Race Report: Liqui Moly Legends Championship – Round 7 – Phakisa Freeway

The Liqui Moly Legends Championship series headed to the Phakisa Freeway in Welkom for the seventh round of the 2015 championship on Saturday 15 August.

A healthy field of entries made the long trip to the Free State mining town for the first time this season.

As usual the traditional ball draw would set the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons.

Franco di Matteo (Master) drew pole position ahead of Johann van der Venter (Master). Justin Robertson (Master) would start from the second row with Willie Erasmus (Pro) alongside him.

Fred Els (Master) would start from fifth position with Keagan Wessels (Semi-Pro) rounding out the top six. Championship contenders Seef Fourie (Pro) and Devin Robertson (Pro) would start from ninth and eleventh positions respectively.

The charge through the first corner was closer than ever

The start of the first race saw a frantic charge through turn one with the pack running four abreast at some stages! Di Matteo held onto the lead with Robertson Senior, Erasmus and Wessels in tow. Robertson Junior took to the grass in an effort to find his way past the rest of the chasing pack.

Erasmus grabbed the lead through turn three at the start of the second lap with Robertson Junior already up to second. Wessels took third position coming off the back straight with Fourie relegating Di Matteo even further through the sweep. Robertson Junior was in the lead by the time the train of cars had passed the start line again with Fourie getting past Erasmus to slot into second place.

The Young Lions competitors were also on a charge from the back of the grid with Clinton Bezuidenhout up to sixth position and Lonika Maartens up to eighth. Bezuidenhout’s efforts were short lived however when a puncture forced him to pit for new rubber. Maartens picked up where she left off as she grabbed sixth position from Robertson Senior a lap later.

Di Matteo was on a comeback as he regained fourth place from Wessels and set about after the leading trio. Erasmus followed his example as he regained the second spot through the “Boot” on lap five. Maartens picked up fifth position with a well-timed move to get past Wessels a lap later.

In a sublime move she then passed Di Matteo around the outside of the double right hand sweep coming off the back straight to grab fourth on the same lap! The move seemed to have caught the experienced veteran off guard as Wessels relegated him to sixth position as well.

Robertson Junior took the first victory of the day with Fourie pipping Erasmus to the line by the narrowest of margins to pick up second place – 0.160 separating the pair across the line! Maartens scored her best result to date to take the Young Lions honours, while Wessels took the win in the Semi-Pro class. Sixth placed Di Matteo was the top ranked Master.

Maartens was in breath taking form all weekend

Race 1 Results

1. Devin Robertson – Best lap: 1:56.025
2. Seef Fourie – Best lap: 1:56.794
3. Willie Erasmus – Best lap: 1:57.632
4. Lonika Maartens – Best lap: 1:57.201
5. Keagan Wessels – Best lap: 1:58.154
6. Franco Di Matteo – Best lap: 1:57.565

Robertson Junior and Fourie were the men to beat once again

An inverted grid based on the ball draw for the first race would shake things up once again. Robertson Junior and Fourie made short work of getting to the front of the pack with Steve Nel (Master) and Els in tow.

Wessels ran wide coming out of turn one and shot across the track in front of the chasing pack, narrowly missing the barriers in the process before he was able to find his way back onto the black stuff.

Di Matteo and Erasmus were also on a charge as they slotted into third and fourth positions respectively by lap two. Robertson Senior was in fifth with Wessels recovering well to find himself in sixth place. Once again the Young Lions contenders were putting in another sterling performance from the back of the grid.

Bezuidenhout had worked his way up to seventh with team mate Maartens hot on his heels. Bezuidenhout grabbed sixth position from Robertson Senior by lap three, and then proceeded to grab fifth place from Wessels a lap later. This was short lived however as the pair regained their positions before the lap was over.

A determined Bezuidenhout wasn’t about to give up that easily as he then re-took sixth position from Robertson Senior a lap later. Maartens followed his example and relegated the veteran driver back to eighth. The two youngsters were clearly fired up as they both passed Wessels down the back straight on the sixth lap. Bezuidenhout was closing down on Di Matteo at a rapid rate of knots and proceeded to grab fourth position on the penultimate lap of the race.

Maartens followed his example with a brilliant move down the inside of the veteran through turn three. Wessels and Robertson Senior then seized the opportunity to get past the “Italian Stallion” as well.

When the chequered flag came out it was Robertson Junior who claimed his second victory of the day ahead of Fourie. Erasmus took the last step of the podium once again with another consistent drive. Bezuidenhout was more than happy to take the win in the Young Lions class, while Wessels picked up the Semi-Pro honours once again. Seventh placed Robertson Senior beat Di Matteo to the line to claim the Masters laurels.

Bezuidenhout finally had the opportunity to show his talent

Race 2 Results

1. Devin Robertson – Best lap: 1:56.721
2. Seef Fourie – Best lap: 1:58.703
3. Willie Erasmus – Best lap: 1:58.109
4. Clinton Bezuidenhout – Best lap: 1:58.450
5. Lonika Maartens – Best lap: 1:58.678
6. Keagan Wessels – Best lap: 1:58.342

Wessels was back to his old form as he took consistent results in all three races

The final race of the day would see a full reverse grid, apart from the Young Lions competitors who would once again start from the back. The charge down to the first corner was another frantic affair. Di Matteo grabbed the lead ahead of van der Venter, with Erasmus and Robertson Junior in hot pursuit.

Erasmus had grabbed the lead by the end of the first lap with team leader Robertson Junior hot on his heels. Di Matteo dropped back to third position with Shaun Nel (Pro) getting past van der Venter for fourth. Wessels was chasing the pair down as well with Fourie battling his way through the pack to join the pursuit.

The second lap saw Fourie fight his way through to grab fourth position, with Wessels holding onto his coat tails. Maartens appeared from nowhere to slot in behind them, while Nel dropped further back with a loss of power.

Bezuidenhout was on a charge once again and slotted in behind Maartens by the end of the lap. Robertson Junior took the lead down the back straight as he powered past his team mate. Maartens then dived up the inside of Wessels to pick up fifth position as well.

Wessels wasn’t about to take the challenge lying down as he regained the position a few corners later and set about trying to catch fourth placed Fourie. He made his move on lap six when he dived down the inside of the experienced Fourie coming onto the main straight. Maartens followed suit as a mysterious misfire seemed to slow Fourie’s pace. Maartens was driving with skill beyond her years as she then grabbed fourth position from Wessels on the penultimate lap of the race as well.

Robertson Junior topped off a successful day with yet another victory to claim the Triple Crown. Erasmus held on for a solid second place with Di Matteo happy to take third position and first in the Masters class. An impressive Maartens picked up her second win in the Young Lions class to stamp her authority amongst her peers. Wessels made it three out of three in the Semi-Pro class to bag a full house of points.

The series consistently brings the biggest fields to the track

Race 3 Results

1. Devin Robertson – Best lap: 1:56.379
2. Willie Erasmus – Best lap: 1:56.394
3. Franco Di Matteo – Best lap: 1:58.441
4. Lonika Maartens – Best lap: 1:58.232
5. Keagan Wessels – Best lap: 1:58.343
6. Seef Fourie – Best lap: 1:58.356