PRESSURE BUILDS FOR WESBANK SUPER SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP HOPEFULS
author: Rory Brown
Round six of the WesBank Super Series at the Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday (September 11) sees championship hopefuls at the sharp end of the stick.
With only three meetings remaining after this outing, promoted as the Sasol Race Day at the Pretoria West complex, pressure is building on title contenders. There is also a degree of pressure on those who have slipped down the championship ladder with the meeting providing them with a last throw of the dice.
Adding to the potential for drama at what should be an intriguing race meeting is the nature of the Zwartkops circuit. It is tight and the big WesBank V8 Supercars, in particular, are going to find it hard going.
But, apart from providing spectators with a close up view of the action, tight circuits tend to encourage competitive racing. With important championship points up for grabs, along with the ‘red mist’ that seems to afflict race drivers and riders when the start lights go out, there will be no shortage of action.
WesBank V8 Supercars
Teenager Brandon Auby (ELT International Jaguar) has a tight hold on the Super GT category in the WesBank V8 Supercar series – but it is different story in the GT Class where a dogfight has developed.
Auby takes to Zwartkops a 29 point advantage over closest challenger Jaco Correia in the Liqui Moly Corvette. Correia’s title challenge suffered a major setback with a huge accident in the second heat of the previous round at his home circuit, and he will want to immediately bounce back.
Adding fuel to the flames is the fact that young Auby’s father, Deon, is only a single point behind Correia in the ELT International Holden. Auby senior will want to cement his own position in the championship and, at the same time, provide his son with a little protection.
With Franco di Matteo (Varta Batteries Jaguar) on the fringes of a top three placing in the championship, there is plenty of pressure on Correia. The likes of Ben Morgenrood (BM Auto Jaguar) and Wade van Zummeren (Border Towing Mustang) also cannot be left out of the picture with heat two, in particular, primed for drama.
The second race reverse grid is, in itself, a recipe for explosive racing. On the tight Zwartkops layout it is a ticking time bomb.
On the GT front only three points separate four drivers. Des Gutzeit (Dezzi Mustang) leads Darron Gudmanz (Indigo Boats Corvette) by two points, with former champion Roelf du Plessis (RJ Panelbeaters Mustang) and Larry Wilford, out in a Fuchs Mustang, locked together a further point in arrears.
That sets up two highly interesting heats with Gudmanz up against a trio of battle hardened veterans.
Bridgestone Production Car Championship
After a poor day at Phakisa last time out, damage control will be uppermost in the mind of Bridgestone Production Car championship leader Anthony Taylor.
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Anthony Taylor Class A Production Racing Car
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The former champion, in the Afrox BMW 335i, travelled to the Free State with an overall and Class A lead of more than 40 points, but once the dust had settled the advantage had been cut to just 21 points over team-mate Melvill Priest. Taylor will be desperate to steady the ship and three hugely interesting heats – two back to back sprint races and a longer feature event – are in the offing.
Behind Taylor and Priest only three points separate Michael Stephen, in the Xtreme Team Audi A4, and reigning champion Johan Fourie (IndyOil Audi A4) who dominated the Phakisa outing. Fourie will be looking for more of the same, while the Timken Subaru trio of Hennie Groenewald, Dawie Olivier and Richard Pinard will be looking for further success at a track that has treated Subaru – and Olivier in particular - kindly in the past.
The underrated Marco da Cunha in the SAM Racing/Tubular Tech Nissan 350Z, is among the list of potential race winners, as is Reghardt Roets in the Rough Rider BMW 335i. The versatile Roets, who nowadays also races boats, came up with a strong performance in the feature race at Phakisa.
There is also a possibility that talented Leeroy Poulter, still fourth in the championship despite missing the Phakisa outing, will be out in the ex Pinard Midas Lotus Exige. The car was driven last time out by former A1GP star Adrian Zaugg.
Class T hostilities will resume between arch rivals Graeme Nathan (IndyOil VW Golf GTi) and Gary Formato (Team Ford Nando’s Ford Focus ST). Former champion Nathan has a tenuous eight point lead over reigning champion Formato, with the battle lines drawn a long time ago.
Teenager Gennaro Bonafede (Ferodo VW Golf GTi) has slipped a little off the championship pace, and there is pressure on the youngster to bounce back. Bonafede and another youngster, Kieren Quarmby (Interfile VW Golf GTi), are starting to lock horns with Shaun Duminy and Michael van Rooyen in the other Team Ford Nandos cars and the class is now fiercely competitive.
