Johannesburg, Saturday - Some familiar names threw their hats into various championship rings at the opening round of the WesBank Super Series at Kyalami today.
 
A good crowd, good weather and some superb racing got the national circuit racing season off to a highly encouraging start. And, with one or two exceptions, it was members of the 'old guard' who got their seasons off to a fast start.

In terms of individual honours Jaco Correia, Anthony Taylor and youngster Gennaro Bonafede were the standout performers. Correia won the Super GT category in both WesBank V8 Supercar races, Taylor took two of the three Bridgestone Production Car heats and young Bonafede made a stunning debut in Class T in the Bridgestone series.

Welkom-based Correia, in the Liqui Moly Corvette, showed steady progress last season and got off to a flyer in the WesBank championship. Correia was, however, a little fortunate in race one.

A gearbox problem saw Brandon Auby (ELT International Jaguar) slow down on the last lap and Correia sneaked through to take the win. Franco di Matteo was a solid third in the Varta Batteries Jaguar, with Roelf du Plessis taking the new GT Class in the RJ Panelbeaters Chev Lumina.

With the inverted grid system again in operation, Correia had to come from the back of the field in heat two to beat di Matteo and veteran Ben Morgenrood (BM Auto Jaguar) to the line with Darren Gudmanz (Indigo Boats Corvette) taking GT Class honours. The second heat was something of a war of attrition with Deon and Brandon Auby, du Plessis and Larry Wilford (Fuchs Mustang) all running into problems.

The Bridgestone series is this year being run under a new format with two back to back six lap races followed a little later by a 10 lap feature event, with the second sprint event run with an inverted grid. A first and a second in the sprint races and a comfortable win in the feature event saw former champion Taylor, in the Afrox BMW 335i, take an early lead in the Class A championship.

A sprint race win and a second in the feature race mark down Michael Stephen (Xtreme Team Audi A4) as a championship danger along with another former champion, Leeroy Poulter (SAM Racing Nissan 350Z), who ended the day with a second and two thirds.

After comfortable Class T wins in the two sprint races, former champion Graeme Nathan (IndyOil VW Golf) was mugged in the feature event by Bonafede. Having his first outing in the Bridgestone series in the Ferodo VW Golf, young Bonafede showed scant respect for his elders and muscled his way past Nathan on the last lap.

Bonafede, son of former SA rally champion Vito, was second to Nathan in both sprint races. Reigning Class T champion Gary Formato (Nandos Team Ford Focus) had a day to forget while there was also an encouraging debut from youngster Kieran Quarmby in the Interfile Golf.

Veteran former World Superbike Championship rider Lance Isaacs (Bikefin Honda) and reigning champion Sheridan Morais (Emtek Racing Aprilia) shared the Interfile SA Superbike wins. Both heats were close fought affairs with Greg Gildenhuis on a factory Honda chasing them all the way in both heats.

All the evidence points to another hugely competitive Superbike championship with some encouraging rides from youngsters in Chris Leeson (Bikefin Honda), Julian Odendaal (MS Air Conditioning Suzuki) and Nicolas Grobler on the Jonway Honda. The Interfile SA Supersport series also has the makings of a tense title fight with Ronan Quarmby (Interfile Yamaha) and teenager Dean Vos (VTR Metals Kawasaki) the early frontrunners.

Quarmby took both wins but was pushed all the way by Northern Regions champion Vos. Robert Portman, giving a factory Triumph a maiden SA outing, and Bjorn Estment (NFB Financial Services Yamaha) shared third places.

Portman crashed out of race two after a coming together with Clinton Alberts on the Cayenne Racing Honda. The Triumph, however, showed plenty of potential and Portman will be a title challenger.

Mathew Hodges was another reigning champion to get his season off to a fast start with a brace of wins in the PG Autoglass VW Polo in the Engen VW Cup series. In both races Hodges led home Miguel Pasqualli (Xtreme Team VW Polo) who qualifies for the Masters category in the one make series.

Teenager Devin Robertson (Ferodo VW Polo) and Kosie Weyers, in the second Xtreme Team car, shared third places. Hodges, Pasqualli, Weyers and young Robertson all have championship potential.

A pair of rising young stars in Wesleigh Orr (Bravo FVW) and Simon Moss (Dixon Batteries/Southern Sun FVW) shared wins in the Formula Volkswagen event. Orr, a former Rotax Max kart world champion won the first heat with Moss taking the second race after a good battle between the pair.

Tasmin Pepper (PG Autoglass/Plastomark FVW) and Caleb Williams (Bravo FVW) shared third places. Williams is the reigning Rotax Max champion and was making his Formula VW debut.

Results:

WesBank V8 Supercars:  Race 1 - Super GT: 1 J Correia (Chev Corvette); 2 B Auby (Jaguar); 3 F di Matteo (Jaguar). GT Class: R du Plessis (Chev Lumina). Race 2 – Super GT: 1 J Correia (Chev Corvette); 2 F di Matteo (Jaguar); 3 B Morgenrood (Jaguar). GT Class: D Gudmanz (Chev Corvette).

Bridgestone Production Cars: Race 1 - Class A: 1 A Taylor (BMW); 2 J Fourie (Audi); 3 L Poulter (Nissan 350Z). Class T: 1 G Nathan (VW Golf); 2 G Bonafede (VW Golf); 3 G Formato (Ford Focus). Race 2 - Class A: 1 M Stephen (Audi); 2 A Taylor (BMW); 3 M da Cunha (Nissan 350Z). Class T: 1 G Nathan; 2 G Bonafede; 3 S Duminy. Race 3 – Class A: 1 A Taylor (BMW); 2 M Stephen (Audi); 3 L Poulter (Nissan 350Z). Class T: 1 G Bonafede (VW Golf); 2 G Nathan (VW Golf); 3 K Quarmby (VW Golf).

Engen VW Cup: Race 1 - 1 M Hodges (VW Polo); 2 M Pasqualli (VW Polo); 3 D Robertson (VW Polo). Race 2 – 1 M Hodges (VW Polo); 2 M Pasqualli (VW Polo); 3 K Weyers (VW Polo).

Formula Volkswagen: Race 1 - 1 W Orr (Formula VW); 2 S Moss (Formula VW); 3 T Pepper (Formula VW). Race 2 -  1 S Moss (Formula VW); 2 W orr (Formula VW); 3 C Williams (Formula VW).

Interfile Superbike:  Race 1 - 1 L Isaacs (Honda); 2 S Morais (Aprilia); 3 G Gildenhuys (Honda). Race 2 - 1 S Morais (Aprilia); 2 L Isaacs (Honda); 3 G Gildenhuys (Honda).

Interfile Supersport: Race 1 - 1 R Quarmby (Yamaha); 2 D Vos (Kawasaki); 3 R Portman (Triumph). Race 2 – 1 R Quarmby (Yamaha ); 2 D Vos (Kawasaki); 3 B Estment (Yamaha).