The 2015 South African Production Car Championship will kick off at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday, February 21, with teams facing new class and race formats.
This season, local Production Car fields will comprise of three categories, all racing for the same championship points. Their races will be incorporated into the Extreme Festival Series, at circuits throughout the country.
Heading the entry list will be multiple former champion Michael Stephen in his Engen Xtreme Audi S4, supported by the team's second car, in the hands of talented youngster Simon Moss.
Their closest rivals should be the Sasol Audi A4 entries of Hennie Groenewald and Gennero Bonafede, both race winners in 2014.
At the time of writing, the BMW team was desperately looking for a one-race sponsor, that would enable them to tackle the Zwartkops round of the title chase.
HATCH ATTACK!
The former Class A cars will face a tough onslaught from the two-litre turbo cars, formerly known as Class T.
To make them competitive with the larger-engined Audis, the two-litre cars will enjoy unlimited turbo boost, 18-inch wheels and no suspension limitations this season.
Leading them should be the SMD Ford Focus ST entries of Gary Formato and Shaun Duminy, which have shown themselves to be blindingly quick in the new format during test sessions.
The works Volkswagen team will field Golf GTI models for Graeme Nathan and Charl Smalberger, while Michael van Rooyen will join the party with his Williams Hunt Chevrolet Cruze.
The introduction of a National Challenge privateer class should see grids growing through the year as club racers bring out Production Cars built after 2004.
At Zwartkops, Mark du Toit (Audi S4) and Jordan Sherratt (Mini Cooper S) will represent the class, with the possibility of a Nissan 370Z and a Subaru WRX also joining in.
EXTREME FESTIVAL
The Production Cars will tackle three eight-lap races at Zwartkops, with their official qualifying session on Saturday morning.
The Production Car field joins a wide variety of both national and club racing events taking to the tarmac under the Extreme Festival umbrella on Saturday. This will be the nature of national championship racing in 2015, with all of the SA title events to coincide with club racing, to provide spectators with a mixed bag of entertainment.
Saturday's action-packed racing line-up will include the Engen Volkswagen Cup, along with numerous car and bike challenges: Red Square Kawasaki ZX10 Masters, Thunderbikes, Leisure Grass Northern Bolt and Tool Superhatch, Speed & Sound 111 Sports & Saloons car and Silverton Bolt and Nut Brunch Run Challenge races.