Certain tracks are considered ‘BMW tracks’ and other tracks ‘Audi tracks’ but Cape Town’s Killarney is neither – which makes predicting a winner a job for a gambling man…
With that in mind, the penultimate round of the Bridgestone Production Car on September 27 will be extremely important for the two leading class A protagonists: Killarney specialist and local hero Johan Fourie in the Alcohol Killer BMW 335i, and reigning champion Michael Stephen in the Engen Xtreme Audi S4.
At Zwartkops a month ago, Stephen – fighting for his fourth successive crown – clawed his way back into contention, closing the gap from 20 to just 9 points to set up a great finale between the two. Fourie had a poor day by his standards, a number of niggles hindering him and then time-wasting overtaking manoeuvres required to bag 19 points.
Theoretically, a driver can score 35 points in a race meeting and it certainly isn’t a two-horse race: Gennaro Bonafede in the Sasolracing Audi S4 has kept his hopes alive, though with Fourie 44 point ahead, his hopes centre around being the first Audi on the points log. After a controversial coming together with Stephen at Zwartkops, Bonafede will be keen to gain the upper hand over his vastly experienced rival at the picturesque Cape circuit.
In class T, Graeme Nathan is starting to look quite comfortable at the top of the table and the VW Golf GTI pilot has 33 points in hand over Gary Formato’s Ford Focus.
For them to leave Cape Town neck-and-neck and set up a grand finale, Nathan would be required to score the motorsport equivalent of a duck – and Formato would need two wins and fastest laps in both races. Stranger things have happened.
Nathan’s strategy from here on is to play it safe: he’d like nothing more than to steer the VW Genuine Parts Golf to yet another Class T title and he could do it with a meeting to spare – if he has a good weekend and Formato has a bad one, the towering veteran will be home and dry.
But like class A, class T isn’t just about the two most experienced drivers in the class.
There are 70 points still on offer and Michael van Rooyen in the Delco/Williams Hunt Chevrolet Cruze would like his share of those. On 110 points in third place, he can still pull off a major upset, and the potent Chev certainly has the pace. A good haul from the Rustenberg businessman can turn the class on its head.
The Castrol MINIs have had a dismal season thus far. Gearbox durability remains a concern, and a sizeable practice shunt by Lee Thompson put his car out of action for the rest of the Zwartkops meeting a month ago.
Nevertheless, the arrival of diminutive Mandla Mdakane in the second MINI has been a breath of fresh air, and the youngster has been in the thick of the action.
He’s had a number of fierce battles with none other than Graeme Nathan, and has shown that he isn’t intimidated by anyone. Yet in parc ferme at Zwartkops, Nathan was the first to reach out and shake the youngster’s hand and compliment him on a hard-earned second place in the feature race (even though the MINI was subsequently excluded for a boost infringement).
Killarney invariably delivers good racing and more of the same can be expected on September 27. Spectators will be able to enjoy a 7-lap sprint and a 14-lap feature race at the 3,26 kilometre circuit, with South Africa’s top drivers and most sophisticated saloon-based racecars in action.
Class A points:
1.) Johan Fourie 155
2.) Michael Stephen 146
3.) Gennaro Bonafede 111
Class T points:
1.) Graeme Nathan 155
2.) Gary Formato 122
3.) Michael van Rooyen 110