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Epic battles guaranteed throughout the pack at Killarney

While most series have had races postponed or cancelled through the latest round of lockdown, the 2021 www.cheapercars.co.za GTi Challenge has raced on and will continue where it left off with another day of explosive racing at Killarney’s 7 August Power Series meeting. With battle lines drawn throughout the field, the various classes each have different reasons why those individual duels will prove epic.

National Polo Cup triple winner in 2021, Jurie ‘Umpie’ Swart will be out to cement his fresh Class A advantage in his Alpine Autohaus Polo 6 Cup as much as erstwhile class leader and eternal rival Marco Busi will want to make up for lost ground. Busi was forced into isolation and missed the previous race in his Automan Polo 6 Cup. Swart now leads the class by 12 points over Busi, but never ignore the rest of the cheapercars GTi Challenge top class bunch.

Multiple SA karting champion Jason Coetzee is on the front foot after recently tasting his first success in his Mint Wraps JC Coachworks Polo. Polo 6 trio, class regulars, ITT man Colin Meder Jr, Dillon Joubert's Powder Coating World TAC Steel car and rookie Kai van Zyl's Unlimited Racing Angri car are always factors. Never ignore the returning Jano van der Westhuizen and another karting star, Charl Visser, or odd man out Mario Roux and his Automar Jetta 3.

The closest battle in the 2021 cheapercars GTi Challenge is however in class B. Four-time Class B and defending overall champion Eden Thompson in his MAD Somerset Refrigeration Polo 6 and 2019 Class C champion Giordano Lupini's Bullion IT Banhoek Chilli Oil Jetta 2 CLI continue their blow for blow battle. They have each won a race apiece in the four meetings since Lupini’s return and they arrive at Killarney on 7 August separated by a handful of points in their epic struggle.

Behind them in Class B, Ian Kapp’s Hydracor Polo 5 has Jaco Lambert’s TL Autocare Golf 1 GTi chipping away at his third place advantage, while Byron Mitchell will be looking for better luck with his similar Dolphin Engineering car. Don’t discount Grant Cloete’s Upstream Connect Golf 2 GTi, lady racer Nadia Nair in her Polo Playa, Brent van der Schyff and Marc Thompson's Somerset Refrigeration Polo Classics and Wayne Field’s Coetzee’s Coach Jetta 2 CLi.

Overall championship leader, former motocross rider Kyle Wiltshire will be looking for a clean weekend. Not only to stay ahead of Swart, Thompson, Lupini and Busi in the overall chase, but also to keep sixth overall and his closest Class C rival Tate Bishop behind on Saturday. SA karting champion Tate is having a brilliant rookie season on the main circuit in his Angri Golf.  

The rest of the all-Golf 1 GTi Class C Brat Pack is a battle between youthful exuberance and veteran experience highlighted by father and son G&A team, Jacques and Schalk Geldenhuys. Older rivals the likes of consistent CarSmith man Colin Smith and Alfie van Zyl take on young guns, Matthew Rowe's Veldt Reared machine and Nathan Victor. All the Brat Pack runners will however have to keep their eyes on Chase Herholdt in his newly rebuilt and turquoise hued NDT Racing GTi.

Spectators remain banned from the races but the action will be live streamed via the Killarney International Raceway Facebook page. Diarise it now!


ENDS

Issued on behalf of Alert GTi Challenge

What:Cheapercars GTi Challenge Round 6 Preview
Where:Killarney International Raceway
When:7 August 2021
Community:Western Cape Regional

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