THE single-seater Formula Volkswagen field certainly kept busy at Phakisa Freeway on Saturday. These open-wheel racers delivered some of the closest racing from the series seen yet.
The action started early on and racers who achieved were the ones who had worked hard. Racers who didn’t achieve worked even harder, but found themselves on the wrong end of the motorsport luck equation.
The racers that it did work out for were Simon Moss (38) in the Terry Moss Racing / Southern Sun / Dixon Batteries car, Chad van Beurden (16) in the Beurden Construction / Square Waste Removal entry and Gordon Connelly (3) in the OCC / Bravo Holdings / Cowan Signs car.
These three were the top achieving drivers on the day, claiming first, second and third overall respectively.
Race one in the Formula Volkswagen series proved the most action-packed on the day. This race also saw the first time there has been a winner outside of the top three championship contenders.
Chad van Beurden (16) in the Beurden Construction / Square Waste Removal car capitalised on a good race when the race leader, Simon Moss (38) in the Terry Moss Racing / Southern Sun / Dixon Batteries car outbraked himself going into a corner. This opened the door to Van Beurden who needed no second invitation, sailing off to his first-ever win in the Formula Volkswagen series.
While Moss was consistently the fastest driver out on track, he could not catch Van Beurden and had to instead give attention to Tasmin Pepper (31) in the PG Glass / Plastomark / VW Racing entry who was sticking close to his rear, also looking for an opportunity to get past.
Pepper was strong in race one, clearly aiming for a good result and willing to work hard to get it. Unfortunately for her, mechanical problems scuppered her chances – and she was forced to settle for fourth, behind Gordon Connelly (3) in the OCC / Bravo Holdings / Cowan Signs car.
The Safety Car played a role in the first race, being called into duty twice, in lap four and lap eight. The first was when Ian Young (20) in the Associated Alterations car spun in the bowl and the second incident was when Young and Craig Shelley (14) in the Bullseye.co.za car came close to touching going into the main straight. While the pair didn’t actually make contact, Young took avoiding action when Shelley ran wide. As they both crashed out in the process, the Safety Car was called in till the track was safe for racing.
In each case the field was bunched up again and the drivers had to fight their way clear of the opposition to ensure a good finishing position.
In race two the results saw Moss on pole with Van Beurden second and Pepper in third place. Moss made a quick break for the horizon in an effort to lose the rest of the field. Pepper meanwhile was working on getting past Van Beurden – a move which worked, but was ultimately not meant to be. Van Beurden got the opportunity to get past Pepper again with Connelly following the manoeuvre soon after, claiming a third place past the chequered flag.
For Barry Harrison (34) in the Bravo Holdings / Cowan Signs / Teugue Distributors entry the race meeting was a bittersweet affair. The event marked his last opportunity at competition in this single-seater class before he emigrates.
While the series loses Harrison, it has gained two new drivers, Philip Viljoen (13) in the Terry Moss Racing / Southern Sun / Dixon Batteries car and Nicholas Verhuel (24) in the Bravo Holdings / Cowan Signs entry. Viljoen finished the day in sixth place overall with Verhuel claiming a 10th place finish for the day.
The Formula Volkswagen field will compete again at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, 11 September. Here two more races wait on these single-seater competitors in their search to determine the 2010 national Formula Volkswagen champion.
Race one:
1. Chad van Beurden (16) Beurden Construction / Square Waste Removal
2. Simon Moss (38) Terry Moss Racing / Southern Sun / Dixon Batteries
3. Gordon Connelly (3) OCC / Bravo Holdings / Cowan Signs
Race two:
1. Simon Moss (38) Terry Moss Racing / Southern Sun / Dixon Batteries
2. Chad van Beurden (16) Beurden Construction / Square Waste Removal
3. Gordon Connelly (3) OCC / Bravo Holdings / Cowan Signs
Overall:
1. Simon Moss (38) Terry Moss Racing / Southern Sun / Dixon Batteries
2. Chad van Beurden (16) Beurden Construction / Square Waste Removal
3. Gordon Connelly (3) OCC / Bravo Holdings / Cowan Signs
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