The Investchem Formula 1600 competitors celebrate the beginning of spring with a race day at Killarney Raceway in Cape Town. The event is the penultimate round of the 2017 national championship, with Julian van der Watt (42 – Race Driver SA) hoping to lift the crown as the new single-seater champion.
For Van der Watt, who has won all but one race this season, it should simply be a matter of taking to the start line at Killarney to make it official.
The fight between Alex Gillespie (50 – ERP Trucking Components) and Cameron O’Connor (93 – Repro Supplies / Racing Factors) will be an interesting battle at Killarney. Gillespie has three points on O’Connor at this penultimate round for 2017 so neither will be offering to stand back for the other.
Throughout the season, the performances delivered by each of the drivers have been quite evenly matched, with neither quite able to break away from the other. In the final two rounds, one will have to make a decisive move if they want a clear path to the podium – or deal with carrying the stress of achieving that one point which will make all the difference for the next two rounds.
Between these three racers, the likely outcome for the 2017 season will see them distributed amongst the overall top positions for the year – if Stuart White (8 – Fantastic Racing) does not make an appearance for the final event. Should White contest the finale at Zwartkops Raceway in the beginning of November, Gillespie and O’Connor could find themselves fight for third.
The Investchem Formula 1600 class B title will land in the hands of Ian Schofield (10 – Investchem) at the Killarney event. Schofield has been the dominant driver in this category all season and leads Allen Meyer (15 – Investchem) and Donny Lamola (24 – Investchem / First Race) in the closing stages of the season.
An added element to the class at Killarney will be the return of Rick Morris (6 – Investchem). Morris hasn’t raced at all this season, but is a seasoned motorsport competitor and is likely to be right in the thick of the action. While not affecting the championship, his presence could definitely make things interesting on track.
This second-last round of the Investchem Formula 1600 championship will bring action to the new season in the Western Cape while the competitors grab as many of the points still available. Surprises are not expected, but when it comes to motorsport surprises are not very far away.