Daniel Rowe (VW Motorsport Golf GTI) leads the Global Touring Car field in Saturday's opening race. Picture: Paul Bedford.
The Extreme Festival tackled its only 2020 coastal visit on Saturday, with close racing, brilliant spectacle and serious drama typifying proceedings at the Aldo Scribante circuit near Port Elizabeth. In the process, two of the year’s South African champions were crowned.
Heading up proceedings were three rounds of the 2020 Global Touring Car championship. The opening race went to the works Volkswagen Golf GTI of Daniel Rowe, leading home Robert Wolk (Chemical Logistics Toyota Corolla), Keagan Masters (Volkswagen Golf GTI) and Julian van der Watt (Chemical Logistics Toyota Corolla). Masters won the next time around, followed by Wolk, Rowe and Van der Watt.
The drama happened shortly after the start of the final race, when Van der Watt’s Toyota and Masters’ Golf touched in the first corner, sending the GTI spinning into the Eastern Cape flora. Seconds later, Rowe’s Golf and the Gazoo Toyota Corolla of Michael van Rooyen came together in the Esses, with both cars ending up in the bundus.
Dario Busi drove his Universal Health Polo to a pair of careful point-scoring places, to clinch this year’s Oettinger Polo Cup championship. Picture: Paul Bedford.
The race was red-flagged, with the two Golfs limping to the pits for repairs, while Van Rooyen’s Toyota came back on a truck. The two Golfs joined the restart from the pit lane, chasing the Toyotas of Van der Watt and Wolk. Two laps in, Van der Watt managed to spin his Toyota just after the ultra-fast Hanger Sweep, dropping down the field, while the Golf of Masters developed a mechanical glitch and slowed down.
In the end Wolk won ahead of Rowe, Van der Watt and Masters. All three SupaCup class races went to Bradley Liebenberg (VW Motorsport SupaPolo), ahead of Jeffrey Kruger (Universal Health SupaPolo) and Jonathan Mogotsi (VW Motorsport SupaPolo).
The season’s Oettinger Polo Cup title was resolved via a 10-lap sprint race plus a 40-minute endurance event. Youngster Leyton Fourie (Ferodo Polo) won the sprint race ahead of Matt Shorter (Monroe Polo) and Chris Shorter (Champion Polo). Championship leader Dario Busi (Universal Health Polo) finished in seventh place, consolidating some points while staying out of trouble.
Bradley Liebenberg took his VW Motorsport SupaPolo to three flawless race victories at Aldo Scribante. Picture: Paul Bedford.
The long race saw Chris Shorter emerge victorious, chased to the finish by Arnold Neveling (Ferodo Polo) and Leyton Fourie. A smooth and careful fourth place netted Dario Busi the year’s South African Oetinger Polo Cup championship title.
Veteran campaigner Clinton Seller needed to score one second place at the Aldo Scribante circuit on Saturday to clinch this year’s South African Superbike championship. The King Price Yamaha R1 team leader did exactly that in the first 12-lap heat of the day, finishing second behind David McFadden (RPM Centre Yamaha R1) and ahead of Garrick Vlok (Yamaha R1). McFadden won race two as well, ahead of Seller and Sifiso Themba (King Price Kawasaki ZX10).
Local hero Riccardo Otto (RAW Projects Yamaha R6) and Dino Iozzo (King Price Yamaha R6) finished first and second in the opening 600cc race. Their closest contender, Brett Roberts (Linea Lights Yamaha R6) crashed out at high speed in the Hanger Sweep. He was not badly injured, but his motorcycle went to that final pit stop in the sky. Otto led the 600cc class throughout race two but then ran out of fuel with the finish line in sight, and had to watch helplessly as Iozzo took the win from him.
Clinton Seller scored his seventh South African Superbike championship title, via two second places on his King Price Yamaha R1. Picture: Paul Bedford.
Already crowned 2020 Red Square Kawasaki Masters champion Graeme van Breda (Stefanutti Stocks Kawasaki ZX10) took the day’s opening race, closely followed by Sanjiv Singh (Kawasaki ZX10) and Jacques Ackerman (South Kawasaki ZX10). Van Beda won race two as well, this time chased to the flag by Michael Smit (Kawasaki ZX10) and Singh.
The final round of the 2020 Extreme Festival will be held at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria this Saturday.
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