SA’s most decorated motor racing driver, Michael Stephen, once again showed exactly why he is regarded as one of the country’s finest when he produced a masterclass in wet-weather driving at Aldo Scribante Raceway on Saturday.
With torrential rain turning the Gqeberha circuit into a slippery, unpredictable challenge, Stephen rose to the occasion during rounds four and five of the SA Endurance Series (SAES), claiming a superb victory and a second-place finish for the Scuderia Scribante team.
The weekend also saw the SAES experiment with a radically different format.
Instead of the traditional five-hour endurance race, competitors faced two 70-minute races, with each featuring a compulsory three-minute pit stop.
That shorter format may have reduced the duration, but it did not reduce the pressure, as teams had to carefully manage their strategy, with driver changes, tyres, fuel and permitted adjustments all having to be completed while ensuring the mandatory three-minute stop was correctly observed.
In the unpredictable conditions at Aldo Scribante, strategy and driver skill became every bit as important as outright speed.
Stephen shared the Scuderia Scribante Lamborghini Huracan with teammate Silvio Scribante in the opening race, and the pair delivered a strong performance to bring the powerful Lamborghini home in second place, finishing behind Stuart White in the Into Africa Racing Lamborghini Huracan.
The result gave Scuderia Scribante a strong platform heading into the second race, but with the weather deteriorating, nobody could predict just how dramatic the afternoon was about to become.
For the second race, Stephen took sole control of the Scuderia Scribante Lamborghini and started from pole position.
White's challenge appeared to have been dealt a major blow before the race had even settled down when a brake problem forced the Into Africa Racing Lamborghini to start from the pit lane.
But writing White off would have been a serious mistake.
The experienced driver carved his way through the field at an astonishing rate and, within just 15 minutes, had overtaken his way into second place, setting his sights firmly on Stephen.
With about 55 minutes remaining, the heavens opened once again, transforming the circuit into a treacherous ribbon of wet tarmac and what followed was one of the highlights of the weekend.
Stephen kept the Lamborghini perfectly balanced, extracting every ounce of grip from the car while resisting the relentless pressure from White behind him.
Lap after lap, the Into Africa Racing Lamborghini stayed within striking distance, but Stephen refused to crack.
White threw everything at the leader, with spectacular late-braking manoeuvres and bold lunges keeping the sizeable crowd on the edge of their seats.
Stephen, however, remained calm and his experience, car control and ability to read the changing conditions proved decisive as he defended his advantage all the way to the chequered flag.
It was a drive that combined speed, patience and precision, exactly the qualities required when racing at the highest level in conditions where one small mistake can end a race in an instant.
When the flag finally fell, it was Stephen and Scuderia Scribante who stood on the top step of the podium, with White forced to settle for second.
The weather proved equally unforgiving for the motorcycle competitors, with a number of riders electing to withdraw as conditions became increasingly treacherous.
Local favourite Zander Taljaard, however, was clearly not interested in taking the easy option as he produced a superb performance in the Superbike category during round four, winning both races and delighting the home crowd.
His fortunes changed dramatically in round five.
While leading the opening race, Taljaard suffered a crash that brought his impressive weekend to an abrupt end and ruled him out of the remainder of the day.
It was a stark reminder of just how little margin for error there was on a circuit drenched by heavy rain.
Round 4: 1 Into Africa Racing, Stuart White; 2 Scuderia Scribante, Silvio Scribante and Michael Stephen; 3 Rico Barlow Racing, Barend Pretorius and Charl Visser
Round 5: 1 Scuderia Scribante, Michael Stephen; 2 Into Africa Racing, Stuart White; 3 Rico Barlow Racing, Barend Pretorius and Charl Visser.
