19/05/08 - For those who like their motorsport high on action and low on the frilly bits, the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria West will be just the place on Saturday (May 24) with the Afrox Race Day, round four of the WesBank Super Series, set to get the pulses racing.
The intimate nature of the Zwartkops complex and the tight track combine to produce an ambience that is conducive to close and competitive racing. And with the season now in full swing with most of the championship issues evenly balanced, all the ingredients are there for a day loaded with incident and entertainment for the whole family.
With the exception of the CitiBike SA Superbike Championship who sit this one out, there will be a full house of national and national challenge categories on view. The WesBank V8 Supercars, Bridgestone Production Cars and Engen VW Cup provide the saloon car interest with singleseaster and motorcycle action from the Formula VW and CitiBike Supersport categories.
On the championship front there are not too many comfort zones. Hennie Groenewald in the WesBank V8 Supercars, Gavin Cronje, in the fledgling Formula VW series and Dane Hellyer in the CitiBike Supersport series come closest to comfort zones.
All it takes, however, for the wheels to fall off a strong championship bid is one bad outing. By the same token the Zwartkops outing provides those who are knocking on the door the opportunity move a rung or two up the championship ladder.
Given the tight nature of the Zwartkops layout grid positions are going to be crucial. With his in mind the Friday qualifying sessions should be something special.
Bridgestone Production Car Championship
For the second meeting in a row a tight circuit provides the four-wheel drive Audi A4 runners with a distinct advantage.
Current championship leaders, defending champion Shaun Watson-Smith (Xtreme Team Audi A4) and Johan Fourie (Indy Oil Audi A4), will want to take full advantage of the situation. Michael Stephen, in the second Xtreme Team car and Mellvill Priest (Lenovo/MiKar Audi A4), after a shaky start to the season, will be in the same frame of mind.
For the likes of Anthony Taylor and Etienne van der Linde in the Afrox BMWs, former champion Leeroy Poulter and Tschops Sipuka, in the factory Sasol Nissan 350Z entries and the three SAM Racing Nissans, it will be a case of damage control. Taylor, Poulter and company will all be keen to find a demon lap in qualifying and then use the difficult to pass characteristics of the circuit to their advantage.
The ‘hot hatch’ brigade in Class T look set to provide some of the meeting’s more interesting and robust racing. The battle lines have already been drawn by the Seat Cupra, Golf GTi and Ford Focus ST runners with old sparring partners Graeme Nathan (Seat/Kaye-Eddie Cupra), reigning champion Iain Pepper (PG Glass Golf GTi) and Gary Formato (Ford Racing Focus ST) leading the championship.
Nathan, Pepper and Formato will be among the pace setters with no quarter asked or given. Mark Silverwood (OKI Mini Cooper) has proved to be quick and reliable while Hein Bose (MFC/Mazda MPS3) and Etienne Prinsloo in a similar car running under Bizhub colours are making progress.
Graham Donker (Mini Maxi Panelbeaters Golf GTi) and Curt Alchin (Assist2Sell/Bodyman Golf GTi) lead the recruits from the Engen VW Cup series and hopefully Zwartkops will see the much awaited advent of the Opel OPC entries in the hands of Gary van Heerden and Regardt Roets.
The likes of Philip Kekana, in the second Cupra, and Shaun Duminy in the second Ford Focus could upset an applecart or two in a category that gets more interesting as the season progresses.
Class B sees a resumption of the Ford/Mazda/Toyota confrontation. At the moment it is Ford, via Danie van Niekerk, in the Stanger Auto Ford Fiesta, who is leading the way. Reigning champion Morgenrood (Mazda Motorsport/Morgenrood Auto Mazda RX8) is at the front of the challengers with Riyad Jaffer and Dave Compton, in the Sasol Toyota RunX entries, still to find their best form this season.
WesBank V8 Supercars
As ever the man to beat in the WesBank V8 Championship will be reigning champion Hennie Groenewald (Timken Chev Lumina) who is looking for a hat-trick of titles.
And, as ever, the driver most likely to put a dent in Groenewald’s championship charge is Robert Briggs in the Timken Jaguar. At 65 Willie Hepburn (Project Orange Chev Corvette) continues to defy time and younger drivers and is third in the championship.
