Summarize

Scribante leaves Swart, Bishop & Herholdt points apart

Slippery, damp and cold conditions added to the Alert Engine Parts WP GTi Challenge field already having to deal with unfamiliar territory as the series took a step into the unknown for it’s annual away race at the Aldo Scribante racetrack in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. The Alert GTi Challenge usually only races at Killarney, so class winners return to Cape Town with a unique feather in their caps. And the title top three balanced on a knife’s edge.

Jurie Swart’s flying pole position lap in his Summit Racing Polo 6R was not as sweet as it seemed for the class log leader, as his team raced to repair a broken clutch in time for the opening race. Marco Busi’s Automan Polo 6R qualified second ahead of Colin Meder's similar International Tube Technology car, with Summit racer Nathan Victor next on the grid from G+H lad Schalk Geldenhuys, Dillon Joubert’s TAC Steel car, and Cooltouch driver Raaziegh Harris.

There was a surprise in Class B as the damp conditions clearly favoured Kyle Wiltshire and his Summit Polo, which put a second on overall championship leader Tate Bishop's Angri Jetta 2 CLI and Ian Kapp's Hydracor Polo 6R. Zaki Hendricks worked hard to ready his similar yellow Wheelworx car for qualifying after rolling it in practice to go fifth from Steven Vermaak’s Ray’s Jetta.

Class C leader Chase Herholdt’s Unlimited Auto Golf 1 GTi topped qualifying in the all-Golf 1 GTi Brat Pack over Alfie van Zyl, with Dylan van Eden next up from Matthew Rowe Veldt Reared Golf, Nur Abass’ Spice Mecca car, Mo Khalpey’s MAD GTi, Summit Racing’s Seth van den Abeele and Sulaiman Effendi’s Cooltouch entry on an impressive 20-car touring Alert Engine Parts GTi Challenge grid.

Marco Busi made the better start to lead Jurie Swart into turn 1 as Nathan Victor made quick work of Colin Meder for third. That became second after teammate Swart ground to a halt, this time with gearbox issues halfway. So Meder picked up third with Dillon Joubert fourth on the road from Schalk Geldenhuys and Raaziegh Harris. Kyle Wiltshire troubled the Class A cars early on before spinning and slipping back into the clutches of Class B winner Tate Bishop with Vermaak third.
 
Chase Herholdt made class C his own despite Alfie van Zyl’s best efforts, while Matthew Rowe held Seth van den Abeele and Dylan van Eden at bay. Behind them,  Dylan van Eden, Sulaiman Effendi and Mohammed Khalpey entertained in a splendid little private dice.

Jurie Swart’s team dug deep to replace his gearbox in time for the second race start and he rewarded their efforts by passing Marco Busi on lap 2 to take a lead he would not relinquish. Nathan Victor held Colin Meder and Dillon Joubert off for fourth ahead of  Raaziegh Harris, but Joubert lost his points when his car was found to be out of spec. Tate Bishop took an easy B win over Ian Kapp and Steven Vermaak after Kyle Wiltshire hit gearbox trouble.

Chase Herholdt led Class c from lights to a lap from home when his car was beset with gearbox trouble and he was forced to limp home, allowing Matthew Rowe, Dylan van Eden and Seth van den Abeele onto the podium. Herholdt hung on for fourth from Sulaiman Effendi, Mohammed Khalpey and Nur Abass after Alfie van Zyl stopped.

Overall Busi took the day and Class A from Victor and Meder, Bishop won Class B from Vermaak and Wiltshire and Rowe took C from Herholdt and van Eden. And all these results did, was to close the Alert Engine Parts WP GTi Challenge top three title fight between Class A leader Jurie Swart, Class B leader Tate Bishop and C leader Chase Herholdt down to a handful of points between them with three rounds left to race, starting back home at Killarney on Saturday 3 September.

ENDS

Issued on behalf of Alert GTi Challenge

What:Alert Engine Parts GTi Challenge Round 6 Report
Where:Aldo Scribante, Gqeberha EP
When:Saturday 13 August 2022
Community:South Africa National

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