreme Festival a 1-2 for Volkswagen

The 2023 Inland Extreme Festival visited the Free State Phakisa Raceway on Saturday (27 May 2023), with the day’s highlight the annual Phakisa 200 endurance race for Car Clinic 111 and SuperHatch saloon cars.

Phakisa 200 results

This time, the 53-lap event went to two of South Africa’s most experienced saloon car drivers, after a carefully calculated performance.

Wouter Roos and Graeme Nathan took their Car Care Clinic Volkswagen Golf GTI to the overall victory, half a lap ahead of Wayne Lebotschy’s Shield Volkswagen Golf.

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Third, a lap adrift, was Johan van der Vyver (DEVLAW Subaru Impreza WRX STI), ahead of Roland Hopkins (Bush ‘n Buck Volkswagen Polo), Piet Potgieter (Nathan’s Volkswagen Golf GTI), Lenard Archer (ACD Honda Civic) and Henry/Elke van Vledder (ZIP Volkswagen Golf). 

The categories’ sprint race earlier in the day was won by Archer, followed by Roos (Car Care Clinic Volkswagen Golf), Potgieter and Van der Vyver.

Saloon cars

Defending champion Rory Atkinson won the first PABAR VW Challenge race in his BHIT Polo, chased to the flag by Charl Smalberger (Sabertek), Bevan Masters (CPS Warehouse) and Wayne Masters (Performance Masters).

Waldie Meintjies won race two ahead of Atkinson, Smalberger and Mydi Mfana (MDS Engineers).

The first BMW M Performance Parts race went the way of William Einkamerer (BTAS 335i), leading home Andreas Meier (#trainedamateurs 318i STC), Lorenzo Gualteiri (Savspeed 328i Turbo) and Salvi Gualteiri (Savspeed 328i Turbo).

Leon Loubser (Bid Wheels 335i) won race two from Einkamerer, Bob Neil (Deimon M3) and Lyle Ramsay (525i Turbo).

Single-seaters

Thomas Falkiner (Adaptive Resource Taylon) led both the Lotus Challenge races from start to finish, followed by Rudi Barnard (Barneys Birkin), Mackie Adlem (Adlem Auto Birkin) and David Coetzee (Alksa Birkin).

Veteran Peter Hills (Mangaza Rhema) drove a brilliant tactical race to win the first DOE Formula Vee race ahead of Jaco Schriks (DOE Parts Rhema), Lendl Jansen (Bull Security Rhema) and Brandon Hills (Mangaza Rhema).

When his immediate rivals fought among themselves in race two, Hills again won from Schriks, Jansen and Brandon Hills.

Two wheels

The opening SunBet Kawasaki ZX10 Masters race went to Jayson Lamb (Tyremart), marginally ahead of Greame van Breda (Stefanutti Stocks), Pieter de Vos (Jongingozi) and Brian Bontekoning (Jaguar Power).

Van Breda won the next time out, followed by Lamb, Bontekoning and Wayne Shelley (Shop 374).

V8 Supercars

Franco di Matteo (Deltec Batteries Jaguar XK8) led throughout the opening Mobil 1 Supercar race, followed by Mackie Adlem (Adlem Auto Jaguar XK8), Julian Familiaris (Lube-Net Chevrolet Corvette) and Terry Wilford (Fuchs Ford Mustang).

Race two went to Familiaris, leading home di Matteo, Adlem and Warren Lombard (Pepboys Automotive Ford Falcon).

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