Team Ferodo’s fast start to the new motor racing season continued at Killarney circuit in Cape Town on Saturday with Gennaro Bonafede (class T Ferodo VW Golf GTi) and Devin Robertson (Ferodo VW Polo) both taking the overall honours for the day in their respective categories.
Bonafade, who made a superb debut in the Bridgestone Production Car Championship at Kyalami three weeks ago, was again on top form and scored three second-places. He was slightly off the pace in qualifying, recording the fourth fastest time behind Graham Nathan (VW Golf GTi), defending champion Gary Formato (Ford Focus) and Shaun Duminy (Ford Focus). In the first of the two back-to-back 6-lap sprint races he was already up to second behind Formato on lap two and stayed there to the chequered flag, finishing six tenths of a second behind Formato and 0,15 sec ahead of Duminy in a Ford sandwich. He harassed Formato throughout the race, forcing the champion to take a defensive line through the corners, and in the process set a new class lap record of 1 min 22,43 sec.
The reverse grid in race two saw newcomer Niyaaz Modack (VW Golf GTi) take a surprise win ahead of Bonafede and Duminy, while the 10-lap feature race saw Nathan take the win from Bonafede and Formato. The second-year Tukkies student from Dainfern took the overall honours for the day by 5,41 sec from defending class T champion Formato and signalled that, at 19, he has a sparkling future ahead of him in the top echelon of saloon car racing.
Robertson, too, underlined his credentials as the man to beat in the Volkswagen Cup for standard production Polos with two pole positions, a fourth and a win in the two 8-lap races. Picking start position six in the lucky draw for race one, the 17-year-old Alberton high school pupil got up to second behind race winner Kosie Weyers on the penultimate lap before dropping back to finish fourth behind Bryan Morgan and defending champion Mathew Hodges.
He made no mistake in race two, starting from third on the grid and leading throughout to cross the line a comfortable 4,92 sec ahead of Weyers with Hodges third. For good measure he was also credited with fastest lap of the race.
“Gennaro and Devin have already established themselves as two of the brightest stars in South African circuit racing and their fast start to the new season puts them in a strong position to challenge for their respective championships,” said Ronnie Erasmus, motor sport manager of Federal-Mogul, manufacturers of Ferodo brake pads
Long time supporters of motor sport in South Africa, Federal-Mogul's Ferodo brake pad and Champion spark plug brands are world famous and used by top competitors in all branches of motor sport. They are official suppliers to both the Engen Volkswagen Cup series and the Formula Volkswagen single-seater championship.
STORY BY : Peter Burroughes Communications
PICTURE BY: Motorpics
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