Josh le Roux took the Investchem Formula 1600 Championship in a dramatic Extreme Festival finale at Zwartkops on Saturday. It had come down to a three-way fight between le Roux, Gerard Geldenhuys and Troy Dolinschek that unfolded through an intriguing day of racing.
The action kicked off with a tight qualifying session Saturday morning, where championship leader le Roux put his Investchem Master Stairs Mygale on pole to claim that valuable championship point. Josh was 0.15 seconds ahead of third in the championship, Cape charger Dolinschek’s Sujean Mygale. Third in the championship, Gerard Geldenhuys gave himself a mountain to climb from fifth place on the grid behind Alex Vos’ Investchem Mygale and his Abacus teammate and brother Antwan Geldenhuys.
Investchem Formula 1600 veterans, Nicholas van Weely’s Magnificent Paints car and Andrew Schofield’s similar Investchem Safair Mygale were next up on the grid. They would start ahead of three more young guns, Jason Coetzee’s Mint Wraps Mygale and Siyabonga Mankonkwana’s Investchem car and racing lass Taya van der Laan in her Macrocomm Mygale.
Starting behind the wings and slicks Formula 1600s, veteran Duncan Vos’ Ecurie Zoo Swift was the quickest of the classic Formula Ford Kents ahead of young gun Joshua Coertse and Graham Hepburn’s Qualipack van Diemen. Allen Meyer’s Investchem van Diemen lined up third ahead of Mygale pair, Ronald van Weely’s Magnificent Paints machine and Paul Schultz.
Le Roux got ahead and made off with ease up front, going on to an easy 4 second opening race win. He set a significantly quicker lap in the process to nick that crucial bonus point too. Dolinschek kept a watching brief all the way in second. Behind him, both Geldenhuys brothers, Antwan ahead of Gerard, were up to third and fourth by the third lap, as Vos dropped back, and van Weely, who had made a great start, stopped.
Vos then fell further back, promoting Schofield to fifth from Coetzee, van der Laan, while Gerhard and Antwan Geldenhyus swapped places ahead of Mankonkwana and Vos. His dad Duncan took Formula Ford Kent honours from a sprightly Coertse, Schultz and Ron van Weely.
The drama started from the second the lights went out in race 2. Actually a millisecond before. There was contact early on when Le Roux and Dolinschek collided sending Dolinschek spinning wildly through the pack and out of the race. That left Gerhard leading Antwan Geldenhuys and le Roux with Schofield picking up fourth from Mankonkwana and van Weely and that’s pretty much how it stayed. Coetzee followed from Vos and van der Laan. Graham Hepburn took the Kent race from Coertse and Duncan Vos, with Meyer, Schulz and Ron van Weely in chase.
But the trouble was not yet over. Second placed Antwan Geldenhuys was judged to have jumped the start, which cost him a 30 second penalty and promoted the rest each a position. And that also cost Antwan third in the championship and allowed Dolinschek back up into the top three. So overall winner on the day Josh le Roux took the 2022 Investchem Formula 1600 title, its R200,000 cash prize and a GTC test. Gerard Geldenhuys ended up second in the title chase, picking up R100,000 for the effort with third man Dolinschek and taking R50,000 home.
The 2023 Investchem Formula 1600 championship kicks off at the 9 Hour Weekend on 25 February. See you at Kyalami!