The penultimate round of the 2015 Liqui Moly Legends Championship was held at the rustic Midvaal Raceway on Saturday 14 November. The traditional ball draw for grid positions would keep things interesting as always. Willie Erasmus (Pro) drew pole position ahead of Justin Robertson (Master). Morne Stoltz (Pro) drew third position with Johann van de Venter (Master) starting alongside him. Fred Els (Master) and Anton Repsold (Pro) rounded out the top six.
Round 10 – Midvaal Raceway – 14 November 2015
Race 1
Erasmus grabbed an early lead at the start of the race with Robertson and the rest of the field in tow. Championship contenders Seef Fourie and Devin Robertson were fighting their way through the pack after starting from seventh and twelfth positions respectively.
Robertson Junior was on an absolute charge as always and used the traffic to get past Fourie as well. He led the field across the line by the fourth lap with Fourie following his example by slotting into second place behind him. Erasmus held onto third position with Robertson Senior and Franco Di Matteo (Master) in tow. Fourteen year old Clinton Bezuidenhout (Young Lion) blasted through the field from the back of the grid to grab sixth position ahead of Els and Shaun Nel (Pro) on the same lap.
The battle for the lead was closer than ever with Fourie hassling Robertson through every corner, but it was Robertson who held on to take a narrow Overall and Pro class win ahead of Fourie – with 0.090 of a second separating the pair across the line. Erasmus did well to keep Masters Victor Robertson Senior at bay to claim third position overall. Young Bezuidenhout took the Young Lions category with an impressive sixth position.
Robertson and Fourie were closer than ever in race one
Race 1 Results
Devin Robertson – Best lap: 1:16.408
Seef Fourie – Best lap: 1:16.477
Willie Erasmus – Best lap: 1:16.819
Justin Robertson – Best lap: 1:17.034
Franco Di Matteo – Best lap: 1:16.970
Clinton Bezuidenhout – Best lap: 1:17.599
Erasmus and Robertson Senior were in great form
Race 2
An inverted grid for the second race based on the ball draw for race one would certainly shake things up once again. With Robertson in pole position, it seemed that Fourie would have his work cut out for him starting from sixth on the grid. Fourie had other ideas however and was up to second place by the end of the first lap.
Di Matteo slotted into third position with Erasmus and Nel hot on his heels. With the chase at the front of the field settling into an early rhythm, the battle further back was far from over. Robertson Senior, Bezuidenhout, Lonika Maartens (Young Lion) and Els were changing positions on almost every lap making for some spectacular action packed racing.
Robertson made the most of his starting position to go on and claim his second Overall and Pro class victory of the day ahead of Fourie. Di Matteo had to work hard to keep Erasmus at bay to secure the third place and first in the Masters category. Seventh placed Bezuidenhout took his second win of the day in the Young Lions category.
Di Matteo had his hands full with the rest of the chasing pack
Race 2 Results
Devin Robertson – Best lap: 1:16.028
Seef Fourie – Best lap: 1:16.163
Franco Di Matteo – Best lap: 1:16.841
Willie Erasmus – Best lap: 1:17.143
Shaun Nel – Best lap: 1:17.403
Justin Robertson – Best lap: 1:17.482
Bezuidenhout used his International experience to good measure
Race 3
The reverse grid for the third race was always going to set the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons. Steve Nel (Master) took the lead ahead of Anton Repsold (Pro) and the rest of the chasing pack. It didn’t take too long for the faster drivers to make their way to the front of the field however.
Devin Robertson was up to sixth position by the end of the first lap, with Fourie hot on his heels. Justin Robertson took the lead on the second lap with Repsold, Robertson Junior and Fred Els in tow. Robertson Junior made short work of taking the lead on the next lap with a determined Fourie moving into second place two laps later. The battle behind the leaders was just as fierce with Robertson Senior fending off attacks from Els, Di Matteo and Erasmus.
Di Matteo got past Els on the fourth lap, bringing Erasmus along with him. Erasmus then passed the experienced veteran with a well-timed move two laps later. Early race leader Nel Senior was unceremoniously punted off the circuit coming onto the main straight and was lucky to avoid hitting the start line post as he battled to regain control of his car to get back onto the circuit.
