27/03/08 - The battle lines have been drawn and round two of the WesBank Super Series at Killarney on April 5 has the makings of a bumper outing filled with high class action and entertainment.
The opening round of the season at Kyalami provided an early indication of who is who in the zoo this season. As is usual with the opening round of a season there were a couple of under achievers at Kyalami, and the Cape outing gives them the opportunity to bounce back.
Those who got off the a flying start at the Midrand complex will be keen to keep the momentum going and lay down solid early season foundations. With these factors in mind and the high stakes involved, the scene is set for some really exciting motor racing.
Adding to the potential for a meeting of high class is the nature of the Killarney circuit and the enthusiasm of large crowds. The combination of fast sweeps, a long straight and tight and tricky infield sections always provides for good racing with plenty of incident.
The action gets underway on April 4 with official practice and timed sessions which will be loaded with interest. These sessions give a good indication of what to expect on race day and always produce little surprises.

BRIDGESTONE PRODUCTION CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

The resurgence of former champion Anthony Taylor and Etienne van der Linde, in the Team Afrox BMW 330i entries was a feature of the Kyalami season opener. Running under factory Castrol BMW guise last season the team had a miserable time of it.
But after a win for van der Linde in the first heat at Kyalami and two solid finishes from Taylor the pair find themselves at the top of the Class A points ladder. Taylor leads van der Linde by just two points and is level with Class T contender Graham Nathan in the overall championship.
The BMWs have always gone well in Cape Town and with Taylor and van der Linde in resurgent form, the Team Afrox pair will be in a confident frame of mind. But both will be well aware of the fact that there are will be half a dozen or more potential winners waiting to bring them back to earth.
Reigning champion Shaun Watson-Smith and team-mate Michael Stephen, in the Xtreme Team Audi A4 entries, are both potential winners and highly experienced campaigners. The same applies to former champion Leeroy Poulter who will again have the support of Tschops Sipuka in the Sasol Nissan 350Z squad.
Marco dos Santos (SAM Racing Tubular Technical Contruction Nissan 350Z) went well at Kyalami with reigning Can-Am champion Darren Lobb (SAM Racing DK Woodcraft Nissan 350Z) showing potential in his first Production Car outing. But the biggest danger to Taylor and company could come from local favourite Johan Fourie in the JFR Audi A4.
Fourie just missed out on last year’s championship and combines dollops of skill with aggression and, on his home circuit will be tough to beat. Melvill Priest (Lenovo/MiKar Audi A4) had a disappointing outing at Kyalami but is another potential winner and has the added incentive of wanting to bounce back to avoid playing the catch up game later in the season.
With so many potential winners and closely matched machinery, the Class A fight won’t be the place for the faint of heart. In terms of picking a winner the pin and entry list method will suffice.
If Kyalami is anything to go by Class T is going to see a season long battle emerge between early leader Graham Nathan (SEAT SA/Kaye Eddie Cupra), reigning champion Iain Pepper in the PG Glass Golf GTi and multiple SA champion Gary Formato in the SMD Group Ford Focus ST.
Nathan got off to a fast start with two wins to join Taylor at the top of the overall rankings, Pepper was as tenacious as ever and first time out Formato must have been more than happy with two third places for the Ford. Look to the highly experienced trio to resume hostilities with a vengeance in the Cape.
There were steady Kyalami performances from Engen VW Cup old boys Curt Alchin (Bodyman Golf GTi), Graham Donker (Mini Maxi Panelbeaters Golf GTi) and Gary van Heerden in the Webcom/Soviet VW GTi. Hopefully van Heerden and Regardt Roets will be out in the Opel MPCs in Cape Town and will be joined by Hein Bose and Etienne Prinsloo in the new Mazda MPS entries.
Experienced former SA champion Philip Kekana links up with Nathan in the SEAT squad, Shawn Duminy is set to join Formato in a second Ford Focus and, in a class that is becoming ever more competitive, Mark Silverwood showed potential in the ex works MINI Cooper.
The Class B battle has been given impetus by the appearance of Danie van Niekerk (Stanger Auto Ford Focus) who has thrown a cat among the Mazda/Toyota battle. Veteran Ben Morgenrood, the reigning champion in the Mazda Motorsport/Morgenrood Auto RX8, won both heats at Kyalami with van Niekerk edging out the Sasol Toyota RunX pair of Riyad Jaffer and former champion Dave Compton.
The quartet look set to do battle once more but could be troubled by local Kosie Swanepoel in the Barnett Auto Spares RunX. Swanepoel is another Engen VW Cup refugee and knows Killarney like the back of his hand.
Theunis Eloff (Motorsport Infinity Fiat Grande Punto) and team-mate Lindsay Steyn, in a Fiat Palio, took the Kyalami honours in Class C. The pair can expect a Cape backlash from reigning champion Robi Beninca in the BTS VW Citi.

