Summarize

Class C driver Adriaan de Beer emerged the 2025 ATE VW Challenge Champion following a fraught Zwartkops Extreme Festival presented by Coca-Cola finale and a hard-fought season. De Beer held on to a championship lead he had held for most of the season as he fended class rival Bryce Pillay and outgoing overall and double Class B champion Stuart Mack off. Fourth overall, young gun Jayden Goosen is Class A champion.

The brilliant final round saw championship contender Bryce Pillay involved in an altercation that would see a rival red carded for his part in an incident that may well have seen Pillay snatch the crown from de Beer on a day that ultimately went to championship. Goosen won overall to clinch the A title, Mack won Class C and de Beer ultimately took the Brat Pack Class C win too.

Goosen, who recently won on his national Astron Energy Polo Cup debut, had little trouble in planting his AA Certified OMP LTR Polo on pole position back in the ATE VW Challenge ahead of Anthony Lessing’s PABAR version and Mellow Velo man Ian Walker. Fast ATE Brakes lady Elna Croeser followed from the returning Mydi Mfana’s Clean Renewables car and Mweza Trans driver Dewald Theron. 

Already crowned Class B champion Stuart Mack put his AutoZone Tour Plan Polo ‘Popcorn’ on its customary pole position ahead of another impressive lady driver, Nicole Lombard’s PSA Africa Polo and Francis Aldrich. Rookie Cup graduate Mauro da Luz’ Nathans Motorsport car followed from veteran Chris Davison in his GSI Generator machine and Jonathan Konig’s Northen Bolt and Tool Polo.

Overall championship leader Adriaan de Beer made no mistakes to claim the Class C pole in his Ukwazi Engineering Vivo ahead of title rival Bryce Pillay’s 73 Racing version, Andy Gossman Cardoc car. Stuart Konig’s Northen Bolt entry. Insurisk duo Dimitri Zapheriou and Kyle Petersen, ATE Brakes man Philip Croeser and Insurisk lad Michael Zapheriou closed off the grid.

The first race went according to script. Jayden Goosen overcame an early attack from  Anthony Lessing to stroll to another win. Behind them, Ian Walker held Mfana Croeser and Theron off ahead of Class B winner, yet again, Stuart Mack. Nicky Lombard followed  from Mauro da Luz and Jonathan Konig after early leader Davison and Aldrich took jump start penalties. Adriaan de Beer did what he had to, to keep Bryce Pillay behind him in class C from Stuart Konig, Gossman, Dimitri Zapheriou, Kyle Petersen, and Croeser.

The final heat of 2025 ATE VW Challenge was arguably the best race of the season with the biggest action back in the Brat Pack where contender Pillay got the drop on log leader de Beer to lead the gaggle of class C cars for six laps. De Beer then went off trying a move around the outside of turn five to allow Gossman into second. In the confusion that Gossman and Konig managed to shuffle Pillay to the back to leave de Beer to the win from Zapheriou, Petersen, Konig, Pillay and Croeser, and the class and overall title. Gossman was later red carded for his part in what some saw as a title deciding fracas.

Out front, Goosen shadowed Lessing until Jayden snatched the lead on the penultimate lap to win from Anthony, Mfana and Croeser. Class B was a copy paste from race one as Stuart Mack romped into the distance, leaving Lombard to fight back past da Luz, but to take her best result yet in ATE VW Challenge in VWC. Aldrich, Davison, and Konig followed in hot pursuit.

Overall, Jayden Goosen took the day and Class A from Anthony Lessing and Mydi Mfana, Stuart Mack beat Nicole Lombard and Mauro da Luz in Class B and Adriaan de Beer ultimately took a dramatic Class C trophy from Stuart Konig, Dimitri Zapheriou and Bryce Pillay. That sees Adriaan de Beer take the 2025 ATE VW Challenge overall championship by five points from class rival Brice Pillay. B champion Stuart Mack ultimately ended another point behind after the lowest scores were dropped.

Fourth overall, Jayden Goosen is the Class A champion from Wayne Masters, Ian Walker, Elna Croeser, Dean Ross and Mydi Mfana. Mack took Class B from Francis Aldrich, Chris Davison, Jono Konig and Nicole Lombard and de Beer also took the Class C title from Pillay, Stuart Konig, Mitch Coetzee, and Dimitri Zapheriou.