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SAFV: Series Phakisa preview

Hometown Boy, Hopes to Enhance His Claim To The 2008 SA National Formula Vee Title, at Phakisa Pro Tour comes to Phakisa on the 13th September, for round eight of the ten round series, making the event a crucial one, for a number of ...

Published: Sep 16, 2008, 11:43 AM

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Hometown Boy, Hopes to Enhance His Claim To The 2008 SA National Formula Vee Title, at Phakisa

Pro Tour comes to Phakisa on the 13th September, for round eight of the ten round series, making the event a crucial one, for a number of competitors Championship aspirations. In action, will be Execuline Shelby Can Am Sports Cars, Investec Formula Ford Zetec and Formula Vee Single Seaters, the exotic Altech Porsche Challenge, including the Ferrari 360 Cup Cars, the Altech Porsche 924 Challenge, Goldwagen Volkswagen Challenge Saloon Cars and the Altech Kawasaki ZX10 Masters Cup Motor Cycles, offering a dynamic package, catering for a variety of tastes. For their second heat, the Execuline Shelby Can Am and Altech Porsche Challenge will be combined, to produce a full blown Sports and GT race, further enhancing the spectacle and making it a day's entertainment, not to be missed. See You at Phakisa.

Coming back to Welkom and eager to further enhance his claim, on the 2008 South African National Formula Vee Championship Title, is current log leader, Welkom's own Dennis Johns (No2 Geyser Attorneys Rhema 2). Born and raised in Welkom, he was educated at Arora Primary School and Welkom High School, where he completed his matric. His first involvement in motorsport, involved selling Programs, at the gate of the Goldfields Raceway, after which he joined the Goldfields Scruitineers. As a Scruitineer he first met Catherine, whose mother was also a Scruitineer at the time. His father Donald, an Engineering Foreman on the mines, built Dennis a Formula Vee in 1995, in which he secured his first National Formula Vee Title, in 2000. He and Catherine kept on bumping into one another, at the circuit and a relationship developed, which eventually led to their marriage at a venue just outside Welkom, in 2002. Throughout his racing career, Johns has continued to enjoy the support of the Welkom community, particularly Ponti, of Speedpro Conversions (Dyno Tuning), Goldco Midas Odendaalsrus (Parts and Advice), Winners Engineering & Auto Head Centre (Reconditioning Cylinder Heads) and Johan Lubbe (wisdom in building Engines and Gearboxes) and Johns is determined to reward them and the many other locals who continue to support him, by winning at Phakisa and in so doing, putting himself firmly on track, for his second National Title.

Up against Johns, will be Peter Hills (No3 Prolantic MLS Brokers Rhema 2), still trying to regain the form he showed early in the season, Courtney Steenveld, the promising young development driver from Cape Town, in the No8 Indy Oil NLDTF Rhema 2 and Trevor Bland (No6 Office Direct Rhema 2), showing improved reliability and pace, in recent races. The dark horse for the Phakisa event, will be ex National Champion Trevor Smith, deputizing for Alan Eustice, in the No77 Execuline Rhema 2 and it will be interesting to see, if he can still give the boys up front a run for their money. Not far behind the lead bunch, the likes of the other development driver, Durban's Zaahir Essa (No71 NLDTF Rhema 1), Symm Grobler (No4 Auto Mecca Rhema 2) and Johan Gouws (No27 Mantis), can also be counted on, to give a good account of themselves and even give those ahead of them, a run for their money on the day.

Also in the field, at Phakisa, should be Ben Pienaar (No101 BJ Pro Welding Rhema 2), Nico Blignaut (No23 Gilus IT SAP Rhema 2), Jannie Geyser Jnr (No63 Geyser Attorneys Rhema 2), Jannie Geyser Snr (No64 Geyser Attorneys Vision), Stan Alford (No84 Castle Graphics Rhema 1), Chandre Kruger (No41 Gilus IT SAP Sting), Nicholas Tennant (No34 Tennant Benefit Consultants Tasman), James Evans (No30 Gilus IT SAP Tasman), Hugo Walendorf in a brand new Lantis, Andre Van Der Merwe (No51 Atlas Dry Cleaning Lantis), with his son Shaun possibly also making it to Phakisa, with his new Lantis, ensuring good close racing all the way down the field.

-credit: safv

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