Summarize

Busi, Thompson & Wiltshire top a cracking day at the races

The www.cheapercars.co.za GTi Challenge welcomed spectators back to Killarney in spectacular style at the series’ penultimate round Power Series races on Saturday as splendid racing throughout kept them on their toes. The weekend was not without drama though as Friday evening’s damp qualifying saw officials scrambling to sort the first race grid after yet another power problem in the tower.

What they settled on saw Colin Nicholas Meder on ITT Polo 6 pole position from the similar cars of Jason Coetzee, Jurie Swart Jr, Dillon Joubert, Marco Busi and Jano van der Westhuizen. Eden Thompson was on the Class B pole from Ian Kapp and Jaco Lambert after Giordano Lupini missed qualifying following an engine problem in the final practice session, while Kyle Wiltshire led Chase Herholdt and Alfie van Zyl in Class C.

Automan driver Busi however, soon proved his pace to move into the lead as he, Coetzee’s Mint Wraps JC Coachworks car and Swart’s Alpine Autohaus Polo 6 Cups fought for the lead. The race was decided in that order, with Meder and van der Westhuizen next up after Dillon Joubert’s TAC Steel car slowed and Kai van Zyl stopped to culminate a troubled weekend. 

Eden Thompson drove away into a handy Class B lead in his Somerset Refrigeration Polo 6 while Giordano Lupini made up twelve places in a lap and a half in his Bullion IT Banhoek Chilli Oil Jetta CLi. By when Thompson was too far gone to do anything but chase him home. Ian Kapp held a watching brief in his Hydracor Polo ahead of Nadia Nair and Marc Thompson's Polos, while Jaco Lambert's TL Autocare Golf 1 stopped.

The first Class C race was relatively straightforward after Kyle Wiltshire made best of the bigger class cars around him after the massed start, to open an initial gap. He then kept NDT man Chase Herholdt, Tate Bishop’s Angri car and Nathan Victor at bay, while Schalk Geldenhuys and Alfie van Zyl ended caught up behind some of those Class B stragglers in the other two Class C Golf 1s.

The second race was back to a staggered start, which caught a few drivers out as Jurie Swart Jr made off with Marco Busi in hot pursuit and Jason Coetzee on his tail as Meder fought off van der Westhuizen behind. Giordano Lupini was one of those caught out by the change of starting procedure and was docked 30 seconds to end up fifth in Class after fighting double winner for the day Eden Thompson off, with Ian Kapp second from Marc Thompson, Nadia Nair and Lupini.

Class C was fraught throughout with Kyle Wiltshire initially fighting Chase Herholdt off. Chase however spun out of turn 2 to let Tate Bishop take up the chase ahead of Nathan Victor, Alfie van Zyl, Schalk Geldenhuys and Herholdt. So Busi took the day from Swart, Coetzee, Meder, van der Westhuizen and Joubert. Eden Thompson took Class B from Kapp, Lupini, Nair and Marc Thompson and Wiltshire won C from Bishop, Victor, Herholdt,  Geldenhuys and van Zyl.

The 2021 cheapercars GTi Challenge comes to a head in the crucial finale at Killarney on 6 November, with a regular sprint first race and the annual 1 Hour later in the day. That double-points enduro, where drivers must share their cars with a co-pilot who has not raced Challenge this season, is the sting in the tail that could very well turn the championship ladder on its head, with Swart and Busi, Thompson and Lupini and Wiltshire and van Zyl all still in class title contention. 


ENDS

Issued on behalf of Alert GTi Challenge

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

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