Volkswagen Motorsport’s Daniel Rowe and Keagan Masters shared GTC race wins this past weekend in Port Elizabeth (October 30-31) while Robbie Wolk took his first season victory for the Chemical Logistics team in Race 3. Brad Liebenberg extended his GTC SupaCup Championship lead with three wins at Aldo Scribante Racetrack’s Volkswagen Race Day.
Near-perfect weekend for Volkswagen Motorsport in GTC
The Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTi pair of Rowe and Masters dominated Saturday morning by locking out the front row of the grid in qualifying. Port Elizabeth resident Rowe narrowly beat reigning champion Masters to the Dunlop Pole Position by 0.003 of a second. The Chemical Logistic Toyota Corolla pair of Robert Wolk and debutant Julian van der Watt qualified in third and fourth positions. Dealing with mechanical difficulties, the Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa Corolla pair of Mandla Mdakane and Michael van Rooyen completed the grid.
Rowe held the lead off the line in Race 1 while Masters and Wolk jostled for position. It was a lights-to-flag win for Rowe while setting a new lap record, with Wolk and Masters rounding out the podium. Van der Watt finished his first race in fourth place. Van Rooyen moved up to fifth place off the line, but on the penultimate lap, a fuel-sensor problem saw him losing pace and giving the position back to Mdakane.
Race 2 saw a close battle at the front between Masters – who took the win – and runner-up Wolk. In the process, he also eclipsed Rowe’s lap record from earlier. Van Rooyen occupied third place until Lap 8 when a wiring problem forced him to retire. Rowe beat Van der Watt to fourth place. Mdakane finished in fifth.
An incident around the opening corner in Race 3 saw Masters stranded on the side of the circuit while Van Rooyen had steering component damage. Subsequently, the race was stopped. Van Rooyen was not able to have the damage on his car repaired while Mdakane’s car would not start. Rowe and Masters both had to start from pit lane. The restart saw Van der Watt taking a brief lead, but on Lap 2 he spun off and handed the position to Wolk. Masters occupied second place, but a mechanical failure forced him to retire with two laps to go. This saw Rowe finishing as runner-up while Van der Watt took his maiden podium finish.
Liebenberg dominates in GTC SupaCup
Brad Liebenberg (Nathan’s Motorsport) secured his second Dunlop Polo Position ahead of championship rival Jeffrey Kruger (Universal Racing). Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Squadra Corse) lined up on the grid in third place ahead of Andre Bezuidenhout (Team Perfect Circle); the latter’s car had to be rebuilt on Friday following an incident in Practice 1. Shaun Duminy (SMD Exotics) qualified in fifth ahead of Rui Campos (Campos Racing); Campos replaced his son Jason who missed the round due to family commitments. Saul Hack (Team Perfect Circle) qualified in seventh place ahead of Johan de Bruyn (OdorCure) and Paul Hill (Kalex Racing).
Liebenberg held off Kruger to take a lights-to-flag victory in Race 1 while Mogotsi was in close pursuit on his way to third place. Hack gradually made up positions in the opening laps before slotting into fourth place. Further back, Duminy and Campos had a good tussle for fifth place. Hill took sixth place ahead of De Bruyn. Bezuidenhout completed the field.
In Race 2, Liebenberg again held off Kruger in a race-long battle to take his second victory. Mogotsi took his second podium finish for the day ahead of Hack. Duminy took fifth place following a battle with Campos. Hill held off Bezuidenhout for seventh place. De Bruyn completed the field after falling to the back following a spin on Lap 1.
In Race 3, he won the race with a slight margin of comfort, while Kruger and Mogotsi again rounded out the podium. Hack and Bezuidenhout finished in fourth and fifth positions. Campos beat De Bruyn and Duminy to sixth place while Hill completed the finishers list.
The final round of the season will take place this coming weekend (November 6-7) at Zwartkops Raceway.
