06/09/08 Pretoria, Saturday – A new teenage South African champion who is a chip off the old block, a little history from another teenager and a touch of controversy were features of an action packed round eight of the WesBank Super Series national meeting at the Sasol Spring Races at Zwartkops today.

Dane Hellyer, the 17-year-old son of former South African champion Kevin, followed his father into the record books when he wrapped up the CitiBike South African Supersport championship. Two convincing wins on the Kyocera Kawasaki did the trick for Hellyer whose father was a multiple SA champion in the 70s and 80s.

A little later in the day 16-year-old Brandon Auby, in the Masana Petroleum Jaguar, became the youngest driver to win a WesBank V8 Supercar race in the 25 year history of the championship. Auby, a race one casualty with gearbox problems, survived a mid-race safety car scare to eventually romp home ahead of elder brother Mark in a Jonnesway Jaguar.

Young Hellyer narrowly missed out on the Supersport title last year, and this time around has dominated the series. He took the first heat ahead of Dylan White (White Aluminium Yamaha) and experienced Lance Isaacs (Pretoria Noord Toyota Suzuki) to move within a touch of the title.

Another polished performance in race two, after a dodgy start, got the job done. This time around Hellyer came in ahead of Isaacs and another veteran in Graeme van Breda on the Springs Suzuki.

With runaway CitiBike SA Superbike championship leader Sheridan Morais riding in a British championship event over the weekend Clinton Seller, on a Nashua Mobile/Daikin Yamaha, grabbed the opportunity to score a double win. Two high quality races produced the usual Superbike heroics.

Seller took race one ahead of reigning SA champion Arushen Moodley (Dynamic Express Suzuki) and rising star Chris Leeson, the reigning Supersport champion, on the Emtek Racing Kawasaki. After a poor start in race two Seller had to work hard to get to the front of the field and was chased all the way by Moodley until a late mistake dropped the Suzuki rider down to fourth.

Moodley’s error opened the door for Leeson and Greg Gildenhuys, another former Supersport champion, on the Race Nation Honda. In a thrilling finish Leeson got up to take second from Gildenhuys by a wheel.

Two entertaining Bridgestone Production Car races did little to sort out a tight situation at the top of the overall and premier Class A standings and the day ended amid a cloud of controversy. A Sasol Nissan protest over the composition of the race two grid was ruled by the stewards of the meeting to have been posted out of time, and the result of the race stood.

Nissan team manager Glyn Hall then countered by issuing a notice of intent to appeal the decision by the stewards. This means Class A results are provisional with the matter to be finalised in the Motorsport SA boardroom.

On the circuit overall and Class T leader Graeme Nathan (Indy Oil/Kaye Eddie Seat Cupra) ran into tyre problems in heat one and finished way down the pecking order.

Nathan’s first heat woes, however, turned to his advantage with a partially inverted grid giving him a good second race start position. He was eventually beaten in Class T by Regardt Roets (Webcom/Soviet Opel OPC) but salvaged precious points.

In Class A title contenders Johan Fourie (Indy Oil Audi A4), Michael Stephen (Xtreme Team Audi A4), who was at the centre of the race two storm, Leeroy Poulter (Sasol Nissan 350Z) and Afrox BMW 330i pair Anthony Taylor and Etienne van der Linde all had their moments. Fourie was third in race one behind surprise package Danie Olivier (Ferodo Subaru) and Melvill Priest in the Lenovo/MiKar Audi A4.

Van der Linde romped away with heat two to come in ahead of Taylor and Stephen, out in team-mate Shaun Watson-Smith’s car, with Marco da Cunha (SAM Racing Tubular Tech Nissan 350Z) and Poulter completing the top five. This time around Fourie retired with suspension problems, and Priest went out with a broken fuel pump.

Shaun Duminy (Ford Racing/Nandos Ford Focus) scored a maiden win in Class T in race one with Lee Thompson (Gallardo Golf GTi) and Roets second and third. In race two Roets came in ahead of Nathan with Duminy completing a good day in third place.

Veteran Ben Morgenrood all but wrapped up a second straight Class B championship with a double in Class B in the Mazda Motorsport RX8. Down in Class C the Gedore/Motorsport Infinity Fiat Grande Punto pair of Theuns Eloff and Lindsay Steyn shared the wins.

