Killarney Raceway sees the national Engen Volkswagen Cup competitors finally back to action on Saturday, September 24, for round six of their 2016 championship. It has been a long break since their outing at Zwartkops Raceway in early August and enthusiasm for racing is running high.
With five rounds completed for the year and just three left, the serious jostling for championship positions has started and Keagan Masters (18 – Champion) is the current overall leader – but with just 10 points. The Killarney event will see three races run on the day and a single race victory is 16 points!
This puts Masters within the grasp of second-placed Christopher Shorter (33 – Payen/Hollard/Turn1) – but also Bradley Liebenberg (12 – Ferodo) and Trevor Bland (M2 – Universal Health Care/Phoenix). Even Shaun La Reserveé (M3 – Alpine Motors/Compendium Insurance) has a shot at the championship lead after Killarney, from fifth place!
Then there’s the return of Jeffrey Kruger to the Engen Volkswagen Cup championship at Killarney, running under the Universal Healthcare colours. Kruger might not have a championship title to his name, but he has been a consistent performer in the past and often amongst the leaders.
Killarney could turn out to be one of the most action-packed events of this season – with three races, five drivers all trying to walk away with the championship lead and a returning driver determined to make his mark in the later stages of the season.
Then there’s the battle in the Masters category, where Juan Gerber (M8 – Glasfit/Ctrack) has just taken the lead on Bland and enters the Cape Town event just a single point ahead. As for La Reserveé, the gap is just two points in this category. With the top three Masters separated by just two points the fight for the lead could be even more tense than for the championship as a whole.
Perhaps the only breathing room in the Masters for the Cape Town round will come from Gary van Heerden (M4 – Nutritech / Motul) who will miss round six as repairs to his Volkswagen Polo TSI have not yet been completed after his moment with La Reserveé at Zwartkops.
It doesn’t matter who comes out on top in Cape Town when the chequered flag waves for the final time after the third race. The only thing anyone can be sure about right now is that whoever does finish on top will have earned it.