There has been a long break between events after the scheduled second round of the 2019 Car Care Clinic 111 Sports & Saloons championship was cancelled after the surface of the Midvaal Raceway was deemed unfit to race on. That break comes to an end this weekend when the competitors make their way to Phakisa Freeway, just outside Welkom, for the next round of their championship. Saturday, 8 June will see the drivers tackle a sprint race in the morning, before joining forces with their Car Care Clinic SuperHatch counterparts for the annual Phakisa 200.
Heading for the Free State, seven drivers are within four points of each other at the top of the championship standings and they will all be trying to eke out an advantage over their rivals when they head out onto the fast, flowing 4.24km Free State circuit. Wouter Roos (Nathan’s Motorsport VW Golf) won Class A in both heats at the first round and will be looking to repeat the feat but should face competition from Kevin Miller (Ford Focus), Danie Deysel (Tyre City Honda CRX) and defending champion George Bezuidenhout (Accolade/CES Forklift Nissan Primera).
Wayne Masters (Performance Masters Polo) leads the way in Class B after winning both heats at Zwartkops. His main rivals are likely to be Louis Scholtz (Car Care Clinic Honda), Bertus van Jaarsveld (Photizo VW Polo), Phillip Meyer (LSC Group/Imperial Logistics Porsche 924) and Paul Saayman (Auto Movers VW Caddy).
Class C could go the way of Zwartkops winner Lenard Archer in the ACD Welkom Hyundai Accent with Michael Frade likely to be one of the front runners in Class D in his TG Trucking/Golden Spring Mazda Rustler.
Class E should again be a battle of the Golfs with Mark Gregory, Marius Lotz and Mark Kingsmill battling each other for the wins.
After Saturday morning’s sprint race, over 50 cars will line up on the grid for the 200km endurance race at 15h15. With a number of drivers enlisting the assistance of co-drivers and a fleet of newcomers making an appearance, it is difficult to predict who will be in the front when the flag falls after 48 laps of racing. One thing is certain, all of the cars are going to have to stop for at least one pit stop, during which a wheel must be removed, place on the ground and then replaced.
Live updates during the race will be posted on both the 111 Sports & Saloons and Extreme Festival Facebook pages. For those that can make the trip through to the circuit, entry is free of charge.