Get ready for a close finish

This year’s Mopar South African Endurance Series should come to a dramatic climax during the weekend’s East London Four-Hour race at the Grand Prix Circuit outside the city.

Just eight points separate the top six drivers in the overall championship contest, while as many as 14 contenders still have a mathematical chance of clinching the Mopar MSA South African Endurance title.

Cape duo Nick Adcock and Michael Jensen (AidCall247 Ligier-Honda JS53 Evo) lead the overall championship on 204 points, just four clear of father-and-son duo Marcel and Dayne Angel (Autohaus Angel Ferrari 458 GT3), while Charl Arangies and Kishoor Pitamber sit another four points adrift in third aboard their Stradale Ferrari 458 GT3.

The ever-consistent James Forbes/Fritz Kleynhans (Comenius Ligier-Honda JS53 EVO) are next up on 192 points with a seven-point advantage over tin-top leaders Bradley Scorer/ Theo Van Vuuren (Arnold Chatz Cars Alfa Romeo Giulietta), who in turn hold a nine-point lead over GT5 leaders Trevor Graham/ Brian Martin (Backdraft-Lexus BDR4000).

Things are even closer in the Index of Performance Championship, which scores cars in terms of consistency.

The Scorer/Van Vuuren Alfa Romeo leads the Adcock/Jensen Ligier by six points, with the Graham//Martin Backdraft and the Angel Ferrari very close behind.

Saturday’s race should see an up-front victory battle between Adcock and Jensen’s Ligier and the Angels in their championship challenging Ferrari, with the Kleynhans/Forbes Ligier plus championship newcomers, dad and daughter Trevor/ Shannon Frost’s Strocam Mining Ligier-Honda JS49 bringing a touch of the unknown.

There should also be entertainment throughout the field with a smaller sports car dice between Eric Salomon and Dave Sinclair’s Lessons ELF S06 S and a fleet of Nash-Volkswagen MVW3s for Polo Cup brothers Keegan/Jason Campos, Peter Schmidt-Loffler/ Dean Wolson, Gavin Rooke/Brett Fleming and Gerald Wright in a WrightSport 2000-Opel.

The GT5 tussle is another season-long epic that will play out between a trio of Backdraft-Lexus BDR4000 entries, a factory pair for overall title fighters Graham Martin/Mike McLoughlin teamed up with PE rising star Chassen Bright and a Bateleur Motorsport entered car for Mike Schmidt/ Bruce Avern-Taplin.

The Scorer/Van Vuuren Alfa Romeo will fight it out for saloon car honours with the likes of Northern Bolt Tool VW Golf 2 trio Stuart Konig, Gerhard Henning and Jannie van Rooyen.

The main event will be backed by East London Modified and Historic Saloon and Open Top races.