Marc Auby (Jonnesway Tools Chev Lumina) has been a model of consistency this season, Richard Pinard (Timken Jaguar) has a win under his belt and the likes of veteran Larry Wilford (Fuchs Ford Mustang), son Terry in the Fuchs Jaguar, Franco di Matteo (Optima Batteries Jaguar), Gordon Connelly (Cowan Signs/Dezzi Jaguar) and the Correia brothers, Jaco and Danie, in the Liqui Moly Corvettes are all capable podium finishes.
While Groenewald and Briggs will be favoured to dominate race one with the grid determined by qualifying times, the second race will be something else. The race two inverted grid system which is now part and parcel of the WesBank series will make it difficult for the likes of Groenewald and company.
Zwartkops is a difficult circuit for the big and powerful WesBank cars and overtaking is not easy. Pinard’s win came at Aldo Scribante in race two and Zwartkops could also provide for something of an upset.
Engen VW Cup
After years of seeing familiar faces at the top of the championship, there is a refreshing change in the Engen VW Cup championship.
With the series now restricted to drivers under the age of 27 some bright young talent is coming to the fore. Teenager Gennaro Bonafede, son of SA rally champion Vito, currently leads the championship in the Champion/Ferodo VW Polo. He has a four point advantage over Mathew Hodges (PG Glass VW Polo), one of the older hands in the series, with Bryan Morgan (Timken VW Polo) and Miguel Pasqualli (Engen Xtreme VW Polo) all in challenging positions.
Morgan and Pasqualli are also older hands but are being chased by the likes of karter Devon Robertson (Champion/Ferodo VW Polo) and Kieran Quarmby (Gallardo VW Polo) whose brother Ronan is campaigning motorcycles in Britain.
One would expect Bonafede, Morgan, Hodges and Pasqualli to be among the Zwartkops frontrunners. The nature of a one marquee series, however, opens the door for surprises and the likes of Jarded Mortimer (Emerald Casino VW Polo) cannot be left out of the equation.
Formula VW
The Zwartkops debut of the Formula VW national challenge series will be loaded with interest.
The frontrunners will in all likelihood consistently be under the 60 second barrier and with a field made up of talented youngsters and some older hands the racing will be close and interesting. Gavin Cronje (Capital Finance Formula VW) lost his unbeaten record at Aldo Scribante but has a comfortable championship lead and will again be a pre-race favourite.
Christiano Morgando, like Cronje a former Rotax Max kart world champion, took both the wins at Aldo Scribante in the Morgado Racing entry. A repeat battle between to talented drivers is to be savoured.
Lee Tompson and Michael Stephen in a pair of Terry Moss Racing entries, along with Formula Ford champion Jayde Kruger (Wap Alto Formula VW) have the ability to push Cronje and Morgando to the limit. David Perel, in a Sam Racing/Tubular Tech entry has also shown plenty of promise.
In an interesting development the versatile Gugu Zulu will partner Ian Young junior in the WesBank development team run by Vic Maharaj.
CitiBike SA Supersport Championship
One of the highlights of the Zwartkops meeting could be the two CitiBike SA Supersport races.
Youth and enthusiasm has led to a championship that never lacks for interest and there is an abundance of young talent that augurs well for the future of South African motorcycle racing. Experienced Graeme van Breda (Springs Suzuki) has kept the youngsters on their toes, and now the appearance of the equally experienced Lance Isaacs (Snickers Suzuki) will do the same.
Dane Hellyer (Kyocera Kawasaki) has a handy championship lead over James Egan (Timefreight Yamaha) and Graem Green on the Leatt Brace Yamaha. The three have done all the winning this season with Hellyer taking three wins, Green two and Egan one.
The trio will be frontrunners at Zwartkops with the likes of Dylan White (JW Aluminium Yamaha), John Oliver (Suzuki), impressive newcomer Steven Odendaal (Mitsubishi Electric Suzuki) and Jaques Peskens Algoa Structures Honda) are capable of podium finishes. On the tight Zwartkops layout the racing will be close and the youngsters are set to put on a top class show.