The popular Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series made their way to the Phakisa Freeway on Saturday 2 April for the second round of the 2016 racing season with an impressive 27 car field setting out for qualifying.
Winterboer announced his intentions early on
Qualifying
Zimbabwean import Darren Winterboer (F30 335i Turbo) claimed pole position ahead of Julian Fameliaris (E36 328i Turbo) in his first appearance for the year. Riaan Woest (E46 M3 GTR) would line up on the second row of the grid with Stefano Martinelli (E36 328i Turbo) lining up alongside him in his first appearance of the season as well.
Dino Fameliaris (E36 M3 Turbo) would start from the third row of the grid with Rick Loureiro (E30 3.2 CSL) scoring another top six starting position for the second event in succession.
Race 1
Dodd and Loureiro were involved in a titanic battle of their own
The first race of the day got off to a dramatic start when a clash between Woest and Warren Dodd (E46 M3) saw Woest turned around in front of the chasing pack. Chaos then ensued as Alex Desogus (E36 M3) spun as well and was then tagged by Jan Eversteyn (E36 328i) who was left with nowhere to go. The damage to Woest and Desogus’ cars sent them into immediate retirement.
When the race was restarted it was Winterboer who took the lead with Julian and Dino Fameliaris in tow. Martinelli slotted into fourth position with Dodd and Loureiro hot on his heels. Graham Nathan (E10 2002) was picking up positions hand over first after a misfire in qualifying put paid to a decent starting position.
Dino Fameliaris’ chances came to an end on the fourth lap when he slowed with mechanical issues while Martinelli ended his race on the same lap with a mysterious steering problem coming out of the second last corner. With the leaders off into the distance a great battle had developed for third position with Dodd having to drive the wheels off of his car to keep Loureiro behind him. Fifth placed Mish-al Sing (E30 325is) was being kept busy by young Lorenzo Gaultieri (E36 328i). Jorge Estrella (E36 328i Turbo) and series newcomer Willie Erasmus (E36 M3) were also putting in some great laps as they chased after the leading pack.
Julian Fameliaris saw his hopes of a decent result go out of the window when he slowed on lap six when the boost pipe came off his cars turbo. Some last lap antics then saw Dodd and Loureiro trading positions, while Gaultieri managed to get past the experienced Sing as well to pick up the class C lead.
Top 3 Results by class
Class A
Darren Winterboer – Best lap: 1:46.963
Julian Fameliaris – Best lap: 1:48.039
Martinelli relished the turbo charged power of his beast
Class B
Warren Dodd – Best lap: 1:52.775
Rick Loureiro – Best lap: 1:52.757
Class C
Lorenzo Gaultieri – Best lap: 1:53.148
Mish-al Sing – Best lap: 1:53.436
Jorge Estrella – Best lap: 1:54.046
Class D
Craig Ball – Best lap: 1:57.781
Graham Nathan – Best lap: 1:58.957
Bevan Meyer – Best lap: 1:59.714
Race 2
Gaultieri drove the wheels off of his entry
The traditional reverse grid by class for the second race would once again set the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons. The charge through the first corner was far more controlled this time around with everyone getting through unscathed. Dino Fameliaris grabbed the lead ahead of his cousin Julian with Winterboer and the rest of the field in tow.
Julian took the lead before the end of the opening lap however and led the field across the line for the first time. Martinelli also had a great start as he slotted into fourth position behind the leading trio. Loureiro shot past Dodd through the sweep to pick up fifth position as well. Despite starting from the back of the grid, Woest was making up positions hand over fist as he drove like a man possessed. He was up to seventh position before the end of the second lap!
Martinelli was also on the move as he grabbed third position from Dino a lap later. Woest continued his charge as he shot past Dodd to grab a top six position by lap three. The pair seemed to spur each other on as Martinelli grabbed second place a lap later with Woest slotting into fourth. The battle behind the leading pack was closer than ever with Loureiro holding Gaultieri and Dodd at bay for fifth position. Mechanical gremlins returned to haunt Dino yet again as he slowed down the back straight on lap four.
The battle at the sharp end of the field was far from over as Martinelli closed in on Winterboer with two laps to go. With an overheating issue slowing Winterboer, Martinelli grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He dived down the inside of the Zimbabwean to take the lead through the very fast double right hand sweep coming off the back straight. Dodd lost a few places through the same corner when he ran wide on the same lap – luckily being able to recover without much more than a bruised ego.
When the chequered flag came out it was Martinelli who took his first Overall and class B victory in the series. Winterboer held on for second place taking the class A honours in the process, while Julian only just held a determined Woest at bay to claim third. Sixth placed Gaultieri took the double in class C ahead of an impressive Dean Kendal (E36 328i Turbo), with Ball taking the double in class D once again.
Top 3 Results by class
Class A
Darren Winterboer – Best lap: 1:46.732
Julian Fameliaris – Best lap: 1:50.752
Ball took the double in class D with more consistent driving
Class B
Stefano Martinelli – Best lap: 1:49.257
Riaan Woest – Best lap: 1:51.127
Rick Loureiro – Best lap: 1:51.89
Class C
Lorenzo Gaultieri – Best lap: 1:53.157
Dean Kendal – Best lap: 1:53.491
Mish-al Sing – Best lap: 1:54.500
Class D
Craig Ball – Best lap: 1:59.346
Alex Desogus – Best Lap: 1:59.773
Bevan Meyer – Best lap: 2:01.291
The next round of the Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series will visit the Midvaal Raceway outside Vereeniging on the 7th of May. However, before then there will be the Bridgestone BMW CCG Track Day at Red Star Raceway on Saturday, 16 April 2016. This would be an ideal opportunity to fine-tune their car setups for the next round.
Even experienced National drivers find the time to race in this fantastic series – Nathan seen here in the immaculate Peter Kaye Eddie 2002
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More about BMW Car Club Gauteng
The Club was formed in 1981 to afford like minded enthusiasts the opportunity to interact with each other through a comprehensive calendar of events, a club magazine and website portal. The Club also organizes adrenaline and social based events such as breakfast runs, classic car gatherings, Concours d’Elegance competitions, noggins, weekend trips, gymkhana’s and top speed events. The Club is proud of its family ethos where all enthusiasts are welcome. Annual membership starts from as little as R350, more information is available at www.bmwcarclub.co.za.
