Six-Hour race starts Endurance season at Phakisa

Overall 2016 champion Francis Carruthers and Johan Engelbrecht from the Cape will be the men to beat in their Harp Malta Juno SSE, with their closest adversaries probably Johannesburg brothers Duncan and Graham Vos in their similar Ecurie Zoo machine.

Two more Junos – the Weltevreden Estate SS3 of Andre Bezuidenhout/ Simon Murray/ Peter Van der Spuy and Colin Plit’s Tricera Investments machine, plus the Nick Adcock Aid Call 24 Ligier JS49 shouls also chase podium placs, given reliability.

Other front runners should include Franco Scribante and Tony Martin (Chevron B26 V8), plus the Shelby CanAm entries of Michael Jensen/ Mark Lauth, Mike Verrier/ Wayne Jardine,  Doug MacDonald/ Elna Croeser and Stuart Mac, Graham Savage and Ian Smith.

GT class action should hinge around Charl Arangies and Johan Hattingh (Vaal Hydraulics Ferrari F360) dicing Fred de Kock, Gary Sherratt and Justin Mathis’ Hendok Porsche GT3 Cup.

Others to watch will include Stefan Puschavez/ Steve Pickering (MI Porsche 911 RSR), Mike Altona/ Peter Zeelie (Classic Porsche RSR), Mike McLoughlin (Backdraft Cobra Lexus), plus the Ford Mustang of Neville/ Jason Loosemore and Franco Di Matteo.

Topping the saloon car entry will be the Alfa Romeo South Africa GT of Chad Wentzel, Theo Van Vuuren and Bradley Scorer, challenged by the likes of Darren Winterboer/ Ian Howden/ Richard Robinson (BMW 335i) and Steve Truter/ Wayne Lotter (BMW M3).

Rounding out the entry will be people like Mike Schmidt/ Bruce Avern-Taplin (Frankies Soft Drinks Corolla), Dewald Brummer/ Bevan Williams (MAD Golf), Ronald van Rensburg/ David Russell (Hendok Golf) and Jannie Van Rooyen/ Adrian Dalton/ Gerhard Henning (Extra Clothes Scirocco).

The Mopar Six Hours of the Free State will start at 1pm on Saturday and finish at dusk. There will also be two entertaining curtain raisers in the form of the Comsol VW Challenge and an Interprovincial Sports Car round.