With so much at stake in both Class A and Class T, and with some hard men and tough kids involved, Zwartkops will be no place for the faint of heart.
Engen Volkswagen Cup
Reigning champion Matthew Hodges (PG Glass VW Polo) is firmly on track to win a second successive Engen Volkswagen Cup title.
Hodges takes to Phakisa a 31 point advantage over Alberton teenager Devin Robertson (Ferodo VW Polo) who will not have happy memories of the corresponding meeting last year. Statistics amply illustrate the extent to which Hodges has dominated this year’s championship.
He has eight wins from the 10 races run so far, including six on the trot. That makes him an overwhelming favourite and Robertson and Kosie Weyers (Xtreme Team VW Polo), second and third in the championship, cannot afford to let Hodges further widen the gap.
Other potential winners include the experienced Bryan Morgan (Timken VW Polo), Kyle Barnes (Phoenix Motors VW Polo) and Darren Nathan in the sextrader VW Polo. Teenager Jaques Joubert (VW Polo), the ever improving Robyn Kruger (Azoic Panelbeaters VW Polo) and Brennon Green (IndyOil VW Polo) will all be looking for good results, but beating Hodges still remains the name of the game.
Formula Volkswagen Championship
With the decision by Wesleigh Orr to concentrate on his karting career, the Formula Volkswagen title chase has turned into a one horse race.
Simon Moss, son of former South African champion Terry, has a whopping 42 point lead over Tasmin Pepper (PG Glass/Plastomark/VW Racing FVW) who in turn has a seven point lead over talented youngster Chad van Beurden (FVW) who took a maiden victory last time out at Phakisa.
Van Beurden won the opening heat at the Free State circuit, but Moss, in the Southern Sun/Dixon Batteries FVW, quickly restored the status quo in the second race. Van Beurden looks likely to take over Orr’s role as chief challenger to Moss, with Pepper and the more experienced Gordon Connelly (Cowan Signs FVW) also in the mix.
Teenagers Daniel Rowe (LUK/GC Diesel FVW) and Ernie van der Walt (Southern Sun/Oakley FVW), along with Naomi Schiff in the Terry Moss Racing FVW, are also talented youngsters who will be challenging for top five positions.
Interfile SA Superbike Championship
It will be back to business for the Interfile SA Superbike brigade after a lull in proceedings at Phakisa.
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Lance Isaacs
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Safety concerns at the Free State circuit saw the riders opt out of racing and instead they took part in a Superpole competition that did not count towards championship points. That left veteran Cape Town rider Lance Isaacs (Bikefin Honda) still 31 points clear of Greg Gildenhuys (Autohaus BMW), with reigning champion Sheridan Morais (Emtek Aprilia) a further three points adrift.
On paper the Isaacs lead looks substantial. But with 50 points up for grabs at Zwartkops it is, in reality, a tenuous advantage which could be snuffed out.
Isaacs, Gildenhuys and Morais will be among the frontrunners but face a stiff challenge from a bevy of talented young riders. Bikefin Honda team-mates Dane Hellyer and Chris Leeson, along with Nicolas Grobler (Jonway Honda) and Julian Odendaal (MS Aircon Suzuki) are all capable of upsetting applecarts.
Skill and bravery are prerequisites for success on the tight Zwartkops layout. There is no shortage of either commodity among the bike brigade, and a couple of cracking races are certain to develop.
Interfile SA Supersport Championship
With Interfile SA Supersport riders also opting out of racing at Phakisa, current leader Ronan Quarmby (Interfile Yamaha) carries over a narrow three point championship advantage over Robert Portman on the Emtek Triumph.
Quarmby will have welcomed the break between Phakisa and the Zwartkops outing to recover from recent surgery and injuries suffered during a sortie into the World Supersport Championship at Silverstone. Prior to going under the knife, Quarmby dominated the series and will be looking to once again stamp his authority on proceedings.
Portman has plenty of experience and there is no shortage of young challengers. Dylan White (White Aluminium Yamaha), Steven Odendaal (MS Aircon Suzuki), Bikefin Honda team-mates Brent Harran and Jacques Peskens, Dean Vos (Kawasaki), Bjorn Estment (NFB Financial Services Yamaha) and Clinton Alberts, on the Kyalami Honda Cayenne Racing entry, are all hungry for success.
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