Wolk back in EL to show class
Top circuit racing to enthrall crowds in innovative race
IT WILL be a homecoming of sorts for former East Londoner Robert Wolk when he hits the track in the headlining Sasol Global Touring Car race at the annual South African Extreme Festival National Circuit Racing championship at the East London Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday.
Wolk, who has been based in Johannesburg for the last decade, will be back in his hometown and aiming to impress during the main event at this weekend’s festival.
“I enjoy coming home. East London is one of the more enjoyable tracks in SA, with fast corners and high speed racing, so it is always a good weekend out,” said Wolk.
“I think with the extra power we have this year the cars are quite a bit faster, so it is going to be quite exciting to see how the car performs.”
This weekend will see the launch of the exhilarating new push to pass the system in the GTC champs, and that should make the racing all the more entertaining.
“We have never used it before, so it will definitely add a different dimension to the race, and it should make things quite interesting when it gives that extra boost to try get past each other.”
This will be the second time Wolk will be competing at the EL track in the GTC champs after being involved last year. However, he will be hunting for a podium spot this year after missing out last time.
“Last year we unfortunately missed qualifying due to an issue with the car, so we started at the back and struggled with a power issue in race one, before finishing fourth in race two. So it wasn’t the best of weekends and we are hoping to improve upon that this time round.”
It has also not been smooth sailing so far this year in the championship, and Wolk heads into the weekend in sixth place on 76 points, 45 points behind the current championship leader.
“I haven’t had the best buildup to the weekend with a couple of issues, but we are over that now and we should be strong by Saturday,” said Wolk.
“We had a mechanical failure in the first round which led to a crash, so leading up to the second round we had to get the car ready and rebuilt and then the third round was quite average.
“But now we have pretty much resolved all our issues and we should be on a much stronger footing this weekend.”
Although it is his home track, Wolk is not expecting to have any advantage over his fellow competitors.
“It doesn’t make much difference. I race here only once a year along with the other guys in the championship, so we are all on the same level and I won’t have much of a leg up,” he said.
Another big crowd is expected for this weekend’s event to cheer on the drivers and make a great vibe at the track on Saturday.
“I think it has been good national racing so far this year. The first three rounds were well supported and we always get a good crowd in East London, so hopefully the fans will turn up in their numbers again for a fun day out.”
Gates will open on Saturday at 7am, with the racing expected to get under way at 10am.