The final round of the 2015 Liqui Moly Legends Championship was held at the Red Star Raceway on Saturday 28 November. As always the traditional ball draw for grid positions would shake things up for the first race of the day. Seef Fourie (Pro) drew pole position ahead of Fred Els (Master). Willie Erasmus (Pro) drew third position with Shaun Nel (Pro) starting alongside him. Newly crowned champion Devin Robertson (Pro) would start from the third row with Divan Myburgh (Pro) making a welcome return in sixth.
Liqui Moly Legends Championship – Round 11 – Red Star Raceway
Race 1
Pole man Seef Fourie had his hands full with fast starting team mates Willie Erasmus and Devin Robertson challenging him for the lead early on. Divan slotted into fourth position after his cousin Llewellyn Myburgh (Pro) and Keagan Wessels (Semi-pro) tangled coming onto the main straight at the end of the first lap.
Robertson grabbed the lead on lap two with Divan taking second onto the back straight. Erasmus used the opportunity to relegate Fourie to fourth, but Fourie retook the position a lap later down the back straight. The battle behind the leaders was just as close. Franco Di Matteo (Master), Anro Stadler (Semi-pro) and Nel were fighting tooth and nail for sixth position, with a recovered Llewellyn Myburgh closing in on them quickly as well.
Clinton Bezuidenhout (Young Lion) soon joined the party when he got past Nel for eighth position. Llewellyn continued his charge by overtaking both Stadler and Di Matteo, and then passed Justin Robertson (Master) for fifth position on the penultimate lap of the race as well.
Robertson proved why he is the three time SA champ by taking a comfortable Overall and Pro class victory ahead of Divan and Fourie. Sixth placed Robertson Senior took the Masters win with ninth placed Bezuidenhout taking the Young Lions category. The Semi-pro honours went to eleventh placed Stadler.
The drama started early in race one
Race 1 Results
Devin Robertson – Best lap: 2:14.077
Divan Myburgh – Best lap: 2:14.535
Seef Fourie – Best lap: 2:14.325
Willie Erasmus – Best lap: 2:15.781
Llewellyn Myburgh – Best lap: 2:14.703
Justin Robertson – Best lap: 2:17.079
2015 series Champion Robertson took first blood
Race 2
The second race of the day would be a repeat of the first with nonstop action highlighting a brilliant six lap sprint race. Llewellyn’s luck ran out once again when he was turned around through turn one at the start of the race – by his cousin Divan no less. Justin Robertson took the lead through turn one with Franco Di Matteo and the rest of the pack in tow. Devin Robertson was up to second by the end of the first lap with Stadler relegating Di Matteo to fourth.
Robertson Junior then grabbed the lead when his uncle ran wide coming out of turn one on the next lap. Di Matteo slotted into second and was followed by Divan, Stadler, Nel and Wessels with Robertson Senior re-joining in seventh place. Fourie was also fighting his way through the pack from fourteenth on the grid and quickly took a hand full of positions to move into fifth by lap three! A fired up Fourie then took fourth place from Nel through turn two, with Wessels getting past Nel through turn six on the same lap.
Nel seemed to be battling with a loss of power as both Robertson Senior and Stadler passed him on the same lap too. Fourie continued his charge as he took third place from Di Matteo on the penultimate lap of the race. Young Wessels was having the race of his life when he slotted in behind the experienced Fourie as well, dropping Di Matteo another spot down the leader board.
Robertson went on to take another comfortable Overall and Pro class victory – this time ahead of Divan. Fourie only just kept Semi-pro winner Wessels at bay to take third position. Fifth placed Di Matteo took the Masters honours with eleventh placed Lonika Maartens taking the Young Lions laurels.
Fourie and Wessels had a close but clean battle for third position
Race 2 Results
Devin Robertson – Best lap: 2:14.525
Divan Myburgh – Best lap: 2:15.015
Seef Fourie – Best lap: 2:14.680
Keagan Wessels – Best lap: 2:15.882
Franco Di Matteo – Best lap: 2:18.129
Llewellyn Myburgh – Best lap: 2:15.060
The battle for the lead could not have been closer
Race 3
A better script could not have been written for the final race of the day. A four way battle for the lead earmarked a fitting finale’ to the end of the 2015 racing season. The traditional reverse grid for the last race set the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons as always. Willie Erasmus didn’t help his chances when he ran wide through turn one however.
