RED STAR FESTIVAL THRILLS

A truly full day of great national, regional and club racing boiled over until after dark as the second round Northern Regions Festival races thrilled fans at Red Star near Delmas on Saturday.

 

Topped by the ever spectacular Mobil1 V8 Supercars, Franco di Matteo put his Jaguar XKR on pole position from Mackie Adlem’s similar car and Terry Wilford in a Ford Mustang, before Adlem raced to a close six-tenths of a second opening race win from young gun Julian Fameliaris’ Corvette. Thomas Reib’s Lumina was third from di Matteo, Warren Lombard in a Falcon and Corvette duo Larry Wilford and Steve Herbst. Adlem did not start race 2 and di Matteo stopped early to leave Fameliaris to win and take the day from Reib, Lombard, Wilford and Herbst.

 

Bevin Masters was untouchable as he reeled a grand slam of pole position, fastest laps and two race wins off to take the Pabar VW Challenge day. He beat brother Wayne, Waldie Meintjies, Rory Atkinson and Charl Smalberger in race 1, and Atkinson, Smalberger, and Mike Barbaglia in race 2. Pierluigi Muzzulini took the first Class B race from Ethan Coetzee and Hannes Scheepers before Coetzee pipped Scheepers and Ross Butt in the second heat. Philip Croeser took the opening Class C race from Bjorn Bertholdt Andy Gossman after first home Yotti Nousias and Bertholdt were penalised. Nousias beat Bertholdt and Croeser in the after-dark heat 2, as Bevin Masters, Coetzee and Bertholdt took the overall win trophies.

 

Racing on Dunlop tyres for the first time Leon Loubser was the sole BMW M Performance Parts Series class A survivor in his 335i in race 1. A fine Class B dice saw Lorenzo Gualtieri’s 328i beat Andreas Meier and Nek Makris. Alan Hilligen’s 328i took Class C from Jan Eversteyn. Racing separately, Reinhardt Miller’s M3 beat Nicholas Herbst in D and Dave Rehse‘s 328i took Class E. Loubser did the double Gualtieri beat Makris, Smit and Meier in B. Nicholas Fischer’s M3 turned the tables on Eversteyn and Cochran in Class C. Miller took the D win from Reynolds and Heinz Bose, and Rehse took Class E from Cobus Bohmer. Overall Loubser took Class A, Gualtieri B, Eversteyn Class C, Miller D and Rehse Class D.

 

Lendl Jansen took a close-opening DOE Formula Vee Lubricated by CIM Lubri Fuel win from Gert van den Berg and Jaco Schriks. Eric Booyens was fourth from Kyle Watt, Shaun van der Linde, MD Bester, Jaco Smit, Jannie Geyer, and Peter Hills. Just two-tenths of a second separated Jansen, van den Berg and Schriks at the flag in race 2, with Booyens a close fourth from van der Linde and Watt, and Theodore Vermaak Bester, Hills, and CF du Toit in pursuit.

 

The ZX 10 Masters provided the two-wheeled thrills as usual. Cape over-35s Class A rider Ronald Slamet beat Class over-40s B men, local rider Graeme van Breda and Cape duo Jayson Lamb and A rider David Enticott to the opening race win. Madala over-50s Class C winner Brain Bontekoning chose the track over Cross Country this weekend ahead of Michael Smit and Hein McMahon. Van Breda defended home honour to take the second race and the overall victory from Slamet, Enticott and Bontekoning. Hein McMahon was fifth in the second race from Pieter de Vos, Henk Kruger, and Jayson Lamb.

 

Club action saw George Economides’ Golf Turbo take Car Care Clinic 111 GT Sports & Saloons victory over GT rival Lenard Archer’s Civic and Class A Golf trio Johan van Heerden, Adrian Dalton and  Piet Potgieter. Charl Weyers’ Corsa took Class B from Roland Hopkins in a Polo, Luigi Ferro’s similar car won Class X and Luke Dalton’s Golf beat Seten Naidoo Civic to Class C. Francis Aldrich took Superhatch honours in his Corsa from Class B winner Andre de Lange in a Golf, Seten Naidoo’s Civic, Quintus Viljoen’s Polo and B men Ishmael Baloyi, Civic 

Peugeot George Aldrich and Jenny Henning in another Civic.

 

Phakisa Freeway and the Free State town of Welkom is the next stop for the Northern Regions Festival on Saturday 27 May, a week after the National Extreme Festival at Zwartkops on 20 May.