Summarize

Jason Loosemore consolidated his 2024 Astron Energy Polo Cup advantage with a strong second on the day to maiden winner Ethan Coetzee after title rival Nathan Victor endured a day to forget at the East London Grand Prix Circuit’s fifth round Extreme Festival races on Saturday. Wayne Masters likewise added to his Astron Energy Polo Masters advantage with a couple of wins, as Volkswagen rookie Kyle Visser stunned with a maiden pole position before impressing in two dramatic races.

Volkswagen Motorsport rookie Visser set the cat among the pigeons when he stole that pole position bonus point with a scintillating lap around the daunting Grand Prix Circuit. Sabertek comeback kid Charl Smalberger was once again at the sharp end in second from Cape Town title challenger Nathan Victor’s Summit Racing Polo Cup.

The man they all want to beat, Richards Bay log leader Jason Loosemore was only fourth in his Security Fencing & Alarms Team Red Polo ahead of Ethan Coetzee’s JRT Racing Experience version, and Team Red AF Fans Tyler Robinson yet again in the top six. It was however Victor who made no mistake in Superpole to line up first from Loosemore, Visser Smalberger, Coetzee and Robinson.

Behind them, Team Red’s Roshaan Goodman lined up seventh from Dainfern Dental Dr. Hannes Scheepers, Nirav Singh, Syrabix Team Red lad Jeandre Marais, Fast Five man Mo Karodia and FSS driver Pierluigi Muzzulini. Wayne Masters led the Astron Energy Polo Masters a little further back, from title rival Derick Smalberger’s Sabertek machine, Habot man John Kruger, Luigi Ferro, PABAR pilot Mike Barbaglia, Chris Dale and Elio Muzzulini.

The opening race was spectacular, with four leaders through the ten quick laps. Nathan Victor led Jason Loosemore early on, but he was soon overcome by the bumping and barging Charl Smalberger. That allowed Ethan Coetzee and Kyle Visser to slip through and go on to pressurise Victor. They soon moved ahead as they then diced for the lead. Loosemore however drove a champion’s race to overcome the four cars ahead to take the flag from Coetzee, Visser, Victor and Smalberger.

The fat lady had not yet sung, however. Cup officials slapped Loosemore with a one position penalty for a robust move on Victor, to hand an unexpected maiden win to the delighted Coetzee. Loosemore collected the second place points from Visser, Victor and Smalberger. Tyler Robinson was sixth from Jeandre Marais and Mo Karodia who both made good progress through the pack, Hannes Scheepers, and Pierluigi Muzzulini and Nirav Singh among the Masters men. Wayne Masters took that win from Derick Smalberger, John Kruger, Mike Barbaglia, Chris Dale, Luigi Ferro and Elio Muzzulini.

That extreme first heat action shook up the second race grid to see Coetzee on pole from Smalberger, Loosemore, Visser and Victor. From where Coetzee trotted off to add his first chequered flag win over Loosemore, while the rest fought wildly behind. That came to a head when Smalberger and Visser tangled in flat out Potters Pass to send Visser into a wild spin and Victor with no option but to go off in avoidance which ultimately led to him stopping.  

Untroubled by all of the above, Ethan Coetzee drove home to his first flag win from Jason Loosemore, happy to collect another second place worth of points. Charl Smalberger survived to end third with a happy Tyler Robinson picking up her best place to date in fourth from Roshaan Goodman and Jeandre Marais. Wayne Masters was next home, putting youngsters Mo Karodia, the recovering Kyle Visser, Hannes Scheepers and Pierluigi Muzzulini between himself and second Masters man Derick Smalberger. John Kruger, Luigi Ferro, Chris Dale, Mike Barbaglia and Elio Muzzulini followed.

It was an emotional maiden overall win for the delighted Ethan Coetzee and his team on the track that put him into intensive care in hospital after a scary accident at Potters Pass two years back. Jason Loosemore was happy in second as he placed one hand firmly on the 2024 Astron Energy Polo Cup title. Charl Smalberger was third from Tyler Robinson, a combative Kyle Visser and Roshaan Goodman. Wayne Masters took Masters from Derick Smalberger and John Kruger.

It was a very good championship day for Loosemore, who very well could wrap the title up at the next race. And a day to forget for Victor, who has slipped to third in the chase behind Coetzee. It's back to Nathan’s Killarney home track for the penultimate round of the 2024 Astron Energy Polo Cup at the Cape Town Extreme Festival on Saturday 21 September. That should be a cracker as always. And a great reason to diarise it now!