The heat is on at Zwartkops

Global Touring Car gets top billing, with Extreme Supercars close second.

TITLE FIGHTERS. Gennaro Bonafede (Sasol BMW) and Simon Moss (Engen Audi) will be in line to take the Sasol Global Touring Car title at Zwartkops on Saturday. Picture: Dave Ledbitter

SA’s premier four circuit racing championships will be finalised at the Zwartkops Raceway this Saturday, with the venue to host the final round of the Extreme Festival series.

Top billing will belong to the Sasol Global Touring Car brigade, where Michael Stephen (Engen Audi), Gennaro Bonafede (Sasol BMW) and Simon Moss (Engen Audi) could all be crowned as the season’s overall champion.

Chasing them, will be Johan Fourie (EPS Couriers BMW), Daniel Rowe (VW Motorsport Jetta), Mathew Hodges (VW Motorsport Jetta) and Robert Wolk (Sasol BMW).

Rounding out the entry list will be a V8-engined Ford Focus, with its driver still to be announced. Keagan Masters (VW Motorsport Golf GTI) should clinch the GTC2 title, with his closest contenders Devin Robertson (Champion Mini JCW), Bradley Liebenberg (Ferodo Mini JCW), Trevor Bland (Universal Health Golf GTI), Charl Smalberger (Q20 Golf GTI), Paul Hill (Kalex Golf GTI) and Bob Neill (Delmon Ford Focus).

Three drivers – Jeffrey Kruger (Universal Health Polo), Tasmin Pepper (Electric Life Polo) and Jonathan Mogotsi (VW Motor sport Polo) – will fight tooth and nail for this year’s overall Engen Polo Cup championship title.

Other drivers who could join the fight will include Keegan Campos (Campos Transport Polo), Clinton Bezuidenhout (Glyco Engine Polo), Juan Gerber (DAF Trucks Polo) and Delon Thompson (MF Autobody Polo).

Stuart White (Fantastic Mygale) will be the favourite to clinch this year’s Investchem Formula 1600 title, with his closest adversaries Nicholas van Weely (Magnificent Paints Van Diemen), Ian Schofield (Investchem Mygale), Scott Temple (Road to Race Mygale) and Alex Gillespie (ERP Trucking Mygale).

The day’s biggest crowd drawcards are the two races for G&H Transport Extreme Supercars.

Charl Arangies should win both heats in his Stradale Aston Martin Vantage, chased by Franco di Matteo (Deltec Batteries Alfa GT), Simon Murray (Stradale Lamborghini Gallardo), Dawie Olivier (Baby Beemer M3 Turbo), Mark du Toit (TAR Ferrari F430), Jonathan du Toit (TAR Ferrari F430), Ricky Giannoccaro (G&H Transport Lamborghini Gallardo), Deon du Plessis (BPT KTM X-Bow), Anton Cronje (AF Hydraulics Dubaru WRX) and Nicky Dicks (Stradale Porsche 997 GT3).

Sven Grune (Kawasaki ZX10R) and Graeme van Breda (Stefanutti ZX10R) should conclude their season-long fight for supremacy in the Red Square Kawasaki Masters title chase, challenged by Jonty Collard (Kawasaki ZX10R), Jaco Gous Kawasaki ZX10R), Appanna Ganapathy (ART ZX10R), Teddy Brooke (Brooke Refrigeration ZX10R), Andre van Vollenstee (Stunt SA ZX10R) and Sanjis Singh (Kawasaki ZX10R).

Racing by invitation, the V8 Supercar contingent should see front-runners like Franco di Matteo Deltec Jaguar), Mackie Adlem (Adlem Auto Jaguar), Terry Wilford (Fuchs Ford Falcon), Rui Campos (Corvette), Thomas Reib (Cafe 9 Chev), Steve Herbst (Prei Instrumentation Corvette) and JP Nortje (N4 Autocraft Corvette) in action.

The event’s largest entry list is the MotorMart VW Challenge brigade, with 35 competitors. Front runners should be Stiaan Kriel (Pozi Drive Polo), Rory Atkinson (BHIT Polo), Lyle Ramsay (Monroe Polo), Wayne Masters (Performance Masters Polo), Gavin Ross (Norbrake Polo), and Andre Calitz (Full Blast Polo).

Jeffrey Kruger (Universal Health Lotus) will be the man to beat in the Lotus Challenge races, chased by Clive Wilmot (Birkin 7), Robyn Kruger (Universal Health Lotus), Fred Alberts (Birkin), and Sean Hewitt (Birkin).

Info

The Zwartkops gates will be open at 6am, with qualifying sessions in the morning.