Cindric takes Daytona 500, Rosberg’s Extreme X, SAMX & more
Toyota Gazoo Racing week 7 of 2022 takes in a broad palette as the new season starts to limber up across the globe.
ROOKIE CINDRIC TAKES DAYTONA 500
NASCAR rookie Austin Cindric’s Ford beat Toyota man Bubba Wallace to win the Daytona 500 in a mass photo finish. Ford drivers Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney and Aric Almirola followed with Kyle Busch third in another Toyota. The top 13 crossed the line within a second of Cindric. Also at Daytona, Rookie Austin Hill’s Chevy escaped a massive last-lap crash to win Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener. And Corey Heim took his Toyota Tundra to a dominant start to finish win the ARCA Truck Series race.
Moving across to the Saudi Arabian Desert X-Prix season opener, Johan Kristofferson came from behind to snatch victory for defending champions Rosberg X Racing RXR and new co-driver Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky. Kristofferson made best after a red flag stoppage to overhaul multiple WRC champions Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz’, Sainz XE and Sebastian Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez’s X44 entries for the win. South Africa’s Lance Woolridge and Christina GZ sit tenth in the championship chase after the first round.
Closer to home, the SA motocross season opened in Cape Town. Double champion Tristan Purdon picked up where he left off with an MX1 double over Anthony Raynard’s Yamaha and Cameron Durow’s KTM. Durow and Purdon share MX2 honours. Raynard dominated MX3 and Kayla Raaff did the Ladies double on her Kawasaki. Heat 2 winner Hayden Tully’s Yamaha took High School, moto winners Trey Cox’s KTM and Neil van der Vyver’s Husqvarna shared 85 cc honours. Evan Frost’s KTM took 65cc and Rayden Woolls’ Husqvarna won 50cc.
MUDDY WEIVELD TESTS CREWS
Moving upcountry on Racing Week 7, Trace Price Moor and Shaun Braithwate’s BAT Special took overall honours in The Inland Off Road Championship’s Weiveld 300 season opener at a wet and muddy Parys on Saturday. Penta Red-Lined Racing duo Philip Botha and Roelof Janse van Vuren took Production honours in second aboard their VK56. Ahead of David Hussy and Michael Omand’s Navara. The race of attrition also claimed time trial winner and early leader Hennie De Klerk and Riaan Botma’s TOne Amarok.
Killarney’s Cape karting opener was dominated by well supported Rotax Max classes. Sebastian Boyd drove away in premier class DD2, while Conor Hughes took Masters. Charl Visser won Senior and Reza Levy Junior Max in a combined race that predictably ended in tears in a red flagged second heat. That following a crash after officials expected both classes to fight it out on the same piece of track. The Beaumont boys dominated the primary school action. Keagan drove away in Mini Max while Aiden did the same in Micro. Liam Wharton won Bambino.
Also at Killarney in Week 7, Jack Moore won Kid Rok, William Marshall Mini Rok and Tate Bishop KZ2. And further north, MSA’s Zwartkops Northern Regions Rok karting regional Shrien Naidoo took the shifter win. Mahlori Mabunda took the Senior and OKJ race. Aadam Kajee won Mini Max and Rok race, Maddox Mason Kid Rok and Diego Antunes Bambino.
