Summarize

Dunlop Tyres enjoyed another very busy day at the Red Star Raceway’s second round 2026 National Championship circuit motor racing Extreme Festival on Saturday. With its tyres used by the vast majority of competitors, the ATS Motorsport Dunlop Team was kept on its toes fitting hundreds of tyres throughout the weekend while the Dunlop Girls were there to hand the Dunlop Pole Position Awards over as much as to brighten up an already stirring day of racing.

“Red Star Raceway played host to another splendid day of Dunlop-shod National Extreme Festival racing,” Dunlop Tyres South Africa Marketing Manager Joanne de Freitas explains. “Our tyres once again dominated on track, so we’d like to salute each and every race winner, Dunlop Pole Position Award recipient, the entire Dunlop and ATS team and everyone who makes the Extreme Festival the spectacle it is, for another great show on Saturday.”

The weekend kicked off with Julian van der Watt and his Volkswagen Golf GTI scooping the Dunlop-shod South African Touring Cars Dunlop Pole Position Award before making off to an easy opening race win. There was drama when Robert Wolk and KC Ensor-Smith’s Golfs and Keegan Campos’ BMW Golf came together in turn 1. Wolk stopped, Campos pitted and Ensor-Smith chased van der Watt and Jason Coetzee’s Toyota Corolla home in third. Campos then took advantage of his reverse grid second race pole position to win from Ensor-Smith and day winner van der Watt. That also sees van der Watt to the top of the championship log closely followed by Ensor-Smith and Coetzee.

Rory Atkinson was gifted his SATC SupaCup Dunlop Pole Position Award when both quickest qualifiers, Judd Bertholdt and Bradley Liebenberg lost their times and started at the back. That left Atkinson to fend Tyler Robinson and log leader Jason Loosemore off early on, before clearing a maiden win race 1. Atkinson then also dominated race 2 to take the day from Loosemore after Liebenberg and Bertholdt found a way past Robinson. His Red Star performance saw Atkinson take that Dunlop tyred championship lead from former leader Loosemore, Robinson, and Bertholdt.

Racing on Dunlop tyres as ever, Charl Smalberger was delighted to claim the Astron Energy Polo Cup Dunlop Pole Position Award. Hannes Scheepers however got the drop in both races to make it four wins out of four starts in 2026. Smalberger kept Hannes under pressure all the way, Roshaan Goodman was third in race 1 from Mauro Da Luz and Shiren Rajpaul and from and Jayden Goosen and Mauro da Luz in heat 2. Wayne Masters won both Polo Masters races from dad Derick Smalberger and John Kruger. That leaves unbeaten Scheepers in a healthy Cup title lead over Goodman, Smalberger and Da Luz, and Masters leading Derik Smalberger and Kruger in Masters.

Former British Formula 4 star Aqil Alibhai turned the Dunlop shod Investchem MSA4 chase on its head after pole man Shrien Naidoo bogged at the start. That left Mikel Bezuidenhout to chase Alibhai home with Karabo Malemela, Guido Bidoli and Naidoo in chase. Alibhai made race 2 his own too, after Naidoo clashed with Bezuidenhout, who held on for second. Malemela was third from Bidoli and Kent Swartz. That sees Alibhai into the championship lead, 7 points clear of Bezuidenhout, Malema and Naidoo.

Also racing on Dunlop tyres, GR86 Rookie trio Connor Weston, Kobus Reynecke and Emma Dowling topped the opening Gazoo Toyota Cup race, where GR Yaris Dealer lad Devon Scott and GR Corolla Media man Nabil Abdool ensured their classes continued to race to the formbook. The second race delivered the same results although there was indeed a tight four way battle behind race winner Weston.

The Dunlop-shod third round of the National Extreme Festival remains on the highveld with a visit to Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria on Saturday 23 May.