After nearly 90 minutes of track time, in which South Africa’s leading drivers fettled, tweaked and tuned their race steeds, the scene is set for a high-intensity qualifying session tomorrow morning, which will determine the starting order for the third round of the Bridgestone Production Car series at Port Elizabeth’s Aldo Scribante circuit later that day.
The front page news was the fact that the new class T Fords finally made an appearance – and the results by the end of the third practice session suggested that the recipe was a good one, with the two Focus ST Ecoboosts right near the top of the time sheets. Out front was Devin Robertson though, steering his Renault Megane around the 2,48 kilometre circuit with some verve.
Missing from the final session was local hero and reigning class A champion Michael Stephen, laid low with a sudden migraine. He had topped the charts in both sessions earlier, his knowledge of the track helping him extract maximum performance from his jet black Audi S4. Also looking good was the mechanically similar car of Melvill Priest, as consistent as he always is on a Friday – all he needs to do is translate it into a win the next afternoon, an eventuality which is looking more and more likely.
But it is still anyone’s game and as always the 335i BMWs can’t be discounted from the front of the field, and nor can the combination of Hennie Groenewald’s experience and talent in the Subaru WRX STI. Wondering where the weekend will leave them as far as reliability goes are the MINI pair of Lee Thompson and Gavin Cronje, with their promising pace this year being hampered by engine problems come crunch time. These and other questions will hopefully be answered at 09h10 on Saturday April 6, when 16 of South Africa’s best tin-top drivers will roar out of Aldo’s pitlane, with the next 25 minutes determining the pecking order.
