With qualifying for Round Six of Bridgestone Production Cars out of the way, the scene is set for a brace of sprint races and a 12-lap feature event at the Phakisa Freeway near Welkom in the Free State today (August 3) – and it looks like BMW will continue where they left off at this circuit last year, when they dominated proceedings.
But they won’t have it all their own way and the dark horse for the meeting is Hennie Groenewald, who showed what progress the Subaru team has made with the WRX STI since Durban seven weeks ago, with intensive work on both chassis and engine taking place. He has planted his car firmly alongside Etienne van der Linde on the front row, bumping the second Beemer of Johan Fourie down to third place.
The Audi S4s of Melvill Priest and Gennaro Bonafede looked good on Friday, but despite maximum effort only managed fourth and fifth. Nevertheless, they start well clear of the similar cars of Michael Stephen and Tschops Sipuka, who found themselves in the unusual position of making up the tail end of the class A grid.
In class T it had been well mixed up all of Friday, Gary Formato finally seeming to get on top of things in the Ecoboost Focus ST, setting the fastest lap in the second session. The MINI Coopers were in close attendance throughout despite being considerably heavier than on previous occasions which, along with more turbo boost, could require a slightly less aggressive approach by points leader Gavin Cronje and his wingman, Lee Thompson.
But reigning champion Graeme Nathan is a wily old fox and has a reputation for playing his cards close to his chest, and his approach seems to be rubbing off on his understudy – Jacques ‘The Stiglet’ Joubert.
Come Saturday and Nathan went fastest in the Golf6 GTI, comfortably clear of Thompson, in turn half-a-second clear of Cronje. The lone Renault Megane of Devin Robertson is back in action after skipping Durbab, and he qualified fifth, just behind Joubert. Formato has been unable to replicate his Friday performance and could only manage sixth fastest, despite changes to the brake system which will hopefully make the car more driveable.
With no casualties in the Friday sessions, or during qualifying, a full complement of 16 Bridgestone Production Cars will take to the track for the first 8-lapper just before midday.
