Marx looks to secure the title

Kyalami will host the season finale of the 2018 Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series on Saturday, with the year’s overall championship to be decided.

The event should provide the highlight of the annual Bridgestone BMW Car Club Track and Race Day, hosted by Auto Alpina Midrand in conjunction with Bridgestone and the BMW Car Club Gauteng.

The occasion has attracted an entry of more than 40 cars, with three drivers still in a position to take the title.

Class C competitor Antonie Marx (BMW E46 M3), pictured, heads up the title chase with 103 points to his name, chased by Class B driver Paulo Loureiro (BMW E36 M3 GTS) on 99 points and Class D’s Alan Hillegenn (BMW E36 328i) on 96 points.

Although Marx holds the points advantage, he is the only one in this trio without any prior experience around the circuit since it has been revamped.

He will face stiff competition in Class C, led by Shane Grobler (BMW E36 330i), Neil Reynolds (BMW E36 M3) and Craig Ball (BMW E36 M3).

In Class B, Loureiro will have to beat the likes of Jan Eversteyn (BMW E46 M3), Oz Biagioni (BMW E46 M3), Willie Erasmus (BMW E46 M3 GTR) and Andreas Meier (BMW E36 M3).

Hillegenn will face off against Nek Makris (BMW E46 328i Turbo), Troy Cochran (BMW E46 330ti), Morgan Long (BMW E36 328i) and Matthew Wadeley (BMW E36 328i).

The battle at the front of the field should rage between Class T runners like David Coetzee (BMW E36 328i Turbo), Sav Gualtieri (BMW F30 335i), Kashen Naiker (BMW E90 335i), Julian Fameliaris (BMW E36 328i Turbo) and Adrian Dalton (BMW E46 M3 CSL).

Serious racing apart, there will be time trials, where a number of seriously fast car-and-driver combinations have been entered.

They include Gianni Giannoccaro (Lamborghini Supertrafeo), Edrich Zwiers (Nissan GT-R Nismo R35), Leon Loubser (BMW E92 335i) and Thouca Mechanicos (Mercedes Benz C55 DTM).

The day’s programme will start at 7.30am with a host of track sessions, plus the race series practice and qualifying sessions.

Race one is scheduled for 12.55pm with Race two at 14.10pm. Admission to the circuit is free. The entertainment will include the BMW Driving Experience, where R200 per person will buy two flying laps around Kyalami in a BMW NM3 with a professional driver behind the wheel.

Participants will have to wear longsleeved shirts and long pants.

There will be an unveiling of a modified BMW 745 and demo laps that will include the popular BMW Bat Mobile and the Tony Viana cars such as the ex-Group 1 BMW 745 and the BMW 325i Shadowline.

For more information, contact the organiser Bernard de Gouveia at bernard@ BMWCarClub.co.za