Round 8 - Kyalami - 24
September
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With 66 points available from six remaining races, Caltex
Havoline driver Neil Lobb has all but won this year’s Vodacom Shelby Can-Am championship. With eight wins under his belt from 14 starts, he has amassed 272 points and is 54 points clear of his only challenger, Donovan Roscoe in the Stanley Tools supported car. Third placed Ruan Pretorius (Biogen) is 66 points behind Lobb, but hasn’t scored a win. Although he can match Lobb’s points score, the crown would go to Lobb with more wins. The real interest will thus be in the fight for the minor placings. Darryn Lobb (DK Woodcraft ) is a mere four points behind Pretorius with Rui Campos (Carrera/Boltt) a further three points adrift. Interestingly, both Darryn Lobb and Pretorius are 22 years old with the latter having started in motorsport a bit earlier than Lobb. Another point of interest is that both have fathers competing in the series. Darryn’s dad leads the championship, while Franz Pretorius is more of a gentleman driver who also races a variety of classic cars at regional level. The man who could easily upset the applecart is Veron Pappas (Glen Grundy Bearingman). A twice former 250 Superkart champion, he rocked the establishment by scoring two wins at Phakisa earlier this year, but a succession of mechanical failures have seen him out of contention too many times. He currently lies sixth, 12 points behind Campos. Alan Eve (Direct Couriers) is a regular point scorer and lies seventh. He usually has a good scrap with the likes of Colin Frost (Strocam) and Peter Bailey (Fuchs). Thanks to some surprisingly competitive races, Franz Pretorius (Castrol/John Abbott) holds ninth in the point standings, seven points ahead of Bailey. Like Pappas, Karl Zachau (Driveline) is a former 250 Superkart racer and he is rapidly getting used to the technique required to get the best out of the Nissan V6 powered cars with big Goodyear slicks. Clive Kennerley (GP Windscreens) is capable of running at the sharp end of the pack, but business commitments have kept him out of the cockpit for most of the season so he will have his work cut out if he wants a top ten finish. Off Road racing legend Harry ‘Rocket’ Roscoe is the oldest driver in the series and more than capable of mixing it with the likes of Gary Green (Autozone), lady racer Clare Vale (The Truck Man) and sports car racing stalwart Richard Wood (Almar Packaging). Former championship contender, Dave Beattie is scheduled to return to the series at this race. Without much racing behind him in the last two years it will be interesting to see how he copes with the rigours of South Africa’s only national sports car championship. Points 1. Neil Lobb 272 2. Donovan Roscoe 218 3. Ruan Pretorius 206 4. Darryn Lobb 202 5. Rui Campos 199 6. Veron Pappas 187 |