The last round of the 2017 South-African ORE national championship was held at Krugersdorp Model Racers at the Key West Track over weekend 28 and 29 October 2017. Controlled practise was held on Thursday and Friday with great spring weather and good track conditions ensuring a fast pace for all drivers. On Friday night a cold front moved in over Gauteng and the temperature dropped to 13 deg C which had the drivers changing setups and rethinking strategies for the qualification rounds. The track however held its great characteristics and the pace remained fast throughout the weekend.
Touring Modified
The controlled practise showed that there were about 16 drivers competing for the A mains and it was all down to fast consistent runs to get into the top 10. The championship leader Hein Kotze dominated the qualification rounds securing a great TQ for Sunday. He was closely followed by Xray team mates Shaun Schutte and the round 4 winner Anderton Smith on the grid. In A1 Hein made a mistake in the first corner which allowed Shaun Schutte to take the lead and he drove a great race to win A1 followed by Anderton Smith and Antonio Caroli. In A2 Hein Kotze made no mistakes and took a good win ahead of Shaun Schutte and again Anderton Smith in 3rd. In A3 Hein Kotze again made a small mistake which was enough for Shaun Schutte to take the lead and the win. This time he was followed by Conrad Liebenberg in 2nd and Hein Kotze in 3rd. The win in A3 gave Shaun Schutte his first win for the season with his Xray team mates Hein Kotze and Anderton Smith completing the podium.
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The final results for the Modified Touring A-Main:
1. Shaun Schutte - XRAY T4
2. Hein Kotze (TQ) - XRAY T4
3. Anderton Smith - XRAY T4
4. Jacques Liebenberg 5. Antonio Caroli - XRAY T4
6. Mike Wiseman
7. Alex Ribeiro
8. Conrad Liebenberg 9. Andre Greeff - XRAY T4
10. Deon Gove - XRAY T4
Pro-Stock 13.5T Touring (Blinky)
The Pro-stock class entertained some great racing with Gunther Cornelius, Willie Noordman and the two youngsters Kevin Hatting and Jared Rabe fighting for the top qualifying spot. It was Gunther Cornelius who eventually managed the TQ with his Xray followed by Willie Noordman young driver Kevin Hatting starting from 3rd on the grid. In A1 Gunter made a hash of things and struggled with his car and young Kevin Hatting took a great win with his Tamiya followed by Tyronne Wilken and Willie Noordman. In A2 it was Willie Noordman who took the win followed closely by Kevin Hatting and Jared Rabe. A3 saw Willie Noordman securing the overall win with Andre du Plessis finishing second and Jared rabe third in the race. The final results gave Willie Noordman the win followed by Kevin Hatting taking 2nd and Jared Rabe in 3rd place.
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The final results for the Pro-stock 13.5T Touring A-Main:
1. Willie Noordman - XRAY T4
2. Kevin Hatting 3. Jared Rabe - XRAY T4
4. Andre du Plessis - XRAY T4
5. Tyronne Wilken
6. John Fitzsimmons
7. Jean Wessels
8. Martin Visser 9. Christo Hitchins - XRAY T4
10. Gunther Cornelius (TQ) - XRAY T4
Formula 1 - 21.5T
The F1 championship is still a great contest for 2017 with Xray team mates Jonathan Wilken and Pedro de Gouveia arriving at the event tied on points for the championship. It was Pedro who drove consistent qualifying races to take TQ with Jonathan Wilken starting form the second spot. The young Jared Rabe also drove well and managed to qualify in the 3rd position. After great racing in the three mains Pedro managed to end a perfect weekend by winning all three mains with Jonathan securing the second place and Jared Rabe keeping his place on the podium.
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The final results for the Formula 1 A-Main:
1. Pedro de Gouveia (TQ) - XRAY T4
2. Jonathan Wilken - XRAY T4
3. Jared Rabe - XRAY T4
4. Tyronne Wilken 5. Nico Kellerman - XRAY T4
6. Wayde Solomon - XRAY T4
7. Michael Rabe - XRAY T4
8. Lance Constable 9. Piet du Plessis - XRAY T4
10. Johan Knoesen - XRAY T4
