Summarize

The 2026 National Championship Extreme Festival heads off to Gqeberha for its midwinter midseason fourth round at the Aldo Scribante racetrack on Saturday 27 July. Nelson Mandela Bay race fans can look forward to epic Dunlop Extreme Supercars, South African Touring Cars, and SupaCup races, as well as the Astron Energy Polo Cup, Investchem MSA4 single seaters, and SunBet ZX10 Masters motorcycles, and also the Volkswagen Rookie and Gazoo Toyota Cup series…

Expect the spectacular battle for Dunlop Extreme Supercars superiority to continue at excruciating pace as Jonathan du Toit’s wailing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO’s takes on Charl Arangies’ thundering Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. Damian Hammond was the shock last time out when his Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO defeated both du Toit and Arangies and he simply wants more, too. Add fast lady Karah Hill and Marius Jackson’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evos and the rest, and Gqeberha is set for an epic Supercar show.

Julian van der Watt’s Volkswagen Golf GTI has taken control of the South African Touring Cars and he fully intends to consolidate at Aldo. But rest assured that super rookies, Golf GTI teammate KC Ensor-Smith and Jason Coetzee’s Toyota Corolla, his veteran teammate Michael van Rooyen and Andrew Schofield’s BMW 128ti will have none of that. Late starters, recent race winner Keegan Campos’ BMW, and triple champion Robert Wolk’s Golf GTI add significant spice as they come from behind.

Jason Loosemore arrives in charge of the SATC SupaCup, but erstwhile leader and rookie Polo Cup champion Rory Atkinson will be out for revenge after a Zwartkops weekend to forget last time out. Also watch for rookie lad Judd Bertholdt and lady Tyler Robinson, Nikki Vostanis, Niko Zafiris, Mo Wally, and Davide Franco among this lot.

Hannes Scheepers has only been beaten once in seven 30th birthday Astron Energy Polo Cup starts in ‘26. Rest assured that the only man to beat him so far, Charl Smalberger, Roshaan Goodman, rookie Mauro Da Luz, Shiren Rajpaul and Pierluigi Muzzulini, among others will be out to stop the dentist. Polo Masters leader Wayne Masters is intent to make 2026 a title hattrick. But Derick Smalberger and John Kruger and the rest have other designs on all that.

Old hand Aqil Alibhai and pretender Mikel Bezuidenhout sit on three wins apiece in Investchem MSA4, where Alibhai has eked out all of a three-point title advantage. And with Karabo Malemela, Shrien Naidoo, Guido Bidoli and Kent Swartz literally falling over each other to catch and beat the leaders, expect huge action on Scribante’s tight confines. A pack of Formula Ford Kent led by Ian Scofield, will join them.

Dominant Damion Purificati is the man with the SunBet ZX10 Masters motorcycles target on his back. But with double champion Clint Seller back on the entry list, those goalposts could well move this weekend. Either way, Keith Agliotti, Hein McMahon, Trevor Westman, Henk Kruger, and the rest have those two squarely in their sights.

The Volkswagen Rookie Cup makes its second visit to Aldo on Saturday with early leader  Luke Hill under pressure from Sebastian Dias, Jack Moore, Keyaan Dwomoh, and the rest. And it’s a case of beat the unbeaten where Connor Weston, Emma Dowling and Kobus Reynecke are the kids to beat in the GR86 Rookie Cup, Devon Scott is in charge of the GR Yaris Dealer cup and Nabil Abdool the GR Corolla Media Cup.

Always a spectacle, South Africa’s top drivers, and riders flat out in the country’s finest racing machinery around the tight and twisty Aldo Scribante is only a once a year opportunity. The action starts mid-morning Saturday. Be there!