When the chequered flag came out after ten laps of action packed racing it was Robertson Junior who took his third Overall and Pro class win of the day – claiming the 2015 Liqui Moly Legends Championship in the process as well – his third Overall Championship title in as many years!
Fourie held on for second position with Robertson Senior getting the better of Di Matteo for third place and first in the Masters division – his best result of the season so far. Seventh placed Bezuidenhout made it a clean sweep in the Young Lions class as well.
Robertson celebrating his third championship in a row
Race 3 Results
Devin Robertson – Best lap: 1:16.002
Seef Fourie – Best lap: 1:16.330
Justin Robertson – Best lap: 1:17.311
Franco Di Matteo – Best lap: 1:16.936
Willie Erasmus – Best lap: 1:16.844
Fred Els – Best lap: 1:17.639
The next round will see the series return to Red Star Raceway for the second time this season for round 11 of the championship on the 28th of November 2015.
The tenth round of the 2015 Liqui Moly Legends Championship will see this popular series return to the Midvaal Raceway in Meyerton on Saturday 14 November for the penultimate event of the season. The three young guns that represented South Africa at the Legends Cars Road Course World Finals at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the USA last month will be back in action and will be looking to give the local competitors a run for their money once again.
Defending champion Devin Robertson (Pro) continues to dominate the season and has increased his lead over Seef Fourie (Pro) in the championship yet again. Willie Erasmus (Pro) continues to rack up the points and will no doubt be looking to repeat the feat at Midvaal.
Franco di Matteo (Master) has closed the gap to Erasmus and will be focused on trying to get himself into the top three after the Midvaal event as well. Llewellyn Myburgh (Pro) picked up valuable points in round nine and is now only forty points behind the veteran. After a few troublesome races earlier in the year he will be keen on trying to gain a position or two in the championship.
Shaun Nel (Pro) continues his good form and moves into the top six after the Zwartkops event, a step closer to challenging Myburgh for fifth. Justin Robertson (Master) moves up to seventh place and is within striking distance of Nel as well. Keagan Wessels (Semi-Pro) drops back to eighth position in the championship after losing points in the local series due to his sojourn to America last month.
Lonika Maartens (YL) remains in ninth position, despite losing points due to her trip to America as well. Fred Els (M) has however narrowed the point’s gap between himself and the young starlet and will be looking to move up the leader board as well.
With championship hopes still very much alive the racing is expected to be closer than ever!
Zwartkops Raceway was the venue for the ninth round of the 2015 Liqui Moly Legends Championship. With three of the series regulars on international duty in America at the Legends Cars Road Course World Finals at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and a few cars being out of action due to repairs a slightly thinner field set out for the all-important qualifying session.
The traditional ball draw for grid positions would shake things up once again. Seef Fourie (Pro) drew pole position with Divan Myburgh (Pro) drawing second. Rudy Myburgh (Master) would start from third position while Shaun Nel (Pro) would start alongside the veteran racer. Johann van de Venter (Master) and Franco Di Matteo (Master) would secure the third row.
The smaller than usual field about to start the first race of the day
Race 1
The start of the first race saw the usual charge through the first few corners. Divan grabbed the lead ahead of Fourie and Nel. Llewellyn Myburgh (Pro) also had a good start and set about chasing the leading trio. Divan ran wide at the top of the hill and handed the lead to Fourie. Llewellyn was up to second by the time they crossed the line for the first time, with Nel fending off Di Matteo and defending champion Devin Robertson who had started on the last row of the grid.
The safety car came out when Nel lost control of his car through turn two allowing the field to bunch up again. When the race restarted on lap three Fourie had his hands full with Llewellyn and Robertson on his tail. Myburgh grabbed the lead before the lap was done with Robertson relegating Fourie to third as well. Di Matteo slotted into fourth with Rudy flying the Myburgh family flag in fifth as well. Justin Robertson (Master) moved into the top six ahead of Anro Stadler with Willie Erasmus (Pro) and a recovered Divan Myburgh in tow.
