Perseverance pays off for Priest

Champions were crowned, cars were damaged and egos shattered during a full day’s racing.

Perseverance paid off for Melvill Priest when he won the day’s main Bridgestone Production Car race in his Mueller Sport Audi S4.

The car siezed an engine before the day’s first race and the team managed to change it just in time for the final tin-top event of the day.

Priest, running on fresh Bridgestones beat the rest of the field by a comfortable margin. He was followed by Etienne van der Linde (Afrox BMW 335i), Michael Stephen (Engen Xtreme Audi S4), Gennaro Bonafede (Ferodo Audi S4) and Johan Fourie in the Afrox BMW 335i.

Earlier, Fourie and Stephen took turns to win Class A in the category’s two sprint races.

Graeme Nathan (IndyOil Golf GTI) won the main race in Class T leading home Castrol MINI Cooper S drivers Gavin Cronje and Lee Thompson. Both sprint races were won by Thompson.

Kosie Weyers clinched the Engen Volkswagen Cup title by winning the opening race in his Engen Primax Polo.

He was closely followed by Dewald Brummer (UMP Polo), Mathew Hodges (IRT Africa Polo), Jarno van der Westhuizen (VW Polo) and Mark Silverwood (OKI Polo).

Brummer won the second race from Weyers, ahead of Hodges, Shaun la Reservee (Alpine Motors Polo) and Jeffrey Kruger (IndyOil Polo).

Veteran Ben Morgenrood (IndyOil Mustang) won the first Sports and V8 GT race overall, with Franco di Matteo (Varta Batteries Jaguar), Larry Wilford (Fuchs Chev Corvette) and Terry Wilford (Hot Wheels Mustang) in close attendance.

Di Matteo took top honours in the second, reverse order grid event, leading home Larry Wilford, Morgenrood and Terry Wilford.

Darryn Lobb (Hollard Shelby) won both Sports Car races from Rui Campos (Liqui Moly Shelby). Ferdi van Niekerk (Motorola Cordless Shelby) and Alister Brown (NAC Helicopters Shelby) took turns to finish in the respective third places.

Recently crowned champion Robert Wolk (Midas FVW) won the opening SA Singleaseater race from Nicholas van Weely (AngloRand FVW), Christopher Shorter (Etana FVW), Craig Shorter (Hollard FVW) and Werner Scholtz (Motorvia FVW).

Wolk dropped out of the second race leaving Van Weely to win from Scholtz, Christopher Shorter, Craig Shorter and Barry Ingle (Formula VW).

Jason Campos (Etana Mygale) won both Formula 1600 races followed in both instances by Scott Temple (Ferodo Mygale) and Keegan Campos in another Etana Mygale.