Killarney International Raceway – Endurance race plus best local action May 19

Motor racing returns to Killarney Saturday 19 May, when the second round of the 2018 Mopar South African Endurance Series, the Campos 600 and a round of the new MSA Sports & GT Challenge joins the regular Killarney Wingfield Motors Power Series car categories. The full, varied and most entertaining four-wheeler raceday will feature local classes desperately keen to get back on track after a two month break, topped by the prospect of the thrill of another sting in the tail endurance race.

The Campos 600 tops the bill, where the major point of local interest will be Cape Town father and son team Marcel and Dayne Angel chasing a defiant first endurance win in their Ferrari 458 GT3. However not only must they first beat a full grid of GT rivals, but the best of South Africa’s sports racing prototypes too. The Angels’ GT rivals include a Johannesburg-entered Ferrari 458 GT3 for Charl Arangies and Kishoor Pitamber, Cyril Ginsburg and Divan Wentzel’s road-legal Porsche GT3 RS among other Porsches and a Lamborghini, but Campos clan Rui, Jason and Keegan are also expected to race their McLaren for the first time in Cape Town.

Even bigger a headache for the Angels, will be the horde of sportscar entries, headed up by another home team, Rico Barlow Racing’s Ligier-Honda driven by Nick Adcock and Danish co-pilot Michael Jensen, while Fritz Kleynhans and James Forbes’ similar car and Simon Murray and Gavin Cronje’s super-quick SMR Ginetta-Corvette are also top contenders and don’t discount the Durban platoon of Backdraft Cobra-Lexus V8s headed by former Daytona 24 winner Tony Martin.

Another Killarney 19 May highlight is the new MSA Sports & GT Challenge running alongside a regular round of the Western Cape Pirelli Sports & GTs and comprising several of those leading endurance entries up against local favourites, Dawie Joubert and his wild Lotus-Honda, Steve Humble’s Mallock, Sandro Biccari’s Juno and Gary Kieswetter (Porsche); Craig Jarvis’s superb Viper, Glen Uitenbogaard’s Stingray and Clinton Thorne’s wild winged Seven, while uptown visitors should include Charl Arangies’ magnificent Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3, among others.

One class bursting to get back on track after the long wait is the BurlyPro GTi Challenge, which will see classes A, B and C starting on their own for the first time, in three groups split by gaps enough to allow fans to follow each of the three races develop in their own right. Expect Jano van der Westhuizen’s Polo and Jurie Swart’s Polo Classic to fight off Polo 6R trio Colin Nicholas Meder, Paulus Franken and Francois van Tonder up front and Eden Thompson’s Golf 1, Gideon Serfontein’s Golf 2 and Jetta duo, old man Mario Roux and young Divan Lazarus to scrap in Class B.

Perhaps the wildest racing class in the Cape, the GTi Challenge Class C Brat Pack was read the riot act following a destructive last round, but most drivers have enjoyed both highs and lows so far, so Marco Busi, Jacques Geldenhuys, Shane Williams, Bryan Morgan and Giordano Lupini are all close on points. The likes of Chris Swart, Ebrahim Levy, Brett Roach, Dario Busi and Dillon Joubert are meanwhile eager to make up ground, so expect the usual fireworks back there.

Mikes Place Clubmans is another class keen to get back racing after that two-month break, with Danie van Niekerk and his BMW ready to fend off Golf duo Shane du Toit, Michael le Sueur and Clint Rennard and Gavin Cerff in a Jetta up front. Basie Burger is the man to beat in Class B, Ernest Roos (BMW) in class C and champion Damien Lopez in Class D, while Gary Smith (Jetta) took Class E, Gilbero Nobrega (Ikon) Class F and Charl Minnie (Golf) Class X last time out.

The V8 Masters should be a little less desperate to get back on track following their more recent outing at Killarney’s April national meeting, but Fabio Tafani remains the man to beat there with old rival Marcel Angel, Stephen Young, Richard Schreuder and Silver frontrunner Rob Warrington all keen to put a stop to his recent form. A little further back, expect Andrew Moffitt to chase continued Makita Supercar success, with Jarryd Evans and Ryan McCarthy, Silver class lads Shane Smith, Martin Bensch and Glen Phillips and Bronze class driver Stuart Spooner in hot pursuit.

The Formule Libre single seaters promise a little Killarney variety on 19 May, with his rivals out to beat Dee-Jay Booysen and his Dico Toyota Formula M. Jaco Lambert should lead the chase in his Formula VW, while karting graduate Andrew Rackstraw will be keen on a clean race in his Formula Ford Mygale to race Sean le Riche (Formula Renault) and Formula Vee four Jason Greyling, Byron Mitchell, Cyrill Somerville and Delano Fowler.

Last but very much not least, the WP Classic Cars and Shatterfix Fine Cars can always be relied on to entertain, where Franco Donadio should be the man to beat in his swansong race in his Ford Escort Cosworth. He will have the likes of Trevor Momberg’s V6 Capri, Charles Arton’s Datsun 240Z and Dave Kopke’s Mazda R100 rotary to deal with, while Porsche 944 trio Eric van der Merwe, Geoff Bihl and Piet Matthee will fight it out with Steve Bekker’s VW Passat and the rest in Shatterfix action.

The Killarney International Raceway is situated on Potsdam Road across the way from Killarney Gardens, Milnerton (with a MyCiti bus stop right at the gate), entrance is R60 per adult, students get in for R40 and under 12s free. Long-term forecasts predict a northwester and so plausible late-autumn changeable conditions — ideal for thrilling racing. See you at Killarney!