The first round of the 2016 South-African ORE national championship were held at Krugersdorp Model Racers over weekend 12 and 13 March 2016. Free practise started on the Thursday but summer rains only allowed for a couple of hours practise on Thursday and Friday. The rain stayed away for the weekend and a full racing schedule could be managed. The weather challenged the drivers with a little variation in the traction due to temperature differences but the track was in great shape and the drivers pushed hard and raced fast.
The 2015 AGM ruled to make the classes more streamlined on National Level for 2016 and the classes that the drivers compete in are Touring Modified, Pro-Stock (13.5 blinky), 1/12 Modified, F1, and Front Wheel Drive (13.5 blinky).
1/10 Touring Modified
With the streamlined classes, the premier class managed 3 full mains for the first time in many years. From the first qualification run is was evident that the top 10 spots will be highly contested. The reigning champion Jason Hillcoat started well but Alex Ribeiro, Antonio Caroli, Anderton Smith and Ashley Hurley were pushing hard, but it was Jason who managed the TQ. The young drivers Alex Ribeiro, Willem Janse van Rensburg, Ashley Hurley and Jacques Myburgh (13) all managed to make the top 10. The finals were fast and â furiousâ™ with Jason taking the first final and his XRAY team mate Antonio Caroli taking the second final. In the third and deciding final Jason kept his lead and Willie du Plooy found his setup and pushed hard but unfortunately his transponder did not pick up which left Jason with an easy win. The podium was completed by Alex Ribeiro and Antonio Caroli.
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The final results for the Touring Modified A-Main:
1. Jason Hillcoat (TQ) - XRAY T4
2. Alex Ribeiro 3. Antonio Caroli - XRAY T4
4. Shaun Schutte - XRAY T4
5. Anderton Smith - XRAY T4
6. Willem Janse van Rensburg 7. Jacques Myburgh - XRAY T4
8. Deon Gove - XRAY T4
9. Willie du Plooy - XRAY T4
10. Ashley Hurley
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The results for the Touring Modified B-Main:
1. Darren Duggan - XRAY T4
2. Sean Vollmer 3. Farhaan Basha - XRAY T4
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The results for the Touring Modified C-Main:
1. Gustav Engelbrecht - XRAY T4
2. Hannes Kruger - XRAY T4
3. Colin Amis - XRAY T4
1/10 Pro-Stock
The new pro-stock class (13.5T blinky) is very popular and competitive and another three full mains were run. Team mates Shaun Schutte and Deon Gove set good early pace with Willem Janse van Rensburg, Sean Vollmer and Juan Landman pushing hard for TQ. Deon Gove managed to take TQ with his XRAY with Shaun Schutte starting behind him. In the first final Deon and Shaun started fast and left the field behind. They unfortunately touched which gave Shaun the win and Willem Janse van Rensburg the second place. In the second final it was Deon who took the win with Willem second and Shaun third. The third final was fast and Shaun managed the win Deon second and Sean Vollmer taking the third place. The eventual winner was Shaun Schutte, with Deon Gove and Willem Janse van Rensburg completing the podium.
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The final results for the Pro-Stock A-Main:
1. Shaun Schutte - XRAY T4
2. Deon Gove (TQ) - XRAY T4
3. Willem Janse van Rensburg
4. Sean Vollmer
5. Jonathan Wilken - XRAY T4
6. Pedro de Gouveia - XRAY T4
7. Harold van Eeden - XRAY T4
8. Juan Landman 9. Pieter de Villiers - XRAY T4
10. Conrad Liebenberg - XRAY T4
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The results for the Pro-Stock B-Main:
1. Mohammed Basha - XRAY T4
2. Juan Wessels 3. Hannes Kruger - XRAY T4
The Formula 1 class is back at national level in South Africa in 2016. The first official national race the weekend started well with the youngsters Farhaan Basha, Pedro de Gouveia, Jonathan Wilken and Dillon du Plooy battling for the TQ honours with their XRAY X1â™s. Pedro de Gouveia managed to take TQ ahead of Jonathan Wilken. Pedro and Jonathan both took wins in the finals with Dillon and Farhaan also finishing in the top three. The final result was a win for Jonathan Wilken with Pedro de Gouveia and Dillon du Plooy completing the podium.
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The final results for the Formula 1 A-Main:
1. Jonathan Wilken - XRAY X1
2. Pedro de Gouveia (TQ) - XRAY X1
3. Dillon du Plooy - XRAY X1
4. Farhaan Basha - XRAY X1
5. Danie Botha - XRAY X1
6. Kevin Chowles 7. Christopher Dolphin - XRAY X1
8. Werner Botes
