Ian Schofield in action in East london
Phakisa Freeway in the Free State is the venue for the next round of the South African Single Seaters (SASS) championship. The venue will host the series on Saturday, August 22.
Round four, which took place in East London, proved another successful weekend for Robert Wolk (41 – Chemical Logistics Mygale) with two race victories. This gives him a clear advantage in the SASS championship – all of 30 points ahead of his closest rival.
The Phakisa event marks the start of the second half of the 2015 season for these competitors and it looks like the fight for points is going to get very intense from this point.
With Wolk leading the championship, Julian van der Watt (42 – Investchem Mygale SJ08) is in second place with a reasonable eight point cushion over third-placed Dewald Brummer (11 – MAD Racing Mygale SJ09). Van der Watt won’t be getting too comfortable though, as Brummer’s been quite consistent in his performance this year, scoring points at virtually every round.
Brummer has to keep an eye on his competition though, with Keagan Masters (44 – Performance Masters Mygale SJ08) breathing down his neck, just two points behind. Masters had a really good outing at Zwartkops and kept some of that momentum going in East London. He could pose a threat to Brummer at the Phakisa event.
Masters won’t be able to just focus on Brummer though, as he too has a challenger to his fourth place standing in the series. Werner Scholtz (3 – Investchem / Motorvia Mygale SJ08) is two points behind Masters and has been scoring in roughly the same bracket as Masters during the season. One good race day for Scholtz could see him match – or even overtake – Masters on the scoreboard.
For the Phakisa event, three racers will join the ranks of the SASS racers. Andrew Horne (33) will take to the circuit in the car normally piloted by Andrew Schofield while Jonathan Nash (38) will take to the track in a Mygale 2007. The Phakisa event sees Nicholas van Weely entered to race as well. Van Weely has been amongst the frontrunners in the SASS series so will definitely be an interesting addition to the weekend’s racing. These three racers could result in a shake-up to the points and unsettle the series regulars, adding an element of uncertainty to the second half of the year.
Irrespective of what the results are by the end of the Phakisa event, it is certain that these single-seater racers will be pushing their cars – and themselves – to the limit on a circuit that is a driver favourite for the challenges it presents.