Blockbuster Festival thrills enthusiastic Kyalami crowd
The blockbuster Extreme Festival delivered epic day of National and Regional racing to a large and enthusiastic Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit crowd over the weekend. They were entertained by action and drama of the highest order throughout a day that saw South Africa’s National Championship classes racing alongside the cream of Gauteng’s regional categories in a mad dawn to dusk spectacle.
Julian van der Watt’s Volkswagen moved up from third to take the opening South African Touring Cars feature race. Julian overcame BMW rivals Robert Wolk and substitute Michael Stephen in a poignant victory at the scene of his frightful crash that saw him hospitalised last year. Impressive Toyota rookie privateer Anthony Pretorius beat the factory Corollas to fourth. One of them, Saood Variawa then led the reverse-grid second race from lights to flag in spite of late pressure from Wolk. Stephen was third from Pretorius and Van Rooyen. Wolk took overall honours as he consolidated his title lead.
Stuart White Gives Kyalami Driving Lesson
The Extreme Supercars Driven By Dunlop races proved a true tale of tortoise and hare as the brilliant Stuart White and his Lamborghini Huracán overcame the disadvantages of Kyalami’s high altitude and Franco Scribante’s rudely fast turbo Porsche to take an unlikely victory. Jono du Toit and Xolile Letlaka’s Huracáns, Arnold Neveling’s Audi R8, and Kris Budnik in a Dodge Viper made up the numbers. The second race proved more of the same as White overcame Scribante in another lesson in driving. Du Toit was third from Neveling, Letlaka and Budnik.
There was drama early in the first SATC SupaCup. A sea of Volkswagens engulfed and eliminated pole man Bradley Liebenberg’s lone Toyota. Keegan Campos emerged ahead from the chaos and went on to win from Dominic Dias and VW Motorsport duo Charl Visser and Jonathan Mogotsi, Jason Campos, and Calvin Dias. Dominic Dias then took a lights to flag race 2 win from Keegan and Jason Campos. Keegan Campos later lost his first race win for his part in the Liebenberg incident to hand Dominic Dias the overall win from Visser and Mogotsi. Those results remain provisional.
SATC SupaCup thrills boiled over at Kyalami
Cape lad Nathan Victor sped from pole position to win the opening Astron Energy Polo Cup race despite late pressure from local lad Charl Smalberger. KZN driver Jason Loosemore and Ethan Coetzee were a close third and fourth, with Kyle Visser and Mo Karodia in chase. Loosemore then overcame Coetzee and held him and Victor off to take race 2 with Smalberger fourth from Karodia and Visser. Wayne Masters benefited from title rival John Kruger dropping out to win Masters race 1 from Derick Smalberger and Luigi Ferro. Masters repeated his success from Smalberger and Kruger in race 2.
Rookie former Polo Cup racer Jagger Robertson dominated Investchem Formula 1600 race 1, leaving Karabo Malemela to fight KC Ensor Smith off for second. Jason Coetzee made a late move on Siyabonga Mankonkwana for fourth. Robertson went on to do the double from Ensor Smith, Coetzee, and Nick van Weely, as Jagger took the day and the title advantage. Behind them, another substitute, Andrew Horne won his comeback Formula Ford Kent race from Graham Hepburn, who came from the back to second ahead of Rick Morris. Hepburn overcame Horne to take race 2 with Morris third.
Astron Energy Polo Cup head to head
In two wheel action, Clinton Seller continued his dominance of the SunBet ZX10 Masters since his arrival in the series. He won the opening race by four seconds from Damion Purificati and Trevor Westman. Class C winner Jason Lamb followed from Hein McMahon and Class B three Graeme van Breda, David Veringa and Appanna Ganapathy. Seller continued his winning ways by 11 seconds from Purificati and Westman with van Breda fourth from McMahon, Lamb Veringa and Johan le Roux in race 2.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Cup started the day’s action with a bang when media driver Hannes Visser mounted the tyre wall to red flag that dawn race. GR86 Cup driver Dawie van der Merwe had by then opened a five second advantage over Sa’aad Variawa driving one of the Media Corollas, and 86 rivals Niko Zafiris and Dylan Pragji. Sean Nurse took the Media win and Paul de Vos Yaris Cup. The second race ran without major incident, delivering the same result and class winners.
