Nissan Motorsport supremo Glyn Hall could find himself on the horns of a dilemma at the Carnival City Casino 400, final round of the Bankfin Off-Road Championship, on Friday and Saturday. –
– The factory Nissan team has dominated the championship, sponsored by Bankfin, the specialist vehicle finance division of ABSA Bank, this season with works teams Giniel de Villiers/Francois Jordaan and Hannes Grobler/Richard Leeke winning six of the seven events so far in Nissan Hardbodys. On top of that factory pair Duncan Vos and Mike Griffiths have clinched the Class D national championship and go into the Carnival City Casino 400 level pegging with Ford Racing Ranger crew Neil Woolridge and Kenny Skjoldhammer in the race for the overall Production Vehicle Championship. –
– The problem for Hall is that veterans Grobler and Leeke, by winning the recent Queen Motor Spares Tarka 400, have also put themselves in line to win the overall and Class T championships. An overall win for Grobler and Leeke and problems for either Vos/Griffiths and Woolridge/Skjoldhammer over the weekend could see the veteran pair sneak in via the back door in both championships. –
– For Hall the problem is compounded by the fact that de Villiers/Jordaan and Grobler/Leeke, along with Woolridge and Skjoldhammer, compete in the premier Class T for Super Trucks and, as such, are prime candidates for overall victory. The key to the overall championship for Vos and Griffiths is to finish as high up the overall ladder as is possible, with an overall win for the Class D crew an unlikely scenario. –
– A situation, loaded with different permutations, could emerge that will provide Hall with tactical problems. Hall, however, is unmoved by all the potential drama that could unfold. –
– “We are going to the Carnival City Casino 400 to race, and we’ll deal with situations as they arise,” he said. “In a way it’s a nice position to be in, but I’d be a lot happier if we had already won all three championships.” –
– For Hall and Nissan an ideal scenario would be for Woolridge and Skjoldhammer to fall by the wayside, and for Grobler and Leeke to finish ahead of de Villiers/Jordaan with Vos and Griffiths fourth or fifth overall. That would give Nissan the overall and Class T and D championships without any fuss and bother. –
– The harsh reality, however, is that in motorsport anything can happen – a fact of which all those involved in championship issues this weekend will be all to aware. –
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