Summarize

Jurie Swart has one hand on the overall Alert Engine Parts WP GTi Challenge championship following another perfect outing at Killarney’s penultimate round races on Saturday. Swart and his closest rivals, Class B leader Tate Bishop and Class C lad Chase Herholdt can however no longer be beaten in their respective class championships.

Jurie Swart put his Summit Racing Polo 6R on pole position from the returning Mario Busi’s Automan version, and Kai van Zyl’s Unlimited Angri, Charl Visser’s Charl Electric and Colin Meder’s similar IPP machines. Summit lad Nathan Victor was next up from the returning Mario Roux debuting his new Polo 6R, Danie Sandenbergh in his Jetta 3 and Schalk Geldenhuys’ G+A Polo 6R.

Tate Bishop took his customary Class B pole position in his Angri Racing Academy Jetta 2 from Kyle Wiltshire’s Summit Polo Vivo and Ian Kapp Hydracor Hydraulics Polo 6R. Byron Mitchell was next up in his Dolphin Engineering Golf 1 from rookie Kyle Visser’s Charl Electric MAD Polo Vivo, Marc Thompson Somerset Refrigeration MAD Polo Classic, John-Henri Vaughn’s Maps Polo Classic and Daniel Sandenbergh in a Golf 1 GTi.  

Dylan van Eden topped the all-Golf 1 GTi Class C grid in his Ruthnarue car from Raaziegh Harris and class leader Chase Herholdt’s borrowed Unlimited Auto GTi. GP Tyres MAD lad Tahier Khalpey was next up from Seth van de Abeele’s Summit car, TikTok racer Sulaiman Effendi, Darrell van Niekerk, Uzair Barden and Veldt Reared lad Matthew Rowe.

Busi made best of the getaway to lead Swart, but the first race was red flagged hardly before it had even started, to pluck Barden’s stricken Golf out of the Turn 4 tyre barrier. Swart made good at his second chance to get away from Busi and Meder. Van Zyl was later stripped of his fourth place to allow Visser, Roux and Sandenbergh through, after Victor stopped and Geldenhuys spun out. 

 

Kyle Wiltshire got ahead in Class B no matter what Tate Bishop tried, he could not find a way by. John-Henri Vaughan remained in close attendance as young Kyle Visser closed in from behind, with Sandenbergh in pursuit ahead of Kapp. He recovered from a spin in Turn 1, but Mitchell and Thompson were less lucky and became victims of the sand trap there.

 

The Class C  Brat Pack entertained as ever, but it was Dylan van Eden who emerged victorious from Raaziegh Harris and Chase Herholdt, with van de Abeele, van Niekerk and Khalpey next home as Rowe and Effendi also found trouble to retire.

Heat 2 proved a race of two completely different parts as the red flag flew to pull another car out of the hungry Turn 4 tyre wall four laps into the race. At that stage, Swart led Busi, Meder, van Zyl, Geldenhuys, Visser and Roux in Class A. Bishop was ahead of Kapp, Wiltshire, Vaughan, Visser, Sandenbergh and Thompson in B. And van Eden led Rowe, van de Abeele, Effendi, van Niekerk, Barden, Herholdt and Khalpey in Class C.

The race was then paused and recommenced a while later, and after a few other classes had run. Swart trotted home from Busi, van Zyl, Meder, Visser, Geldenhuys and Roux in a fairly pedestrian Class A. Pedestrian it certainly was not in Class B. First up, class leader Tate Bishop did not make the restart, leaving Wiltshire, Vaughan and Kapp to fight it out ahead of Visser, Thompson and Sandenbergh.

That however came to a rather explosive head at the end of the main straight, with Vaughan out, Kapp amongst the class C lot and a limping Wiltshire even further back. Which left 15-year-old karter Kyle Visser to pick up all the pieces and take a delighted Class B win on only his third ever main circuit race start. From an equally surprised Thompson and Sandenbergh.  

Matthew Rowe found a way past Dylan van Eden and then kept Seth van de Abeele at bay to take Class E, with van Niekerk, Khalpey, Effendi and Barden in chase after Herholdt stopped. When the two race halves were added together, there was no change in the Class A or B final results, but van Eden’s aggregate outcome proved better, to take the win from Rowe, van de Abeele, van Niekerk, Effendi, Barden, Khapley and Herholdt.

Overall, Jurie Swart took the day and Class A from Mario Busi, Colin Meder, Charl Visser, Mario Roux and Schalk Geldenhuys. Kyle Visser took the B win from Daniel Sandenbergh, Kyle Wiltshire John-Henri Vaughan and Ian Kapp. Dylan van Eden beat Seth van de Abeele, Darrell van Niekerk Tahier Khalpey, Chase Herholdt and Matthew Rowe in Class C.

The three Alert Engine Parts GTi Challenge class champions, Jurie Swart, Tate Bishop and Chase Herholdt now cannot be beaten in their classes. Each is now more than the perfect 21 round points available ahead of their nearest class rivals. Swart having enjoyed a perfect weekend is just four points way from the overall title with Bishop and Herholdt close for second with only the final round left to race on Saturday 19 November.