As before, the Bridgestone tin-top category will boast a wide variety of competing vehicles, all racing on Bridgestone road tyres.
There will be rear-wheel, front-wheel and all-wheel drive cars, powered by a mixed bag of normally aspirated, turbocharged, supercharged and rotary engines.
In Class A, reigning overall South African Production Car champion Shaun Watson-Smith will defend his title as leader of the Engen Xtreme Audi team. Watson-Smith will drive an Audi A4 3,2 quattro, with support from the identical car of his Engen Xtreme team mate Michael Stephen. Also in all-wheel drive A4 3,2 quattros will be privateers Johan Fourie (JF Transport Audi) and Melvill Priest (MiKar Lenovo Audi).
Nissan will go to war with four 350Z models, led by the works Sasol cars of Leeroy Poulter and Tschops Sipuka. Backing them under the Nissan Dealer Team banner will be Marco da Cunha (Tubular Tech 350Z) and series newcomer Darryn Lobb (DK Woodcraft 350Z). Lobb is the current South African Shelby CanAm sportscar champion, and his progress in the tin-top arena will be watched with keen interest.
After the closure of its factory team at the end of 2007, BMW will be represented by the privateer Afrox team, fielding Afrox BMW 330i models for Anthony Taylor and Etienne van der Linde.
Subaru’s flag will also be flown by privateers, with all-wheel drive, turbocharged Impreza WRX STi models.
The class will be rounded out by the privateer Alfa Romeo 147 GTA of Gary Green.
The season’s toughest competition could well occur in Class T for force inducted petrol engined cars, with 18 entries representing every candidate for the title of South Africa’s most potent hot hatchback.
Topping the entry list will be current class champion Iain Pepper in his PG Glass Volkswagen Golf GTI. He will have strong support, with similar Golfs entered by former Engen VW Cup contenders Curt Alchin and Graham Donker, single seater aces Craig Allan and Barry Ingle, Porsche Cup driver George Smalberger, and Production Car regular Peet Visagie (Liebher GTI).
Ford will return to the Production Car jungle with a vengeance this season, fielding factory Focus ST models for multiple former South African champion Gary Formato and Shaun Duminy.
In similar vein, Mazda will be represented by two of their Mazda 3 MPS hatchbacks, driven in Bizhub / MFC colours by Heinz Bose and Etienne Prinsloo.
Other strong contenders should be SEAT, with works Leon Cupra models in the hands of veteran Graeme Nathan and Phillip Kekana.
Privateers who could upset the applecart will be Mark Silverwood (OKI MINI Cooper S), George Economides (MINI Cooper S) and Andre van der Merve, in a Renault Megane.
Current Class B champion Ben Morgenrood in his rotary powered Mazda RX8 will face a horde of Toyota RunX RSi models, led by the Team Sasol entries of Dave Compton and Riyad Jaffer. Other Toyota drivers will be Kosie Swanepoel, Shaun Pike and Mark Carver, while Danie van Niekerk will campaign a Ford Fiesta ST.
The opening rounds of the 2008 Bridgestone Production Car championship will take place at Kyalami on Saturday, March 15, as part of this year’s WesBank Super Series.