Summarize

Rookie duo KC Ensor-Smith and Jason Coetzee rocked the South African Touring Car applecart when they sped to a dream debut 1-2 at Saturday’s National Extreme Festival season opener at the Killarney International Raceway. Karting rivals Ensor-Smith and Coetzee benefited home hero Julian van der Watt fluffing his start and then falling off to come home first and second in the opening heat. Jason and KC then followed Julian home in race 2 to see Ensor-Smith take the day from Coetzee. Jason Loosemore meantime held rookie Rory Atkinson off for SATC SupaCup honours on a day where Nicholas Vostanis also starred.

Julian van der Watt’s Chemical Logistics WCT Volkswagen Golf GTI claimed pole position, six tenths of a second clear of rookie teammate and Investchem MSA4 champion, KC Ensor-Smith’s sister African Heating GTI on Saturday morning. Another rookie and home hero, Jason Coetzee put his Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla third on the grid ahead of Andrew Schofield’s FlySafair Chemical Logistics BMW 128ti, with champion Michael van Rooyen’s second Gazoo Corolla fifth.

Rookie Astron Energy Polo Cup champion Rory Atkinson put his Easy Drive Vehicle Plans version onto the all-Volkswagen SupaPolo SATC SupaCup pole position ahead of predecessor Jason Loosemore’s Nathans car and fellow rookie Judd Bertholdt’s Union Power Energy machine. Sophomore Campos Transport lad Nicholas Vostanis lined up fourth from rookie AF Fans lass Tyler Robinson, local man David Franco, Niko Zafiris, Masters driver Jared Rossouw and brothers Rick and Paulo Loureiro.

The races commenced off a standing start for the first time in Touring Car history and van der Watt bogged down while the rest got away cleanly. So rookies Ensor-Smith led home hero Coetzee with Schofield and van Rooyen close behind and the other home hero, van der Watt fighting back. Julian quickly picked the other three off to make it a Volkswagen 1-2 but Ensor-Smith had other ideas as the two blue cars opened a gap up front, only for van der Watt to miscue as he attempted to overtake and went off to leave it a rookie 1-2 as Ensor-Smith led Coetzee still under pressure from Schofield, which is how they finished with van Rooyen fourth and the hapless van der Watt at least classified fifth.

Behind them, 2024 Polo Cup champion Jason Loosemore led Nicholas Vostanis, Judd Bertholdt, and an also slow starting Rory Atkinson in the SATC SupaCup first race battle. Loosemore drove a steady race while successor Atkinson fought back to second in a stirring battle with Vostanis, who completed the podium and Tyler Robinson, who impressed with fourth on her SupaCup debut as she held Judd Bertholdt. Niko Zafiris ended sixth from Jared Rossouw and a slowing David Franco, who stopped on the slow-down lap after Rick and Paulo Loureiro.

With the standing start grid reversed for the second race, van der Watt was on pole from van Rooyen, Schofield, Coetzee, and Ensor-Smith. Van der Watt got it right second time around to fight van Rooyen’s early attentions off before Schofield attacked Michael but slipped off. Which left van Rooyen under pressure from teammate Coetzee and Ensor-Smith, both of whom soon passed Michael. So van der Watt led Coetzee defending Ensor-Smith all the way to the line. Van Rooyen remained under pressure from Schofield, who finally got his man after a most entertaining spat.

Nicholas Vostanis came out with all guns blazing to lead Jason Loosemore, Rory Atkinson, Bertholdt, Franco, Robinson, and Zafiris in an entertaining second  SupaCup spat. Until the unfortunate Vostanis ground to a halt at mid distance to leave Loosemore, to win as he pleased over Atkinson, Bertholdt, Franco, Robinson, and Zafiris. Rossouw followed from Paulo and Master Rick Loureiro.

Overall, KC Ensor-Smith and Jason Coetzee delivered a splendid South African Touring Cars rookie 1-2 over Andy Schofield in one of his best results to date. Behind them, sophomore Jason Loosemore opened his SATC SupaCup season in style with two more rookies, Rory Atkinson, and Judd Bertholdt second and third. South African Touring Cars now returns to Mpumalanga for the first time in three years for the second round of the National Extreme Festival at Red Star Raceway near Delmas on Saturday 18 April.