Summarize

The Alert Engine Parts GTi Challenge returned to Killarney International Raceway to thrill its faithful Cape fans with more great racing on Saturday. It was all about Jurie Swart up front, but while Class B and C never quite went to the formbook in race 1, leaders Tate Bishop and Chase Herholdt restored the status quo in race 2.

Swart made his intentions clear by qualifying almost a second clear of the rest of the Polo 6R Class A grid in his Summit Racing car. Kai van Zyl’s Unlimited Auto Angri version was a happy second, from Colin Meder’s IPP car, Interceptor Racing’s Dewald Theron, Summit lad Nathan Victor, Schalk Geldenhuys’ G+A car and Cooltouch man Raaziegh Harris.

There was drama in Class B, when overall championship leader Tate Bishop’s Angri Racing Academy Jetta 2 hit engine trouble in qualifying and he failed to set a time. The GAP team rushed to sort the issue in time for him to start at the back of the class. That left Polo pair John-Henri Vaughan’s Maps car and Summit lad Kyle Wiltshire to top the mid-class grid.

Byron Mitchell’s Dolphin Engineering Golf 1 lined up third in B from Grant Cloete’s UpStream Connect Golf 2, Ian Kapp’s Hydracor Hydraulics Polo 6R Marc Thompson MAD Somerset Refrigeration Polo and Wayne Field’s Jetta alongside Bishop’s similar car.

Chase Herholdt and the NDT Racing crew pulled off a sterling overnight effort to ready his recalcitrant Unlimited Auto GTi for qualifying on Saturday morning. The all-Golf 1 Class C championship leader repaid the team’s efforts by planting the car on class pole position come qualifying.

Dylan van Eden’s Ruthnarue Racing car was second in C from Summit Racing lad Seth van de Abeele, while Ryan van Eden lined up fourth from Matthew Rowe’s Veldt Reared GTi, GP Tyres MAD lad Tahier Khalpey, Sulaiman Effendi’s TikTok car, Daniel Munna and Spice Mecca Racing driver Nur Abass. 

Jurie Swart led teammate Nathan Victor away in race 1, but it was hectic behind them as Kai van Zyl, Dewald Theron, Raaziegh Harris, Colin Meder and Danie Sandenbergh fought it out. Young van Zyl drove a fine race to rise to third from Harris, Meder and Sandenbergh. Theron was one of three drivers excluded on a tyre infringement, while Geldenhuys retired.

A delighted John-Henri Vaughan enjoyed a relatively easy run to an ultimately close Class B win from Ian Kapp and Tate Bishop. Tate dealt with both Kyle Wiltshire and Byron Mitchell on lap 3, but Mitchell was another to have his result scrubbed for running unchecked tyres. That let Grant Cloete up to fifth in class from Marc Thompson and Daniel Sandenbergh

Matthew Rowe climbed from fifth to lead and ultimately fought Dylan van Eden back to take a wild class B win from Dylan and brother Ryan van Eden. Seth van de Abeele was fourth home but lost the place to a tyre infringement and let Chase Herholdt off the hook for fourth. Sulaiman Effendi, Tahier Khalpey, Daniel Munna, and Nur Abass followed.

Heat 2 ran very much to form as Jurie Swart took another easy win over a delighted Kai van Zyl. He scored his best Challenge result to date in second from Nathan Victor, Colin Meder, Raaziegh Harris and Dewald Theron. Tate Bishop was back in front of Class B from Kyle Wiltshire, Ian Kapp, Byron Mitchell, Grant Cloete, Marc Thompson, and John-Henri Vaughan.  

Chase Herholdt likewise returned to the top of Class C from Ryan van Eden, Seth van de Abeele, Dylan van Eden, Matthew Rowe, Sulaiman Effendi, Tahier Khalpey, Nur Abass, and Darrel van Niekerk. The Alert Engine Parts GTi Challenge returns to Killarney for its penultimate round on 15 October.