What PABAR VW Challenge Round 7 Preview
Where Red Star Raceway, Delmas
When Saturday 21 October 2023
Community Gauteng Regional
All to play for as Pabar VW Challenge returns to Red Star
The Pabar VW Challenge finally returns home to Gauteng, or thereabouts, as it heads to Red Star near Delmas for its penultimate 2023 championship round. The always entertaining Pabar VWs will race as part of the Northern Regions Extreme Festival roadshow on the twisty Mpumalanga Raceway on Saturday 21 October.
Far from the one horse race it recently seemed, the overall Pabar VW Challenge championship is now definitely a two horse race between Class C lad Yotti Nousias and reigning overall and Class A champion, Rory Atkinson. Not only has Atkinson bounced back from a slow start to now take a powerful Class A championship lead to Delmas, but he’s now just three points behind young Nousias.
Both of them meanwhile stand to wrap up their respective class titles at Red Star. And there’s even the chance that the Class B championship can also be concluded. If another young gun, Ethan Coetzee extend his advantage over ’22 class champion, Hannes Scheepers by another eight points or more on Saturday, that is.
Looking at the classes in isolation, Rory Atkinson is the A man to beat aboard his BHIT Industrial Transport Polo. Both brothers Wayne, in his Performance Masters Polo, and Bevin Masters’ similar CPS Warehouse machine need to finish ahead of Atkinson to keep their title aspirations alive heading to the November Zwartkops finale. So Red Star is a big weekend for both of them. Behind them, two more veterans, Waldie Meintjes and Sabertek racer Charl Smalberger have unfinished business as they fight over fourth in Class A.
Neither Meintjies nor Smalberger are mathematically clear of ever improving young Norbrake driver Dean Ross on the all-Polo 6R Class A grid either. And watch for the regular battle between old rivals Mike Barbaglia’s Pabar Polo, Luigi Ferro’s Eco Simply Solar version and Chris Dale’s Blue Belt Pozidrive car, with Mydi Mfana ever present in his MDS version and PSA Africa lady racer Nicole Lombard just looking for a little luck.
Young Ethan Coetzee’s JRT Racing Experiences Polo was gifted a Class B break when reigning champion and Class B rival Hannes Scheepers’ similar Dainfern Dental version copped an exclusion last time out. Leaving Scheepers with it all to do in the final four races. Behind them, just ten points separate Fast 5 driver Mo Karodia, Ross Butt, lady racer Elna Croeser’s ATE Brakes Polo and Jacques Hayes’ Platinum Wheels car.
None of them can rest on their laurels, however. All of Hot 102.7 FM lass Charisse van der Merwe, Pierluigi Muzzulini’s FSS car, Dubcorp lad Shiren Rajpaul, and Tinahe Ncube’s Eco Simply Solar car, are also too close for championship comfort. Don’t ignore Jesus Saves’ Francois van Zyl, Himoinsa man Chris Davison, Xander Human, FSS dad Elio Muzzulini, JRT duo Mitch Coetzee and Milan Emslie, or Nathan’s man Stuart Mack in the prototype Class X turbo-litre Polo.
It’s not quite all over bar the shouting for Yotti Nousias and his We Fix Cars Vivo in Class C. But Philip Croeser’s ATE version must take more than fifteen points out of his championship advantage this weekend, to just stay in contention after Red Star. Renergen lad Bjorn Bertholdt must be crying for better luck, but if he escapes that ill fortune, he’s definitely a contender. Also watch for with Goosemotorsport’s Andy Gossman, Charl Andersen’s Pabar entry, Kyle Petersen, Michael and Dimitri Zapheriou, Jan Spamers, and Allan Pereira’s Daisy also in the hunt.
The Class A and C cars will qualify and race together as always at Red Star, while Class B races on its own alongside a full day of Gauteng Northern Regions away race action at the Mpumalanga racetrack. Sounds like a fine day out in Delmas!
*VW Challenge salutes its partners, Pabar Automotive Pressings, Habot Performance Lubricants, Dunlop tyres, Habot Performance Lubricants, ATS Motorsport Supplies, Platinum Wheels, Habot Synthetic Oils, ATE Brakes, Norbrake, Eco Simply Solar, Insurisk insurance brokers, Pozidrive, Eeziparts, Van der Linde Developments, MDS Consulting Engineers, FSS Logistics, and Bush & Buck.
Issued on behalf of PABAR VW Challenge
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