INEX Legends Championship – Round 7 – Red Star Raceway – 2016-08-13 – Race Report

The INEX Legends Championship headed to the Red Star Raceway on Saturday 13 August for the seventh round of their 2016 season.

The traditional ball draw for grid positions saw Jordan Larsson (N&S Bodyworks / Enviro Aire) grab pole position with Janeske Viljoen (INEX Legends SA) drawing second. Seef Fourie (Maxtrac / Denmar Steel) would line up in third position with Keagan Wessels (Liqui – Moly) lining up alongside him on the second row. Llewellyn Myburgh (Bamboo Racing) and Shaun Nel (Royal Purple Oil) rounding out the top six.

Race 1

The first race of the day saw Larsson take the lead ahead of Fourie, Wessels and Nel. Larsson blew his chances with a spin through turn three however, dropping him back in the field. Fourie then inherited the lead with Wessels hot on his heels. Clinton Bezuidenhout (Universal Healthcare) was up to third by the end of the first lap with Nel and Anton Repsold (Maxtrac / Denmar Steel) in tow.

Bezuidenhout claimed second place a lap later with Anro Stadler (Jentelle Racing) getting past Repsold for fifth. Richard Upton (R.U Racing) didn’t help his chances when he ran wide at the end of the straight. Nel also lost a few positions with a big slide through turn five but did well to regain control of the car. The reason for the slide became clear two laps later when he retired with a punctured tyre.

Justin Robertson (Big Boss Auto) had been charging through the field as well and he slotted into fourth spot on lap four. He did have his hands full with Lonika Maartens (Maxtrac / Denmar Steel) and Stadler however. Larsson was also on a charge as he then claimed fourth position a lap later bringing Maartens through with him. A late effort from Wessels saw him snatch second place on the last lap of the race as well.

Fourie held on for an unchallenged victory ahead of Wessels with Maartens inheriting third place after Bezuidenhout was slapped with a thirty second penalty for a jump start. Larsson was happy to take fourth with Robertson keeping Stadler at bay for fifth.

Race 1 Results

Race 2

Divan Myburgh (Bamboo Racing) took the lead ahead of a fast starting Robertson. Johann Jooste (Maxtrac / Denmar Steel) found himself in third position with Richard van Heerde (Browndeck Roofing) and Maartens in tow. Stadler didn’t help his chances with a spin early on the first lap.

Robertson grabbed the lead down the long back straight but Myburgh regained the position through the chicane coming onto the main straight. Maartens had worked her way up to third with Upton and Wessels making quick progress as well. Robertson then took the lead through turn two with Maartens and Upton trading places as well. A determined Myburgh reclaimed the lead through turn eight but Robertson got past him down the back straight once again.

Wessels passed Upton on the next lap and set about after Maartens. The pair both got past Myburgh to slot into the top three. A fired up Maartens then proceeded to take the lead as well. Fourie was on a charge once again as he worked himself into third position ahead of Upton and Wessels. Kanaya Maharaj (INEX Legends SA) ended his race day in a plume of smoke as his car’s engine let go down the main straight.

Fourie took second place a lap later but not before he and Robertson ran side by side from turns two to five without so much as a touch. Wessels followed Fourie’s example as he got past Upton through the next corner. An inspired Wessels then passed Fourie to claim second place for himself. The experienced Fourie was having none of that though as he regained the position through turn two on the last lap of the race.

Maartens put in an inspired performance to make history as the first female driver to win an INEX Legends race in South Africa overall. Team mate Fourie picked up second place with Wessels crossing the line for third. Robertson finished in a solid fourth place with Upton and Bezuidenhout rounding out the top six.

Race 2 Results

Race 3

The third and final race of the day saw a reverse grid based on the points scored from the previous two races. This would put the front runners at the back of the pack making for plenty of overtaking opportunities.

Shaun Nel took an early lead at the start with Johann van de Venter (Big Boss Auto) and Steve Nel (INEX Legends SA) in tow. Bezuidenhout had a great start and was up to second place before the end of the first lap. Larsson and Fourie followed suit and were latched onto his coat tails. Fourie then slipped past Larsson into third with Robertson making up positions behind them as well.

Bezuidenhout grabbed the lead on the second lap with Nel not aiding his chances as he ran wide coming onto the back straight. This allowed both Fourie and Larsson to slip past him as well. Maartens was on a charge once again as she muscled past Robertson to claim fifth. Fourie then gained the lead through turn two on lap three with Maartens following her team mate’s example as she passed Nel for fourth.

Robertson lost another position when Upton shot past him through turn one a lap later. Wessels followed suit as he also got past Robertson shortly thereafter. Larsson ran wide through turn six allowing Maartens to gain another position. Upton managed to get past Nel on lap six with Wessels adding insult to injury by overtaking him on the last lap as well.

Fourie went on to score his second win of the day with Bezuidenhout taking a hard fought second ahead of Maartens. Larsson picked up fourth place ahead of Upton with Wessels able to hold on for the sixth spot.

Race 3 Results

Current Top 5 Overall Championship

Current Top 3 in Class

The next round of the INEX Legends Championship will visit the Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria on the 3rd of September where they will be joining the Extreme Festival.

Race Report by: Greg Reilly
Event Photographs: www.RacePics.co.za
Media requests can be directed to: media@racepics.co.za
Website: www.legendsracing.co.za
Facebook: INEX Legends SA

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