adminCollin Matiza Sports Editor
THE Donnybrook Park race track in Harare will explode into life this Sunday as Zimbabwe’s fastest racers contest the final round of the 2019 Zimbabwe National Championships.
Although some of the main circuit racing drivers have already clinched their class titles, there are still several trophies up for grabs, most notably in the Unlimited Saloon Car class.
Jim Perry has powered his Turbo BMW into a slender two-point lead over his teammate Hamish Perry despite not winning a single heat this year.
Those wins have been shared by Cole Bond (Mazda RX8), Richard Robinson (Toyota Supra), Darren Winterboer (BMW M4) and Hamish Perry (BMW Turbo), but Jim has consistently placed himself on the podium in all the heats and his clever driving is reflected in his points lead.
He will feel that he needs to up his game on Sunday though, as two second places will not be enough to defend his lead against his son Hamish.
He will need to push for at least one win.
With Turbo Solutions Africa sponsoring this race meeting, their Msasa workshops in Harare have been busy preparing the team race cars, as well as assisting with advice and time on other driver’s cars.
Team leader Mano Zevgolis has been uncatchable in his Castrol Honda in the 2000cc class, but his late start to the season has handed an unassailable lead to Bulawayo driver Calvin Rademeyer in his VW Polo, with the similar Polo of Darren Pragji running a close third.
Similarly, Steve Murton’s early season form in his Toyota Corolla has resulted in his already being crowned the National 1600cc Champion.
Mike Laing has been the only driver to beat Murton all year, but a catastrophic engine failure has left the Harare driver with a lot of work to do before Sunday’s race.
Bob Beaver’s 1275cc Mini has been a crowd favourite all year, but he has been relentlessly hunted down by the 1400cc Datsun driven by Shaun Kerwin.
Only one point separates the two drivers, so the maths is simple — whoever wins on Sunday will take home the 1400cc National Title.
Sports Cars will also be on track on Sunday, and although Mike Exton has put together a string of six wins to take a solid lead in the championship, no fewer than four drivers will be fighting for 2nd place in the title race.
The father and son team of John and Brett Cameron currently sandwich Ryan van Reenen, with Des Morris only two points behind, and, with 20 points on offer this weekend, Brett’s runner-up position is far from safe.
The Superbikes will also be adding noise and drama to the weekend spectacle, and although Doug Mellor’s Yamaha cannot catch Warren Thorne’s Kawasaki in the championship, that won’t stop him trying to win the races.
Online Reporter