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It’s all to play for in penultimate championship round

The www.cheapercars.co.za GTi Challenge gang will be hoping for a full weekend of penultimate round action when racing resumes at Killarney in Cape Town Saturday 16 October. And with all championships still very much in the balance with four races to run, it certainly is all to play for. 

The past two Challenge race weekends were compromised, with the July meeting resorting to the previous race fastest laps to form the grid when a power issue in the Killarney tower saw qualifying cancelled. And the same thing happened when Killarney was fogged in on the August date, and then only one race ran and that was scored on double points. Which significantly favoured the winners, but compromised most others on a tough weekend.

So, with four races left to run this season, overall leader Jurie Swart’s Alpine Autohaus Polo 6 Cup arrives at Killarney at the head of the Class A title chase following another win last time out. He holds a 20-point advantage over Class A second man, Marco Busi's similar Automan Polo. Busi's double second place deficit last time out was a double whammy after he also missed the previous races due to Covid isolation. Rest assured Marco will be all out to make up on Saturday.

Jason Coetzee’s recent form in his Mint Wraps JC Coachworks Polo 6 Cup sees him up to third in the Class A title chase with Colin Meder Junior’s similar ITT car and Dillon Joubert’s Powder Coating World TAC Steel Polo 6 next up. But rookie karting graduate Kai van Zyl has been hard at work since the last round and he's determined to make a mark in his Unlimited Racing Angri Polo 6 Cup.

Eden Thompson was another man to strike while that double points iron was hot, with a maximum Class B points haul aboard his MAD Somerset Refrigeration Polo 6 last time out. That single race prevented arch rival Giordano Lupini’s Bullion IT Banhoek Chilli Oil Jetta 2 CLI from continuing their tit for tat battle where he and Thompson had shared a win apiece through the ten races that made up the previous five rounds. So Lupini is determined to make up that lost ground too.

Both of them will need to keep an eye out for the ever improving Jaco Lambert’s TL Autocare Golf and the ever-consistent Ian Kapp’s Hydracor Polo among a thriving Class B grid. That includes Nadia Nair’s Polo Playa, Marc Thompson’s Somerset Refrigeration Polo Classic and Wayne Field’s Coetzee’s Jetta. And did someone say that original year 2000 GTi Challenge champion was Brett Roach making another comeback with a Polo Classic?

Then there’s the Golf Mk.1 Brat Pack of Class C, where Kyle Wiltshire is another man keen to make good after a tough break at the hands of the double points dispatched last round. While Wiltshire won that race, limited points on hand due to there only being four starters meant he lost out double in the overall title race. The dearth of entries last time was principally due to damaged cars not being repaired on time and that is one aspect the long break has eased.

So, while regular rivals, Tate Bishop’s Angri car and G&A kid Schalk Geldenhuys and Alfie van Zyl will be back to fight another day on Saturday, it is likely that the baby class field will once again include the likes of Chase Herholdt, Matthew Rowe and Nathan Victor, plus plausibly one or two new competitors too. 

With Government Gazette confirming spectators are allowed again, Killarney was yet to confirms ticketing arrangements. Keep informed via Killarney International Raceway’s Facebook page, where the races will also be live streamed Saturday. 

ENDS

Issued on behalf of Alert GTi Challenge

What:Cheapercars GTi Challenge Round 7 Preview
Where:Killarney International Raceway
When:Saturday 16 October 2021
Community:Western Cape Regional

For further information please contact gertduplessis1979@gmail.com

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