Summarize

Mandela Bay’s 2021 season fires up at Aldo Scribante’

The opening round of the 2021 Eastern Province Regional Motor Racing Championships went down at the Aldo Scribante Racetrack outside Port Elizabeth on Saturday. It was a fun day of quality rather than quantity on track action that also saw the Algoa Club’s Development programs deliver some promising results.

Top of the program was the opening round of the Eastern Province Regional Saloon Car Championship, where Class A favourite Deon Slabbert came out with all guns blazing to sweep to three dominant wins aboard his Emerald Fire VW Polo. Behind him, Marais Ellis’ Class C Auto Magic BMW put one over Class B driver Duncan Lethbridge's St Francis Marine Polo in the opening race. 

Behind them, Class X trio Andrew Boshoff's Outback Bright’s VW Golf 1, Greg Forword’s Polo and Volkswagen AMSC development driver Xolela Njumbuxa’s Fuchs Brights Racing Polo entertained with some spirited racing. Slabbert sped off again in race 2 as Lethbridge restored the pecking order, while Steven Phillips’ Class C Pit Pro VW Golf 1 and Kelsey Davidson Stu Davidson Class X VW Polo SupaCup joined the action. Boshoff, Forword and Njumbuxa enjoyed another good scrap behind them.

Slabbert did the triple over Ellis and Davidson, while Forword, Phillips, Boshoff and Njumbuxa entertained again as Lethbridge hit trouble in the final. So Slabbert took the day from Ellis, Forword, Boshoff and impressive development rookie Njumbuxa all split by a few seconds overall.

Sticking with the development theme, Dylan Grobler was also in fine form in his Honda NSF 100, where he led Ethan Diener home in all three races. There was a thrilling scrap behind between Red Dragon AMSC Development duo Thandolwethu Mphuthi and Anikilitha Nombana, who moved up to third in the second and third races to take the podium slot for the day. Dylan Grobler was also on form in the Honda CBR 150 races, where he beat the battling William Kew and Jessica Vermaak, Michele Konig and Ethan Diener.

Also on two wheels, Unlimited rider Jason Lamb’s Kawasaki ZX10 took the day in the EP Motorcycles from 600 charger Chris Webster's Yamaha R6 and Wade Wright’s similar Go Store It machine. Jaco Scholtz' JS Suzuki GSXR 750 was second in Unlimited and fourth overall from Pierre Le Roux's Buffalo ZX10 after Travis Naude Buco ZX10 7.715 retired. Louis van Wyk’s R6 was third in the 600s and Richard Hawkins’ Conticare Kawasaki ER500 took 650 honours.

Johan Anker took Historic bike honours on his Yamaha FZ1000 ahead of Bernard Els Yamaha TRX 850, which enjoyed a tight battle with Malcolm Burrows MK GSXR 750 ahead of Glen Elliott Red Dragon GSXR 750 Presling and William Kew's Kawasaki ZX9. There was tight action in the 300s, where Graigen Nel’s KTM 300 overcame close race 1 winner Oliver McKay's MAC Kawasaki ZX 400 to win the remaining races to take the day.

Back on four wheels, Rudolf De Vos thundered to Coastal Challenge and Historic victory with three straight wins in his Chevy Can Am ahead of the duelling Rane Berry Goodwrench's Datsun Skyline, Gordon Bennett's Tiger Wheel J Bay Opel Rekord and Dinesh Coopoo's Concept Wheels BMW 2002 ti. Pat Fourie’s Wide Horizon Nissan Maxima and Loren Sampson's Datsun SSS were next up.

Last but not least, the ever-popular PE Street and Fine Cars entertained as Tom Hugo beat Greg Forword’s VW Polo in race 1 with Gordon Nicholson’s Bright’s Audi and Andrew Boshoff's Outback Brights VW Golf next up. Nicholson was far enough ahead to escape a 4-second break out penalty in race 2 from Hugo, Forword, Boshoff and Joel Steenekamp’s Shadow 2000. Hugo took the final from Nicholson and Forword as that trio came home in that order overall.

The second round of the EP Regional Motor Racing Championships happens on 6 March.

ENDS

Issued on behalf of Aldo Scribante Racetrack

What:EP Regionals Round 1 Race Report
Where:Aldo Scribante Racetrack, Port Elizabeth
When:Saturday 6 February 2021
Community:Port Elizabeth Regional.

For further information please contact sparkyb@vodamail.co.za

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