Local heroes to the fore in Killarney Extreme Festival
Killarney International Raceway’s Extreme Festival thrilled an enthusiastic Cape Town crowd with an epic day of national championship circuit racing on Saturday. It proved all the better as home stars not only starred and won races, but clinched championships too.
Dolinschek takes F1600 title
Biggest news was local youngster Troy Dolinschek thrilling his home crowd by wrapping up the 2023 Investchem Formula 1600 championship with a dominant double victory. Troy clinched it with that first race win. he beat Gerard Geldenhuys, Jason Coetzee, Nicholas van Weely, Andrew Schofield, and Alex Vos. Dolinschek then took another lights to flag race 2 win over Cape compatriot Coetzee, who benefited a Geldenhuys penalty to clinch second in the title. Vos was third from Schofield, Siyabonga Mankonkwana, and Antwan Geldenhuys.
Another local ace, Andrew Rackstraw delivered an epic opening Global Touring Cars win in his Volkswagen Golf ahead of title contender Robert Wolk’s BMW and Corolla duo Nathi Msimanga and Julian van der Watt, as championship leader Saood Variawa’s Corolla hit turbo trouble. Another Cape home hero, van der Watt then led the second race all the way, only to slow on the final lap to hand teammate Robert Wolk the win and championship lead. Msimanga held Rackstraw off for third while Josh Le Roux’s Audi made Variawa fight for fifth.
With championship leader Keegan Campos elsewhere getting married, GTC SupaCup was left to his title rivals to deliverate. Bradley Liebenberg and Jonathan Mogotsi to shared out the wins. Ahead of Arnold Neveling and local rookie Tate Bishop in each race. Another local man Danie van Niekerk meanwhile ended fifth overall to take Maters honours and wrap up the 2023 Masters title in the process.
Polo Cup thrills Killarney as ever
Dawie van der Merwe took two of the day’s three CompCare Polo Cup races to keep that title alive open. He held local lad Nathan Victor, Farhaan Basha, Anthony Pretorius, championship leader, local lad Charl Visser and Jason Loosemore to the first race win. Pretorius then took the second race win from pole position. He beat Visser, Basha, Loosemore, van der Merwe and Giordano Lupini. Van der Merwe then overcame first turn chaos to lead race 3 lights to flag. He beat Visser, Basha, Cape lads Victor and Lupini, and Bryce Pillay home in the final.
Bloemfontein world GT star Stuart White returned home to play interference in the Killarney G+H Extreme Supercars. And put his Aston Martin on pole position in an incredible 1 minute seven second lap. From Franco Scribante’s Porsche and Jonathan du Toit’s Lamborghini. White made no mistakes to romp off to a 9 second victory from title rivals du Toit, GT3 winner Arangies and Letlaka. There was little difference in the second and third race results. Marius Jackson and Joseph Ellerine’s Audis wrapped up Classes C and D overall. And Giacomo Giannoccaro took Class D in his Lamborghini
Sa’aad Variawa raced to a dominant opening Gazoo Toyota Yaris League victory from Nikki Vostanis. Karah Hill was third from Ryan Naicker, Bjorn Bertholdt and Taariq Adam. Setshaba Mashigo had to work for once for his GT86 Media League. He still won over Brendon Staniforth With Chad Luckhoff and Denis Droppa. Toyota SA PR Riaan Esterhuysen, CEO Andrew Kirby, and Mark Jones followed. The same top 4 topped the second Yaris race. Adam beat Bertholdt to fifth, while Luckhoff, Staniforth, Esterhuysen, Droppa, Kirby and Jones chased Mashigo home in the 86s.
With one or two champions already confirmed for 2023, the rest must now wait until the 2023 Extreme Festival National Finals to wrap it up. That goes down at the at Zwartkops Raceway Saturday 14 October.
