After a break of three-and-a-half months the Investchem Formula Ford Kent drivers return to the track when the opening round of the 2017 championship takes place at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, 4 March.
At least a dozen cars are expected to line up on the grid with almost all of them capable of challenging for victory.
Last year Andrew Horne and Dean Venter were involved in a battle for the title that ran almost the entire season. More of the same is expected this year. Horne has put his championship-winning Royale out to pasture and will be defending his title in a Xena Chemicals / Budd Power Van Diemen while Venter will be back in the Desco SA / Manitou Swift that served him so well last year.
2014 Champion Graham Hepburn returns to the fray after a year away from the race track that he spent preparing for, and competing in, the Masters World Series of Indoor Cricket. He is hoping to have one of his recently acquired Suburban Body Shop Van Diemens ready to race.
The Jacquet Racing pair of David Jermy and Jeff Gable both showed that they are capable of running at the head of the field last year and should be up there with their Van Diemens this year.
Youngster Alex Vos (Ecurie Zoo Formula Ford) had mixed fortunes in 2016 and will be looking for more consistent results in 2017. Allen Meyer (Van Diemen) and Joe Nash (Swift) also had some good results in 2016 and will also be looking to make steady progress this season.
The cars will be ironing out the off-season bugs during Friday’s practice sessions before the serious business starts on Saturday morning. The 15-minute qualifying session is scheduled to get underway at 07h45 on Saturday morning with the first of the two 10-lap races on the card at 10h15. Race 2 is should get underway at 13h40.