Summarize

The Pabar VW Challenge’s annual away race proved a brilliant, bruising Cape vs Gauteng epic at Killarney on Saturday as a group of local Cape Alert Engine Parts GTi Challenge wildcards spiced the action up to a crescendo.

It was always going to be tough for the upcountry Class A visitors coming to race the locals, who know every bump and stone at Killarney. Especially considering that the upcountry Pabar VW Challenge onslaught only arrived in Cape Town on Friday morning. Meaning they had precious little time to dyno, tune and test their cars in the short sessions as they prepared to compete with the eager locals in their similar ex-Polo Cup Polo 6Rs, or Vivos as we know them today.

It took an ex-Capetonian and former WP GTi Challenge racer Stiaan Kriel to upset the applecart to quite literally take the challenge to the locals in qualifying. Kriel put his Design Hut T-Rex Racing machine on the outside of the front row alongside WP Alert Engine Parts Cape GTI Challenge Class A championship leader, and current national Compcare Polo Cup title leader, Jurie Swart’s Summit Racing Polo.

Another two upcountry Pabar VW Challenge Polos, and the men fighting it out for that class championship, Rory Atkinson’s BHIT Industrial Transport car and Wayne Masters’ Performance Masters version were just as impressive in third and fourth, all considered. Four more Cape locals, Dillon Joubert’s Powder Coating World TAC Euroblitz Polo 6, Nathan Victor’s Summit Racing car, a troubled Marco Busi’s Goeie Hoop Simtech GAP machine and Unlimited Auto Angri lad Kai van Zyl followed.

The rest of the grid comprised Jozi six, Bevin Masters' CPS machine, Waldie Meintjies, an on form Pabar boss Mike Barbaglia, Dewald Theron’s Interceptor car Sabertek man Derick Smallberger and Sam Dale’s Blue Belt Pozidrive Polo. Locals Raaziegh Harris’ Cooltouch car and Cape Class C graduate Schalk Geldenhuys’ G & A Motorsport car followed from Jozi dad Christopher Dale’s Blue Belt Polo, Gavin Ross and Colin Meder, who never got a lap in closing of the Class A pack.

Classes B and C only saw visiting machines on the grid and it was double race winner so far this season, Elna Croeser’s ATE Polo 6, which took pole from rookie sensation and championship leader Hannes Scheepers’ similar Dainfein Dental car. Both of them lapped within a second of the regular Cape GTi pace. Youngsters, Anthony Pretorius' Fast Bucket List car and Squadra Corse lad Mododana Mfana, and another racing lass Charisse van der Merwe’s Hot 102.7 Polo 6Rs followed.

JRT lad Ethan Coetzee, Karshin Naidoo and Roberto Cosani’s Polos followed from Francois van Zyl Jesus Saves Vivo, Jacques Hayes, Stelio Nousias and Mo Karodia. Dean Ross, Mitch Coetzee, Elio Muzzulini, Chris Davison, Lindsay Clur and Bevan Williams closed off the significant Class B grid. Mellow Velo man Ian Walker topped the all Vivo Class C grid from 2021 champion Pierluigi Muzzulini’s FSS car, Phoenix lad Mark Castel, Philip Croeser, Eric Gander, Charl Anderson and Jan Spamers.

Race 1 started with a bang as Nathan Victor slammed into turn 5 tyre wall after something appeared to break under his Polo. Swart and Kriel meanwhile quickly made off up front to leave Atkinson, Masters, Busi and Meder in battle a couple of seconds adrift. Masters got ahead of Atkinson with Busi in close attendance, but Masters appeared to slow into Turn 1 mid-race to allow those three to slip by, before picking up speed again, while Swart edged an advantage over Kriel up front.

So, local lad Swart took the win from Cape expat and first Pabar VW Challenge man home, Siaan Kriel, who in effect, took his first Pabar VW Challenge Class A win of the season. Busi got the better of Atkinson for third from, Masters and Cape trio Colin Meder, Kai van Zyl and Dillon Joubert, with visitor Waldie Meintjies ninth and fourth of the Pabar bunch and local lad Raaziegh Harris tenth. Jozi trio Smallberger, Sam Dale and Barbaglia with Ross and Mfani were a little further back.

