A HOME one-two gave two Port Elizabeth-built cars a great start to the Execuline Springbok Series at Aldo Scribante last weekend. But it did not look that way at the start as the immaculate Fred Phillips-Steve Humble Chevron B19 set the qualifying pace ahead of Peter Lindenberg’s GT40, and Peter Gough-Ferdi van Niekerk junior’s Porsche 917.

Behind them were Colin Frost-Peter Bailey (Porsche 917), Ross Lazarus (GT40), John Greve (Porsche 911 RSR) and Mike McLoughlin (Backdraft Cobra).

Further down the pack the likes of Stevan Puschavez (Porsche 911 RS), Morne Hobson-John Simpson (Ford Escort), Barry Scott (Ford Escort), Cindy Evans-Finney/Jason Finney (Renault R10) and Mike Altona (GSM Dart) battled for the smaller capacity qualifying honours.

Lindenberg, Lazarus and the pair of Porsche 917s got off to a flyer while former Daytona 24-Hour winner Tony Martin’s chances and car expired on the first lap. Greve and Hobson failed to start, Hobson because of damage caused in a sprint race altercation and Greve with gearbox trouble.

The race became a fight between Lindenberg and the Frost-Bailey Porsche.

The two supercars traded positions and the sight and sound of them disappearing into the sunset was mind-blowing. Lazarus held station just behind with the Chevron and McLoughlin Cobra in flying formation.

Puschavez and the Renault R10 got stuck into a ferocious dice but the fuel tank size eventually saw to it that the hard charging Renault fell down the order.

The Finney duo had planned to enter the sprint races and so fitted small 18-litre tank under the hood, but so little available fuel meant a stop every 15 laps or so, which in a race of 75-odd laps was a bit of a hindrance.

The Chevron suffered a similar fate, only it needed just a single stop. The stop saw Phillips and Humble falling off the leader board for a while.

The pace and track time started to deal out some blows mid race with the McLoughlin Cobra, Gough-Van Niekerk and Roger Pearce MGB falling out with technical gripes.

For the Chevron however the halfway point signalled a hard charge and it quickly set the day’s fastest lap time and climbed the order.

The GT40 trump card came to the fore as onlookers realised the pair could last the distance without stopping. When the chequered flag finally dropped it was Lindenberg from Lazarus, while the hard-charging Chevron had managed to climb to third, a single lap behind.

Puschavez held steady to fourth but the big surprises came next with the small capacity cars of Scott (Ford Escort), Mike Altona (GSM Dart), Cindy Evans-Finney/Jason Finney (Renault R10) and Alan Eustice (GSM Dart) doing well.

Fuel strategy, brake and tyre conservation proved more important than out and out pace.

Racing into the night was also a highlight. Not only did the setting sun make for romantic film shots but it also brought out a few gremlins for competitors.

Peter Collings looked likely to take the small class capacity victory in his Mini Cooper S, but a short in the electric department resulted in his lights failing.

No lights in the dark meant a black flag and a non-finish.

Both Darts and the Peter Little Lotus Europa showed how difficult it is to earth a fibreglass car. As the moon got higher so the brightness and function of the electrics on these cars faltered.

By the end of the race the Darts had only left hand headlights and the Lotus had no rear illumination. Competitors with dark helmet visors also learnt the hard way.

In the index of performance stakes victory went to Stevan Puschavez while the brilliant Ian Oberholzer Datsun 1200 was the first local car home in tenth place.