Race Report - Round 4
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Qualifying Donovan Roscoe (Stanley Shelby) blitzed the field, the only man to break the 62s barrier - he was in a class of his own and was firmly placed at the head of the field. Second was the flying dentist Francois Gerber (Autohaus Shelby), third on the grid went to the championship leader Neil Lobb (DK Woodcraft Shelby). The ever improving Rui Campos (Boltt Shelby) was 4th just ahead the fastest of the 'new kids' Darryn Lobb (DK Woodcraft/S21 Shelby), in 5th, the Johannesburg based student was 1.8s off the pole time. Lobb Jnr pipped Alan Eve (Odes Autobody Shelby) by the narrowest of margins, a mere 4 hundredths of a second, showing again the closeness of the only South African sports car series. Welkom round winner; Veron Pappas (Hellermann Tyton Shelby) failed to set a time due to terminal engine failure, Clare Vale (The Truck Man Shelby) started from the back of the grid as well, as an electrical problem prevented her from setting a time. Ford GT40 manufacturer; Peter Bailey (Fuchs Shelby) had a high speed off and was lucky to get away with only body damage. Heat 1: Fortunately the foul Eastern Cape weather cleared before the start of the first heat, the morning warm up been run in wet conditions, with most of the competitors going out on rain tyres. The crowd did not have to wait long for the action to begin, Donovan Roscoe lead from the start, chased hard by Neil Lobb and Francois Gerber, but that lead was short lived. Lobb tagged the back of Roscoe and Gerber got involved as well, the result, 3 cars badly bent and out of the race. The Aldo Scirbante layout had a little to do with what happened at the first corner, but the blame was also shared by those involved. Rui Campos found himself boxed in by the accident, but got running again, in second place. Keeping out of the action, and carnage and into the lead, was Darryn Lobb! Ruan Pretorius (John Abbot Motorsport Shelby) slotted into 3rd, with Alan Eve right on his tail. Colin Frost (Strocam Shelby) remained in his grid slot and ran 5th, Veron Pappas, starting from the back of grid, benefited from the action up ahead and leaped straight into 6th place. Franz Pretorius (John Abbot Motorsport Shelby) held 7th, fending off the close attentions of Clare Vale and Gary Green (Autozone Shelby). Harry Roscoe (Protea Playing Cards Shelby) and Peter Bailey did not have a good start to the race and where running 10th and 11th. Roscoe Snr was to join his son on the sidelines after 8 laps. Campos kept Lobb honest for all of the remaining laps, but Darryn kept his head and the gap and took his first ever SCA victory by less than 1 second. Ruan Pretorius had a quiet race in 3rd, a long way back of the leaders, Alan Eve charged hard all race, but only managed to close to within 3s of Pretorius. Colin Frost and Veron Pappas had a race long battle; Pappas screamed passed Frost, but then was slowed, with a very sick sounding engine. Frost then re-overtook him, then the Pappas car got all 6 cylinders back and he, again, passed Frost, only for the same thing to happen again. In the end Frost got the better of him and took 5th. The problem with Veron’s car was caused by the alternator belt flying off and the car left to run on battery power alone. Gary Green got passed Clare Vale on lap on lap 2, and never looked back. Vale tried in vain to get 7th position back, a spin on the penultimate lap, put an end to her challenge, though she did recover and finished 8th. Peter Bailey had a quiet race at the back of the field, and finished a very distant 9th, 2 laps behind the leaders. An early 7th place was spoiled for Franz Pretorius, when he ran into clutch problems and eventually limped home 10th, 5 laps adrift. Heat 2: The action in the pits was almost as frenetic as the on track action. The Lobb, Gerber and Roscoe cars all needed extensive work. In the end it was only Roscoe who failed to get his steed ready in time; a case of too much to fix in too little time. With the pole sitter, Donovan Roscoe, missing, it was up to Rui Campos to lead the field round the warm up lap. This time the start was clean and all got through without incident. Campos lead from the start, with Gerber and Lobb in hot pursuit, Darryn Lobb and Ruan Pretorius where 4th and 5th. Colin Frost was 6th, with Franz Pretorius (now with a clutch) and Alan Eve right on his tail. Gary Green, Richard Wood and Clare Vale where in a 3 car fight for 9th. Veron Pappas, this time starting from the pit lane was bearing down on them at a great rate of knots. Peter Bailey once again was running last, his car stuck in 3rd gear, after the lever snapped. Lap 2 and Lobb dove Gerber for 2nd, and set his sites on the lead and Campos. Vale took 10th place from Wood, the classic slip stream and out drag on the back straight move. Pappas’ charge through the field continued as he first over took, Richard Wood, then – in a not so clean move – overtook Clare Vale, the incident dropping Vale once again behind Wood. Up front and the positions where status quo, until the end of lap 5, when Campos spun, handing the lead to Neil Lobb, Francois Gerber, benefited from Campos’ mistake and slipped into second. Campos got going again, this time in 3rd, with Darryn Lobb breathing down his neck. Veron Pappas was now 8th. Lap 10 Gerber out braked himself at the hairpin and went straight on, burying his car in the tyre barrier and into retirement. Lobb’s lead was now a comfortable one, with Campos still fending off the intensions of Lobb Jnr. Ruan Pretorius was comfortable in 4th. Veron Pappas has clawed his was up to 5th, but that was as far as his charge would get him, the gap to the leading 4 was just too great. Alan Eve had slipped past Colin Frost and ran in 6th, Franz Pretorius was 8th, but being chased very hard by Gary Green! Clare Vale got back up and running again and overtook Richard Wood again, for 10th, on lap 10. Peter Bailey still circulated in his single geared car. The remaining 5 laps where without incident and all finished in the same positions. Neil Lobb extends his championship and Donovan Roscoe will soon as forget the whole weekend, as he failed to complete one racing lap. The series next moves to the home of SA racing, Kyalami on the 25th of June. |