Hendriks Junior was the leader of the pack at the start
The Alfa Trofeo Series set out to chilly Midvaal Raceway on Saturday 20 June for the fourth round of the 2015 championship.
Once again the youngsters from the MG Youth Project were invited to join in on the action as well.
Disaster struck for Paul Griffin (Sud) before the race had even started however when a broken oil seal during qualifying put paid to his chances of a decent race day.
Race 1
De Carvalho was in dominant form in both races
Pole man John Hendriks (Sud) led the pack through the first few corners with Jose Jardim (Guilia Sprint) and Jose De Carvalho (155 GTA Twin Spark) in tow. Christopher Tarboton (Berlina) slotted into fourth position with Ralph Kernes (Alfetta) and Kyle Viljoen (145) hot on his heels.
De Carvalho was on an early charge as he passed Jardim down the back straight to pick up second place. Kernes followed his example and passed Tarboton to claim fourth, with Cameron McLeod (MGA) slotting into sixth. Phillip Hendriks (Sprint) was also making up for lost time as he passed Viljoen through turn three to pick up seventh position.
De Carvalho continued his charge and passed Hendriks Junior down the back straight to take the lead on lap four. Hendriks Senior followed suit as he passed Tarboton to pick up yet another spot as well. With the end of the race looming Kernes made a concerted effort to get past Jardim to claim fourth on the penultimate lap of the race.
When the chequered flag came out it was De Carvalho who claimed the victory. Hendriks Junior held on to second place with McLeod picking up two positions on the last lap of the race to claim a well-deserved third position.
Race 1 – Results
Jose De Carvalho – Best lap 1:22.999
John Hendriks – Best lap 1:25.915
Cameron McLeod – Best lap 1:24.491
Ralph Kernes – Best lap 1:26.006
Jose Jardim – Best lap 1:26.026
Phillip Hendriks – Best lap 1:25.559
Race 2
Kernes consistency led to a third overall
The second race of the day picked up where the first one left off with De Carvalho leading the field after the first lap. The battle behind him was closer than ever with a trio of cars all fighting for the same piece of tarmac.
When the dust had settled Mcleod, Hendriks Junior and Kernes emerged in what would turn out to be a ding dong battle for the rest of the podium places in the race. Hendriks Senior was trying to hold onto their coat tails but just didn’t seem to be able to match their pace.
The battle behind them saw Jardim and Tarboton involved in a tussle of their own with both drivers being very evenly matched. Bhagved Singh (MGB) also had his hands full as he battled to keep Viljoen and Anthony Theobald (Guilia) at bay. The second placed battle was closer than ever with Hendriks Junior putting in his fastest lap on the penultimate lap of the race trying to find a way past the MG driver.
But it was De Carvalho who crossed the line to take his second win of the day. McLeod only just held Hendriks Junior at bay to claim second position – 0.352 separating the pair as they crossed the line!
Race 2 – Results
Jose De Carvalho – Best lap 1:24.143
Cameron McLeod – Best lap 1:25.205
John Hendriks – Best lap 1:23.970
Ralph Kernes – Best lap 1:24.859
Phillip Hendriks – Best lap 1:25.139
Jose Jardim – Best lap 1:26.527
The fifth round of the championship will head back to Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday 18 July.
The new sprint race format has worked well and has now been adopted as the way forward for the category. Hopefully this will inspire more Alfa fanatics to get more involved with the fun and action.
De Carvalho set the tone in qualifying in his beautiful racer
The Alfa Trofeo Series gathered at the popular Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday 16 May for the third round of the 2015 championship.
With a sprint race format set for this event the racing was expected to be fast and furious.
For the second time in as many races the youngsters from the MG Youth Project were invited to join the fun as well and entered two cars for the event.
Race 1
Holt had a good run in the MG
Pole man Jose De Carvalho (155 GTA Twin Spark) led the charge down to the first corner with John Hendriks (Sud), Shane Coetzer (33) and the rest of the field in tow.
Phillip Hendriks (Sprint) slotted into fourth position with Kyle Viljoen (145) and Christopher Tarboton (Berlina) hot on his heels. Gavin Holt was making good progress in his MG with series newcomer Danny Kloes (GTV) also finding some pace. Coetzer’s race ended before it had begun however when his car ran bearings on lap three, forcing him into immediate retirement and putting a premature end to his race day.
With the leading trio on a charge out in front the fight for the minor positions was far from over. MG Youth Programme competitor Holt was making good progress as he passed both Tarboton and Viljoen to pick up fourth position by lap four.
The battle behind the MG front runner was heating up with Viljoen under huge pressure from Tarboton and Kloes as well. The crowd on the pit wall held their breath as the trio ran three abreast heading into turn one on lap five. Tarboton managed to pass Viljoen to grab fifth position. Kloes then relegated Viljoen to seventh a lap later as the latter struggled with under steer. A last lap move then saw Kloes grab fifth position from Tarboton as well.
When the chequered flag dropped it was De Carvalho who claimed an easy victory. Hendriks Junior had to work hard as he only just held on to second place ahead of his father.
Tarboton and Singh had a close tussle
Race 1 – Results
Jose De Carvalho – Best lap 1:20.072
John Hendriks – Best lap 1:24.796
Phillip Hendriks – Best lap 1:24.716
Gavin Holt – Best lap 1:25.010
Danny Kloes – Best lap 1:25.550
Christopher Tarboton – Best lap 1:26.735
Race 2
Hendriks Senior and Kloes both picked up great results
The second race of the day picked up where the first one left off with De Carvalho grabbing the lead through the first corner with John and Phillip Hendriks in tow. Bhagved Singh took over from Holt for the second race and slotted into fourth position on the opening lap as well.
Kloes was the man on the move however as he manoeuvred past Singh, Hendriks Senior and Hendriks Junior to claim second position by the end of the first lap! Hendriks Senior followed his example as he passed his son to take third position a lap later. Tarboton was also on a charge as he took fifth position from Singh on the same lap.
Viljoen scuppered his chances when he ran wide coming out of turn eight at the halfway point of the race, leaving bits of splintered spoiler all over the infield. Hendriks Senior continued his charge as he closed in on Kloes and then passed him to grab second position on the sixth lap. Tarboton followed his example as he got past Hendriks Junior to pick up fourth as well. Race leader De Carvalho then found the limits of his car as he lost the back end of his car through turn one, unfortunately hitting the wall backwards. He then tried to get going again but had to admit defeat as he retired down the back straight.
Hendriks Senior picked up the lead and charged home to claim the race win. Kloes had an inspired drive as he netted a well-deserved second position. With Hendriks Junior slowing with overheating problems late in the race, a surprised Tarboton was happy to pick up a respectable third position.
The addition of the Youth Programme MG’s to the field has certainly added some colour to the series
Race 2 – Results
Phillip Hendriks – Best lap 1:23.916
Danny Kloes – Best lap 1:24.858
Gavin Holt – Best lap 1:24.322
Christopher Tarboton – Best lap 1:24.457
Cameron McLeod (MG MGB) – Best lap 1:26.373
Kyle Viljoen – Best lap 1:26.789
Overall Results
Category 1 – Phillip Hendriks
Category 2 – Christopher Tarboton
Category 3 – Anthony Theobald
Alfa Youth Category – Kyle Viljoen
MG Youth Category – Gavin Holt / Bhagved Singh
The fourth round of the championship will be held at the rustic Midvaal Raceway on Saturday 20 June. Be sure not to miss out on the action!
