Inaugural South African GT series takes Red Star by star

Saturday’s inaugural South African GT sports car event at the Red Star Raceway produced a solid launch pad for the new formula, plus the Delmas venue’s quickest ever official racing lap.

Silvio Scribante (Cemza Lamborghini Huracan) won the first of the day’s two one-hour races, with a smooth, unflustered pit stop adding much to his victory.

He was followed over the line by Dayne Angel (Autohaus Angel Ferrari 488 GT3) with the second Cemza Huracan of Aldo Scribante and Michael Stephen third.

Stephen led the race from the start and set a lap time of 1 minute 49,557 – the quickest in the history of the circuit.

Then, when he pitted, the stop became a disaster when the Lamborghini’s seat belts defied the team’s efforts to adjust them for Aldo Scribante.

By the time he left the pits they were third, where he stayed.

The fourth place went to the Creative Ink Porsche 911 GT3 of Makaeel and Kishoor Pitamber, leading home Jason Ibbotson (Autohaus Angel Ferrari 488 GT3) and Xolile Letlake/Tschops Sipuka (Into Africa Lamborghini Huracan).

Stephen led race two as well, but handed over to Aldo Scribante, who was hauled in by a hard driving Dayne Angel with two laps to spare.

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He went on to win ahead of Aldo Scribante, Silvio Scribante, Mikaeel Pitamber, Sipuka and Ibbotson.

The supporting  South African Endurance race was won by the pairing of Mikaeel Pitamber/Stephen.

Driving smoothly and steadily, they clicked off the laps in relentless fashion, disregarded all heroics around them, and executed faultless pit stops – the absolute recipe for winning a long distance event.

The Porsche team led home the Aidcall247 Ligier Honda of Nick Adcock/Michael Jensen, and the Auto Investment Ligier Honda of Riaan Bothma/ Jeffrey Kruger.

The two Ligier initially led the race, but electrical bothers slowed the Bothma/Kruger car down, while the Adcock/Jensen version got stranded on a berm after sliding on another car’s spilt oil late in the race.

Jensen returned to grab the runner-up place during the final 30 minutes.

Rounding out the top six places were the Bucketlist Volkswagen SupaPolo of Peter Jenkens/ Christopher Pretorius, the Bucketlist Mini Cooper JCW of Rob Clark/Anthony Pretorius and the Titan Historical Backdraft Roadster of Colin Ellison and Greg Thornton.

The next round of the South African GT and Endurance Series will be held at the Aldo Scribante circuit near Port Elizabeth on the weekend of 13 and 14 May.