Summarize

An enthusiastic Port Elizabeth crowd was treated to an entertaining day of national championship racing when the Extreme Festival visited Aldo Scribante Race Track for the Volkswagen Race Day on Saturday. Bradley Liebenberg took four race wins out of five races in the Falken Polo Cup and GTC2, while Johan Fourie and local hero Simon Moss shared top class GTC wins, Scott Temple dominated in Investchem Formula 1600 and Jozi visitor George Economedes took both local EP Saloon races. Meanwhile on two wheels, David McFadden and Clinton Seller shared Superbike wins and Kewyn Snyman took 600 honours.

Liebenberg was in imperious form in Falken Volkswagen Polo Cup, taking pole position before storming to a trio of wins over Jeffrey Kruger, Jurie Swart, Matt Shorter, Keegan Campos and Chris Shorter in race 1 and Matt Shorter, Swart, Kruger, Campos and Clinton Bezuidenhout in race 2. Liebenberg beat Swart, Kruger, Chris Shorter. Jonathan Mogotsi and Campos in the final race to take the day from Swart, Kruger, Campos, Dario Busi and Chris Shorter to move into a joint championship lead with Kruger ahead of Swart.

Johan Fourie drove his BMW to a welcome GTC victory ahead of Keagan Masters’ Volkswagen, Michael van Rooyen’s Toyota, Daniel Rowe’s VW and Tschops Sipuka in an Audi after pole man and title leader Simon Moss’ Audi and Robert Wolk hit trouble, while VW trio Bradley Liebenberg, Charl Smalberger and Adrian Wood topped the GTC2 race. Moss was back to his winning ways over Wolk in race 2, with Fourie third from Masters van Rooyen and Rowe, while Wood turned the GTC2 tables to be the only man to beat Liebenberg on the day, with Mandla Mdakane’s Mini in third.

Scott Temple dominated the Investchem Formula 1600 races, running away from the duelling pack to win the first race from Nicholas van Weely, Tiago Rebelo, Sibusiso Mankonkwana, Andrew Schofield and Gerhard Geldenhuys after Alex and Gillespie came together and crashed out of second and third. Race two was a far more straightforward affair as Temple stormed to another lights to flag win, although Andrew Rackstraw kept him honest ahead of Gillespie. Schofield, Rebelo, Mankonkwana and Geldenhuys.

On two wheels, David McFadden rode his Yamaha to the opening 1000cc Superbike win over Lance Isaacs’ BMW and Dylan Barnard and Clinton Seller’s Yamahas, while Kewyn Snyman took 600 Supersport honours over Jared Schultz, Blaze Baker and Ricardo Otto in a Yamaha 1-2-3-4. Seller bounced back to take the second race from Isaacs, McFadden and Barnard while Snyman took anther 600 win from Baker, Schultz and Otto. Isaacs took the day from McFadden and Seller and Snyman took 600s overall from Schultz and Baker.

The quickest car action of the day came in the local EP Regional Modifieds where Silvio Scribante's Audi S5 came close to Superbike pace with a pole position on an encouraging 30 car grid, but Scribante and rival Audi driver Bryn Hyde failed to start, leaving brother Aldo’s S5 to lead the way until the race was stopped when Brad Smith rolled his Polo. Aldo led from the restart but he too, stopped with oil pressure issues.

That left George Economedes to storm to the race 1 win in his Class X Golf ahead of top local and Class A winner Duncan Lethbridge (Audi TT) after an entertaining dice with Kean Barnard’s Class X Lotus 7. Class B winner Quinsley Sale was next up after championship leader Deon Slabbert hit trouble with his Polo, with Jeandre Marais' Lotus 7 fifth ahead of Johan Nel, who held Marais Ellis’ similar BMW off to take Class C. Stephan Aucamp (BMW) took Class D, Daniel Bright (Golf) Class E and Wickus Basson (BMW) won class F.

Scribante initially led the second race but stopped early to make Economedes’ day but George had to work to keep Class X rival Kean Barnard at bay after Barnard and third placed Lethbridge enjoyed a splendid dice. Sale ended fourth to take Class B from Gordon Nolan’s Turbo Golf, Nel took Class C again, Aucamp D and Bright E, while Derik Gouws (BMW) took Class F. So Economedes took the day from Lethbridge Barnard and Class B winner Sale, Nel won Class C, Aucamp D, Bright E and Scholz Class F.

The national championship Extreme Festival now takes a midseason break before it heads to Zwartkops in Pretoria end July, while regional racing returns to Aldo Scribante on 6 July.