Motor racing is a cruel mistress and there are days whenthings just don’t go your way. So it was for the Ferodo Racing Team inround seven of the WesBank Super Series at Cape Town’s Killarney circuit onSaturday.
However, despite a trying day at the office, the team’s two contenders in theEngen Volkswagen Cup, Lee Thompson and Kelvin van der Linde, as well asteam-mate Gennaro Bonafede, contesting class T of the Bridgestone ProductionCar Championship, successfully defended their positions in their respectivecategories.
Thompson, 31, a former Volkswagen Cup champion, scored his 10th Masters’win from 13 races in race one, but was knocked out early in race two for hisfirst non-finish of the season. He still enjoys a comfortable 30-pointadvantage over his nearest Masters’ rival with two rounds remaining and amaximum of 60 points on offer.
Van der Linde, who is only 15 and competing in his first season in seniorcircuit racing, remains an impressive third in the overall Volkswagen Cup (fordrivers aged under 28) after a sixth and a fifth in the day’s two eight-lapraces despite his Ferodo VW Polo being down on power.
Gennaro Bonafede, who recently turned 21, endured the most trying day. Plagued by an engine management system problem that resulted in his class TFerodo VW Golf GTi running too lean – the team had to turn down the boost tocompensate, reducing the car’s power – he soldiered through the two races totwo fifth place finishes and was rewarded with his third place in the classchampionship remaining intact.
Van der Linde commented, “I just didn’t have the pace this weekend and therewas no point in fighting the faster cars. I concentrated on finishing ashigh as I could to earn the maximum championship points under thecircumstances. Our aim is to finish third in our first year in thechampionship and we’re still on track to achieve this.”
Thompson: “I always seem to suffer some kind of misfortune at Killarneyand today was no exception. After a great opening race, someone knockedme off in the first corner of the first lap in race two and terminallyrearranged my front suspension. Still, I’m very happy to have scoredmaximum points in race one and kept my championship lead.”
Bonafede, who turned 21 on September 18, was philosophical about the day’soutcome. “We’ve battled to solve the problem which spoilt our weekend inthe last round in East London and thought we had it licked for Cape Town. My mother warned me there would be days like this and I’m just happy to havescored some points and defended my third place in the championship.”
STORY COURTESY OF PETER BURROUGHES COMMUNICATIONS
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