This year’s South African Production Car Racing Championship will resume its on-track war at AA Kyalami next Saturday, with 36 vehicles on the grid and various scores to be settled. –
– Some of these scores will be at the front end of the field, where the Squadro Corse team’s two Alfa Romeo 147 entries – previously banned from competing due to homologation problems – will take up their places in Class A of the car war. Driven by Martin Steyn and Morne Jurgens, the 3,2-litre, V6 engined cars should vie for podium placings under the LG Electronics banner. They will be backed by the similarly powered Squadro Corse LG Alfa Romeo 156 of Marco da Cunha, with the red Italian vehicles expected to be huge crowd favourites. To win, they will need to overcome serious opposition, led by factory BMW drivers Etienne van der Linde and Anthony Taylor in their Castrol BMW 330i models. –
– Currently topping the Class A title chase, the two works BMW pilots will face unfriendly fire from various other drivers in similar cars. –
– The Kaye-Eddie Racing team will field three BMW 330i entries, in the hands of veterans Reghardt Roets and Robbie Smith, plus British youngster Steven Morris. Finally, privateer Richard Sorensen could provide surprises in his Titan Aviation BMW 330i. –
– Rounding out the class – and certainly able to mount the podium – will be Steve Wyndham in the factory Ford Credit Falcon XR8 and Leeroy Poulter, in the Champion Feroda Mercedes-Benz C320. –
– Following four Class B victories from four starts this season, Shaun van der Linde currently leads the 2004 SA Production Car Championship overall with the works Castrol MINI Cooper S. He will wish to maintain that status quo, but various people will have radically opposed ideas. Factory Ford racer Clinton Weston (Furman Glass Focus ST170) is sick and tired of finishing second to the MINI, and he will be more than determined to win this time out. Sharing his sentiments will be Toyota pilots Brian Martin (Havoline RunX RSi) and Phillip Kekana (Sasol RunX RSi), plus talented youngster Bert Grogor, returning to the class with his old-shaped German Workshop Toyota Corolla RXi. The Toyota brigade’s plans could be greatly upset by Sabat MINI Cooper S driver Craig Nicholson, who will have a point to prove at Kyalami. So will works Mercedes-Benz drivers Mark Allison and Hector North, running turbodiesel powered C270 CDi models under the respective banners of VaalMac and Motion Business Systems. –
– A total of 15 entries will clash in Class C, representing models from seven marques. Currently, the man to beat is defending champion Dave Compton in his BumperTech Toyota Tazz 1,6i. His closest championship points competitor, Angus Thompson, will not compete at Kyalami, after his VW CitiGolf 1600 was written off in a huge startline shunt during the previous round of the series at Killarney. That makes Compton’s toughest competition the works M&R Ford Ikon 160i of Miguel Pasqualli, the GMP Ford Ikon 160i of privateer Shane Williams and the Daihatsu Sirion 1300 models of Cor Kraamwinkel and Irshad Jaffer. –
– Others to watch will include Fanie de Bruin (Makita Tools Ford Ikon 160i), Robi Beninca (Technical Services VW 1,6i Life), Molefe Lebethe (Honda Ballade 160i), plus Eckhart Schoenknecht in his turbodiesel Caltex VW Polo 1.9 TDi. –
– The Bluetooth Fiat Racing equipe will field Siena 1600 models for Brad Anassis and Alex Zybrands, plus a Fiat Palio 1600 for Theunis Eloff. Finally, old-timer James Menin will campaign his Opel Corsa 160 GSi, with Francois van Zyl wunning a VW Golf 1.6i under the banner of Hansie Roodt Motors. –
– Four competitors will tackle the Honda Cup category and, should regular service be resumed, it will be a straight fight for the win between Lawrence Boshoff (Net IQ Honda Ballade 180i) and Doug Reekie (Config Online Honda Ballade 180i).
