Summarize

The 2026 National Championship circuit motor racing Extreme Festival got off to a cracking start at Cape Town’s Killarney International Raceway on Saturday. Charl Arangies’ Mercedes took Dunlop Extreme Supercars honours, KC Ensor-Smith’s Volkswagen and Jason Coetzee’s Toyota topped the South African Touring Cars where Jason Loosemore did the SupaCup double. Hannes Scheepers and Mikel Bezuidenhout likewise did Astron Energy Polo Cup and Investchem MSA4 doubles. Damion Purificati, Jayson Lamb shared SunBet ZX10 Masters wins, while Luke Hill and Kobus Reynecke won their Volkswagen Cup and Gazoo Toyota Cup days.

Charl Arangies’ Mercedes-AMG GT3 beat pole man Jonathan du Toit’s Lamborghini Huracan to win the opening Dunlop Extreme Supercars race. Local hero, Charl Michael Visser defeated cousins Ricky’s Huracan and Gianni Giannoccaro’s Audi R8 in Class A, Ant Blunden’s Huracan won Class B, Weylin Volschenk’s Nissan C and Uli Sanne’s BMW Z4M Class D. Du Toit avenged Arangies in race 2 where Gianni Giannoccaro put one over Visser in Class A, and Blunden, Volschenk and Sanne won their classes again. Arangies made it two from three over du Toit, Gianni and Ricky Giannoccaro and Visser in the finale. Roy Obery’s Porsche won Class B, Yanni Hartzi’s Nissan C and Sanne Class D.

It was the day of the rookies in South African Touring Cars. Debutant duo KC Ensor-Smith’s Volkswagen GTI and local lad Jason Coetzee’s Toyota Corolla benefited home hero Julian van der Watt’s Golf bogging down on the first ever Touring Car start, fought back but then went off while making a move on KC for the lead. That left Ensor Smith and Coetzee to take the opening heat 1-2. Andy Schofield’s BMW ended a close third from champion Michael van Rooyen’s Corolla. Van der Watt benefited pole on the on the race 2 reverse grid to make off to an easy win. Coetzee held Ensor-Smith off for second after both passed van Rooyen, who also succumbed to Schofield late in the race. Ensor-Smith took the day from Coetzee and Schofield.

SATC SupaCup sophomore Jason Loosemore put one over his Polo Cup Champion successor and rookie pole man Rory Atkinson to take the opening all-Volkswagen SupaPolo SATC SupaCup win. Nicholas Vostanis completed the podium from impressive Tyler Robinson on her SupaCup debut, Judd Bertholdt, David Franco and Niko Zafiris.  Vostanis led the but stopped to leave Loosemore to once again beat Atkinson, Bertholdt, Franco, Robinson and Zafiris to victory in an entertaining second race.

Hannes Scheepers sounded a 2026 Astron Energy Polo Cup warning with two race wins off pole position. He held Roshaan Goodman off to a slender opening race win with Shiren Rajpaul third from Pierluigi Muzzulini, Charl Smalberger and top rookie Mauro Da Luz. Wayne Masters topped the Astron Energy Polo Masters from Derick Smalberger and John Kruger. Scheepers and Goodman swapped the lead early in the second heat before Scheepers cleared off to win from Goodman Muzzulini, Rajpaul, Nirav Singh and Da Luz.  Masters beat Smalberger and Kruger again in the Polo Masters.

Mikel Bezuidenhout likewise got his 2026 Investchem MSA4 season off to a perfect start with pole and two race wins. Renzo Ribeiro initially kept him honest, but former British Formula 4 racer Aqil Alibhai grabbed second in the race 1 after a safety car. Ribeiro was third from Guido Bidoli and Karabo Malemela, but they were both penalised for jump starts. So Keegan Campos ended fourth from Shrien Naidoo and top lady Gianna Pascoal on debut. Bezuidenhout beat Alibhai, Malemela, Naidoo and Ribeiro to race 2. Ian Schofield won both Formula Ford Kent heats from Nicholas van Weely and Alex Vos.

Class B man Damion Purificati put one over Class C winner Jayson Lamb and Class A top two Trevor Westman and Adriaan van Dalen to take a comfortable opening SunBet ZX10 motorcycle race win. James Barson followed from Keith Agliotti, Hein McMahon, Henk Kruger, Byron Rothquel and Reginald Seale. Jayson Lamb then took revenge as he caught and passed Purificati to win the second race. Westman held McMahon off for third ahead of Barson, Agliotti, Seale, Lubabala Ntisana, Kruger and Rothquel.

Sebastian Venkov overcame Luke Hill to win the opening Volkswagen Rookie Cup race, with Sebastian Dias third from Jack Moore, Keyaan Dwomoh and Max Corbett. Venkov was however handed a ten second jump start penalty to slip to sixth behind Hill, Dias, Moore, Dwomoh and Corbett. Hill then kept the pack at bay to take the second race win from Moore, Anwar Anwil, Dias, Dwomoh and Corbett after Venkov spun.

Kobus Reynecke and rookie Connor Weston overcame freshman karting gang, Emma Dowling, Vatiswa Mankonkwana, Kian Fussel, Tshepang Shisinwana and Spice Mailula to win the opening Gazoo Toyota 86 Rookie Cup heat. Behind them, Dealer winner Devon Scott held Media man Nabil Abdool off for ninth. Reynecke went on to do the double over impressive Dowling on her main circuit debut, Weston, Mankonkwana, Fussel and Mailula Scott and Abdool did Dealer and Media doubles.

The National Extreme Festival returns to Mpumalanga following a two year hiatus for round 2 at the Red Star Raceway near Delmas on Saturday 18 April.