Summarize

The weather may have been cool at Saturday’s Red Star Extreme Festival races, but the action on track was nothing short of red hot. It was a split down the middle between domination and tight racing in a dramatic day across all classes.

 

Bradley Liebenberg topped the headlines by storming to a dominant double maiden win off his first GTC pole position, and Volkswagen’s first Global Touring Car victory since the year 2020 in his Hype Energy VW Golf 8 GTI GTC. It was a poignant victory too, considering that the first race commenced moments after a minute’s silence for the VW team members lost in a tragic road accident last month

 

It started with Liebenberg clearing off to a lights to flag win over Robert Wolk’s Chemical Logistics Toyota Corolla, Julian van der Watt’s Ford Focus, Gazoo Corolla duo Saood Variawa and Mandla Mdakane, and Andrew Rackstraw’s Investchem Audi. Reverse grid race 2 came to a head when pole man Rackstraw and Wolk came together. Liebenberg took the gap to grab the lead and sped off to victory from Wolk, Variawa Mdkane and van der Watt and the touring Rackstraw and van Rooyen.

 

Leyton Fourie and Jeffrey Kruger cemented their position at the top Polo SupaCup title chase when they shared the spoils in a robust day of SupaCup racing. Fourie started on the front foot with a maiden pole position before he and Kruger escaped a wild first turn melee to lead Arnold Neveling and JP van der Walt home. Another race 2 lap 1 ruckus allowed Kruger to get away and then fend Fourie off to win with Keegan Campos third from, Neveling, as Nick Davidson took Masters.

The Compcare Polo Cup delivered probably the races of the day. Pole man Clinton Bezuidenhout’s Davidson car, Squadra Corse lad Nathi Msimanga and Tate Bishop Angri Polo escaped the demolition derby behind, while Dean Venter and Bullion IT lad Giordano Lupini and Jurie Swart emerged from the mire to close off the top six. Bishop got ahead to lead race 2 lights to flag despite Msimanga’s best efforts, from overall winner Bezuidenhout, Dawie van der Merwe, Swart and Lupini.

Like Liebenberg in GTC, Gerard Geldenhuys turned the Investchem Formula 1600 form book on its head with a grand slam weekend. The Abacus Divisions racer benefited quickest qualifier Josh le Roux’s Investchem car being shipped underweight to the back, to storm to a pair of lights to flag wins from Alex Vos’ DVBS car. Le Roux came from behind to third in race 1 from Jason Coetzee. Nic van Weely was third from Le Roux in race 2 as Julian van der Watt won both Formula Ford races.

 

In other regular Extreme action, class B lad Jayson Lamb beat class A man Michael Smit to SunBet ZX10 Masters Race 1 victory. Ronald Slamet was third from Graeme van Breda, David Enticott and class C rider Brian Bontekoning. Lamb beat Smit in race 2, with van Breda third from Bontekoning, Enticott and Sanjiv Singh. Ashley Oldfield had to work for once in the GR Yaris Media Cup as Thomas Falkiner kept him on his toes, with Sean Nurse and Mark Jones in pursuit in both heats.

Two guest classes added to the expected Red Star Extreme Festival roster. Julian Fameliaris joined the lights to flag party aboard his rumbling Lube Net Chev Corvette in Mobil 1 V8 Supercars from Jaguar men Mackie Adlem and Franco di Matteo, and Tomas Reib’s Ford Falcon. Warren Lombard then scored his maiden V8 victory in his Pepboys Automotive car over Fameliaris, Reib, Adlem, Di Matteo and David Coetzee’s Falcon.

 

Lendl Jansen grabbed an early first race DOE Formula Vee lead he would not concede ahead of that ant colony on a hot sheet of metal in his Bull Security Rhema 2. Behind him, Gert van den Berg’s Tert Rhema 2 beat Peter Hills’ Mangaza car, Liqui Moly man Lucen Ramchander, Brandon Hills and Greg Wilson. Jansen then did the double over van den Berg, Ramchander, Peter and Brandon Hills and Eric Booyens. 

The National Extreme Festival travels to East London next for round 5 on Saturday 6 August.