VSP preview – AA Kyalami 28 June
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After round five of the the Vodacom Power Tour at AA Kyalami, the first half of the Vodacom Sports Prototype championship will be over and as yet there is still no clear favourite for the title as the crucial stage of the title race approaches. No fewer than six drivers in this single make Nissan V6 powered series have their eyes on the big trophy. Sharing the championship lead are former champion, PAK 2000 sponsored George Ferreira and Neil Lobb in the bright yellow DK Woodcraft car. Lobb, a former motorcycle racer, has won two races so far this season compared to Ferreira’s solitary win in Cape Town, but Lobb had a poor result in the second of the East London races last month when his gear linkage came adrift. Both have finished every race in the points and are on form. Eight points adrift is the current champion Bernard Tilanus who won the season opening race at AA Kyalami in February. A seasoned competitor, Tilanus won the Formula Ford in 1974 and the 1981 SA Drivers Formula Atlantic title, but sponsorship woes might rule him out of Saturday’s races. If so, Michael Fergusson will be in the hot seat. Fourth in the standings is Young Turk Melvill Priest. After a shaky start due to mechanical gremlins, the burly 25-year old backed by Revlon-24-Seven has won three of the last four races and what he lacks in racecraft is more than made up by blinding speed and a ‘take no prisoners’ attitude. An engine problem in practice for the last round cost Francois Gerber dearly and he has dropped to fifth. Effectively he’s less than two race wins behind the leaders, but as we know, anything can happen in the cut and thrust game of motor racing. Completing the top six, and also in with a remote chance of taking the title is Alan Eve. Apart from a non-scoring weekend at round two in Cape Town, he has been consistent, but seems to have lacked the pace needed to win. He enjoys the Midrand circuit and more than capable of being in the leading bunch. Also in the field are a couple of wild cards. Last season’s championship runner-up Donovan Roscoe (Protea Playing Cards) is back and could upset the applecart by winning as could Dave Beattie (Steiner Hygeine). In the thick of this lot, Colin and Derek Frost in their respective Strocam Projects and Strocam Mining cars will also have to keep their eyes on Neville Jordan (Vodacom) who had a good start to the year but then missed the East London round. Clive Kennerley is another dark horse and he will be joined on the grid by DK Group team-mates Terry Voller and Alan Green who will be locked in combat with the likes of Daan Nortje, Richard Wood, Mark Attieh and Durbanite Ben Havenga who will be making his AA Kyalami debut. With a full grid, the racing is bound to be close and the winner will be the one who throws caution to the wind. |