Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series – The Final Countdown Round 8 – Zwartkops Raceway – 29 November 2014
Greg Reilly
The Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series will return to the Zwartkops Raceway for the final round of the championship.
The 2014 racing season has seen one of the closest championship battles in series history – in both the individual and overall class battles.
The Individual class battles
Budnik will be keen to take the class A laurels
Kris Budnik (E46 M3 GT) currently leads the class A ranks by eleven points over Gianni Giannoccaro (E46 M3 CSL GTR). Jimmy Giannoccaro (E82 135i) finds himself in third position – a further eleven points behind his son.
Sav Gaultieri (F30 335i) is once again expected to challenge for overall honours on the day but hasn’t competed in enough events during the course of the year to be a title hopeful.
Kris Budnik – 52 points
Gianni Giannoccaro – 41 points
Jimmy Giannoccaro – 30 points
The class B battle has literally been a two horse race during the course of the year. Carlo Garbini (E46 M3) was able to come away from the last event with a narrow seven point advantage over championship rival Manny Ribeiro (E36 325i Turbo). Ricky Giannoccaro (E46 M3 GTR) could still be a threat to the leaders if either of them has a bad result at the final event.
Jonathan Araujo (E36 328i Turbo) will be looking to end the year on a high after being plagued by reliability issues during the season. On a good day Thouca Mechanicos (E46 M3 Ti GTR) could very well challenge for a podium position as well, while class B newcomer Riaan Woest (E46 M3 GTR) will be looking for a better result than his first race a few weeks ago.
Carlo Garbini – 92 points
Manny Ribeiro – 85 points
Ricky Giannoccaro – 62 points
Sav Gaultieri (F30 335i) is once again expected to challenge for overall honours on the day
Robertson will be looking to trump the Fameliaris boys for class C honours
Class C has consistently been one of the biggest and most competitive classes in the series with various winners throughout the year keeping the class championship chase very close. Justin Robertson (E36 328i) goes into the final event of the year with a ten point advantage over closest rival Dino Fameliaris (E36 M3). Julian Fameliaris (E36 328i) is only three points behind his cousin and could very well cause an upset between the leading duo.
Lee Jones (E39 M5) will be hard pressed to catch the leaders but does have some peace of mind after taking a double victory at the very same circuit at the previous round. Hein Strohm (E36 M3 GTR) was the championship leader earlier in the year and will be looking to get back to winning form again. Warren Dodd (E36 325i) will be hoping for better luck at the final event of the year after a string of mechanical failures has seen him falling further behind the class leaders. With more than half a dozen capable contenders in the field the action is sure to be closer than ever.
Justin Robertson – 84 points
Dino Fameliaris – 74 points
Julian Fameliaris – 71 points
Class D has been another hotly contended class with at least a dozen entries throughout the year keeping things interesting. The latter half of the season has seen two contenders emerge at the front of the field. Johan Dreyer (E46 330i) finds himself leading the class by a mere five points in only his first year of competitive racing. Mike Salt (E36 323i) will be as determined as ever to turn the tables on Dreyer with a possible championship title staring him in the face. Bruce Turner’s (E36 328i) fighting spirit has seen him hanging onto third position in the class despite missing an event due to budget restraints.
Shane Grobler (E36 328i) has moved into fourth position. Mike Wentzel (2002 Turbo) has seen his chances blow out of the window after a string of mechanical failures have put paid to his chances of a decent season. Trevor Long (E36 328i) has shown consistency in his first year in racing and will be looking to finish the season on a high.
Johan Dreyer – 87 points
Mike Salt – 82 points
Bruce Turner – 59 points
The Dreyer / Salt battle will go down to the wire
The Overall title chase
Garbini will be determined to take the Overall and class B titles
The overall championship title chase couldn’t be closer with the top five contenders only separated by 10 points!
Carlo Garbini (E46 M3) finds himself at the top of the leader board with Johan Dreyer (E46 330i) only five points behind him. Manny Ribeiro (E36 325i Turbo) is a further two points behind Dreyer with Justin Robertson (E36 328i) a solitary point behind him. Mike Salt (E36 323i) is only two points behind Robertson as well.
With everything and more on the line the racing action is expected to be fast and furious!
Carlo Garbini – 92 points
Johan Dreyer – 87 points
Manny Ribeiro – 85 points
Justin Robertson – 84 points
Mike Salt – 82 points
Dino Fameliaris – 74 points
If you are interested in joining or attending this event please forward your details to Click-to-Reveal@bmwcarclub.co.za. Further correspondence will then be sent to you.
