Rowe aims for podium finish

PORT Elizabeth’s Daniel Rowe is out to get a podium finish in tomorrow’s Sasol GTC Africa championship race at Zwartkops Raceway.

With just two rounds of the championship left to run, Volkswagen Motorsport competitors are keen to get back to the action.

However the VW team won’t have things their own way.

Initially it appeared local driver, Michael Stephen, and his Engen Audi A3 GTC was unbeatable after he swept to six consecutive victories and opened up a healthy championship lead.

Killarney proved a tipping point when Gennaro Bonafede planted his BMW GTC race car on pole position and swept to his maiden win.

The Sasol GTC Racing Team driver continued his new-found form and dominated the event, taking pole position and victory in both races.

The fifth round of the championship should see another round of wheel-to-wheel racing between these two hard-chargers but Simon Moss in the second Engen Audi cannot be discounted, as he has claimed three fastest laps, one pole position and three runner-up placings to rank third in the championship standings.

All four of the Volkswagen Motorsport entries recorded podium finishes at round one, with GTC Production championship leader Daniel, also producing his first race victory at that event.

“The first round at Zwartkops Raceway saw good performances from all members of the Volkswagen Motorsport team,” says his father and head of Volkswagen Motorsport, Mike Rowe,

“A return to that circuit marks the only time this season the GTC cars will compete more than once at any track, which could play into our hands with good results already recorded there,” he added.

Heading to the penultimate round, Daniel continues to lead the charge for Volkswagen Motorsport.

He is clear leader in the GTC Production category, with his Volkswagen Golf GTI and is going to be tough for any of his opposition to catch.

Daniel has amassed a 207-point lead in the first four round, and there are just a few more than 200 points still available in the championship – so the opposition needs two perfect weekends with Daniel scoring nothing for them to stand a chance – a mathematical hope at best.

Mandla Mdakane trails in second spot by just six points – and he has two events to close that gap.

This second Zwartkops outing is a chance to improve his position in the championship – and aim for a Volkswagen Golf GTI one-two for the 2016 season.

Mathew Hodges has his Volkswagen Jetta GTC poised tantalisingly close to third place in the overall championship.

Twelve points is the gap he needs to close to step onto overall podium standings.

At the opening round, Hodges was the second-quickest out on track in qualifying and claimed second place in race one.

A similar performance for the return to Zwartkops Raceway and he could head to the final round already among the top three for the season. Graeme Nathan has made two podium appearances this season with his Volkswagen Jetta GTC, but he’s still looking for his first race victory of the year.

Zwartkops provided Nathan with his first podium finish, when he claimed second place in race two.

Returning to the site of the first round, Nathan will be aiming to turn that second spot into his first race win.