Divan saw his chances of a comeback go out the window when a long brake pedal caused him to spin out through the turn four sweep. Robertson Junior grabbed the lead on the same lap with Fourie getting past Llewellyn for second. The battle for second was heating up with Di Matteo closing in on the two youngsters ahead of him. Llewellyn regained second place on the penultimate lap of the race as Di Matteo turned the fight for second into a three horse race.
Robertson cruised home to the Overall and Pro class win but it was an all-out dice to the line for the rest of the podium positions. Myburgh pipped Fourie to the line by 0.093, with Fourie only just keeping Masters Victor Di Matteo at bay by 0.143 of a second to claim third. Sixth placed Stadler took the Semi-Pro honours.
Defending Champion Robertson was unbeatable once again
Race 1 Results
Devin Robertson – Best lap: 1:12.710
Llewellyn Myburgh – Best lap: 1:13.561
Seef Fourie – Best lap: 1:13.832
Franco Di Matteo – Best lap: 1:13.615
Justin Robertson – Best lap: 1:14.035
Anro Stadler – Best lap: 1:14.467
The Myburgh boys were in fine form in the second race
Race 2
An inverted grid for race two based on the ball draw for the first race would shake things up once again. Having pole position for the second race Robertson broke away into an immediate lead with Willie Erasmus, Llewellyn Myburgh and Justin Robertson in hot pursuit. Divan Myburgh was driving like a man possessed after a disastrous first race and was soon up to fifth position. He grabbed fourth place by lap two and started closing the gap to his cousin. Llewellyn then took second on lap two with Divan dropping Erasmus back to fourth as well.
Morne Stoltz and van de Venter tangled through the “Table top” on lap five sending both of them into retirement. Fourie was also on a charge after starting from the back of the grid but was finding it harder to get through the traffic. He eventually worked his way up to fourth position after a tough battle with Di Matteo, Robertson Senior and Erasmus. An exciting last lap saw the Myburgh cousins changing positions on numerous occasions.
In a run down to the line Divan passed Llewellyn around the outside of the last corner to snatch second place by 0.080 of a second! Robertson cruised home to take his second Overall and Pro class win of the day. Sixth placed Robertson Senior took the Masters victory with ninth placed Stadler picking up the Semi-Pro laurels once again.
Fourie fought hard in the final race of the day
Race 2 Results
Devin Robertson – Best lap: 1:12.760
Divan Myburgh – Best lap: 1:12.712
Llewellyn Myburgh – Best lap: 1:13.036
Seef Fourie – Best lap: 1:13.135
Willie Erasmus – Best lap: 1:13.870
Justin Robertson – Best lap: 1:13.981
The mid-pack battles were closer than ever despite the smaller field
Race 3
The final race of the day would see a full reverse grid based on the combined points scored from the first two races. Nel led the field through turn three with Fred Els (Master) and a repaired van de Venter in tow. The opening lap of the last race is always busy with the faster drivers making their way through the field. It didn’t take long for the faster drivers in the field to make their way to the front
Erasmus was up to second behind Nel by lap two, with team mate Robertson glued to his rear bumper. Erasmus took the lead before the end of the lap with Robertson hot on his heels. Robertson then shot past his team mate a lap later to claim the lead while Llewellyn grabbed third position from Nel down the main straight.
Fourie was also on a charge as he slotted into fourth position on lap five with Di Matteo relegating Nel to sixth a lap later. Llewellyn grabbed second place on lap six with Fourie getting past Erasmus to claim third as well. Guest driver Jason Wessels (Master) ruined his chances of a decent result with a spin at the top of the hill.
After ten laps of action packed racing Robertson made it a clean sweep of victories for the day while Llewellyn took his second runner up placing ahead of Fourie. Fifth placed Di Matteo took his second win in the Masters class while ninth placed Stadler made it three out of three in the Semi-Pro class.
Jason Wessels in his first outing for the year as guest driver
Race 3 Results
Devin Robertson – Best lap: 1:12.995
Llewellyn Myburgh – Best lap: 1:12.905
Seef Fourie – Best lap: 1:13.021
Willie Erasmus – Best lap: 1:13.866
Franco Di Matteo – Best lap: 1:13.989
Shaun Nel – Best lap: 1:14.515
The next round will see the series return to Red Star Raceway for the second time this season for round 10 of the championship on the 31st of October 2015.
