Phakisa 200 delivers brilliant weekend spectacle
Endurance racing's cruel hand dealt to Phakisa 200's third place finishers.
The Car Care Clinic Volkswagen Supa Polo of Wouter Roos won both Saturday’s top-billed Phakisa 200 Endurance race and the sprint race for Car Care Clinic 111 Saloon and Sports Cars. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
The Free State Phakisa Raceway near Welkom hosted its first race meeting of the year on Saturday, with more than 120 competitors on four wheels and two turning up for the occasion.
As has become tradition over the years, the annual Phakisa 200 Endurance race for Hot Hatch and 111 Saloon Cars headed up the programme, with 42 contenders lining up in the 53-lap event. As always, it proved a proper test of reliability and endurance, with just 26 of the original starters reaching the chequered flag.
Thomas Reib (Mobil 1 Chevrolet Lumina) and Franco di Matteo (Delco Batteries Jaguar XKR) took turns to win the two respective Mobil 1 V8 Supercar races. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
Leading the survivors home were Wouter Roos and Graeme Nathan in their Car Care Clinic Volkswagen SupaPolo. They finished a lap ahead of Daniel Dodds (TBR Honda Ballade Turbo). Third, after heart-breakingly running out of fuel while leading the race with two laps to go, were Ryan Quan Chai and Mark du Toit in their TAR BMW Z4.
They led home Maritz du Toit/ Andy Gossman (Elegant Fuels Volkswagen Golf), Wayne Lebotschy (Shield Volkswagen CitiGolf), Roland Hopkins (Elegant Fuel Volkswagen Polo) and Piet Potgieter/ Dawie van der Merwe (Nathan’s Volkswagen Polo). Rounding out the top ten were Bevin Masters/ Heinz Bose (CPS Warehouse Volkswagen Polo), Ishmael Baloyi/ Chad Ten Doeschate (TAR Honda Civic) and Andre’ Dannhauser (Pro Auto Opel Corsa).
Charl Arangies (Stradale Lamborghini Huracan GT3) won both the races for G&H Transport Extreme Supercars. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
Earlier in the day, Wouter Roos used his Car Car Clinic Supa Polo to win the Car Care Clinic 111 Saloon Car sprint, closely pursued by Bob Neill (Delmon Mining Ford Focus ST) and Ryan Quan-Chai (TAR BMW Z4).
The first Pozidrive VW Challenge race was red-flagged after two laps when Elna Croeser spun her ATE Brakes Polo, to be solidly collected by the Megafibre Polo of Andre’ Needham. With the cars blocking the circuit, the race had to be stopped for clean-up operations. After the restart Rory Atkinson (BHIT Polo) grabbed a lead he was never to relinquish, to finish ahead of Waldie Meintjies (Blue Bell Polo) and Dawie van der Merwe (Universal Polo). Atkinson won race two as well, heading home Van der Merwe and Bevin Masters (CPS Warehouse Polo).
Both of Saturday’s Hankook Formula Vee races produced ultra close dicing. Here Gert van den Berg (Hankook Vee) leads the pack during race two.
The first G&H Transport Extreme Supercar race saw the Scribante Porsche 911 of Franco Scribante spin and retire, while the Angel Autohaus Ferrari 488 of Marcel Angel shredded a rear tyre and pitted. Victory then went to Charl Arangies (Stradale Lamborghini Huracan GT3), leading home Izak Spies (LSP Group McLaren MP4-12C) and Ben Morgenrood (Lexus). Arangies won race two as well, this time followed by Angel’s Ferrari and the McLaren of Spies.
Jonathan du Toit (TAR Honda Civic) took the Car Care Clinic SuperHatch sprint race from Andre’ Dannhauser (Pro Auto Opel Corsa) and Melanie Spurr (Car Care Clinic Volkswagen Polo). After two race-long three-way fights Lushen Ramchander (Liqui Moly Vee) took both of the day’s Hankook Formula Vee races, narrowly ahead of Lendl Jansen (Bull Security Vee) and Gert van den Berg (Hankook Vee).
Andre’ Dannhauser (Pro Auto Opel Corsa) and Jonathan du Toit (TAR Honda Civic) fight for victory in the Car Care Clinic SuperHatch sprint race. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
Thomas Reib (Mobil 1 Chevrolet Lumina) won the first Mobil 1 V8 Supercar race, hotly pursued by Franco di Matteo (Delco Batteries Jaguar XKR) and Mackie Adlem (Adlem Auto Jaguar XKR). Race two, starting from an inverted grid, went to Di Matteo, ahead of Reib and Cor Volschenk (WPPS Ford Falcon).
Naasief Wadvalla (Fastbike Yamaha R1) won both of the Bridgestone Challenge Superbike races ahead of Hein McMahon (BDG Freight BMW S1000RR) and Byron Rothquel (Mag Magic BMW S1000RR).
The season’s next circuit race meeting will be a Historic Car event at the Zwartkops Raceway this Saturday.
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