Llewellyn Myburgh grabbed an early lead ahead of the rest of the pack. Seef Fourie slotted into second by the end of lap one with Devin Robertson and Keagan Wessels in tow. Divan Myburgh was on a charge as well and was up to fifth shortly thereafter. Robertson took the lead on lap two with Llewellyn, Fourie and Divan in tow. The battle behind the leaders was just as close with young Clinton Bezuidenhout grabbing fifth place ahead of Wessels and the rest of the pack.
The leading quartet were involved in a battle royal, with positions being changed through almost every corner. Divan was up to second on lap five and then dived past Robertson a lap later coming onto the back straight to take the lead. Fourie was still hot on their heels with Llewellyn dropping back slightly. The fifth place battle was just as close with Bezuidenhout having to hold off Wessels and a recovered Erasmus.
Divan took the narrowest of victories over newly crowned Champion Robertson – 0.105 of a second separating them across the line! Fourie did enough to hold onto third position with Bezuidenhout getting the better of Wessels and Erasmus in their own battle further back in the pack. Divan ended the season where he had started – with an Overall and Pro class victory. Fifth placed Bezuidenhout took his second Young Lions victory of the day with sixth placed Wessels doing the same in the Semi-pro category. Ninth placed Robertson Senior would end the season on a high with another win in the Masters category.
Saturday 28 November will fittingly see the Liqui Moly Legends Championship return to where the season all started – the Red Star Raceway in Delmas for the final round of the 2015 Championship. The difference this time being that the series will run the full circuit instead of the half circuit like they did before.
Round 11 – Red Star Raceway – 2015-11-28
Devin Robertson (Pro) re-wrote the record books by claiming his third title in a row at the previous event a few weeks ago, and will be driving for pride and place at the top of the points table.
The battle for second place is far from over however with Seef Fourie (Pro) holding a slight advantage over Robertson’s team mate, Willie Erasmus (Pro). Erasmus still holds an outside chance of taking second place if things go pear shaped for Fourie on the day.
Franco di Matteo (Master) has closed the gap to Erasmus once again and will be focussed on trying to get himself into the top three at this event as well. A brace of good results from Justin Robertson (Master) has seen him jump up two places to fifth position in the championship and he could very well challenge the “Italian Stallion” for the Masters title which is still up for grabs.
Shaun Nel (Pro) moves into the top six after Llewellyn Myburgh (Pro) missed the penultimate round of the championship a few weeks ago. He is now only five points ahead of Myburgh however and the pair will no doubt be fighting it out for a top six finish in the Championship.
Keagan Wessels (Semi-Pro) holds onto eighth position despite missing the Midvaal event a few weeks ago. But he will most certainly have to worry about young Lonika Maartens (YL) who is only eighty points behind him. Fred Els (M) maintains his tenth position and will be looking to end the season on a high as well.
The long circuit will certainly bring out a new dimension for those competing, with the racing expected to be closer than ever!
Franco Di Matteo – 2015 Super Saloons GTA Class Champion
South African racing legend Franco Di Matteo has done the unthinkable.
He has claimed his second V8 racing title in as many years this past weekend at the Midvaal Raceway outside of Meyerton in the Vaal Triangle.
Technically this is the second title that the veteran racer has won this year as he was only acknowledged as the rightful 2014 National V8 Supercars Champion five months ago.
This was due to the torturous six month legal battle that ensued after the final event of the last National Super Series event at the end of the 2014 racing season, tainting what should have been the realisation of a dream for the popular “Italian Stallion”.
However Di Matteo has proven in no uncertain terms what a worthy champion he is by taking the 2015 Super Saloons GTA Class Championship as well – a category created especially for the former National V8 Supercars Championship within the ranks of the Northern Regions Inland Series.
2015 Liqui Moly Legends Masters Championship
Not only has Di Matteo claimed this title but he also currently leads the 2015 Liqui Moly Legends Masters Championship by a healthy margin as well. With only one event left at the Red Star Raceway in a few week’s time, he is expected to add his second title in a row in this category as well!
Di Matteo’s success would not be possible without his valued sponsors – Varta Johnsons Control, Amtec Lubricants, Derek’s Machining, Tre-D Engineering, GWR Racing and PF Hydraulics. He will certainly be looking to reward them with more great results next season.
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