It looked like Julian Fameliaris (Lube-Net / Di Matteo Racing Chevrolet Corvette) was going to dominate at the penultimate round of the 2024 Mobil 1 V8 Supercars championship, held at Red Star Raceway on 11 and 12 October, but the racing gods had other ideas.
As he has done on many occasions this season, Warren Lombard (Pepboys Automotive Ford Mustang) set the fastest time in Friday’s qualifying sessions, with Thomas Reib (Mobil 1 / Café 9 Automotive Chevrolet Lumina) and Fameliaris not far behind. Things changed in Saturday morning’s qualifying session when Fameliaris stormed to pole position, going almost two seconds quicker than Lombard, who joined him on the front row of the grid. Reib was next alongside Franco di Matteo (Di Matteo Racing / GWR Racing Jaguar XKR). Terry Wilford (Fuchs Lubricants Ford Mustang), who qualified in fifth place, was forced to withdraw after he suffered mechanical failure in the session. The GT2 field was led by Auke Compaan (Hurricane Automotive Ford Mustang) from Steve Herbst (PREI Instrumentation / PPG Coatings / QI Systems Chevrolet Corvette).
In the opening heat, Fameliaris quickly opened a gap over the chasing pack, led by Lombard, and it seemed that the race win was in the bag; however, it was not to be. Clutch problems slowed the Corvette, and Lombard and Reib quickly pounced, moving into first and second. Di Matteo was next up, and he could have rapidly overtaken Fameliaris but he opted to stay behind him to allow his teammate to score as many championship points as possible. At the flag, Lombard took the win from Reib, with Compaan in third, the first GT2 car across the line. Fameliaris took fourth on the road and, with it, third in the GT class. Di Matteo was next ahead of Herbst, who claimed second place in GT2.
Hard work by his crew ensured that Fameliaris had a competitive car for the second race, as he started from third place on the reversed GT grid. Di Matteo led the field away, chased by Reib, but an early spin in the Lumina dropped him down the field and allowed Fameliaris into second. A lap later, he moved past his teammate and, from there, could control things from the front of the field, winning by over six seconds. Behind him, Di Matteo and Lombard were involved in a fierce battle, with Lombard trying everything he could to get past Di Matteo. Lombard had to back off as the heat took its toll on his car, but he charged back up once the temperatures had dropped. A last-corner attempt did not pay off, and Di Matteo took a hard-fought second place. Reib recovered to fourth ahead of GT2 competitors Compaan and Herbst.
Fameliaris, on 304 points, now has a 38-point advantage over Reib at the top of the GT standings, with Lombard a further nine points back. Compaan has extended his lead at the top of the GT2 championship to 44 points over Herbst, leaving it all to play for in the final round.
African Group Lubricants’ Marketing Manager Nicole Jooste applauds the efforts of all involved. “Red Star Raceway was a scorcher, and the Mobil 1 V8 Supercars again delivered a spectacular show. With sweltering temperatures experienced by the drivers in their cars, not even to mention the temperatures at which the engines were operating. It was yet another good live test to showcase the quality of the Mobil 1 lubricants in these vehicles, sending out a clear message about the protection that these same products can provide to your vehicle. For the first time since the 2021 season, the championship battles have carried to the season finale, an event that you do not want to miss next month.”
The 2024 Mobil 1 V8 Supercars championship will conclude at the final round of the Regional Extreme Festival, which will take place at Zwartkops Raceway on November 15 and 16.
Issued by Brandsponential on behalf of African Group Lubricants
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