Summarize

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 at Killarney’s penultimate Extreme Festival in Cape Town on Saturday.

A perfect spring day greeted Investchem Formula 1600 to Cape Town as Robertson made his dominant intentions known by taking pole position by over three tenths of a second in the Liqui Moly Mygale. He edged local lad Jason Coetzee’s Mint Wrapworks Fuchs version, while a feisty Alex Vos’ Investchem DV Building Supplies car started third on the grid ahead of March winner Shrien Naidoo’s Production X machine.

Championship leader Ensor-Smith was only fifth in his African Heating Bitro Frameless entry, alongside impressive rookie Mikel Bezuidenhout’s Huawei car. Investchem lad Siyabonga Mankonkwana and Storm Lanfear’s Mantellis Investchem RDSA Mygale, Liam Polome Red Dot Vantage car, Total Plastics Bee Tee Tova driver Ewan Holtzhausen and Karabo Malemela struggling in his KMFT Morita Mygale closed off the grid.

Ian Schofield led the warm up lap of the opening lap in the MSA4 prototype, proudly showing off what to expect from the new 2025 Investchem series. Jagger duly did the holeshot and led Coetzee, with Vos and Naidoo squabbling for third ahead of Ensor Smith in fifth, from Bezuidenhout. Robertson was in flying form as he drew away from Coetzee shadowed by Vos with Naidoo all over his rear wing, as Ensor Smith gradually drew closer.

Naidoo however fell off exiting turn 5 in his efforts to get by Vos and ended up stranded on the kerb, Which left Vos third and title leader Ensor-Smith grateful for the extra point in fourth. Bezuidenhout hung in for fifth from Mankonkwana, Lanfear, Polome and Holtzhausen as Malamela’s woes continued when he failed to get to the grid.

Robertson was on pole from Coetzee, Vos, Naidoo and Ensor-Smith for race 2. It was however home hero Coetzee who got the drop off the line to lead Robertson, Naidoo and Ensor-Smith, with Karabo Malemela slicing through the field as he passed Bezuidenhout Mankonkwana and Vos in rapid succession. 

Robertson then went around the outside of turn 5 to set up an inside pass on Coetzee into turn 1 of the third lap. Jagger then romped off once again, leaving Coetzee, Naidoo, Malemela and Vos, who both also slipped past Ensor-Smith, in his dust. It went from bad to worse for KC, who was clearly ailing, as Mankonkwana, Lanfear, Bezuidenhout and Holtzhausen also found a way past to drop him out of the points.

It could not have gone better for his title rival Jagger Robertson, however. His grand slam of pole position, double race wins and fastest lap of the day added a maximum 22 points to his title tally to jump into the championship lead by a provisional eight points over Ensor-Smith. That with two races yet to run and the last 22 Investchem Formula 1600 points on the table at Zwartkops on Saturday 19 October.