Summarize

Robert Wolk put one hand on another South African Touring Cars Championship with pole position, the fastest lap and overall victory at the East London Grand Prix Circuit Extreme Festival on Saturday. Wolk also took the double-points opening race win, while Michael van Rooyen bounced back with another reverse grid second race success to move to second in the chase on a day where title contender Julian van der Watt failed to score. Jonathan Mogotsi however raced to double SATC SupaCup wins to close up on log leader Keegan Campos.

Championship leader Wolk got off on the front foot by putting his Chemical Logistics WCT BMW 128ti TC on pole position from Saood Variawa in the best of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Corollas. Lee Thompson Racing Toyota Corolla privateer, rookie Anthony Pretorius impressed again in third, from title contender Julian van der Watt in his Investchem WCT Volkswagen Golf GTI TC, Gazoo Corolla duo Michael van Rooyen and Nathi Msimanga, and Andy Schofield’s FlySafair Chemical Logistics BMW 128ti TC.

Bradley Liebenberg upset the SupaCup applecart, stealing pole by five hundredths of a second in his Sparco Turn Me On Toyota SupaStarlet. He beat SupaPolo gang, Volkswagen Motorsport man Jonathan Mogotsi and Campos Transport championship leader Keegan Campos, Cape Town Angri lad Tate Bishop who put one over VW rookie compatriot Charl Visser, Turn 1 Insurance lad Jason Campos Nick Vostanis and Kalex lass Karah Hill. Gazoo SupaStarlet rookie Sa’aad Variawa was next from Dean Venter, David Franco and Masters duo Robbie Franco’s and Darron Gudmanz.

Wolk led Variawa early on in the double-points feature race, but disaster struck for Julian van der Watt when he went off out of Copabana Corner on the second lap, nicked the tyre wall and rolled his Golf. He was unhurt, but unable to take the restarted race grid, so could not score. Wolk duly stormed to victory and a significant title advantage. He beat rookie duo, the ever-impressive Anthony Pretorius’ LTR Corolla, and BMW teammate Andrew Schofield, and Saood Variawa the best of the trio after the Gazoo Corolla attack fell apart.

The SATC SupaCup races thrilled. Jonathan Mogotsi was soon past Liebenberg’s Toyota and not to be headed again. Even better for Jonathan, Liebenberg fended Keegan Campos to end up between the two log leader, while Tate Bishop kept Charl Visser at bay with Jason Campos in chase. David Franco drove a positive race to end up seventh from Karah Hill, Sa'aad Variawa, Dean Venter and Nicolas Vostanis, while Roberto Franco took the Masters win.

Their tough opening race saw the three Gazoo Toyotas up front on the heat 2 reverse grid, but that race was also delayed when van der Watt’s patched up Golf stopped and lay stranded on the beachside track on the formation lap. Once it finally started, Michael van Rooyen drove a tactical race under huge pressure as he held Nathi Msimanga, Pretorius, Wolk and Schofield off after Variawa stopped. 

Mogotsi repeated his SupaCup dominance with a lights to flag race 2 win, this time keeping teammate Charl Visser between him and title rival Keegan Campos to keep closing the points gap ahead of the duelling Bishop and Liebenberg. The ever-improving Nicolas Vostanis followed in sixth, with Jason Campos, Sa'aad Variawa, Karah Hill, Dean Venter, David and Roberto Franco in chase.

So Robert Wolk took the South African Touring Car day overall from Anthony Pretorius, the ever-present Andrew Schofield, Michael van Rooyen and Nathi Msimanga. Jonathan Mogotsi took the SupaCup winners trophy from Keegan Campos and Charl Visser, with Bradley Liebenberg fourth from Tate Bishop and Jason Campos.

While Wolk now has a significant championship lead, it’s all change behind him as van Rooyen moves to second ahead of what will now promise to be a wild four way tussle for third between Pretorius, Variawa, the hapless van der Watt and Msimanga, and Schofield ready to pick up the pieces. 

Jonathan Mogotsi meanwhile took 13 points out of Keegan Campos’ SupaCup log advantage to close the gap down to just a handful of points, with Charl Visser now a solid third ahead of Tate Bishop, Bradley Liebenberg and Jason Campos.

The South African Touring Cars now head back to Killarney for their penultimate 2024 round at the Cape Town Extreme Festival on Saturday 21 September. Expect more fireworks. Diarise it now!