Extreme Festival lives up to its name at Red Star

National championship motorsport returned to the Red Star Raceway near Delmas on Saturday, with the venue hosting round two of this year’s Extreme Festival series.

Top billing on the programme belonged to the Global Touring Car category, with the biggest news the international motorsport debut of the Volkswagen Golf 8 GTi. It went to plan when the day’s first heat went to the Golf of Daniel Rowe, ahead of his VW team-mate Keagan Masters. They were chased to the flag by Michael van Rooyen (Gazoo Toyota Corolla) and Mandla Mdakane (Gazoo Toyota Corolla).

WINNER. Michael van Rooyen took his Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla to the final GTC race victory at Red Star last Saturday. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.

In race two Rowe’s Golf had handling problems, Van Rooyen spun his Toyota at the end of the main straight and Scott Temple’s Investchem Toyota Corolla developed turbo problems. That left Masters to win, ahead of Robert Wolk (Investchem Toyota Corolla), Rowe and a recovered Van Rooyen.

Race three, started from an inverted grid, saw the Toyotas of Wolk and Van Rooyen fight for the lead with the Golfs of Masters and Rowe. The Masters Golf retired in a cloud of smoke on lap five and Wolk slid wide while leading on the final lap. All of which left Van Rooyen to win from Rowe, Wolk and Mdakane.

A FIRST. Matt Shorter (Monroe Polo) took his first Oettinger Polo Cup race victory at the Red Star Raceway on Saturday. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.

Jeffrey Kruger (Universal Health SupaPolo) won the first SupaPolo race from Bradley Liebenberg (VW Motorsport SupaPolo), Saul Hack (Perfect Circle SupaPolo) and Jonathan Mogotsi (VW Motorsport SupaPolo). Liebenberg took race two from Kruger, Hack and Mogotsi. Kruger returned to win race three ahead of Liebenberg, Hack and Mogotsi, but was penalized for a start-line infringement, which dropped him behind Liebenberg.

The opening Oettinger Polo Cup victory went to Clinton Bezuidenhout (Universal Health Polo), leading home Matt Shorter (Monroe Polo), Dario Busi (Universal Health Polo) and Leyton Fourie (Ferodo Polo). Shorter got the jump on the rest in race two and he won comfortably, leading home Bezuidenhout, Busi and Stiaan Kriel (Creative Ink Polo). Bezuidenhout won the final heat, followed by Busi, Fourie and Shorter.

SCARY STUFF. Clinton Seller (King Price Yamaha R1) and Garrick Vlok (Yamaha R1) fought tooth and nail for victory in the two SA Superbike race victories. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.

Defending SA Superbike champion Clinton Seller (King Price Yamaha R1) and Garrick Vlok (Yamaha R1) fought long and hard in the first Superbike race, with Seller eventually winning by six hundreths of a second. The third and fourth places went to Blaze Baker (Kawasaki ZX10) and Dino Iozzo (King Price Yamaha R1) respectively. In race two Seller’s Yamaha broke its throttle cable on the last lap, leaving Vlok to win ahead of Baker, Iozzo and Damion Purificati (Andalafr Ducati).

Michael Smit (Kawasaki ZX10) took the first Red Square Kawasaki Masters race from Graeme van Breda (Stefanutti Stocks ZX10), Gareth Bezuidenhout (Kawasaki ZX10) and Johan le Roux (Avidan ZX10).  Van Breda led race two from start to finish, followed by Smit, Bezuidenhout and Jonty Collard (Kawasaki ZX10).

DICE. Jeffrey Kruger (Universal Health Supa Polo) and Bradley Liebenberg (VW Motorsport Supa Polo) fought hard at the front of the Supa Polo field throughout the day. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.

Julian van der Watt (Investchem Mygale) took the first F1600 single-seater race from Andrew Rackstraw (Mygale SJ), Nicholas van Weely (Magnificent Hardware Van Diemen), Alex Vos (Ecurie Zoo Van Diemen) and Andrew Schofield (Investchem Mygale). Van der Watt’s car suffered mechanical maladies in race two and the win went to Rackstraw, followed by Van Weely, Jarrod Waberski (DAW Mygale) and Vos.

The next round of the Extreme Festival will take place at the Free State Phakisa Raceway this Saturday, October 3.

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