Summarize

The honours were shared when Jason Campos took the South African Touring Cars feature race and Saood Variawa the reverse grid sprint for the second time in a row at Aldo Scribante’s Extreme Festival presented by Coca-Cola on Saturday. But the overall results may yet be delayed after the track action spilled into the officials office after a dramatic second heat. It was far more straightforward in the SATC SupaCup however, as Cape Town driver Tate Bishop dominated the weekend.

SATC SupaCup runner-up in 2024, Keegan Campos gave notice of his top class intentions with a close pole position aboard the black and orange Campos Transport FAST BMW 328tc. Cape Town driver Julian van der Watt put his Chemical Logistics WCT Volkswagen Golf GTI TC alongside the pole sitting BMW on the front row with championship leader Michael van Rooyen third in the quickest of the three Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla TCs.

Van Rooyen’s teammates, Saood Variawa and Nathi Msimanga stood second and third on the grid ahead of Andrew Schofield’s Chemical Logistics FlySafair FAST BMW 328tc and second in the championship chase, Jagger Robertson struggling with engine issues in seventh in his Sparco WCT Volkswagen Golf GTI TC. Siyabonga Mankonkwana Chemical Logistics Toyota Corolla TC closed off the grid as the South African Touring Cars lined up to race on their own for the first time.

Keegan Campos made short work of the double-points opening race as he cleared off to a convincing win to continue his dominant weekend form. Michael van Rooyen did his championship aspirations no harm at all when he found his way around Julian van der Watt to take second, while Saood Variawa held station in fourth. Jagger Robertson put his qualifying troubles behind him as he fought his way past Nathi Msimanga and Andrew Schofield to nick fifth after Siyabonga Mankonkwana stopped.

So Msimanga sat on pole for the longer 12-lap reverse grid race ahead of Robertson, Variawa, van der Watt, van Rooyen and Campos. Robust action and some jostling into turn 2 saw Jagger Robertson ejected from the pack in a wild spin around turn 2 to leave Nathi Msimanga leading Saood Variawa and Michael van Rooyen in a Toyota Gazoo Corolla 1-2-3, with Julian van der Watt and Keegan Campos in hot pursuit.

The infighting continued among the Toyotas as Variawa eventually fought his way to the front. Then Msimanga and van Rooyen came together to see van der Watt and Campos up to third and fourth with Schofield all over Msimanga in sixth. But van der Watt and Campos clashed in turn 2 to van der Watt’s demise, leaving Variawa leading van Rooyen, a charging Campos, Msimanga, Schofield, Mankonkwana and Robertson. 

Variawa cruised home for the win, with van Rooyen and Campos’ battle weary cars literally glued together over the final tour as Michael hung on for second. There was a gap behind to Msimanga, Schofield, Mankonkwana and Robertson in a line, to close of a most entertaining scrap throughout the field. A long queue however awaited appointments with the stewards after the race.

Racing on their own for the first time on the more relaxed Aldo Scribante race program, log leader Tate Bishop topped the SATC SupaCup grid in his Angri Racing LTR Volkswagen SupaPolo ahead of closest rival Jonathan Mogotsi’s Volkswagen Genuine Parts version. In only his second ever main circuit start, karting sensation Muhammad Wally slotted into third in his all-white SupaPolo ahead of old rival Charl Visser Charl Engineering version and Jason Loosemore’s Astron Energy SupaPolo.

Dawie van der Merwe was sixth on the grid in the solo Toyota Gazoo Racing SupaStarlet, ahead of racing lass Karah Hill’s Kalex SupaPolo. The similar cars of Nicolaos Vostanis, Zimbabwean Dylan Pragji’s Stylin Auto version, Dean Venter’s Platinum Mile entry and lone Masters entry, Andre Bezuidenhout’s Weltevreden Bertha Wines SupaPolo closed off the grid.

Bishop hogged the inside line into turn 1 with Wally slotting in behind him. But Mogotsi had none of it and slammed the door shut on Muhammad into Turn 2. That allowed Tate to open a gap he would not relinquish up front as he sped to the win from Mogotsi and the impressive Wally. Charl Visser made a late move on Jason Loosemore for fourth after an entertaining duel that may have become a little too close on occasion. Van der Merwe was sixth from Vostanis, Hill, Pragji, Venter and Bezuidenhout.

Bishop got ahead from the start of heat 2 to once again clear off into the distance for his fifth win in six races. Charl Visser this time put his nose inside Jonathan Mogotsi into turn 1 and pulled it off as he moved into to what would soon become an isolated second ahead of the equally lonely Mogotsi and Muhammad Wally. The action was however behind them, between Vostanis, who held Loosemore, Hill, van der Merwe, Venter and Bezuidenhout off after Pragji spun.

It’s Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria next for the South African Touring Cars and SupaCup when the Extreme Festival presented by Coca-Cola returns to Gauteng for its midseason encounter on the shortest day of the year Saturday 21 June.