Summarize

The penultimate National Extreme Festival delivered epic thills, spills and drama as it crowned South Africa’ first 2024 champions at an electric Cape Town Killarney International Raceway on Saturday.

In perhaps the highlight of the weekend, Robert Wolk’s BMW delivered a crushing double victory off pole position to wrap up the 2024 South African Touring Cars championship with a race still to run. He beat Julian van der Watt’s Volkswagen to second in both races, with Michael van Rooyen third from Andy Schofield’s BMW and Sa’aad Variawa’s Toyota in the opening feature race. Wolk was quick to move up to the lead from sixth to also win the reverse grid sprint race from van der Watt, Anthony Pretorius’ Corolla, van Rooyen and Schofield, as he added another Touring Car title to his cabinet.

A controversial SATC SupaCup day saw Jonathan Mogotsi jump into that championship lead after title rival Keegan Campos crashed out of the second heat following contact with race 1 winner Tate Bishop. Pole man Bishop stayed ahead to win the opening heat from Campos who fought the charging Mogotsi off, with Charl Visser and Jason Campos  Polo ahead of Bradley Liebenberg ‘s Toyota Starlet. Mogotsi led race 2 from the start from Keegan Campos, Liebenberg and Bishop. He was soon third and challenging Campos when they clashed to see Campos out. An untroubled Mogotsi went on to win from Liebenberg, Bishop and Visser as Mogotsi moved into a narrow title lead over Campos.

Astron Energy Polo Cup championship leader Jason Loosemore made no mistakes to jump ahead of a fast starting Kyle Visser, Charl Smalberger, surprise pole man Rory Atkinson and title Ethan Coetzee to win the opening race. Visser then made a blinder of a start to lead all the way in race 2 as he held Atkinson off, while Hannes Scheepers kept Loosemore behind in fourth. Charl Smalberger then made it three winners in three races as he fought overall victor Visser off to win the final with Loosemore third from Atkinson and Scheepers. Coetzee kept his title hopes alive in sixth. It was a very good day for Wayne Masters who all but clinched the Masters class with a triple win.

Stuart White won a somewhat processional opening Extreme Supercars driven by Dunlop race from GT3 top two, Silvio Scribante and Jonathan du Toit’s similar Lamborghinis, and Arnold Neveling’s Audi R8. Class A winner Charl Arangies’ Porsche followed from local man Dawie Joubert’s Lotus Ferrari. Compatriots Imaad Modack’s Porsche and Marco Retter’s BMW topped Class C and Mike Verrier’s BMW Corvette won Class B. Neveling’s Audi then turned the tables on White and du Toit’s Lambos in race 2, with Arangies fourth from Gianni Giannoccaro’s McLaren, Modack and Retter, but only after home hero Joubert had led the way until he hit trouble.

Jagger Robertson delivered a perfect grand slam of double wins, pole position and the fastest lap to bounce back into the lead of the final, 2024 Investchem Formula 1600 championship. Title rival and erstwhile leader KC Ensor-Smith on the other hand suffered a weekend to forget with only a fourth in the opening heat as Jason Coetzee took a couple of seconds, with a feisty Alex Vos third in race 1. Shrien Naidoo and Karabo Malemela bounced back to third and fourth in race 2.

Allan Jon Venter took the SunBet ZX10 Masters opening race from David Enticott and Hein McMahon in dominant championship leader Clinton Seller’s absence. Class B winner Graeme van Breda came home fourth from James Barson, Class C top man Pieter de Vos, Dieter Huysamen, Gerhard Very, Lubabalo Ntisana and Lionel Black. Venter went on to do the double from Enticott, Damien Purificati,  McMahon, van Breda Barson Very, Ntisana, Peron Parasaramen and Sfiso Themba.

It was a day of the champions in the Toyota Gazoo Cup as Dawie van der Merwe continued his unbeaten streak to win again and wrap up the GR86 Cup ahead of Niko Zafiris’ similar car and Yaris Cup winner Devon Scott. Fourth placed Sean Nurse meanwhile wrapped up the GR Corolla Cup with fourth and another class win. Van der Merwe won yet again in race 2 from Ryan Naicker and Setshaba Mashigo as Scott and Nurse did the double in the classes.

The 2024 Extreme Festival South African Championships wrap up at the Zwartkops finale on Saturday 19 October. Sounds like a fine day to diarise to go watch some great title-winning racing.