Pretoria - The 2015 Extreme Festival tour will end in grand style at the Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday 7 November with the SA Production Car title to be decided between two vastly experienced competitors - each in an Audi S4 but driving for rival teams. Can you spell 'needle match'?
With nobody else within even mathematical striking range, the contenders are Hennie Groenewald of the Sasol Audi team and Michael Stephen of Engen Xtreme Audi.
Groenewald moved to the top of the championship standings at Dezzi Raceway, and consolidated his position in the penultimate round at Killarney. But he's only a handful of points ahead of multiple former champion Stephen, who's no stranger to winner-take-all challenges. He has in fact gone into the final round of a national series as the underdog once before - and emerged as champion.
CROWDED HOUSE
But it won't be that simple, because they won't have the circuit to themselves; Stephen's team-mate, Gennaro Bonafede will be making sure that he finishes ahead of Groenewald's wingman, Simon Moss, so as to cement his third place overall in the series, while Moss, who's been honing his racecraft with every outing this season, would like nothing better than to upset the status quo at the final meeting.
While neither camp will admit to issuing team orders, Bonafede and Moss will be trying all they know to place themselves between their front-runner and the opposition, so as to act as a mobile chicane.
This will not only be a fascinating exercise in race strategy to watch but, at a tight circuit such as Zwartkops, is likely to lead to frustration and argy-bargy. It will be a miracle if all the lead cars finish the day's races without some battle scars.
Also mixing it with the Audi quartet will be multiple Class T champion Graeme Nathan and Charl Smalberger (each in a VW Golf GTI), with Class X privateer drivers Mark du Toit (Audi A4), George Smalberger (VW Golf GTI), Ryan Quan-Chai (BMW M Coupé) and Greg Molony (Mini Cooper).
VW CUP
The same situation will apply in the one-make Polo series, where Sheldon van der Linde and Daniel Rowe with settle the title honours between them, with no doubt enthusiastic interjections from with Shaun la Reservee, Tasmin Pepper, Chris Shorter and Mathew Hodges
MOTORCYCLES
Watch out for former SA Superbike star Graeme van Breda, Kyle Robinson, Tony Klem and veteran Pieter de Vos at the front of the pack in the Kawasaki Masters Cup races, with Hannes de Vos, Raymond Keel and Henk Schuilling keeping them honest.
The two Thunderbike races should see top riders such as Daryn Upton (Kawasaki), Greg Gildenhuys (BMW), Ryan van Aswegen (Kawasaki), Garrick Vlok (BMW), Jesse Boshoff (Suzuki) and Matthew Hart (Kawasaki) fighting for podium places.
SPORTS CARS
Multiple former sports-car champion Rui Campos (Shelby) will start as favourite for the National Sports Car Challenge heats, where he'll face challenges from Neil Lobb (Shelby), Donovan Roscoe (Shelby), Colin Clay (Lola T70), Kelvin Reynolds (Nardini) and Brian Algar (Shelby).
FORMULA FORD
Robert Wolk (Mygale), Julian van der Watt (Mygale), Dewald Brummer (Mygale) and Keagan Masters (Mygale) will take up where they left off at Killarney - but Nicholas van Weely, (Van Diemen), Alex Gillespie (Mygale) and Bevan Williams (Mygale) will do their best to keep the game open.
SUPERCARS
But for sheer spectacle, the Extreme Supercars will take the prize, with some of the country's quickest competition vehicles entered - headed by Lee Thompson and his massively turbocharged and winged BMW 335i. The Big Six was uncatchable at its previous Zwartkops appearance, and will be hard to beat on Saturday.
That won't stop KTM X-Bow pilot Deon du Plessis, Harry Arangies (Ferrari F360), Jonathan du Toit (Ferrari F430), Willem van der Westhuizen (Ferrari F430), Vernon Bricknell (Porsche GT3), Greg Parton (KTM X-Bow), Nicky Dicks (Ferrari F430) and Christo Lotter in the howling Lamborghini Trofeo from trying.
SUPPORT CLASSES
The day's biggest entry of more than 50 cars will be provided by the Sport and Saloon Car races, with the Superhatches not far behind. There will also be races for Formula Vees and the VW Challenge.
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