12 Jul Power series round 5 – 6 july 2019 – review
The Independence Day Power Series sponsored by Wingfield Motors on Saturday 6 July at Killarney International Raceway delivered more drama than a soap opera, with crashes and spins galore, and unexpected winners on a track surface that was, to put it politely, unpredictable thanks to intermittent drizzle throughout the day.
The two biggest pile-ups of the day occurred within seconds of each other on lap two of the first Mikes Place 
Clubmans race, as Gary Smith and Brendan Moore collided on the main straight, sending Smith’s Volkswagen Jetta 2L careening off onto the grass, while Moore’s Volkswagen Golf Mk1 came to rest on the track – right in front of Anton Jacobs’ speeding Allscale Sentra 2L.
Moments later, Danie van Niekerk’s Wingfield BMW shed a rear wheel in Fastron Corner, spun round and stopped right on the racing line. The next few drivers were able to avoid the three-wheeled 3 Series, until Ernest Roos and Bruce Meyer came round in the middle of a furious dice for 10th position. Roos’ Executive E36 went inside the broken Beemer but Meyers’ Volkswagen Polo GTi 2L ploughed straight into it, punting it into the side of Roos’ car and sending debris flying in all directions.
Incredibly, nobody was hurt in all this mayhem but the officials took stock of the destruction and decided against a restart.
Race 2 was a thriller for all the right reasons, as veteran Jesse Huggett in the WesKaap Bakwerke Jetta 2L walked away to a popular victory, 25 seconds ahead of Clint Rennard’s G&A Golf 2L. Cody Alberts (Alfaholix 330 3L) was running third until he got it all wrong on lap six and wound up debating 21st position with Devin Camons’ Volkswagen Jetta 2 2L.
That promoted Kosie Swanepoel (D&E Lexus 3L) to third and Wayne Wilson (DTM Helderberg Maxima) to fourth overall and first in Class B. Class C was won by Johno Kirsten (G&A Citi Golf), Class D went to Charl Opperman (Excelsior Golf Mk1 1.8L), class E to Gary Manwaring (BMW E36) and Class F to Gavin Geldenhuys (Gtech Goklf Mk1 1.8L).
The Burly Pro GTi Challenge delivered just as much action without destroying quite so many cars, although Race 1 saw six non-finishers, including Colin Nicholas Meder (Polo 6R) who went out while running a very close second on lap two. That left Nian du Toit (Allied Jetta 3 2L) and Jano van der Westhuizen to fight it out for the win, with Du Toit just 1.053sec ahead at the flag.
Third was Mark Fontini, after a noteworthy drive from sixth on lap one; Class B was won by Eden Thompson (Golf Mk2 1.8L) while Class C went to Brett Roach (Mutual Golf Mk1 GTi 1.8L) after Giordano Lupini (Accelerate Golf Mk1 GTi 1.8L), who finished fifth on the road, was penalised 30 seconds for passing under a yellow flag.
Du Toit was gifted a clear run to the flag in Race 2 after Van der Westhuizen dropped out on lap six, with Meder and Fontini doing their best to keep him honest. Lupini, meanwhile got his revenge by not only beating Roach for Class C honours but also finishing fifth overall, ahead of Class B winner Thompson.
Franco Donadio (Ford Escort Mk1) dominated the Millstock Classic and Shatterfix Fine Cars races, storming away to win Race 1 by almost eight seconds from Trevor Momberg ‘s Ford Capri 3.4L, with Jaco Lambert a distant third in the Dr Evil Escort.
Father and son Maurizio (Volkswagen Passat) and Robert (Technoparts MX-5) Toscano headed the Fine Car charge, finishing only three seconds apart after an eventful nine laps.
Momberg was unable to stay with the white Escort in Race 2, finishing half a minute adrift of Donadio and only three seconds ahead of Lambert in third, while the Toscanos got into a serious family feud that ended with Toscano senior just 0.213sec ahead of his offspring at the flag.
Hayden Jonas and the WP Motors R1 continued their clean sweep of the RST Suzuki Superbike races this year, but the talented youngster had to deal with a lot of drama along the way.
The track surface was unpredictable, to put it politely, thanks to intermittent drizzle throughout the day, but Jonas walked away from pole position to win Race 1 by 5.415 seconds, while Trevor Westman (Mad Macs ZX-10R) and Ronald Slamet (PLM Motorsport R1) got into an epic battle for second that ended, after several passing moves, with Slamet in front when it counted by just 0.041sec.
Next was Kewyn Snyman, leading the Super600 class on the Hillbilly R6 and ahead of the SuperMaster 1000s of Malcolm Rapson (Suzuki GSX-R1000 L7) and Klint Munton (Speed Angle ZX-10R).
