Summarize

Three former champions turned the 2026 National Championship Extreme Festival on its head at Gqeberha’s midwinter fourth round at Aldo Scribante on Saturday 27 July, while a father and son team also made history. Robert Wolk, Tate Bishop, and Clinton Seller all stepped back on the top step of the SATC, SupaCup and ZX10 Masters podiums for the first time since coming back to race at Nelson Mandela Bay, while son and father, Charl and Derick Smalberger took an Astron Energy Polo and Masters double win.

It was a case of the return of the champions in the South African Touring Cars. It took three races for former triple champion Robert Wolk to find his feet in his Volkswagen Golf GTI following his year’s sabbatical but find them he surely did with pole position and a storming first race win over Keegan Campos’ BMW 128ti. Championship leader Julian van der Watt and his Volkswagen Golf GTI overcame Toyota Corolla men Jason Coetzee and Michael van Rooyen for third. Rookie Coetzee and van Rooyen then made best of the reverse grid to take the half points second heat 1-2 as Jason took a popular maiden win, while freshman KC Ensor-Smith beat Wolk, Andy Schofied’s BMW and Campos in a tight battle for third.

There was more of the same comeback action in the SATC SupaCup. Reigning champion Tate Bishop returned to action after missing the first three rounds and put it on the front row alongside pole man and log leader Jason Loosemore. Tate then stormed to a dominant race 1 win from Nikki Vostanis, Judd Bertholdt, Rory Atkinson, Niko Zafiris, and Loosemore. Vostanis was however demoted to behind Loosemore after helping Jason off. Loosemore then gained revenge with a compelling race 2 win over Bishop, Atkinson, Vostanis, Bertholdt and Zafiris.

The returning champion theme continued onto two wheels when double champion Clint Seller came back from his recuperation following corrective surgery to dominate the SunBet ZX10 Masters. Seller put it on pole position ahead of Keith Agliotti and the man who had dominated in his absence, Damion Purificati. Clint then stormed to a double win over Purificati, Agliotti, Trevor Westman, James Barson and AD van Daalen in heat 1, and Purificati, Westman, Agliotti, van Daalen and Barson in the second heat.

There was another reason altogether to celebrate when son and father, Charl and Derick Smalberger scored a double victory in the opening Astron Energy Polo Cup and Masters ace. Charl stormed to a lights to flag race1 win over championship leader Hannes Scheepers and Mauro Da Luz, while Derick held John Kruger and log leader Wayne Masters off in the over-50 action. Scheepers and Masters however restored the status quo in race 2 as Hannes stormed to an easy win over a resurgent Volkswagen Rookie Chris Tait, Charl Smalberger and Da Luz, and Wayne overcame Kruger and Derick Smalberger for the Masters win.

Charl Arangies’ thundering Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO sped to the opening Dunlop Extreme Supercars win from Jonathan du Toit’s wailing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO and Damian Hammond in another Mercedes. Arangies did the double as Hammond put one over du Toit in race 2 before Charl made it a hat trick over Jonathan and Damian. Du Toit ended second for the day from Hammond, Paul’s Aston Martin, and daughter Karah Hill’s Audi R8 LMS GT3.

Investchem MSA4’s season of tit for tat continued. Aqil Alibhai and Mikel Bezuidenhout had shared three wins apiece so far in the season as Bezuidenhout pipped Alibhai to pole position. Aqil then managed to slot Renzo Ribeiro between him and Mikel in race 1 with Shrien Naidoo, Kent Swartz, and Guido Bidoli in chase. But Bezuidenhout gained revenge on Alibhai to make it four race wins each so far this season, with Ribeiro third from Naidoo, Bidoli and Swartz. Ian Schofield took both Formula Ford Kent wins from Rick Morris and Allen Meyer, and John-Henri Vaughn and Meyer in race 2.

In the junior categories, Sebastian Venkov scored a breakthrough opening Volkswagen Rookie Cup race win over Luke Hill, Sebastian Dias, and Jack Moore before turning that into a double over Dias, Hill, and Moore. And Kobus Reynecke beat Connor Weston and Spice Mailula to win the opening Gazoo Toyota GR86 Rookie Cup race. Nabil Abdool took his customary GR Corolla Media Cup win and Werner Venter GR Yaris Dealer Cup honours. Wesson took race 2 from Kobus Reynecke and Kian Fussell, Abdool won the Media race again and Andries de Villiers took the Dealer win.

The National Extreme Festival stood for a minute’s silence in honour of motoring and motorcycle journalist legends Andre de Kock and Simon Fourie, both of whom passed away on Thursday. The Festival now takes its midwinter break before returning to action for round 5 at the historic beachside East London Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday 15 August.