WESBANK V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP

It is no surprise to see Team Timken pair Hennie Groenewald, the reigning champion, and heir apparent Robert Briggs at the top of the WesBank V8 Supercar leaderboard.
The pair, Groenwald in a Chev Lumina, and Briggs in a Jaguar, shared first and second places at Kyalami, although Groenewald’s second in race two was slightly fortuitous. He picked up a place when Richard Pinard, in a third Timken car, was disqualified for a technical infringement.
Groenwald and Briggs are the class horses in the WesBank field and will resume a friendly rivalry at Killarney. The pair will be the outright favourites and, as matters stand, it looks likely a race will develop within a race with the rest of the field fighting over the minor places.
Larry Wilford (Fuchs Ford Mustang), former champion Roelf du Plessis (Venter Motors Chev Lumina), Jade Gutzeit (Dezzi/Trysome Ford Mustang), Marc Auby (Jonnesway Chev Lumina) and veteran Willie Hepburn (Project Orange Corvette) who, at the age of 65, continues to amaze all come into the reckoning. Pinard, Gordon Connelly (Cowan Signs/Dezzi Jaguar) and Franco di Matteo (Optima Batteries Jaguar) should also be there or thereabouts.
There will also be a fair amount of interest centred on 16-year-old Brandon Auby in the Masana Petroleum Jaguar. He picked up a podium place first time out at Kyalami and his progress will be carefully watched.
The customary partial reverse grid for race two should again give added impetus to the second WesBank heat. These days, however, the likes of Groenewald and Briggs are making short work of midfield starts.
Hepburn, something of a race two specialist, is third in the championship followed by Terry Wilford, du Plessis and Gutzeit.The Auby brothers, Connolly and di Matteo are bracketed together. It is significant, however, that there is already a 10 point gap between Groenwald/Briggs and Hepburn and, unless something untoward happens in Cape Town, the status quo is not likely to change.

ENGEN VW CUP

The decision to limit the Engen VW Cup championship to drivers under the age of 27 has shifted attention to a bunch of younger drivers.
Although stalwarts like Curt Alchin, Graeme Donker and Kosie Swanepoel all now campaigning elsewhere, there are still some experienced drivers in the category. Mathew Hodges (PG Glass VW Polo) is one of these and leads the early standings from youngster Gennaro Bonafede (Champion/Ferodo VW Polo) who is the son of former rally champion Vito Bonafede.
Local star Miguel Pasqualli (Xtreme Team VW Polo) is another of the older hands and shares third in the championship with Jared Mortimer in the Liquid Lounge/Emerald Casino VW Polo. They are followed by Darren Nathan (Sextrader VW Polo) and Kieran Quarmby (Gallardo VW Polo) and the makings are here for two competitive heats.
The smart money, however, may just be on Pasqualli. He is experienced and like Kosie Swanepoel and Johan Fourie, has an intimate knowledge of Killarney.
For all that the youngsters will give him a run for his money.
FORMULA VW
The fledgling Formula VW category, carrying national challenge status this season, showed plenty of potential at Kyalami.
Two wins, one of them a rain marred procession, have given Gavin Cronje (Jonah Capital Formula VW) a clear lead at the top of the championship. The talented Cronje will be carrying most of the smart money this season but faces stiff challenges from some talented and experienced drivers.
Cristiano Morgado (Morgando Racing Formula VW), like Cronje a former Rotax Max kart world champion, did not have a happy day at Kyalami but has overseas experience to match Cronje for pace. Jennifer Murray, Formula Ford champions Brett Mayberry and Jayde Kruger are also more than competent and Michael Stephen is no slouch.
Reigning VW Polo Cup champion Lee Thompson is second to Cronje after Kyalami. Thompson, however, lacks singleseater experience and will be under pressure in Cape Town.

CITIBIKE SUPERBIKE/SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS

Down the years Killarney has produced some stirring CitiBike SA Superbike Championship battles, and this time around nothing will change.
A high quality field, with at least half a dozen riders capable of winning, will again produce racing of high quality and drama. Setting the early pace is 2005 SA champion Sheridan Morias, on the Emtek Racing Kawasaki, who showed the benefits of overseas experience by blitzing the opposition in both races at Kyalami.
It was an impressive display from the pint-sized Morias but he has no shortage of challengers. Clinton Seller (Nashua Mobile/Lanova/Daikin Yamaha) is superfast, team-mate Saun Whyte is the 2006 champion and loaded with experience and reigning champion Arushen Moodley (Dynamic Emtek Suzuki) came of age last season.
Added to that bunch are the likes of the hugely experienced Trevor Crookes (Mitsubishi Elecric Suzuki) and Graeme van Breda on the Springs Suzuki entry. Talented Greg Gildenhuys, also with overseas experience uneder his belt, has taken over from local hero Lance Isaacs on the Race Nation Honda Fireblade and showed plenty of potential first time out.
Robert Portman, on the Sinotec Suzuki, did not have the happiest of days at Kyalami, but is also very quick. Like Gildenhuys the Benoni based Portman could be on the verge of what would be a major breakthrough.
There will also be a fair deal of interest in Chris Leeson, the Supersport champion, who will be having his second outing on the second Emtek Kawasaki. It might take Leeson a little time to settle down but he has the talent to soon be challenging the more established riders.
Morias will start the favourite at Killarney but don’t rule out the possibility of a surprise or two.
On the Supersport front Dane Hellyer (Kyocera/Kyalami Motorcycles Kawasaki) has immediately thrown his hat into the ring. As expected van Breda, riding in both the Superbike and Supersport classes, is up there with Hellyer along with Steven Odendaal (Mitsubishi Electric Suzuki), James Egan (Time Freight Yamaha) and Dylan White on the White Aluminium Yamaha.
Hellyer, van Breda and Egan are known quantities and could end up dominating the series. Hellyer and Egan shared the Kyalami wins but youngsters like Odendaal, Jaques Peskens (Algoa Structures Honda) and Royce Odendaal (Snickers Suzuki) could spring surprises.
While Hellyer, van Breda and Egan will be heavily favoured Killarney could be a test of character for Egan. He had a huge accident at the Cape circuit last season and could face something of a mental barrier.

For more on the Wesbank Super Series go to www.wesbankmotorsport.co.za