06/06/09 - East London, Saturday – Two motorcycle racers, one a veteran and the other a precocious young talent, stole the honours at round four of the WesBank Super Series at the historic East London Grand Prix circuit here today.

Veteran Lance Isaacs, on the Portable Shade Honda, and Sheridan Morais, on the Emtek Racing Kawasaki, dominated the Interfile SA Superbike and Interfile SA Supersport events. Isaacs rolled back the years to score two runaway wins in the premier Superbike class with Morais scoring a pair of victories in the Supersport category.

Isaacs totally dominated both Superbike heats. There was nothing Morais, the reigning champion, could do to rein in the Capetonian who revelled in the ultra fast circuit where the Superbikes at times top 290 km/h.

Isaacs did not put a wheel wrong all day but Morais stays top of the championship table. Clinton Seller (Badger Yamaha) was third in both races and lost a little ground on Morais in the title race.

Morais then went out and won both heats of the Supersport category to make it eight wins in a row in an unprecedented attempt to win both the Superbike and Supersport championships in the same season. Morais took both races ahead of Eddy Alberts on the Race Nation Honda with Jacques Peskens (Portable Shade Honda) and Ronan Quarmby, on the Interfile Yamaha, sharing third places.

Not far behind Isaacs and Morais in terms of individual honours was three time WesBank V8 Supercar champion Hennie Groenewald. After a nightmare start to the season Groenewald, in the Timken Holden Commodore, got his championship hopes back on track with a double win.

It was vintage Groenewald. He started from pole position in race one and controlled matters throughout to finish ahead of Mackie Adlem (Adlem Racing Jaguar) and championship leader Marc Auby in the ELT International Jaguar.

Race two saw the usual WesBank V8 inverted grid with Groenewald starting 13th. By lap six he was second and hunting down 17-year-old Brandon Auby in another ELT Jaguar.

Groenewald got past young Auby on lap eight of 10, but the youngster fought back to regain the lead. On the penultimate lap Groenewald was back in the lead and that was that.

Adlem, back in racing after a year long sabbatical, then did Groenewald a favour by finishing ahead of Marc Auby. A steady drive saw Jaco Correia fifth in the Liqui Moly Chev Corvette.

Two Bridgestone Production Car heats full of action saw former champion Leeroy Poulter (SAM Racing/GP Windscreens Nissan 350Z) and Melvill Priest (VMP Audi A4) share the victories. Poulter dominated race one ahead of championship leader Anthony Taylor (Afrox BMW 330i) and Michael Stephen in the Engen Xtreme Team Audi A4.

Race two started from an inverted grid with Priest coming up with a trademark aggressive drive to finally force his way in front of Marco da Cunha in the SAM Racing/Tubular Nissan 350Z. Reigning champion Johan Fourie (Indy Oil Audi A4) took the final podium position ahead of Stephen and Taylor.

Both Class T wins went to multiple SA champion Gary Formato in the Ford Racing Nando’s Ford Focus. It was Formato’s second double in a row and saw him close the gap on championship leader Graham Nathan (Indy Oil/Kay Eddie VW Golf GTi) who picked up a third – behind Shaun Duminy in the second Ford Focus – and a second.

There was a disappointing turn out from the Engen VW Cup brigade with Capetonian Kosie Weyers (Xtreme Team VW Polo) scoring a pair of wins. Race one gave Weyers his maiden national victory and he repeated the feat with a comfortable race two win.

Championship leader Devin Robertson (Champion VW Polo) and Miguel Pasqualli (Xtreme Team VW Polo) were second and third in race one, with Brennon Green (Indy Oil VW Polo) and Robyn Kruger (Steamsure VW Polo) completing the top five. In race two it was Mathew Hodges (PG Glass VW Polo) and Pasqualli who completed the podium with Kruger and Green fourth and fifth.

There was a maiden win for Jimmy Auby, the third of the Auby racing brothers, in the opening heat of the Formula Volkswagen event. Auby (Crystal Pier FVW) romped away with the race ahead of Tschops Sipuka (Southern Sun FVW) and Paolo da Cunha in the SAM Racing/Tubular FVW.

In race two it was Auby who was an early casualty and Wesleigh Orr (Bravo/Cowan Signs FVW) and Cristiano Morgado (City of Durban FVW), both race one casualties and both former Rotax Max kart world champions, come first and second. Championship leader Jayde Kruger (Motul/Fast Freight FVW) completed the podium with Sipuka and Tasmin Pepper (PG Glass/VW Racing FVW) fourth and fifth.

Results:

WesBank V8 Supercars: Race 1 - 1 H Groenewald (Holden); 2 M Adlem (Jaguar); 3 M Auby (Jaguar); 4 J Correia (Chev Corvette); 5 D Auby (Jaguar). Race 2 – 1 H Groenewald (Holden); 2 B Auby (Jaguar); 3 M Adlem (Jaguar); 4 M Auby (Jaguar); 5 J Correia (Chev Corvette).

Bridgestone Production Cars: Race 1 – 1 L Poulter (Nissan 350Z); 2 A Taylor (BMW 330i); 3 M Stephen (Audi A4); 4 S Watson-Smith (Audi A4); 5 M Priest (Audi A4). Class A – L Poulter (Nissan 350Z); Class T – G Formato (Ford Focus); Class B – K Swanepoel (Toyota RunX). Race 2 – 1 M Priest (Audi A4); 2 M da Cunha (Nissan 350Z); 3 J Fourie (Audi A4); 4 M Stephen (Audi A4); 5 A Taylor (BMW 330i). Class A – M Priest (Audi A4); Class T – G Formato (Ford Focus); Class B – K Swanepoel (Toyota RunX).

Engen VW Cup: Race 1 – K Weyers (VW Polo); 2 D Robertson (VW Polo); 3 M Pasqualli (VW Polo); 4 B Green (VW Polo); 5 R Kruger (VW Polo). Race 2 – 1 K Weyers (VW Polo); 2 M Hodges (VW Polo); 3 M Pasqualli (VW Polo); 4 R Kruger (VW Polo); 5 B Green (VW Polo).

Formula Volkswagen: Race 1 – 1 J Auby (Formula VW); 2 J Sipuka (Formula VW); 3 P da Cunha (Formula VW); 4 J Kruger (Formula VW); 5 T Pepper (Formula VW). Race 2 – 1 W Orr (Formula VW); 2 C Morgado (Formula VW); 3 J Kruger (Formula VW); 4 T Sipuka (Formula VW); 5 T Pepper (Formula VW).

Interfile SA Supersport: Race 1 – 1 S Morais (Kawasaki); 2 E Alberts (Honda); 3 J Peskens (Honda); 4 D White (Yamaha); 5 S Odendaal (Suzuki). Race 2 – 1 S Morais (Kawasaki); 2 E Alberts (Honda); 3 R Quarmby (Interfile Yamaha); 4 J Egan (Honda); 5 D White (Yamaha).

Interfile SA Superbikes: Race 1 – 1 L Isaacs (Honda); 2 S Morais (Kawasaki); 3 C Seller (Yamaha); 4 S Whyte (Yamaha); 5 G Gildenhuys (Honda). Race 2 – 1 L Isaacs (Honda); 2 S Morais (Kawasaki); 3 C Seller (Yamaha); 4 G Gildenhuys (Honda); 5 C Leeson (Yamaha).


Melvil Priest won the second of Saturday's Bridgestone Production Car
races, his first win of the season. Pic Tony Alves