Pretoria, Saturday – Pint-sized Sheridan Morais again hogged the headlines, for both the right and wrong reasons, at round six of the WesBank Super Series national championship meeting at the Zwartkops Raceway here today.

Attempting to become the first rider to win both the Interfile SA Supersport and Interfile SA Superbike championships in the same season Morais, on Emtek Racing Kawasaki entries, won three of the four heats in which he competed – and crashed in the other. After winning both Supersport heats and the opening Superbike race an uncharacteristic fall in the second Superbike race spoiled his day.

The two Supersport wins took the Morais tally this season to a remarkable 12 wins out of 12 starts. The bunch of talented young riders who make up the rest of the field just have no answer to the Johannesburg rider who is in a class of his own in the category.

In the opening heat Morais cruised home ahead of Ronan Quarmby (Interfile Gallardo Yamaha), Dylan White (White Aluminium Yamaha), 15-year-old Stephen Odendaal (Mitsubishi Electric Suzuki) and Jacques Peskens on a Portable Shade Honda. In race two young Odendaal was second to Morais with Peskens taking the final podium position.

The opening heat of the Superbike event lost much of its fizz when championship contender Clinton Seller (BMG Yamaha) crashed on lap two. With Seller gone Morais and the veteran Lance Isaacs, who has found a new lease of lease on the Portable Shade Honda, took control.

Morais easily held off Isaacs with Greg Gildenhuis taking a solid third on the Race Nation Honda. One of Robert Portman’s better rides on the second Emtek Kawasaki bagged fourth place with Arushen Moodley, on a second PS Honda, rounding out the top five.

Seller made amends for his first race rush of blood by charging to a convincing win in the second heat. The flying Seller took the lead from Isaacs on lap nine with Morais, lying a comfortable fourth, crashing at turn one on the same lap.

Veteran Zimbabwean Shawn Whyte (Team Yamaha) took the final podium place behind Seller and Isaacs and, in the process, increased his lead in the Masters category for riders over 35. Moodley and Gildenhuis rounded out the top five.

Also a contender for individual honours was three-time WesBank V8 Supercar champion Hennie Groenewald. After a dreadful start to the season Groenewald, in the Timken Holden, took a brace of wins that revived his hopes of taking an unprecedented fourth championship.

Groenewald went into the meeting trailing championship leader Marc Auby (ELT International Jaguar) by 40 points. With Auby having to be content with a second and a fifth, Groenewald took a chunk out of the championship lead.

Groenewald streaked away to win race one with Marc Auby finishing ahead of teenage brother Brandon, in a second ELT Jaguar, and father Deon in the ELT Holden. Free Stater Jaco Correia (Liqui Moly Chev Corvette) was his usual solid self in wrapping up fifth place.

Groenewald started race to from seventh on the grid and systematically worked his way through the field. Deon Auby produced a workmanlike drive to finish second ahead of Richard Pinard (Timken Jaguar) and Correia.

Championship leader Marc Auby was a little subdued in fifth place. With six races remaining this season the title race is again wide open.

The Bridgestone Production Car Championship also looks to be heading for a tight finale. Only a handful of points now separate the top Class A runners after Melvill Priest (VMP Audi A4) and Anthony Taylor (Afrox BMW) shared race wins.

In race one Priest romped away to score his second win of the season and throw his hat into the championship ring. Dawie Olivier, in the new Sasol Subaru, and Michael Stephen (Xtreme Team Audi A4) finished second and third with Shaun Watson-Smith, in the second Xtreme Team Audi, and Leeroy Poulter (SAM Racing GP Windscreens Nissan 350Z) fourth and fifth.

Starting from the first row of an inverted grid former champion Taylor dominated the second race. Priest blotted his copybook by spinning off midway through the race, and Taylor won at a canter from Poulter and reigning champion Johan Fourie in the Indy Oil Audi after a hectic fight between the pair.

Taylor now leads the championship by just two points from Fourie. Poulter is only a further seven points adrift and leads Priest by a solitary point.

Class T honours were shared by Gary Formato (Ford Racing/Nando’s Ford Focus) and Hein Bose in the MFC Bizhub Mazda MPS. With championship leader Graeme Nathan missing today’s meeting through suspension, a second in race two for Formato saw the Ford driver narrow the gap to a handful of points.

A double – his first wins since the opening day of the season – saw Jayde Kruger (First Freight/Motul FVW) reassert his hold on the Formula VW championship. A huge crash on lap one of the opening heat put Wesleigh Orr (Global Consulting FVW) out for the day and Kruger completely dominated both races.

Jimmy Auby (Crystal Pier Logistics FVW) took a solid second in race one with Paolo da Cunha having his best outing of the year to finish third in the SAM Racing/Tubular Tech FVW. Race two saw Kruger scoot off into the distance with teenager Simon Moss (Southern Sun/Oakley FVW), son of former SA champion Terry, taking second place ahead of Auby.

It was a bad day at the ‘office’ for Engen VW Cup frontrunner Devin Robertson in the Champion VW Polo. The Alberton schoolboy started the day at the top of the championship table, got involved in race incidents - not altogether of his own making - in both heats and lost the championship lead to Matthew Hodges.

Hodges (PG Glass VW Polo) took a third, behind Bryan Morgan (Timken VW Polo) and Miguel Pasqualli (Xtreme Team VW Polo), and a win to leapfrog into the championship lead. The race two podium was completed by Kieran Quarmby (Interfile/Gallardo VW Polo) and Morgan.

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

Interfile SA Superbike: Race 1 – 1 S Morais (Kawasaki); 2 L Isaacs (Honda); 3 G Gildenhuis (Honda); 4 R Portman (Kawasaki); 5 A Moodley (Honda). Race 2 – 1 C Seller (Yamaha); 2 L Isaacs (Honda); 3 S Whyte (Yamaha); 4 A Moodley (Honda); 5 G Gildenhuis (Honda).

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

Bridgestone Production Cars: Race 1 – 1 M Priest (Audi A4); 2 D Olivier (Subaru); 3 M Stephen (Audi A4); 4 S Watson-Smith (Audi A4); 5 L Poulter (Nissan 350Z). Class A – M Priest (Audi A4); Class T – G Formato (Ford Focus); Class B – S Pike (Toyota RunX). Race 2 – 1 A Taylor (BMW 330i); 2 L Poulter (Nissan 350Z); 3 J Fourie (Audi A5); 4 M Stephen (Audi A5); 5 M da Cunha (Nissan 350Z). Class A – A Taylor (BMW 330); Class T – H Bose (Mazda MPS); Class B – S Pike (Toyota RunX).

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

Formula Volkswagen: Race 1 - 1 J Kruger Formula VW); 2 J Auby (Formula VW); 3 P da Cunha (Formula VW); 4 G Connelly (Formula VW); 5 D Hirschowitz (Formula VW). Race 2 – 1 J Kruger (Formula VW); 2 S Moss (Formula VW); 3 J Auby (Formula VW); 4 I Pepper (Formula VW); 5 D Hirschowitz (Formula VW).


Paulo da Cunha finished a strong third in heat 1 of Formula Volkswagen at
Zwartkops. Tasmin Pepper and Simon Moss are closely in tow. Pic Tony Alves