There was drama in Class B two laps into race 1 when ladies, pole sitter Elna Croeser, who had already suffered a clutch issue at the start, and Charisse van der Merwe and Stelio Nousias came into contact with both girls rendered hors de combat and Nousias later placed behind Croeser in the results after the race for his contribution to their demise. Which left Hannes Scheepers to take another easy win and extend his debut season championship advantage even further.

Young Anthony Pretorius ended second after leading initially before succumbing to Scheepers, from Jacques Hayes, who nicked third from Ethan Coetzee on the final tour and Karshin Naidoo. Bevan Williams had a good run to sixth from Robbie Cosani, Mo Karodia, Dean Ross, Mitch Coetzee, Lindsay Clur, Chris Davison and Elio Muzzulini. Francois van Zyl struggled home a lap down after a first lap issue.

Ian Walker held Pierluigi Muzzulini off to take the first Class C win from Mark Castel, Philip Croeser, Eric Gander and Jan Spamers. Class A drivers Chris Dale, Dewald Theron and Schalk Geldenhuys and Class C driver Charl Anderson joined van der Merwe, Croeser and Nousias in retirement. And if the Cape fans thought that was exciting, they had not seen anything yet…

Swart made a slow start to allow Kriel to escape with Busi in tow and a small gap to Meder and Swart. Jurie soon passed Meder and towed him up to the two ahead, with all four of them, now joined by Dillon Joubert in a bunch as they dodged yellow flags to eventually arrive at flat out turn 4 four abreast. There was contact, as Swart did a splendidly held lurid slide as Kriel was forced to go off to avoid contact and dropped down.

That left Busi ahead of  a bunch comprising Meder, Swart, Joubert, both Masters and Atkinson, with Kriel in Pursuit. Swart then disposed of Meder once again and closed down on Busi. He made his move to take the lead on the final tour, only for the race to be stopped by the red flag after an incident elsewhere on track. The results were scored at the end of the penultimate lap. 

So, Busi took the closest of victories from Meder and Joubert, while Bevin and Wayne Masters ended up first and second in the Pabar championship race that mattered from Atkinson and Kriel. Waldie Meintjies, Sam Dale, Dewald Theron, Derick Smallberger Gavin Ross and Madodana Mfana kept a watching brief on the sports up front, while Kai van Zyl, Raaziegh Harris and Mike Barbaglia hit trouble. Bevin Masters and Kriel's Pabar VW Challenge wins were their first of the season. 

Hannes Scheepers made no mistakes as he made it a Class B double from a delighted Williams, Naidoo and Cosani. Charisse van der Merwe fought back to a fine fifth from Ethan Coetzee and comeback lady Elna Croeser, Clur, Mitch Coetzee, Hayes in tenth, Elio Muzzulin, Davison, Karodia and Ross after Nousias retired. Ian Walker did the Class C double from Castel, Gander and Croeser. Muzzulini stopped to cause that red flag, but still ended fifth ahead of Spamers and  Anderson.

So, local wildcard Jurie Swart may have taken the overall win for the day, but Stiaan Kriel took the trophy that mattered. Cape lads Marco Busi and Colin Meder were third and fourth from second and third Pabar VW Challenge visitors Rory Atkinson and Wayne Masters, and another Cape interloper, Dillon Joubert. Eighth overall, Bevin Masters was fourth among the visitors from Waldie Meintjies, Sam Dale, Derick Smallberger, Gavin Ross and Madodana Mfana.

Hannes Scheepers dominated Class B overall to consolidate his title advantage from Bevan Williams, Karshin Naidoo, Ethan Coetzee, Roberto Cosani and Jacques Hayes. Lindsay Clur was seventh from Mitch Coetzee, Mo Karodia and Dean Ross in tenth. And Ian Walker likewise made Class C his own to grow his title lead, with Mark Castel second for the day from Philip Croeser, Eric Gander, Pierluigi Muzzulini, Jan Spamers and Charl Anderson.

All in all, the Pabar VW Challenge away race for 2022 delivered a fantastic spectacle peppered with a cast of local wildcards that made it all that much more spectacular. It also had many a tongue wagging as to why these two splendid series don’t work on compatible rules to see all three classes able to race in a possibly bigger, short interprovincial VW Challenge series every year. Now there's a thought! Next stop for VW Challenge is the 13 August Zwartkops Regional Festival.