Defending Mobil 1 V8 Supercars Champion Julian Fameliaris extended his championship lead after a solid display of driving at a cold Zwartkops Raceway this afternoon.
As part of the Dunlop-backed Regional Extreme Festival, the Pretoria circuit hosted Round 4 of the popular V8 category fondly referred to as The Rolling Thunder, who made their second visit to the circuit this season.
After qualifying in second behind championship rival Thomas Reib, Fameliaris took the Race 1 victory after a close tussle with Reib. Starting under the usual double-waved yellow flags, the Lube-Net-backed Corvette driver immediately closed up onto Reib’s bumper, where he applied pressure for several laps. A few laps later, however, Fameliaris got a good drive out of Turn 4, allowing the Lube-Net Corvette to draw alongside and, more importantly, on the inside of Reib under braking into Turn 5. Making the pass, Fameliaris could open up a slight gap as he took the chequered flag, bagging the fastest lap of the race.
Starting 5th on the inverted Race 2 grid, Fameliaris had his work cut out, having to overtake several quick cars now should he want another win. A few laps into the race, Terry Wilford brought out the red flag, allowing the GT class to bunch up once again. At the restart, the battle continued. Despite an early last-lap pass on Reib to move up to third, Fameliaris would have to settle for fourth as he was passed later in the lap. Fameliaris finished
“It certainly was a great day of racing. The cooler conditions made it very tricky early on in both races. Thomas made me work hard today and while I got the win in Race 1 it wasn’t on the cards for Race 2. We’ll done to Warren on winning that one and to everyone, thank you for your support,” said Fameliaris.
Round 5 of the championship resumes on 9-10 August at Killarney International Raceway.
Fameliaris would like to thank Di Matteo Racing and Gavin Wilkin Racing for making his 2024 campaign possible. In addition, he also wants to acknowledge and thank African Group Lubricants for making the championship a reality. For more information, please visit https://aglubricants.co.za/
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix
Picture Caption: Julian Fameliaris
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