The Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series made their way to the rustic Midvaal Raceway in Meyerton on Saturday 7 May for the third round of the 2016 racing season with an impressive field of 25 cars assembling for an action packed day of racing.
Dino Fameliaris started well but reliability issues robbed him of a good result
Qualifying
Stefano Martinelli (E36 328i Turbo) claimed pole position ahead of Julian Fameliaris (E36 328i Turbo). Dino Fameliaris (E36 M3 Turbo) would line up on the second row of the grid with Riaan Woest (E46 M3 GTR) lining up alongside him.
Rick Loureiro (E30 3.2 CSL) would start from the third row of the grid with Paulo Loureiro (E36 M3) scoring his first top six grid position.
Race 1
Paulo Loureiro got the better of the experienced Sing
The first race of the day got off to a frantic start with the large field filtering through the first few corners. Unfortunately Woest’s race came to an early end through turn four when a loose battery terminal cut the power to his car. There were no such problems for the race leaders however as Dino Fameliaris used the long back straight to secure the lead ahead of Martinelli and his cousin Julian.
Rick Loureiro slotted into fourth position ahead of Mish-al Sing (E30 325is) and his brother Paulo Loureiro. The battle at the front continued with Julian getting past Martinelli on the third lap to claim second position. He inherited the lead shortly thereafter when Dino left the circuit through turn seven after a power steering belt broke on his car, ending his race almost immediately. Jan Eversteyn (E36 328i) ended his race in a plume of smoke down the back straight when the engine in his car cried enough on lap seven.
Julian crossed the line after ten laps of action to take an unchallenged Overall and class A victory. Martinelli claimed second place overall and first in class B, with Rick Loureiro taking a respectable third overall. Paulo Loureiro took an impressive win in class C on debut with Alex Desogus (E36 M3) taking the class D honours.
Top 3 Results by class
Class A
Julian Fameliaris – Best lap: 1:10.389
Julian Fameliaris was in a class of his own and took the double on the day
Class B
Stefano Martinelli – Best lap: 1:10.948
Rick Loureiro – Best lap: 1:13.000/li>
Class C
Paulo Loureiro – Best lap: 1:13.257
Mish-al Sing – Best lap: 1:13.892
Fred Kruger – Best lap: 1:13.675
Class D
Alex Desogus – Best lap: 1:17.686
Andy Smith – Best lap: 1:19.493
Bevan Meyer – Best lap: 1:19.421
Race 2
The battle for class C honours couldn’t have been closer
The traditional reverse grid by class for the second race always makes things interesting and this time was no different. The charge through the first few corners was closer than ever but thankfully with everyone getting through unscathed. Julian Fameliaris grabbed the lead ahead of his cousin Dino with Rick Loureiro and the rest of the field in tow.
Martinelli was on a charge however as he grabbed second place coming off the back straight. Dino’s charge was short lived however when mechanical gremlins forced him to retire before the end of the second lap.
The battle behind the leaders was just as close with Mike Grobler (E36 M3) fending off attacks from Sing, Andreas Meier (E36 M3) and a train of other cars. Sing grabbed fifth place on lap four with Meier and young Lorenzo Gaultieri (E36 328i) hot on his heels as well. Riaan Woest was driving like a man possessed after starting from the back of the grid. He passed Sing to grab fifth place at the half way point of the race and set his sights on the leaders. Rick’s race came to an unfortunate end when a burst radiator pipe forced him to retire the car on lap six. Woest continued his charge however as he got past Paulo Loureiro to claim third position.
When the chequered flag came out it was Fameliaris who took his second convincing Overall and class A victories on the day. Martinelli took the double in class B with Woest taking a fighting third Overall. Fifth placed Sing claimed the win in class C with Andy Smith (E36 318is Turbo) taking his first victory in class D.
Top 3 Results by class
Class A
Julian Fameliaris – Best lap: 1:11.790
Martinelli was the best of the rest with two solid performances
Class B
Stefano Martinelli – Best lap: 1:11.985
Riaan Woest – Best lap: 1:11.422
Paulo Loureiro – Best lap: 1:12.945
Class C
Mish-al Sing – Best lap: 1:13.515
Andreas Meier – Best lap: 1:13.021
Lorenzo Gaultieri – Best lap: 1:14.219
Class D
Andy Smith – Best lap: 1:20.031
Bevan Meyer – Best lap: 1:19.655
The next round of the Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series will return to Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria on the 16th of July. However, the week before will be the Bridgestone BMW CCG Track Day at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, 10 July 2016. An ideal opportunity to fine-tune car setups for the next round at Zwartkops.
For those eager to see any BMW action there will also be the Bridgestone Tar Gymkhana & 400m Challenge on the 5th of June at Tarlton Raceway. Also included on the day is a special category for race cars.
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.