Robertson dominated Investchem Kyalami 1600s
Moving on to the regional classes action, among the fastest and most spectacular attractions of the day, the thundering Mobil 1 V8 Supercars thrilled the fans with sheer speed and force. Thomas Reib’s Lumina was unflustered as he roared to Friday’s opening race victory. He left champion Julian Fameliaris’ Corvette to find a way around Warren Lombard’s Mustang for second. Franco di Matteo was fourth from Terry Wilford and Sam Dahl. Wilford initially led Saturday’s reverse grid second race from di Matteo and Lombard, but Fameliaris and Reib were soon slicing through the field. Julian duly took the win and the day, from Thomas, Lombard, Wilford, di Matteo, and Dahl.
PABAR VW Challenge proved most dramatic. Rory Atkinson’s new Class X Polo passed Class A Masters brothers Wayne and Bevin to win the opening race. Stuart Mack’s turbo litre Polo likewise put one over 2-litre rivals Mo Karodia’s sedan and Stelio Nousias, and the rest of the hatchbacks in Class B. And Andy Gossman held youngsters Michael Zapheriou and Chris Tait off in Brat Pack Class C. The second race was however abandoned after Zapheriou suffered a frightening accident to stop the race. He was rushed to hospital, where he is recovering in a serious but stable condition.
Seller is making SunBet ZX10s his own
Bob Neill made a happy return to win the opening 50-car BMW M Performance Parts Series race. From Class B men Carlo Gabini, Andreas Meier, and JP Nortje. Gary Martins beat Devin Robertson and Jan Eversteyn to Class C. Claudio Jardim took Class D from Nicholas and Craig Herbst. Marais Ellis beat Tihan van Rooyen and Matthew Wadeley to the E win. Neill then did the double, once again from Gabini, Nek Makris and Meier. Nishal Singh took Class C from Martins and Rob Gearing. Craig beat Nicholas Herbst and Shaun Dodd to D and Ellis beat Wadeley and Johan Miller to win Class E.
Lendl Jansen continued his winning 2024 DOE Formula Vee partnered with CIM Lubricants form. He came from fourth to defeat Peter and Brandon Hills, Gert van den Berg and Kyle Watt. And Jaco Schriks and MD Bester to a truncated opening race on Friday evening. Saturday’s second 12-lapper however delivered a thrilling dice up front. Jansen had to fight Brandon and Peter Hills for that win to the cheers of the crowd. Van den Berg ended fourth from Watt, Schriks, Theodore Vermaak and Eric Booyens.
Dawie takes Kyalami Gazoo Cup Win
George Economides’ turbo Golf made short work of the opening 111 GT and Saloon race. He beat BMW GT rivals Lenard Archer and Dawie Olivier. And Class B three, Lucas Bezuidenhout’s Lexus, and Melanie Spurr and Lindsay Clur’s VWs. Wayne Lebotschy and Wouter Roos’ VWs won Class B and C, Robert Clark’s Ballade D, and Jayden Goosen Class X. Jonathan du Toit’s BMW won SuperHatch from Karel Stols’ Etios and Seten Naidu’s Civic. Economides’ then did the double from Archer and Philip Meyer’s Porsche, Spurr, Bezuidenhout and Clur. Lebotschy, Roos, Clark and Goosen took the classes again. Mark du Toit beat Stols and brother Mark’s Civic in SuperHatch.
The Extreme Festivals now go back their own way. The Regional circus heading to the Red Star Raceway near Delmas in Mpumalanga next on 11 May. The National roadshow is off to Zwartkops in Pretoria a week later on 18 May. If Kyalami’s action was anything to go by, both promise to be well worth the visit.