The Car Care Clinic GT and 111 Sports & Saloons drivers will make their way to Phakisa Freeway, just outside Welkom, for the fifth round of their 2022 championship on Saturday, 10 September, where they will tackle over 200km of competitive racing. A short, 8-lap sprint will be followed later in the day by the annual Phakisa 200, a 200km endurance race with a compulsory pit stop.
Last time out, Louis Scholtz (Car Care Clinic VW Golf) dominated the GT category, and he will be looking to continue that form to extend his championship lead. His main opposition will likely come from Andre de Lange (Roofsure VW Golf) and Johan van der Vyver (Devlaw Subaru WRX STI).
Adrian Dalton (Xtra Clothing & Shoes VW Golf) has built up a commanding lead at the top of Class A in the 111 Sports & Saloons category and could build on that in the Free State. However, he will face plenty of competition. Phillip Meyer (Pple Group Porsche 924 GTR), Wouter Roos (Car Care Clinic VW Golf), who will share the driving duties with Graeme Nathan in the endurance event and Piet Potgieter (Nathan’s Motorsport VW Golf) will be joined by Johan Hattingh (Nissan 350Z), Harry Arangies (Stradale Motorsport Nissan 370Z) and Johan van Heerden (JVH Performance VW Golf) as they try to limit Dalton’s chances.
The leading pair in the Class B championship, Roland Hopkins (Bush n Buck VW Polo) and Wayne Lebotschy (Shield VW Golf), should be the leading contenders for class honours, with Michael Grobler (Pest Control VW Polo) also in with a chance of picking up a podium finish. Maritz le Roux (111 Plumbers BMW E30) and Graham Obery (Haval Edenvale Porsche 924) should battle it out in Class C, while Gavin and Dean Ross (Norbrake Distributors VW Polo) and Mark Castel (Eazi Parts VW Polo) are the likely Class X contenders.
As usual, Friday will be taken up with practice sessions before the late afternoon qualifying session. On Saturday, the 8-lap sprint race is scheduled for 11h35, while the Phakisa 200 should get underway at 14h35. Spectators are welcome at the circuit, but for those that can’t make it, the day’s races will be live streamed on the Extreme Festival Facebook Page and YouTube.