Reigning SA National Formula Vee Champion, Symm Grobler (#1 Auto Mecca Rhema 2), heads the 2005 Championship log as competitors prepare for the second round of the Championship, which takes place at the WesBank Raceway, situated on Rand Airport road just off the N3 Highway, on Saturday 19 March 2005. The event includes Regional Championship races, for Thundercars, VW Challenge and Lotus Challenge, Club Championship events, for Super Hatch and Silvercup and a Parade by the Historic Motorcycle Group. The first event is scheduled to start at 10h30, with the National Championship Formula Vee events scheduled for 10h50 and 13h40. Entrance fee, will be R 20.00 for Adults and R 10.00 for Children under twelve.
The forty three year old, Pretoria based Grobler, will be up against a highly competitive field, including ex Champions Peter Hills (#5 Vacuform Rhema) and Dennis Johns (#7 Goldco Midas Rhema 2). Determined to win the Championship, before he turns thirty, another veteran of Formula Vee racing in South Africa, Alberton based Alan Holm (#2 JBS Lasersprint Rhema 2), will also be looking to unseat Grobler at the WesBank Raceway. Making their first appearance of the year, should be the 2001 titleholder Lee Thompson (#3 08Xconnect Rhema) and double Champion Anthony Taylor (#77 Rigidek Rhema 2). Missing from the lineup, will be Holm’s JBS Lasersprint teammate Jaco Schriks, turning a visit to his sister in Melbourne, into a good opportunity to take in the Australian and Malaysian Grand Prix as well.
Up against this highly experienced pack, will be a batch of competitive teenage Karters, headed by Andre Van Der Merwe (#72 ACC Air-conditioning Rhema 2), Trevor Bland (#14 AC DC Dynamics Rhema), Laurent Calkoen (#66 Vision) and Kyle Bennett (#16 Rhema) who was forced to miss the Zwartkops race, after he underwent an emergency appendix operation, two days before the event. Another teenager in the lineup, will be Junior Moto Cross racer Ronald Knight. making his second appearance in the #46 Vision.
Mixing it with the Karters and not far behind the lead bunch, should be the likes of Brakpan’s Jannie Geyser (#20 Vision), Cape Town’s Chris Danks (# 23 Stalcor Rhema 2) and the other Capetonian Doug MacDonald (#11 Rhema). JP Nortje (#33 Sting), the Cartmell brothers Kevin (#17 Rand Brake Sting) and Claude (#19 Rand Brake Sting), along with Alan Kernick (#38 Tasman) and development driver Benny Phetla (#9 Vacuform Sting), should also be there, or thereabouts as well. The other development driver in the field, will be Lenasia’s Kearn Francis, in the #30 Prosport Racing Lotto Rhema.
As usual, there should be plenty of good close racing action, all the way down the field, while a lot of interest will also center, on what the new lap record will be. A number of competitors will be running the newly introduced Dunlop Formula R semi slick tyre, which saw Johns set a new lap record at Zwartkops, for the 1400cc Volkswagen powered Formula Vee single seaters, with a time nearly nine tenths of a second quicker, than the Class A Production car lap record.
Current National Championship Points:
1 Symm Grobler 27 2 Peter Hills 21 3 Alan Holm 20 4 Andre Van Der Merwe 17 5 Dennis Johns 16 6 Jannie Geyser 13 7 Chris Danks 10 8 Jaco Schriks 7 9 Doug Mac Donald 6 10 JP Nortje 6
