Summarize

Chemical Logistics Racing came home with pole position, a first race clean sweep and an even stronger South African Touring Cars championship advantage following Aldo Scribante’s fifth round Extreme Festival races in Gqeberha on Saturday. It was a great weekend for championship leader Julian van der Watt, who took pole position and the double points opening race win, while Keegan Campos and KC Ensor-Smith also enjoyed positive weekends.

“2026 is shaping up very well for Chemical Logistics Racing in the South African Touring Cars championship,” team principal Ian Schofield explains. “Julian van der Watt has quietly built up a strong advantage and kept doing so with an exceptional performance this weekend. Rookie KC Ensor-Smith keeps on piling on the points to consolidate his championship second, and Keegan Campos had another good outing at Aldo. Robert Wolk’s weekend was a little compromised and Andy Schofield was out of luck, but a fine effort overall and well done to the lads.”

Julian van der Watt put his We Buy Cars Investchem WCT Volkswagen Golf GTI on pole position before clearing off to the first race win to consolidate his championship lead. “That’s more like it!” Julian smiled. “The last round at Aldo was a bit of a challenge but we got it right this time around and it was happy hunting with pole and an important double points race 1 win. With that in the bag there was no need for any heroics in the second race. Our eye is on the title and that’s first prize right now.”

Rookie KC Ensor-Smith qualified his African Heating Investchem Golf GTI fourth for race 1 before coming home fourth. Which became third when a car ahead was penalised. A tight second race tussle saw KC come home fifth as he keeps on piling on the points. “We had great pace this weekend, but the races were pretty busy, so I suppose we can be happy with third and fifth from a championship point of view. We are still a strong second, so it’s onward and upward to Killarney!”

Saturday brought double second places for Keegan Campos’ Veloce Campos Transport Chemical Logistics FAST BMW 128ti. “I qualified third but made it to second in both races, which is good for the championship as we continue to come from behind after missing the first round.”  Second on the grid, Robert Wolk’s weekend was compromised when his Chemical Logistics WCT Golf GTI was demoted from third to sixth in the opening heat. He came back to third in heat 2 but rued the lost points. And seventh in race 1, Andy Schofield’s FlySafair BMW retired from the second heat.

Chemical Logistics Racing now heads to Killarney’s penultimate South African Touring Cars round in Cape Town next on Saturday 19 September.