What PABAR VW Challenge Final Round 8 Preview
Where Zwartkops Raceway, Pretoria
When Saturday 18 November 2023
Community Gauteng Regional
Pabar VW Challenge comes to a gripping head at Zwartkops
The Pabar VW Challenge will come to a thrilling head as the 2023 South African circuit racing season wraps up at the Northern Regions Extreme Festival finale at Zwartkops on Saturday. Ever entertaining, while the Class A and Class C titles have already wrapped up, it’s all to play for in Class B. Never mind, who will snatch the highly sought after 2024 Pabar VW Challenge Number One plate?
Who takes that Number 1 plate comes down to a two-man tussle between current custodian, reigning overall and Class A champion, Rory Atkinson, and rookie 2023 Class C champion Yotti Nousias. The other big question this weekend is who Class B champion will be. Leader Ethan Coetzee, or ’22 class champion, Hannes Scheepers, who sits ten points adrift?
Looking at the classes, Rory Atkinson is already the 2023 Class A champion, which is also his ninth VW Challenge class title in nine years following a come from behind charge aboard BHIT Industrial Transport Polo. The Class A fight is for second between brothers Bevin in his CPS Warehouse Polo, and Wayne Masters’ similar in his Performance Masters machine. They arrive at Zwartkops separated by just one championship point. So expect that brotherly love to be paused for a moment or two on Saturday!
Behind the Masters, two more veterans, Waldie Meintjes and Sabertek racer Charl Smalberger have unfinished business as they fight over fourth in Class A. Young Norbrake driver Dean Ross is another rising star on the on the all-Polo 6R Class A grid ahead of old rivals Mike Barbaglia’s Pabar Polo, Luigi Ferro’s Eco Simply Solar version and Chris Dale’s Blue Belt Pozidrive car. Mydi Mfana’s MDS version and PSA Africa lady racer Nicole Lombard will be keen after a little Zwartkops glory too and Miguel Dias makes a return in his PMO Polo.
The other major attraction is in Class B, where Ethan Coetzee’s JRT Racing Experiences Polo arrives with a ten-point championship advantage over rival Hannes Scheepers’ similar Dainfern Dental version. Behind them, there’s an even closer fight for third between Fast 5 driver Mo Karodia, Jacques Hayes’ Platinum Wheels car and Ross Butt, with all of eight points to separate the three of them. and quick newcomer Anthony Lessing keen to show them all a thing in his Csol-RM Polo.
None of them can rest on their laurels, with lady racer Elna Croeser’s ATE Brakes Polo, Dubcorp lad Shiren Rajpaul, Pierluigi Muzzulini’s FSS car, and another quick lass Charisse van der Merwe’s Hot 102.7 FM car in chase. Also watch for Tinahe Ncube’s Eco Simply Solar car, Jesus Saves’ Francois van Zyl, Himoinsa man Chris Davison, Xander Human, FSS dad Elio Muzzulini, JRT duo Mitch Coetzee and Milan Emslie, MLP duo Adriaan and Martin de Beer, or Nathan’s man Stuart Mack in the prototype Class X turbo-litre Polo.
Yotti Nousias is already Class C champion in his We Fix Cars Vivo, so his focus will be on another double victory to guarantee him the Pabar VW Challenge Number 1 plate next year. But that’s no given, with class rivals the likes of Renergen lad Bjorn Bertholdt, Philip Croeser’s ATE Vivo and Andy Gossman’s Gossmotorsport car fighting over second. Add Insurisk quartet Michael, Dimitri, Zapheriou and Kyle, and Cody Petersen, Charl Andersen’s Pabar entry, Jan Spamers, Allan Pereira’s Daisy and newcomers Chris Tait and Anton Brandsma, and it should be wild in the Brat Pack.
The Class A and C cars are scheduled to qualify and race together as always at Zwartkops, while Class B will race on its own. Pabar VW Challenge races on a full a Gauteng Northern Regions bill at the Pretoria racetrack, in a meeting that promises to bring an epic 2023 South African circuit racing season to a close. See you at Zwartkops!
*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
Photography by: Andre Laubscher
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