Twenty Wesbank V8 super cars will provide explosive motor racing action when they take to the Zwartkops Motor Racing Circuit just outside Pretoria on Saturday (24 May 2008) for Round 4 of the Wesbank V8 Championship.

Zwartkops is a tricky circuit.  Finding a winner is unpredictable.  The weekend starts on Friday afternoon during official practice where a super quick lap is essential for a good result on Saturday, as passing needs lots of aggression from drivers.

No sooner does the first race finish than in the interest of providing motor sport entertainment, an inverted starting grid is used for race 2.  This means drivers home first in race 1 now start at the back of the pack.  It presents the leaders in the first race an almost impossible task of passing thirteen or so cars in a hurry if they want to win.

Twice Wesbank Champion Hennie Groenewald (Team Timken Lumina) has won all three first races held so far at Kyalami, Killarney and Aldo Scribante circuits.  With superb driving he has come home with a win and two second places in race 2 behind his team mates Robert Briggs (Team Timken Jaguar) at Killarney and Richard Pinard (Team Timken Jaguar) in Port Elizabeth.  This domination of every race this year by Team Timken could come to an end at Zwartkops where the layout of the 2 kilometre circuit promotes racing that is close and passing is only possible with determination on one or two corners of the circuit as the cars are evenly matched.  All have either Chevrolet or Ford 6.0 Litre V8 engines, a 4 speed gearbox and a Detroit locker diffs.

Veteran Willy Hepburn (Project-Orange Corvette) has been winning at Zwartkops for years in the Regional Championships in his Opel V8.  He lies third in the South African Championship after strong finishes in every race behind Groenewald and Briggs.  Close to Hepburn is Mark Auby (Jonnesway Tools Lumina SS) and the find of the 2008 season Mark’s brother 16 year old Brandon Auby (Masana Petroleum Jaguar) up from karting and Formula Ford racing.  He has shown his talent for handling a 450 KW V8 and has no respect for any other person on the racetrack.  Their father Deon (Meta Forge Jaguar) besides encouraging his sons in motor sport is a star in his own right and lies ninth on the points table.

Franco di Matteo (Optima Batteries Jaguar) is another old hand at racing a powerful V8 Super Car.  Podium finishes he has had.  More of these he wants at Zwartkops. 

Back into racing after a years break comes Larry Willford (Fuchs Lubricant Mustang) who has been at Wesbank V8 racing since the start and has been successful at every track in the country.  Roelf du Plessis (Venter Motors Lumina) the Wesbank Champion of 2002 is one of the characters of Wesbank V8 racing and is slowly sorting out his new Lumina into a race winning car.

Gordon Connelly (Cowan Signs/Dezzi Jaguar) is one of only three drivers to have finished all races held so far this year despite a host of on circuit incidents.  But he needs a change of luck to finish in the top three.  Only niggling problems have stopped this happening, because he certainly has the talent. 

Terry Willford (Fuchs Lubricant Jaguar) and the two Correira brothers Jaco and Danie from Welocme in their Omega Motor Spares Corvettes all scored in Port Elizabeth.  They have turned the corner and are now a threat to the others.

With the return of the Gutzeit father and son duo to the circuit, the other competitors know they have serious competition on their hands particularly from Roof of Africa motorcycle winner Jade.  Rob Wall (P2P Squared Holdings Mustang) up from Can Am Racing is enjoying the massive power of the V8 and has started to score points.  Another youngster Wade van Zummeren (Border Towing Mustang) from East London has an urge to take on anybody plus also needs things to go his way in the luck department.

Clare Vale (The Truck Man Mustang) has made amazing progress since joining the series at the beginning of the season and learning to take a V8 to its limit. After a year away Ian Young (Independent Projects Mustang) has also returned to V8 competition.  He just cannot stay away, plus he likes the camaraderie.