Wet weather delivers surprise East London Enduro result
Veteran Aston Martin combination takes spoils at the coast.
The Kalex Aston Martin of Paul Hill and Michael Stephen, en route to overall victory in Saturday’s Bigfoot Express Freight 700 at a wet East London Grand Prix Circuit. Picture: Paul Bedford
Round three of this year’s South African Endurance season went to veteran drivers Paul Hill and Michael Stephen on Saturday, when they took their Kalex Aston Martin Vantage to overall victory in the Bigfoot Express Freight 700 at a wet East London Grand Prix Circuit.
Andre Bezuidenhout and Saul Hack took the runner’s up spot in their Perfect Circle Volkswagen SupaCup Polo, just 20 seconds ahead of Sun Moodley and Andrew Culbert (Bigfoot Express Porsche 911GT3 Cup). The SK Backdraft Roaster of Stiaan/ Robyn Kriel / Kosie Weyers finished fourth, leading home Mike McLoughlin/ JP Bredenhann (Backdraft Roadster), Reghard Roets / Steve Clark (Maximo Backdraft Roadster) and Kris Budnick/ Christopher Pretorius (Tilt Advisory Mini JCW).
Romano Sartori / Franco Di Matteo (AMC Ligier JS49), plus the Backdraft Roadsters of Byran Morgan / Donovan Taylor, and Clare Vale/ Wade van Zummeren completed the top ten finishers.
Inclement weather played a large role in the race outcome. Pole position occupants Charl Arangies and Stuart White (Stradale Lamborghini Huracan) crashed into the back of another car in thick spray while leading, while wet electronics robbed the Scribante Racing Chevron B26 of France and Silvio Scribante of certain victory shortly afterwards.
Another front runner to retire while in a podium position was the Auto Investment Ligier of James Forbes/ Riaan Botma, with a broken differential. The drive of the race came from Bezuidenhout and Hack, who were a model of consistency as they gradually made their way through the field in the SupaCup Polo, to finally take the second place overall. They also clinched the Index of Performance win, ahead of the Budnick/ Pretorius Mini, with local trio Robert Green, Shaun Gradwell and Shaun Vallance (KME BMW) in third place.
The 2020 South African Endurance Series competitors will now move up the coast to KwaZulu-Natal to Dezzi Raceway, outside Port Shepstone, where they will do battle for fourth-round honours on Saturday, 24 October.
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