Summarize

Pretoria is batoning down the hatches, as South Africa’s National Championship motor racing season comes to a head at the 2024 Extreme Festival Finals at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday 19 October. While a few champions have already been crowned, the rest will fight it out on Saturday, which has all the makings of a truly explosive day of racing.

Topping the bill, three drivers and the fastest and most exotic machinery of the day will do battle for the Extreme Supercars driven by Dunlop title. Vaal driver Arnold Neveling’s red A-plus Audi R8 leads the march on Pretoria, but he has Gauteng Lamborghini Huracán duo, Stuart White’s blue GT3 machine and Jonathan du Toit’s white and orange A+ version well within striking distance. Who will come out on top? Best visit Zwartkops to watch it go down first hand! Others to look out for include the Lotus Joubert brothers, Charl Arangies’ Porsche and Aldo and Silvio Scribante’s Lambos. But will cousin Franco pitch with his mad Porsche 911 Turbo?

Robert Wolk may have already wrapped the South African Touring Cars championship up in his BMW, but there’s a hell of a lot still at stake there. Like second in the championship between Michael van Rooyen’s Toyota Corolla, Julian van der Watt’s Volkswagen Golf and rookie Anthony Pretorius in another Corolla. Then there’s the matter for fifth between Saood Variawa’s Toyota and Andy Schofield in another BMW quartet, and Nathi Msimanga in yet another Corolla. 

It's however all still to do in the SATC SupaCup championship. Jonathan Mogotsi stole the lead back with a double win last time out, but Keegan Campos’ similar SupaPolo is still very much within striking distance. Mogotsi will have teammate Charl Visser riding shotgun and Campos, and his brother Jason. It’s not that simple however, with the likes of Bradley Liebenberg’s Toyota SupaStarlet, Cape kid Tate Bishop and wildcard Dominic Dias, who won the last time he raced, all chasing race wins too.

Richards Bay racer Jason Loosemore arrives at Zwartkops with one hand on the 2024 Astron Energy Polo Cup title. Zwartkops home hero Ethan Coetzee however has an outside chance of pulling a miracle off, while compatriot Mo Karodia has Cape rookie Kyle Visser breathing down his neck for that third slot. Also keep an eye out for Zwartkops experts Charl Smalberger and Rory Atkinson, while Wayne Masters, must hold Derick Smalberger off to win the Astron Polo Masters title. John Kruger plans to make up for a recent slump in the old boys’ class too.

Zwartkops will see the Investchem Formula 1600s racing for the very last time before they switch to the all-new MSA4 class next year. Which means that whom of Jagger Robertson or KC Ensor Smith takes the title on Saturday, will be reigning Formula 1600 champion for perpetuity. The race winner will also always be the last F1600 race winner. Something that will appeal to the likes of Siya Mankonkwana, Shrien Naidoo, Karabo Malemela and Alex Vos. The 1600s will be joined by a field of Formula Ford Kents in Pretoria, with Ian Schofield, Duncan Vos and Graham Hepburn among the favourites.

Also on the Killarney Extreme Festival menu, the Volkswagen Rookie Cup will crown its second champion and hand either Judd Bertholdt, Dhivyen Naidoo or Uzair Khan the keys to a factory Astron Energy Polo Cup for the 2025 season. The Toyota Gazoo Cup closes its season off, although Dawie van der Merwe, Sean Nurse and Devon Scott have already wrapped up their respective GR86, GR Corolla Media, and GR Yaris class titles.

The SunBet ZX10 Masters will provide Saturday’s two-wheeler action. Clinton Seller has long wrapped up a dominant championship there, so the focus will be on second at Zwartkops. Damion Purificati, Trevor Westman, Hein McMahon and Graeme van Breda are all within a handful of points, so expect the usual fraught, tight and entertaining battle to go down between them.

Which is what you’d expect from Zwartkops. Especially at the National Finals that go down in a true festival atmosphere with food & drink stalls, racing simulators, drifting passenger rides, pedal karts, displays and merchandise, live music, DJs, powerlifters and stilt walkers, face painters, balloon artists, clowns, jumping castles, and much more at the Pretoria racetrack. 

Track entry is R130 per adult, R90 for under 16s and under 12s free. Out of town fans can watch on livestream via Zwartkops or Extreme Festival social outlets, or www.zwartkops.co.za where you can find more info about the race weekend too. See you at Zwartkops!