Johannesburg, Saturday 28/03/09 – As they have done so often in recent seasons the SA
Superbike brigade stole most of the thunder at the WesBank Super Series
national championship meeting at Kyalami today.

Both Interfile SA Superbike races were crackerjack affairs with the second
heat a magnificent race. Under the circumstances it was perhaps fitting that
reigning South African champion Sheridan Morais (Emtek Racing Kawasaki) and
Clinton Seller (Team Yamaha) should share the spoils.

Seller made the early running in race one but was gradually hunted down by
Morais who took the lead on lap six and kept the Yamaha rider at bay over
the remaining four laps. Experienced Lance Isaacs, on the Portable Shade
Honda Fireblade, came in third with veteran Zimbabwean Shawn Whyte (Team
Yamaha) and Greg Gildenhuys (Race Nation Honda) completing the top five.

The second heat produced stunning racing with less than a second covering
the first four riders throughout 10 gripping laps. Seller went into the lead
on lap two and spent the rest of the race fending off repeated attacks from
Morais.

At the finish they were separated by half a wheel with Seller scoring his
third win in four races this season. Next up were Whyte, who clinched the
Masters category, young Chris Leeson on another Team Yamaha entry and
Gildenhuys.

Morais rounded off a good day with a double in the Interfile SA Supersport
category for 600cc machines. A horde of promising young riders made life
difficult for the more experienced Morais with Dylan White (White Aluminium
Yamaha) and Steven Odendaal (Mitsubishi Electric) pushing him all the way.

Jacques Peskens and James Egan, both on PS Honda entries, were fourth and
fifth. Peskens, Ronan Quarmby (Interfile/Gallardo Yamaha), White and
Odendaal forced Morais to pull out all the stops in race two but the ever
cheerful little Johannesburg rider had too much in reserve.

The WesBank V8 SuperCars event saw reigning champion Hennie Groenewald (Team
Timken Jaguar), searching for a fourth successive title, endure another bad
day at the office. Groenewald’s, team-mate Richard Pinard and Brandon Auby
(ELT Jaguar) were all involved in a little lap one argy bargy that put all
three out of the running.

Auby’s older brother Marc (ELT Jaguar) and father Deon (ELT Holden) then
took control of proceedings. Father eventually outpaced son with Terry
Wilford (Fuchs Titan Jaguar) a long way back in third place.

The now familiar WesBank system of reversing the grid produced a hectic
second heat with Clare Vale (Gatorback/Ram Mustang) finding herself on pole
for the first time in her career. Vale eventually tangled with Deon Auby and
both retired on the spot.

An action packed race finally saw Jaco Correia score his first WesBank win
in the Liqui Moly Chev Corvette. It was a good day for the Correia’s with
brother Danie coming in second in another Liqui Moly Corvette.

Marc Auby also completed what looked like a good day by taking the final
podium position ahead of Jade Gutzeit (Dezzi/Trysome Mustang) and Steve
Smith in the Coolcatz Jaguar. It then turned sour for Auby when race
officials relegated him to 11th place for a corner infringement and the
final results are under appeal.

It was another difficult race for Groenewald who only returned from a Rolex
GrandAm test session in the United States late on Friday night. He finished
eighth and it has been a disappointing start to the season for the Alberton
driver.

Two entertaining Bridgestone Production Car races produced Class A wins for
former SA champions Leeroy Poulter and Anthony Taylor. Poulter, in the SAM
Racing/GP Windscreens Nissan 350Z, got the jump on the rest of the field in
the first race with Taylor (Afrox BMW 330i) chasing him all the way.

Poulter won comfortably with Taylor holding off reigning champion Johan
Fourie in the Indy Oil Audi A4. Melville Priest (VMP Motorsport Audi A4)
rounded out the top five.
It was Taylor who got the jump on everyone else in heat two. Poulter was an
early casualty and Taylor fended off the attentions of Priest to score his
second win of the season and take an early grip on the championship.

Another former champion, Shaun Watson-Smith, brought the Xtreme team Audi A4
home in third place for his best result of the season so far. The consistent
Dawie Olivier (Subaru WRX) and Fourie completed the top five.

