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SRWC Rd10 – Kyalami: Home win for Formato

With a dramatic win in the final round of the Sports Racing World Cup, Gary Formato and Ralf Kelleners gave the Kremer team their first international sportscar vicotry since the 1997 1000 km of Monza

After getting ahead of pole-position holder Nicolas Filiberti in the GLV Bruns Ferrari, Formato built up a healthy lead before handing the Roush-powered Kremer Lola over to Kelleners.

In the final moments of the two-and-a-half hour race, with a 50 second lead over the Zadra/Peter BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari, the Kremer Lola suddenly developed a fuel pickup problem. With three minutes to go, Kelleners made a pit stop, hoping to cure the problem. He came out 20 seconds ahead of Marco Zadra, but the problem persisted, and throughout the final lap, he struggled to keep ahead of the charging Italian. Kelleners finally crossed the line with a four-second lead over the BMS car, to give Kremer their first SRWC win.

"That was really scary," Kelleners said afterwards. "I just couldn't believe what was happening. I was aware that Zadra was catching me, and there was absolutely nothing I could do." As for Zadra, he was philosophical about the team's second place. "It was a shame that Kremer's problem did not happen a couple of laps sooner, but really it is a very cruel way to lose a race - I know as it has happened to me before."

Third place went to Nicolas Filiberti and Gianni Lavagii in the GLV Brums car. After taking pole and leading for the early laps, their Ferrari 333 SP lost second gear on the 12th lap, and the team struggled thereafter, finishing 40 seconds behind the leaders. Fourth place went to the Den Bla Avis Panoz of Nielsen and Elkard, who tried an unusual pit strategy which allowed them to run for the last hour without stopping. However, Nielsen lost time when exiting the pits with an airgun still attached. The gun eventually fell off, but the slow lap cost time, and the Panoz finished a lap down.

Victory in the Sports Racing Lights category went to newcomers Stanley Dickens and Fredrick Ekblom in the Sportscar Racing Team Sweden Lola B2K/40, finishing a lap ahead of newly crowned champions Smithson and Owen in the Redman Bright Pilbeam Nissan. "We had no significant problems all weekend," Dickens said, "The race went very smoothly, and Fredrick should take a lot of the credit for the win, as he did the majority of the running here this weekend." Third place on the podium went to the Project 2000 Tampolli of Wiseman and Careca, while the SCI Lucchini of Randaccio and Perazza finished well down after an electrical problem cost them five laps in the pits.

Next season the SRWC will be reborn as the FIA Sportscar Championship.


10 Kelleners/Formato Kremer Lola B98 Roush 88
23 Zadra/Peter BMS Ferrari 333SP 88
3 Lavaggi/Filliberti GLV Brums Ferrari 333SP 88
8 Nielsen/Elgard DenBlaAvis Panoz Spyder LMP 87
21 Goddard/Ayari Durango GMS LMP1 Mader 87
18 Smith/Schryvers Simpson Matrix XP Nissan 79


76 Dickens/Ekblom SRTS Lola B2K 40 85
63 Owen/Smithson Redman Br. Pilbeam MP84 84
71 Careca/Wiseman Project Tampolli RS-RT 83
72 Randaccio/Perazza SCI Lucchini AF 75

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