This weekend’s circuit racing action takes place at the Midvaal Raceway near Meyerton, on Saturday the 12th June, with Regional Championship races for Thunder Cars and Free State Saloons, VW Challenge, Formula Vee, Formula Ford, Formula M, Lotus Challenge and a Club Championship event, for Open Sports Cars. With a good mix of Saloon Car, Single Seater and Sports Car racing, the event should cater for a wide variety of tastes.
Heading up the Formula Vee field, will be reigning Northern Regions Champion and current National Championship Points leader Symm Grobler (#2 Auto Mecca Rhema 2) but he can expect stiff competition, from the like of Alan Holm (#4 Johannesburg Bright Steels Rhema 2), the 1999 National Formula Vee Champion Peter Hills (#5 Vacuform Rhema), the 1997 and 1998 National Champion Anthony Taylor (#7 Vacuform Rhema 2) and the 2001 National Title holder Lee Thompson (#11 Rhema).
Not far behind, the likes of Wayne Bennett (#10 Lafarge Readymix Rhema 2), Claude Cartmell (#15 Rand Brake Sting), Benny Phetla (#17 Vacuform Rhema), Jannie Geyser (#18 Vision), Kevin Cartmell (#21 Rand Brake Sting) and Bradley Martin (#22 Rhema 2), can also be counted on to give a good account of themselves. In amongst them, should be the two ex Karters, sixteen year old Jonathan Vilaca (#70 Vision) and fifteen year old Kyle Bennett (#100 Rhema), who have both put in very competent performances and finished in the points, at all the meetings they have competed in.
Joining Phetla in the field, will be the other Formula Vee Association Development drivers, Kearn Francis (#52 Rhema) and Dayview Mogane (#53 Alley). Francis in particular, will be hoping for better luck, after a string of DNFs this season.
Favorite to win the combined Thundercar/Free State Saloons event, should be Willie Hepburn in his V8 Chev powered Opel Record but there should also be some potent machinery, coming through from the Free State, to challenge the regular Gauteng competitors.