This coming weekend (10-11 May) at Red Star Raceway will be significant for the Mobil 1 V8 Supercars Championship, both on and off the circuit, with a closely contested title battle coinciding with a landmark occasion for the Mobil 1 brand.
The series’ first of two visits to Red Star Raceway in 2024 will see the drivers compete around the clockwise layout of the circuit. Heading into the weekend, Thomas Reib (Mobil 1 / Café 9 Automotive Chevrolet Lumina) finds himself at the top of the GT class standings with 94 points. Defending Champion Julian Fameliaris (Lube-Net / Di Matteo Racing Chevrolet Corvette) is a mere two points adrift. Thus far, it has been honours-even between the pair on the circuit, with each driver having two race wins and runner-up finishes from their four starts. However, Reib’s pace in Qualifying saw him bag two extra points for his two pole positions. Both drivers have an excellent record at the Delmas circuit, but they are not the only ones who will be in contention.
While the top two have been trading the top two positions, Warren Lombard has accumulated 72 points with his four third-place finishes. He has been a consistent force at the front of the field since moving behind his PepBoys Automotive Ford Mustang wheel in the final round of 2023, particularly in the official practice sessions. Should he convert this into a pole position, he could be a difficult driver to pass in race trim. What’s more, Lombard has shown some excellent pace around the clockwise circuit layout in his two prior outings, with it also being the venue where he took his first win in 2022.
These three may have locked out the podium thus far in 2024, but they will not be the only drivers in contention around the very technical circuit. Terry Wilford (Fuchs Lubricants Ford Mustang) has been quietly racing up points with consistent finishes, which sees him with 54 to his name. While both his last two outings at the circuit saw him walk away with a best finish of sixth place, he has suffered more than his fair share of misfortunes in these events and will look for a comeback of note.
Sam Dahl (Arcprotech Ford Falcon) trails Wilford by seven points but will miss Round 3 due to European racing commitments. This could provide Franco di Matteo’s (Di Matteo Racing / 5 Diamond Vodka Jaguar XKR) an opportunity to catch up to those ahead. The latter started his 2024 campaign in Round 2, where he accumulated 27 points.
In the GT2 class, Auke Compaan (Hurricane Automotive Ford Mustang had an excellent start to the season, with 57 points and three race wins. He holds a 22-point lead over defending champion Steve Herbst (PREI Instrumentation / PPG Coatings / QI Systems Chevrolet Corvette). Herbst had a challenging start to the year and had to wait until Round 2 to open his account, which he did with a race win.
Shaun Holtzhauzen, who has taken two runner-up finishes, will not add to his 24 points this weekend. Instead, his 959 Panelbeaters & Spraypainters Ford Falcon will be piloted by Larry Wilford, who will make his first 2024 outing. Wilford’s last outing came in the fifth round of 2023.
Away from the close contests on the circuit, the race weekend will also see the series celebrating 50 years of Mobil 1, the global market-leading lubricant. Tried and tested in a variety of high-performance motorsport categories, Mobil 1 has become the brand of choice in motorsport as well as the greater automotive market, as African Group Lubricants’ Marketing Manager Nicole Jooste explains:
“It is becoming common to see championship-winning machines running on Mobil 1. While the 50-year celebration allows us to look back on the development and achievements in our history to date, it is also an opportunity to pledge that we will continue to improve our product. In an ever-changing industry, we are ready for what comes next. The Mobil 1 V8 Supercars is now in its sixth year of a journey with us as our high-performance motorsport partner in South Africa. This weekend’s on-track action will showcase why Mobil 1 is the name to rely upon to keep your vehicle running like a well-oiled machine.”
The first of Saturday’s two races will be contested over eight laps and start at 10:20. Race 2, a 10-lap affair, is scheduled for 14:05. Spectator tickets can be purchased at the Red Star Raceway entrance gate. The full Extreme Festival race day programme will also be broadcast live on the Mobil 1 V8 Supercars Facebook page and 2WheelsTV YouTube channel.
Issued by Brandsponential on behalf of African Group Lubricants
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