What Investchem Formula 1600 Round 7 Preview
Where Zwartkops Raceway, Pretoria
When Saturday 19 October 2024
Community South Africa National
It all comes down to Zwartkops for Robertson & Ensor-Smith
Saturday 19 October’s last-ever Investchem Formula 1600 races will crown either Jagger Robertson or KC Ensor Smith as the popular series’ final champion before the new Investchem MSA4 era commences in 2025. Robertson leads Ensor Smith to the Zwartkops Extreme Festival final by ten points following a see-saw year that has seen the championship lead change several times between them.
Whoever comes out on top on Saturday, will walk away R200,000 richer and with a South African Touring Cars test in his pocket. The second place driver will earn a hundred grand prize. Still, it’s all to do at Zwartkops, and judging by how the season has played out thus far, it’s still very much anyone’s game.
Robertson started the season in dominant style in his yellow Liqui Moly Mygale. But it was all about Ensor-Smith’s turquoise green African Heating version through the midseason. Jagger then dominated at the penultimate Killarney round to grab the advantage back as KC struggled.
Behind them, Jason Coetzee sits third in his Mint Wrapworks entry, with 2024’s late bloomer, Investchem lad Siya Mankonkwana all of a sudden a certain threat behind him on the log. Siya also has Alex Vos’ DV Building Supplies Mygale, Durban driver Shrien Naidoo’s Production X car and Karabo Malemela’s KMFT Morita machine all breathing down his neck and within a handful of points. So with R50,000 up for grabs for the third place man, expect that to be a fraught dice too.
Investchem Formula 1600 veteran Nicholas van Weely will be back in the mix after missing a couple of rounds in his Magnificent Paints Mygale, so expect him to be right in there. As will Storm Lanfear in his Mantellis, and Ewan Holtzhausen’s Bee Tee entries. Rookies, NBR lad Mikel Bezuidenhout and Renzo Ribeiro’s Metal Used machine, 15-year old newcomer Ndzalo Khoza’s Makaselaair Mygale and young Liam Polome’s Red Dot car round off the final Formula 1600 field.
The 1600s will be joined by the Formula Ford Kents one last time at Zwartkops. Expect Ian Schofield, Duncan Vos, Allen Meyer, Graham Hepburn and Ron van Weely among those old school class entries.
Investchem Formula 1600 will transform to the all-new MSA4 from 2025. Powered by a new turbo-litre Volkswagen 3-cylinder engine in a safer, tougher new chassis, the new cars are designed to deliver the safety and performance of latest specification international single seaters. The halo-equipped machines are however engineered to remain affordable enough to comfortably race locally on a very reasonable budget.
Meantime, there’s a championship to win. So all eyes are on the KC & Jagger Show at Zwartkops this weekend…
Issued on behalf of Investchem Formula 1600
Photography by: Abri De Bruyn
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