If the first round, run at the weekend at Port Elizabeth's Aldo Scribante, was anything to go by, the 2009 WesBank Super Series is going to provide door handle-to-door handle racing and nail-biting championship chases in all classes.
races behind Michael Stephen (Audi A4) and Anthony Taylor (BMW 330i) with the quickest eight cars covered by less than a second. on the grid.
But less than 300m into the first race Robert Wolk (BMW 330i), Shaun Watson-Smith (Audi A4) and Marco da Cunha (Nissan 350Z) tangled on the main straight and all three spun into the tyre wall next to the circuit at high speed.
Nobody was hurt but the race was stopped to clear the wreckage.
At the restart Taylor slotted into the lead and stayed there to win from Fourie, Stephen, Leeroy Poulter (Nissan 350Z) and Dawie Olivier (Subaru Impreza STi) after Melvill Priest parked his Audi with a puncture and subsequent suspension damage on lap five.
Race two was started from an inverted grid and saw Stephen leading from flag to flag. Fourie was second after a race-long dice with Taylor, with the Audis of Priest and Watson-Smith close behind. Poulter, Da Cunha and Olivier rounded out the class.
2008 champion Graeme Nathan arrived in Port Elizabeth with a brand VW Golf GTI and qualified at the top of Class T. He led the first race from flag to flag, setting a Class T lap record in the process.
Gary Formato (Ford Focus ST) was second, followed by Curt Alchin (VW Golf GTI), Shaun Duminy (Ford Focus ST) and Etienne Prinsloo (Mazda3 MPS).
Formato, however, led throughout race two, chased to the flag Nathan, Alchin, Heinz Bose (Mazda3 MPS) and Michael van Rooyen (VW Golf GTI).
Andries van Eeden (Toyota RunX RSi) took Class B honours in both races from Shaun Pike's similar car, with Kosie Swanepoel (Toyota) and Gary Green (Alfa Romeo) taking turns on the final podium step.
races, upstaging the similar car of Hennie Groenewald, who did not have a happy start to his quest for a fourth consecutive Supercar title.
Auby qualified on pole ahead of Groenewald and controlled the first race from start to finish, leading home Groenewald, younger brother Brandon Auby in another Jaguar, Wade van Zummeren (Ford Mustang) and Richard Pinard (Jaguar).
Race two was started from a partially inverted grid so Auby had to work his way through the field. He was well rewarded for a smooth drive but Groenewald picked up a puncture and lost two laps in the pits.
Darron Gudmanz (Chev Corvette) started from pole and was gradually hunted down by Mark and Brandon Auby. Gudmanz held on for a hard fought third, however, ahead of Auby brothers' father Deon (Holden) and Jaco Correia in a Chev Corvette.
races. The 2009 championship carries National status and Kruger never put a wheel wrong despite intense pressure from Wesley Orr until the latter outbraked himself at the hairpin.
Kruger came home ahead of local schoolboy Simon Moss and Gordon Connelly.
Orr turned on the pressure again in race two - he stayed on the blacktop for the distance but never got close enough to try a pass. Connelly was third again with Moss fourth and Tasmin Pepper fifth
Kieran Quarmby and Divan Robertson shared the VW Cup wins but it wasn't a good day at the office for 2008 champion Jared Mortimer who started his 2009 score sheet with a eighth and a DNF.
Quarmby took race one from Robertson and rookie Kosie Weyers but Robertson ran away with race two with Weyers second and Mathew Hodges third.
The next round of the WesBank Super Series will be run at Kyalami on Saturday, March 28.
1 Anthony Taylor (BMW 330i)
2 Johan Fourie (Audi A4)
3 Michael Stephen (Audi A4)
4 Leeroy Poulter (Nissan 350Z)
5 Dawie Olivier (Subaru WRX)
Anthony Taylor (BMW 330i)
Graeme Nathan (VW Golf GTi)
Andries van Eeden (Toyota RunX)
1 Michael Stephen (Audi A4)
2 Johan Fourie (Audi A4)
3 Anthony Taylor (BMW 330i)
4 Melvill Priest (Audi A4)
5 Shaun Watson-Smith (Audi A4)
Michael Stephen (Audi A4)
Gary Formato (Ford Focus)
Andries van Eeden (Toyota RunX).
1 Mark Auby (Jaguar)
2 Hennie Groenewald (Jaguar)
3 Brandon Auby (Jaguar)
4 Wade van Zummeren (Ford Mustang)
5 Richard Pinard (Jaguar)
1 Marc Auby (Jaguar)
2 Brandon Auby (Jaguar)
3 Darron Gudmanz (Chev Corvette)
4 Deon Auby (Holden)
5 Jaco Correia (Chev Corvette)
1 Keiran Quarmby (VW Polo)
2 Divan Robertson (VW Polo)
3 Kosie Weyers (VW Polo)
4 Mathew Hodges (VW Polo)
5 B Morgan (VW Polo)
1 Divan Robertson (VW Polo)
2 Kosie Weyers (VW Polo)
3 Mathew Hodges (VW Polo)
4 Keiran Barnes (VW Polo)
5 Miguel Pasqualli (VW Polo)
1 Jayde Kruger (Formula VW)
2 Simon Moss (Formula VW)
3 Gordon Connelly (Formula VW)
4 Tasmin Pepper (Formula VW)
5 D Hirschowitz (Formula VW).
1 Jayde Kruger (Formula VW)
2 Wesleigh Orr (Formula VW)
3 Gordon Connelly (Formula VW)
4 Simon Moss (Formula VW)
5 Tasmin Pepper (Formula VW)