Regional Festival racing heads to Welkom for a full day of action at annual Phakisa 200 meeting

Regional Festival racing heads to Welkom for a full day of action at the annual Phakisa 200 meeting at the Phakisa Freeway between Welkom and Odendaalsrus on Saturday 10 September.

 

A broad variety of classes is bound to entertain, but the weekend highlight will be the ‘triple two kilometre’ Phakisa 200 for the two Car Care Clinic classes. Open to both Superhatch and 111 GT Sports & Saloon competitors, the classic annual Welkom endurance race requires each car to stop at the pits and change at least one wheel. Or at least remove and replace a wheel. Also, any car beating its class lap time limit will be penalised a drive through penalty. 

 

The biggest race of the year for both classes, the Car Care Clinic Superhatch 200 action should be between Class A crew, Jonathan du Toit and Louis Scholtz’s Honda Civics and Welkom home hero Lenard Archer’s Hyundai Getz. Add Andre Dannhauser’s Opel Corsa, Karel Stolts’ Toyota and Francois Henning for effect! Nic Martin’s Peugeot and Melanie Spurr’s Polo will continue their Class B spat and Devon Piazza-Musso’s Polo and Francis Aldrich are the C men to watch.

 

Johan Hattingh and Harry Arangies’ Nissan Z-cars, Phillip Meyer and Graham Obery’s Porsche 924s, Johan van der Vyver’s Subaru, Mark du Toit’s Z4, and Wouter Roos’ Golf should make the Car Care Clinic 111 running. Nimbler cars are always an endurance threat though, so watch for Golf men George Economides, Adrian Dalton, Louis Scholtz and Wayne Lebotschy. Maritz le Roux’s BMW and Didi Matjula’s Polo are worth keeping an eye on in the classes.

 

With everyone back from their summer holidays, the Pabar VW Challenge should have over 45 cars on the grid. Some of those may only have missed the racing the last time out, but others are certainly out for revenge. Class B rookie sensation Hannes Scheepers carries a scant four-point title advantage to the Free State over Class A leader, Rory Atkinson, with Challenge veteran Class A man Wayne Masters up to third.

 

Class C leader Ian Walker missed the last race, but he is back to fight the charging Pierluigi Muzzulini off. Also watch for Stiaan Kriel, Waldie Meintjes and Bevin Masters in Class A. Class B ladies Charisse van der Merwe and Elna Croeser will be out to depose of Scheepers in Class B, as will gentlemen Bevan Williams and Anthony Pretorius and Karshin Naidoo. The C fighters include competitive Mark Castell and quick Dino Smit.

 

The effervescent National Challenge DOE Formula Vees will join Phakisa’s Regional Festival, with Grandpa Peter Hills obviously out to continue his dominant form at East London last time out. Rest assured that Lendl Jansen and dad Brandon Hills, Gert van den Berg, old man Hills’ erstwhile MX rival Greg Wilson, Shaun van der Linde and Jaco Shricks will all be out to get Vee veteran Hills.

 

Jeffrey Kruger and Thomas Falkiner will carry their fraught, season-long Lotus Challenge spat on to the Free State. They will have JP Nortje, after Matt Nash and John Kruger, Mackie Adlem, David Coetzee and Sean Hewitt running interference in this hard-fought Lotus 7-based class. Davide Favo, Miles Downard, Andre du Plessis and Andrew Fulton should be among the contenders for Locost honours.

 

The On Track Magazine Clubmans once again share Phakisa’s grid with the NSCC sports cars. Stuart Mack’s Shelby Can Am, Paul Sullivan and Gerald Wright’s Nashes, and Klippies Krige and Adriaan Le Roux’s Sevens head the NSCC charge. Eugene Gouws’ Chevy Can Am, Phillip Meyer’s Porsche and Johan Labuschagne in a Subaru, lead the Clubmans gang. Rodney Kruis, Dirk Lawrence and Tjaart Visser’s Ballades, Wayne Lebotschy, Wayne Pereira and Fred Kruger’s Golfs and Duane Brown’s Fiesta will make chase.

 

Finally, the BMW M Performance Parts Race Series joins the Phakisa 200 Extreme Festival. Adrian Dalton, Sav Gualtieri, William Einkamerer, Arrie van der Berg and Fabio Fedetto can be expected to make the pace up front. Andreas Meier, Jagger Robertson, Carlo Garbini, Salvi Gualtieri, Nic van Zyl and Oz Biagioni will fight it out in the United Nations of Class B. Matthew Wadeley, Renier Smith and Hein van der Merwe are the top C men, Shane Grobler and Varish Ganpath head up Class D and Bernard De Gouveia Class E.

 

The Phakisa 200 Festival also incorporates the Papsak 20 Scooter Race charity drive as part of a full day of action on and off the track on Saturday 10 March. Sounds like a great reason for a road trip to the Free State!