Exciting start to Extreme racing

This year’s Regional Extreme Festival season got off to a spectacular start at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday, with seven racing categories contested in 14 races by 181 competitors.

VW Challenge

Top billing belonged to the PABAR VW Challenge category, with veteran Wayne Masters (Performance Masters Polo), winning both the races one from defending champion Rory Atkinson (BHIT Industrial Polo), Bevin Masters (CPS Warehouse Polo), Waldie Meintjies (VW Polo) and Derick Smalberger (Sabertek Polo).

Bob Neill Delmon (Mining Ford Focus) took the opening race for Car Care Clinic 111 Sports and Saloons, leading home JP van der Walt (Platinum Audi) and Lenard Archer (ACD Welkom Honda Civic).

Race two, held in the rain, saw Van der Walt winning in the all-wheel drive Audi, ahead of George Economides (Golf 1 Turbo) and Neill.

SuperHatch

Both the SuperHatch victories went to Karel Stoltz (Pta Noord Toyota Etios), with Francis Aldrich (Opel Corsa) and Mark du Toit (TAR Honda Civic) swapping the respective second and third places.

Stiaan Kriel (SKR Jetta) took the first Silver Cup race from Shaun Lamprecht (Wildthings BMW E36) and Paul van Niekerk (Dub VW Golf 1).

Kriel repeated his feat in race two, this time followed over the line by Karel Stoltz (Rotrix Mazda RX7) and Giulio Airaga (Desco Tigra Mazda).

Gazoo Cup

Sa’aad Variawa (Toyota GR Yaris) won both the South African Gazoo Cup races. Behind him, women’s racer Karah Hill (Toyota GR Yaris) and Nikki Vostanis (Toyota GR Yaris) swapped the respective second and third places.

Thomas Falkiner and Setshaba Mashigo finished first and second in both the Toyota GR 86 races, with The Citizen’s Mark Jones and Brendan Staniforth taking turns in the third places. 

ALSO READ: The Citizen ready to put pedal to the metal in Toyota GR Cup

The day’s biggest shunt happened during the opening DOE Formula Vee race, when the Bull Security Rhema of Lendl Jansen and the Cubed Coatings Rhema of Jaco Schriks touched wheels in the ultra-fast Turn Four uphill sweep.

Jansen’s car rolled four times, while Schriks’ rotated repeatedly on the grass. The race was stopped.

Neither driver was hurt, and Schriks rejoined the field for the restart. Jansen’s car was not up for that – if it had been a horse, they would have shot it.

That race was won by MD Bester (Mangaza Rhema) from Brandon Hills (Mangaza Rhema) and Eric Booyens (GIM Lubri Rhema).

Schriks won race two, ahead of Peter Hills (Mangaza Rhema) and Kyle Watt (Mangaza Rhema).

Renzo Ribiero (Metal Used Formula M) took both the Formula Libre race victories from Paul Schultz (Swift), with Clint Baudoux (Tuff Rack Gti) and Didier Diedericks (Formula M) taking turns in the respective final podium places.

The next event at the Zwartkops Raceway will be a round of the 2023 Inland Championship on Saturday, 11 March.