Summarize

Motor Racing’s Extreme Festival returns home to Zwartkops Raceway next, when South Africa’s premier national championship circuit racing series visit the Pretoria circuit for the Sasol Race Day Saturday 18 August. Considering that most of the titles headed to the tight and twisty racetrack are poised on a knife’s edge, it may very well be worthwhile to diarise that date right now…

The Sasol Global Touring Cars for instance head to Zwartkops with three drivers separated by just eight points on top of that title table — Engen Audi’s reigning champion Michael Stephen took the lead over from Sasol BMW driver Gennaro Bonafede over the recent Port Elizabeth race weekend and Gennaro now sits tied in points for second with Simon Moss’s second Audi. Mr Reverse Grid, Volkswagen driver Daniel Rowe is next up, a short head clear of BMW privateers Michael van Rooyen and Johan Fourie, all of which is sure to ensure that Zwartkops delivers a Sasol GTC showstopper…

It’s also close in Sasol GTC2, where Keagan Masters holds a slender 11-point lead over Mini duo Bradley Liebenberg and Devin Robertson, who sit a point apart with VW Golf GTI privateer Trevor Bland a close fourth and the similar cars of Charl Smalberger and Adrian Wood and Dayne Angel’s Honda next up. Tight and twisty Zwartkops should bring the very best out of that lot as usual.

Charl Arangies may have double the G&H Extreme Supercar points over second Class A Plus man Mark du Toit’s Ferrari, but it remains to be seen whether Charl races his Aston Martin or his Lamborghini come 18 August Expect added attention from Franco Scribante’s wild Porsche and Dawie Olivier’s Baby Beamer and possibly even Marcel Angel’s Ferrari 458 GT3, Dawie Joubert’s Lotus-Honda and Tato Carello’s McLaren. Class A is all about Jonathan du Toit’s Ferrari, Ricky Giannoccaro (BMW) and Dino Scribante (Porsche), while Jimmy Giannoccaro (Ferrari) and Franco di Matteo (Alfa GT) will be out in Class B and Johan Hattingh and Dale Penny’s Nissan 350Zs take in Marius Jackson’s Audi TT in Class C.

Junior driver Jeffrey Kruger meanwhile holds a 15-point Engen Polo Cup title advantage over Masters leader, racing lady Tasmin Pepper in that overall championship chase, with VW development prodigy Jonathan Mogotsi just 11 points further back. Second in Masters, Shaun La Reservee has climbed to fourth overall but has Juniors Clinton Bezuidenhout and leading Polo rookie Keegan Campos climbing all over his back, with young Delon Thompson, Darren Oates, Masters driver Jason Campos and Daniel Duminy next up heading to a track where Polo Cup has always delivered exceptional motor racing.

Its all to play for on the Investchem Formula 1600 Road to Indy too, where just three points split Nicholas van Weely and Stuart White at the top of another fraught title chase. Alex Gillespie sits in a lonely third, but there are four drivers within five points behind him, where young chargers Cameron O’ Connor and Liam Pienaar, Scott Temple and Andrew Schofield will continue their fight for fourth in Pretoria at a circuit that brings the best out of these nimble wings and slicks racers.

Jaco Schriks leads the other national single seater title chase in Hankook Formula Vee by a slender 15 points over Lushen Ramchander, with Gert van den Berg close behind in third. Veteran and a long time Zwartkops hero Peter Hills is next up with son Brandon, Lendl Jansen and Ross Rugheimer in close attendance, ahead of Geoffrey Tugwell and another Vee veteran, Symm Grobler.

Three motorcycle races will be topped by Red Square Kawasaki ZX10 Masters Cup, where Sven Grune and Graeme Van Breda will continue their dogged championship battle in Pretoria, but will wildcard Jade Gutzeit continue to run interference up front as he did in Port Elizabeth last time out? Jaco Gous, Gareth Bezuidenhout and Pieter De Vos will continue their close fight for second in that championship race.

Another two-wheeler legend Lance Isaacs has made the Bridgestone Challenge his own, but Nicolas Grobler, Hendrik de Bruin and Gavin Upton will be out to stop him at Zwarkops, while Damian Purificati and Shaun Vermaak will fight it out in Class A, son and father Jordan and Keith Agliotti tussle in Class B and Pierre Grobler and Masters leader Wayne Spicer will duke it out in Class C.

Old man Wayne Spicer remains the man to beat in the Bridgestone Sub 10 Superbikes, where Johan Nortje, Harry Potgieter and Dirk Stols are his closest championship competition; Byron Rothquel and Harry Timmerman are fighting over class B and Ian Thomas and Johan Nortje chase Spicer for a Masters break and Landi Sinden and Savannah Woodward do battle for Ladies’ honours.

So there you have it — there certainly is some special motor racing to diarise the Sasol Race Day for Zwartkops Saturday 18 August when the Extreme Festival national championship races come to town. The racing will be backed by a broad selection of off track family entertainment as usual; adult entry is R120 per person, students enter for R90 and under 12s get in free. Find more info and book your tickets now at www.zwartkops.co.za.