Sandton, South Africa. The Sasol GTC Racing Team workshop has been a hive of activity as the team prepares for round two of the Sasol GTC Championship at Killarney Raceway in Cape Town on Saturday, 21st April. The aim is to defend and grow championship leader, Gennaro Bonafede’s points gap.
Bonafede, behind the wheel of his #32 BMW GTC racing car has a five point lead over Simon Moss (Audi) after the opening race where he claimed one victory and a second place finish.
“I expect the other guys, especially Michael Stephen, to come back strongly,” Bonafede predicts. “I had tremendous pace at Kyalami, so I’m confident of a good performance as I have traditionally done well at Killarney. I claimed my first GTC victory and started last season with a double win, which makes Killarney a special race track for me. Given the new power we have, it will be like driving on a new track. The fast back straight will be a “hair raising moment” as we are likely to top 250km/h before hitting the bumpy braking zone into Cape Town Corner.”
Bonafede continued: “Cape Town race fans can look forward to some great racing and I hope to be right at the front of it. I doubt it will be a two-horse race as the Volkswagen team has benefitted from significant improvements and will be fielding two highly competitive race cars. . Johan (Fourie) is always a threat at his home track, so I expect any us to be racing for podium honours. The front of the grid is going to be a very busy place!”
Robert Wolk will have his work cut out for him after his #41 Sasol GTC racing car required a complete rebuild after Kyalami, following a massive accident that saw the driver experience in excess of 4G.
“It was a big one”, admitted Wolk, who walked away unharmed. “The team has worked day and night to rebuild my car. I am really looking forward to a competitive car which will give me the edge to challenge for the lead as I did at round one. I enjoy racing at Killarney in front of a large crowd of enthusiastic motorsport fans and hope to put on a good show for them.”
Team Manager Vic Maharaj said: “It is always our intention to race as competitively as we can and enjoy a trouble-free weekend. I am confident our cars will be on pace as we continually strive to seek a competitive advantage within the regulations. It is then up to the drivers to make the best use of their cars on the day. I have seen the GTC field close up considerably and expect bumper-to-bumper racing.”
Join the conversation on social media using #SasolGTC and visit www.sasolmotorsport.co.za for the latest #SasolGTC Championship news, broadcast schedules and so much more.
[ISSUED BY SASOL GTC RACING TEAM]
