Summarize

Jano, Shane, Giordano win in Challenge

The Bold Marine Western Province GTi Challenge delivered racing that had a sizeable Killarney crowd on its feet on Saturday as Bryan Morgan wrapped up the 2016 championship, Jano van der Westhuizen fended off Nian du Toit to overall and Class A victory, Shane du Toit dominated Class B and 16 year old Giordano Lupini and Jarred Simpson shared Class C wins although Lupini won overall to be awarded Killarney’s Driver of the Day award.

The biggest action went down in Class C, with young Lupini putting his Monroe Racing RSA Bakkie & Car magazine Golf 1 GTi on pole position for both races. But the youngster fluffed the start to allow Morgan’s Greatsoft Payroll Golf 1 GTi into the lead. Lupini was soon back onto the experienced Morgan’s tail and the two diced hard, allowing Simpson (Greatsoft Golf 1 GTi) and Dillon Joubert (Powder Coating World/TAC Steel Golf) to close in.

That, with some delayed Class B cars making their way through the furious Class B spat, saw Simpson grab the advantage in a wild last lap to lead Morgan, Joubert and Lupini home with the four split by just 0.4 seconds. There was an equally fraught tussle behind for fifth, but a few incidents along the way split the pursuing pack up to see Gideon Serfontein (Goeie Hoop Golf 1 GTi) come home ahead of Gert du Plessis (Cash Cars Golf 1 GTi) after Dillon Jeary (GT Graphics Golf 1 GTi) exited stage left in a dramatic and dusty mid-race incident.

Young Lupini made a perfect start in race two to slot half of the Class B pack between himself and his pursuers and drive off to an easy victory to secure the overall class win for the day from Simpson and Morgan, as the youngster scooped the Killarney’s Driver of the Day award. But the big news was behind him as Simpson once again beat Morgan and Joubert home with the three this time within 0.1 second and Morgan did enough to clinch the overall 2016 Bold Marine GTi Challenge championship.

Former Polo Cup racer Bryan is in fact a GTi Challenge rookie, but the 30-year old certainly came, saw and conquered to clinch the title with two races left to run. Behind the top four, Jeary returned to beat du Plessis and Serfontein to fifth, with those three covered by a second.

The action up front in Class A was just as fraught, with Jano van der Westhuizen (Wingfield/Bessie bester Polo) putting it on pole for race 1 and Nian du Toit (Cash Cars Jetta) for race 2. That duo had the crowd cheering as they raced nose-to-tail door-to-door throughout to see Jano take the flag first, but he was docked a position for passing under yellow flags to allow Nian the win. 

Jurie Swart (Alpine Autohaus Polo Classic) initially fought off Mario Roux (Jetta 2) before closing on the battling duo up front to take third from Roux, with Spongebob Christopher Swart (Jetta 2) next up and Colin Meder getting to grips with his splendid new International Tube Tech Polo in sixth.

The battle up front became a three-way spat as Jurie Swart joined the du Toit-van der Westhuizen fray in race 2 as Jano led Jurie and Nian home after du Toit was slightly delayed by his rear bumper becoming a sort of parachute. Chris Swart was the only other survivor in the class, to see van der Westhuizen take overall honours for the day from du Toit and Jurie Swart.

Class B was all about one man as the day’s results served only to spice up the class championship and set it up for a grandstand finish. Shane du Toit enjoyed a perfect day at the races, slotting his blue ACMS Construction Golf 2 GTi into two pole positions before clearing off to win both heats at a canter, scoring a pair of fastest laps while at it for a maximum points haul.

Jacques Geldenhuys (Ferroli Golf 2 GTi) couldn’t do much besides watch that similar blue car edge away as he brought it home second each time, but there was much ado behind him. Scotty Hayes ploughed into the tyre wall in qualifying before retiring from heat 1, to allow class points leader Eden Thompson (Golf 1 GTi) to take third from Cheaper Cars Golf 1 GTi duo Herman Lazarus and Roelf Tolman and Norman Josephs (Silver Moon Polo Classic) after Miguel Pasqualli, Earl Josephs and Wayne Field all fell foul of furious mid-pack action.

Then Thompson’s Golf blew a head gasket in race 2 as Hayes mounted a comeback attack to take third behind du Toit and Geldenhuys, with Tolman and Pasqualli fifth and sixth from Norman Josephs, all of which allowed Tolman to pop up in third overall from Joseph, Hayes and Thompson.

All in all it was a great day’s Bold Marine WP GTi Challenge action with a new overall and Class C champion crowned and a star born, but Classes A and B are nowhere near done and dusted, which means the 3 December finale is poised to be an absolute thriller. Better diarise that date for Killarney right now…

 

 


ENDS

Issued on behalf of Alert GTi Challenge

What:Round 8 Race Report
Where:Killarney Raceway, Cape Town
When:Saturday 12 November 2016
Community:Bold Marine WP GTi Challenge

For further information please contact gertduplessis1979@gmail.com

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