Summarize

Zwartkops’ Extreme Festival Finals presented by Coca-Cola crowned the balance of South Africa’s Dunlop-shod National racing champions of 2025 on Saturday. South African Touring Car champion Michael van Rooyen, Extreme Supercars driven by Dunlop champion Jonathan du Toit, Astron Energy Polo Cup champion Rory Atkinson and Masters champion Wayne Masters, Investchem MSA4 champion KC Ensor-Smith and Volkswagen Rookie champion Christopher Tait joined SATC SupaCup champion Tate Bishop and Toyota GR champions, Jason Coetzee, Nabil Abdool and Mario da Souza as South Africa’s Kings of 2025 Circuit Racing.

“Dunlop salutes our full house of National Extreme Festival presented by Coca-Cola champions for 2025,” Dunlop Marketing Manager Joanne de Freitas confirmed. “Huge Congratulations to Michael, Jonathan, Rory, and Wayne; KC, Tate and Chris, and Jason, Nabil, and Mario on their 2025 titles won on Dunlop tyres. Each and every one of you has done us immensely proud!”

Keegan Campos and his BMW started the South African Touring Cars racing on Dunlop weekend on the front foot by grabbing the Dunlop Pole Position Prize before storming off to an impressive opening race win. That was however never going to be enough to prevent Michael van Rooyen from taking a popular championship victory in his Toyota Corolla, leaving the focus on the wrought for the championship second in the final reverse-grid race.

That came to a head as Julian van der Watt beat his Volkswagen Gold teammate Jagger Robertson to the win as the race was stopped after Campos crashed out after an apparent brake issue. The upshot was that rookie Robertson emerged a delighted second in the chase, a couple of points clear of van der Watt with the dejected Campos fourth. South African Touring Cars now looks ahead to a thrilling new season with the return of a major manufacturer team and a former champion. Watch this space!

Pole man Jonathan Mogotsi picked up another Dunlop gong and the three grand that goes with it before delivering a masterful opening race win over Volkswagen teammate Jason Loosemore. Loosemore then took the second heat advantage to win as Mogotsi fought hard to second, but nobody was going to catch Tate Bishop, who cruised home fourth on the day to wrap up his 2025 SATC SupaCup title from Mogotsi, top rookie Loosemore, the absent Charl Michael Visser, Dawie van der Merwe’s sole Toyota SupaStarlet, and the ever-improving Nicolaos Vostanis. Andre Bezuidenhout meanwhile emerged best of the SupaCup Masters.

It was an exceptional Extreme Supercars driven by Dunlop weekend for Jonathan du Toit and his Lamborghini Huracan EVO. He took the Dunlop pole position before racing off to a triple victory to clinch the title over principal rival Charl Arangies’ Mercedes-AMG GT3. Arangies indeed won a heat but was penalised for a jumped start, leaving du Toit to a grand slam on the day as the two of them topped the GT3 standings from Gianni Giannoccaro’s Nismo GT-R. Subject to MSA ratification, Ricky Giannoccaro’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 edged Kris Budnick’s Viper for Class A, Ant Blunden’s McLaren took the B title, Ulli Sanne’s BMW Z4 won Class C and Jimmy Giannoccaro’s Porsche Class D.

The Dunlop-shod Astron Energy Polo Cup painted an interesting picture for the year ahead as a dominant champion ultimately emerged. Hannes Scheepers opened the betting with a maiden Dunlop Pole Position Award before taking a solid opening race win. There was a surprise on pole for race 2 when debutant Jayden Coetzee went on to also take his maiden win in the finale as Scheepers fended the pack off behind. Behind them, Derick Smalberger took a double Astron Energy Polo Masters win. 

Nothing would however stop Rory Atkinson from taking a comfortable Astron Energy Polo Cup championship title in the end from Mohammed Karodia, who endured a troubled day, winner Hannes Scheepers a few points clear of Ethan Coetzee, Rookie of the Year Judd Bertholdt and lady racer Tyler Robinson. And in the Astron Energy Polo Masters, Wayne Masters took a second title on the trot from Derick Smalberger and John Kruger. Astron Energy Polo Cup now looks ahead to its thirtieth season in 2026.

In perhaps the dice of the day, Namibian Adriaan Nel dominated MSA4 at Zwartkops as he left championship contenders KC Ensor-Smith and Mikel Bezuidenhout to fight a dramatic and heart stopping fight for that inaugural title. Nel took the Dunlop Pole Position Award before storming to the opening race win from Bezuidenhout, but Ensor-Smith retired after taking the nose of his car off the back of Bezuidenhout’s car on the first lap. So Bezuidenhout led the chase into the penultimate second race and finished third behind Nel and Karabo Malemela as an overheating Ensor-Smith ended sixth. Advantage Bezuidenhout? Or so it seemed. 

The championship leader appeared to brush the rear of his title rival’s car and suffered a puncture on the opening lap of the reverse grid finale. The race was later stopped and re-started as Ensor-Smith emerged second from Ndazlo Khosa, who was later excluded to hand the heat to the new champion Ensor-Smith from Nel. So KC Ensor-Smith is the inaugural 2025 Investchem MSA4 champion from a dejected Bezuidenhout. Nel did enough to steal the championship third on a count-back over Renzo Ribiero, Karabo Malemela and Shrien Naidoo as South Africa’s Dunlop-shod premier single seater racing class prepares to grow into what appears to be a bumper 2026 racing season.

The Dunlop-shod Volkswagen Rookie Cup was another to go all the way, but Chris Tait made sure of the title with pole position and the first race win before ending second to Uzair Khan. In the finale. Title rival Josh Moore soldiered on to second in the chase, six points behind Tait with Khan third from Mario da Luz, Luke Hill and young lady racer Berlin Robinson. All three Toyota Gazoo Racing Cup titles were clinched at the previous round as champions, 86 Rookie Jason Coetzee and Yaris Media lad Nabil Abdool won again. But Werner Venter put one over Corolla Dealer champion Mario da Souza.

With the Nationals all sewn up, Dunlop still has a few more regional champions to crown at the Northern Regions Extreme Festival presented by Coca-Cola at Zwartkops on Saturday 9 November. Be there!