After the race, however, it was discovered that the WP Motors R1 had cracked its fuel tank as well as its exhaust system. Rival Brandon Haupt, sidelined with a knee injury, came to the rescue with the pipe from his Fueled Racing R1. Former racer and welding genius Roland Wingeier took the tank to his home workshop, repaired the crack and had it back in time for Race 2.
The second race was run in slight drizzle and, not surprisingly, Jonas fluffed the start, going down into Turn 1 behind Slamet and Rapson. He soon recovered his composure, however, passing Rapson on lap one and Slamet on lap two, to lead every lap from then on.
Snyman having elected to sit this race out, Jared Schultz (ASAP World R6) took advantage of his absence to mix it with the Supermasters, actually passing Rapson on lap seven to run third overall, but Rapson powered past on the final lap to reclaim the position. Munton finished fifth overall and second in the SuperMasters category, with Gareth Gehlig (Gehlig ZX-6R) sixth overall and second in Super600.
Hotshot rookie Lubabalo Ntisana (LB Auto ZX-10R) proved his double win last time out was no flash in the pan by dominating the RST Trac Mac Clubmans races, qualifying on pole and winning both heats in superb style.
He had a big moment on the second lap of Race 1, and let veteran Wayne Arendse (Kawasaki ZX-10R) and young gun Sean Mackrill (GFP Lighting ZX-10R) make the running before moving back up to second on lap five and taking the fight to Mackrill a lap later.
Mackrill dropped back to fourth on the final lap and it looked like it was all over bar the shouting – but the surprise of the race was young Breakfast Runner Jonathan Schwerin (Suzuki GSX-R1000 K6) who came powering up through the field from sixth to take second, ahead of Arendse, Mackrill and Deon Ebel (Honda CBR1000RR).
Schwerin grabbed the lead at the start of Race 2, while the canny Ntisana sized him up for two laps, outbraked him on lap three and moved away to win by almost seven seconds. Schwerin was followed home by Mitch Robinson (Buell 1125R) and Nigel Boer (Suzuki GSX-R1000).
With no Class A entries, Connor Hagan (NPH Electrical RC390) won the first RST Trac Mac Powersport Race going away from Slade van Niekerk (Yamaha R3) and Tony Sterianos (RST RC390) – but the second race delivered drama of a different sort.
Hagan and Van Niekerk led off the line on a wet track, only for both to go down at the exit of G-Energy Corner. Jason Linaker (Samurai RC390) inherited a lead he was never to lose, coming home almost 15 seconds ahead of Jessen Samaai (KTM RC390), while Hagan remounted and made up a deficit of about half a minute to fight his way back to third with a broken exhaust tailpipe and no right footpeg.
Fabio Tafani led both V8 Masters races from lights to flag, but there was mayhem behind him in Race 1 as Marcel Angel got it very, very wrong on lap two and dropped back to 14th, while Richard Schreuder hung on to Tafani’s tailpipes and Paulo Cavalieri got the best of a three-way fight for third with Rui Campos and Sean Moore that saw them finish in that order, covered by just three seconds, and Angel did well to fight his way back to 10th by the flag.
Race 2 saw Moore take the fight to Tafani in the early stages before losing out to Schreuder; Moore then got into a fight for third with Angel that went all the way to the line, with Moore ahead when it counted by just half a second. But the real drama was ahead of them as Schreuder chased Tafani all the way, ending up less than a second adrift at the line.
In the Makita Supercar category, Glenn Phillips took a well-deserved win in Race 1; he was in fact the only Supercar driver on the lead lap at the chequered flag. He had to give best to Ryan McCarthy in a difficult Race 2, however, with George Williams a distant third.
Craig Jarvis and the all-powerful 6.2-litre Maui Motorhomes Ginetta G57 qualified five seconds faster than anybody else in the Pirelli Sports and GT field and was romping away with Race 1 when a CV joint broke on lap seven, opening the door for Dawie Joubert and his Honda-powered Lotus Exige to take an emphatic win, ahead of Steve Humble (Harp Mallock 14B) and Sandro Biccari’s Mazda Juno SS3.
Jarvis was back for Race 2, overtaking second-placed Biccari and third-placed Ryna Buda (Porsche GT3 WP) just before they crossed the line to lap the entire field. Joubert finished fourth, two seconds further down.
Local-boy-made-good Julian van der Watt led the charge in both Formula Libre races in his Ford Mygale; Dee-Jay Booysen (Dico RM08) stayed in touch in Race 1 before dropping out on lap seven, leaving Byron Mitchell (Dolphin Forza 1.4L), more than a minute adrift, as the only driver still on the lead lap at the flag.
Booysen made short work of Byron Mitchell (Dolphin Sting 1.4L) at the start of Race 2 and chased Van der Watt all the way, finishing 20 seconds adrift, and well clear of Mitchell in third.