Last time out at the tight Zwartkops layout WesBank V8 Supercar championship leader Hennie Groenewald (Timken Holden) produced an epic drive to win the second race from 15th on the grid. After winning race one ahead of Mark Auby and Timken Jaguar team-mate Robert Briggs, the Alberton driver had the opportunity to repeat the feat.

This time around, however, the script was a little different. With first race casualty Brandon Auby streaking away with matters, Groenewald was trying to work his way through the field when he and veteran Willie Hepburn (Project Orange Chev Corvette) touched in the sweep at the end of the back straight.

Groenewald’s race ended in the gravel trap and Hepburn was later excluded from the results and then reinstated. Young Auby’s big lead was cut to nothing when the safety car was called into action while marshals moved the Groenewald car from a dangerous position.

At the restart the youngster held his nerve and came in ahead of big brother Mark and Briggs. Young Auby had a slice of luck when his gearbox seized 100 metres after the finish, and then Briggs fell foul of officialdom and was penalised three places for passing under yellow flags during the safety car period.

That elevated Richard Pinard, in a second Timken Jaguar, into third with Bjorn Roos fourth in the SP Racing Jaguar. Jaco Correia (Liqui Moly Chev Corvette) also moved up a place with Briggs finally classified sixth.

Two entertaining Engen VW Cup races saw Mathew Hodges (PG Glass VW Polo) and Jared Mortimer (Emerald Casino VW Polo) share the wins. Hodges took race one ahead of Mortimer and Miguel Psqualli (Xtreme Team VW Polo) with Kieran Quarmby (Gallardo VW Polo) and Hodges also on the podium in race two.

Series leader Gennaro Bonafede (Ferodo/Champion VW Polo) did not have a happy day with a seventh and a 10th. Bonafede, however, stays at the top of the championship.

Results
Engen VW Cup: Race 1 – 1 M Hodges (VW Polo); 2 J Mortimer (VW Polo); 3 M Pasqualli (VW Polo); 4 R Johnson (VW Polo); 5 G Gatland (VW Polo). Race 2 – 1 J Mortimer (VW Polo); 2 K Quarmby (VW Polo); 3 M Hodges (VW Polo); 4 B van Rhyn (VW Polo); 5 M Pasqualli (VW Polo).

Bridgestone Production Cars: Race 1 – 1 D Olivier (Subaru); 2 M Priest (Audi A4); 3 J Fourie (Audi A4); 4 T Sipuka (Nissan 350Z); 5 M Stephen (Audi A4). Class A – D Olivier (Subaru); Class T – S Duminy (Ford Focus); Class B – B Morgenrood (Mazda RX8); Class C – T Eloff (Fiat Grande Punto). Race 2 – E van der Linde (BMW 330); 2 A Taylor (BMW 330); 3 M Stephen (Audi A4); 4 M da Cunha (Nissan 350Z); 5 L Poulter (Nissan 350Z). Class A – E van der Linde (BMW 330); Class T – R Roets (Opel OPC); Class B – B Morgenrood (Mazda RX8); Class C – L Steyn (Fiat Grande Punto).
WesBank V8 Supercars: Race 1 – H Groenewald (Holden); 2 M Auby (Jaguar); 3 R Briggs (Jaguar); 4 W Hepburn (Chev Corvette); 5 G Connelly (Jaguar). Race 2 – 1 B Auby (Jaguar); 2 M Auby (Jaguar); 3 R Briggs (Jaguar); 4 R Pinard (Jaguar); 5 B Roos (Jaguar).

CitiBike Superbikes: Race 1 – 1 C Seller (Yamaha); 2 A Moodley (Suzuki); 3 C Leeson (Kawasaki); 4 G Gildenhuys (Honda); 5 R Portman (Suzuki). Race 2 – 1 C Seller (Yamaha); 2 C Leeson (Kawasaki); 3 G Gildenhuys (Honda); 4 A Moodley (Suzuki); 5 S Whyte (Suzuki).

CitiBike Supersport: Race 1 – 1 D Hellyer (Kawasaki); 2 D White (Yamaha); 3 L Isaacs (Suzuki); 4 G van Breda (Suzuki); 5 B Harran (Suzuki). Race 2 – 1 D Hellyer (Kawasaki); 2 L Isaacs (Suzuki); 3 G van Breda (Suzuki); 4 D White (Yamaha); 5 B Harran (Suzuki).