Regardt Roets (Soviet Opel Astra OPC) and reigning champion Graeme Nathan
(Indy Oil/Kaye Eddie VW Golf GTi) shared the Class T wins. Nathan and Gary
Formato (Ford Racing Nando’s Focus) were second and third in race one, with
Nathan leading home Peet Visagie (Time Mining VW Golf GTi) and Michael van
Rooyen (Rustenburg Steel VW Golf GTi) in heat two.

Cape driver Kosie Swanepoel scored a double in Class B. In both races he
finished ahead of Gary Green in the Green Auto Alfa Romeo 147 GTA.

There was also a double for Matthew Hodges (PG Glass VW Polo) in the Engen
VW Cup event. In race one Hodges led home Gennaro Bonafede and Devin
Robertson in the Champion Spark Plugs VW Polos, and in race two came in
ahead of reigning champion Jared Mortimer (Liquid Lounge VW Polo) and
Bonafede.

With clerk of the course Roger Stephen deferring a decision on a race two
incident between Robertson, Miguel Pasqualli (Xtreme Team VW Polo) and Bryan
Morgan in the Timken VW Polo until the next outing in Cape Town, the Engen
Cup results were provisional. Stephen will view TV footage of the incidents
before making a decision.

Christiano Morgado, having his first outing of the season in the City of
Durban Formula VW, won both Formula Volkswagen heats. Race one saw him come
in ahead of Wesleigh Orr (SAM Racing/Global Consulting FVW) with the pair of
them former Rotax Max kart world champions.

In the second race Morgado led home Jayde Kruger (Motul/First Freight FVW)
who won the first two races of the season in Port Elizabeth. A steady drive
saw Gordon Connelly (Bravo/Cowan Signs FVW) take the final podium place on
the last lap after Simon Moss (Southern Sun FVW) spun off and lost a place.

Provisional results:

Engen VW Cup: Race 1 – 1 M Hodges (VW Polo); 2 J Mortimer (VW Polo); 3 G
Bonafede (VW Polo); 4 D Robertson (VW Polo); 5 B Morgan (VW Polo). Race 2 –
1 M Hodges (VW Polo); 2 J Mortimer (VW Polo); 3 G Bonafede (VW Polo); 4 D
Robertson (VW Polo); 5 M Pasqualli (VW Polo).

Formula Volkswagen: Race 1 – 1 C Morgado (Formula VW); 2 W Orr (Formula VW);
3 J Kruger (Formula VW); 4 G Connelly (Formula VW); 5 S Moss (Formula VW).
Race 2 – 1 C Morgado (Formula VW); 2 J Kruger (Formula VW); 3 G Connelly
(Formula VW); 4 S Moss (Formula VW); 5 T Pepper (Formula VW).

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

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

Bridgestone Production Cars: Race 1 - 1 L Poulter (Nissan 350Z); 2 A Taylor
(BMW 330i); 3 J Fourie (Audi A4); 4 M Priest (Audi A4); 5 R Wolk (BMW 330i).
Class A – L Poulter (Nissan 350Z); Class T – G Nathan VW Golf GTi); Class
B – K Swanepoel (Toyota RunX). Race 2 – 1 A Taylor (BMW 330i); 2 M Priest
(Audi A4); 3 S Watson-Smith (Audi A4); 4 D Olivier (Subaru WRX); 5 J Fourie
(Audi A4). Class A – A Taylor (BMW 330i); Class T – G Nathan (VW Golf GTi);
Class B – K Swanepoel (Toyota RunX).

WesBank V8 Supercars: Race 1 – 1 D Auby (Holden); 2 M Auby (Jaguar); 3 T
Wilford (Jaguar); 4W van Zummeren (Ford Mustang); 5 F di Matteo (Jaguar).
Race 2 – 1 J Correia (Chev Corvette); 2 D Correia (Chev Corvette); 3 J
Gutzeit (Ford Mustang); 4 S Smith (Jaguar); 5 W van Zummeren (Ford Mustang).


And this is how the Interfile SA Superikes crossed the line in
heat 2, Seller ahead of Morais, Whyte and Gildenhuys. Pic Tony Alves