Action aplenty in Phakisa 200 endurance race
Event formed part of the Extreme Festival's return to the Welkom track.
Mark du Toit drove brilliantly on Saturday, to nurse the TAR BMW Z4 home on all-but destroyed tyres, and win the annual Phakisa 200 race. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
This year’s regional Extreme Festival circus performed at the Free State Phakisa Raceway near Welkom on Saturday (15 May), with a total of 127 competitors in five separate racing disciplines taking to the tarmac.
Officially, the day was headed up by the Phakisa 200, an annual 53-lap endurance race for regional saloon and sports cars. The event, always a huge favourite with inland circuit racers, drew 39 entries.
Dayne Angel (Autohaus Angel Porsche 911 GT2 RS) won both races for G&H Transport Extreme Supercars, ahead of Ben Morgenrood (Lexus V8). Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
In the end, after several separate race leaders, Mark du Toit (Trans Africa BMW Z4) found himself with a one-lap lead, in the pits, during his mandatory pit stop.
After 42 of the race’s 53 laps, the car’s tyres were in seriously bad shape, but changing all four wheels using only the car’s tools would have cost the lead. So, they gambled – Du Toit was sent out, told to “Glide, don’t slide,” and he managed to bring the car home on the canvas, winning the Phakisa 200 overall.
Dawie van der Merwe (Universal Health Polo) took both the PoziDrive VW Challenge race victories. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
He was followed by Phillip Meyer (Pple Group Porsche 944), Wouter Roos/ Graeme Nathan (Car Care Clinic Volkswagen SupaPolo), Andre’ Dannhauser (Pro Auto Rubber Opel Corsa), Dino Smit (JRT Volkswagen Polo) and Shane Forget (Pro Auto Rubber Opel Kadett Cub).
The first race for G&H Transport Extreme Supercars went to Dayne Angel (Autohaus Angel Porsche 911 GT2 RS), ahead of Ben Morgenrood (Lexus) and Rick Loureiro (Combined BMW 325i Turbo). Angel and Morgenrood took the first two places in race two as well, this time with Paulo Loureiro (Tune-Tech BMW F30 Turbo) on the final podium step.
Category newcomer Julian Familiaris (Lube-Net Chevrolet Corvette) won the opening Mobil 1 V8 Supercar race from defending champion Mackie Adlem (Adlem Auto Jaguar). Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
Dawie van der Merwe (Universal Health Polo) took the first PoziDrive VW Challenge race victory, closely challenged by current title holder Rory Atkinson (BHIT Polo) and Bevin Masters (CPS Warehouse Polo). Van der Merwe took race tow as well, this time followed by Waldie Meintjies (Pozidrive Polo) and Atkinson.
Category newcomer Julian Familiaris (Lube-Net Chevrolet Corvette) won the opening Mobil 1 V8 Supercar race, marginally ahead of defending champion Mackie Adlem (Adlem Auto Jaguar) and Franco di Matteo (Deltec Batteries Jaguar). Di Matteo won race two, started from an inverted grid, from Fameliaris and Adlem.
Lendl Jansen (Bull Security Forza) won the opening DOE Parts Formula Vee race. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
Lendl Jansen (Bull Security Forza) and Gert van den Berg (DOE Parts Rhema) took turns to win the respective two DOE Formula Vee heats, leading home Greg Wilson (Forza) on both occasions.
