National Extreme Festival passes fast-paced East London test

The 2022 Extreme Festival performed in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd at the East London Grand Prix circuit on Saturday, with seven racing categories taking to the country’s most historic tarmac.

Heading up proceedings were two Global Touring Car races with Robert Wolk (Chemical Logistics Toyota Corolla) taking race one honours from Saood Variava (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla), Bradley Liebenberg (Hype Volkswagen Golf GTI), Michael van Rooyen (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla) and Mandla Mdakane in the third Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla.

Variawa and Liebenberg both crashed in race two, leaving van Rooyen to win ahead of Wolk, Mdakane and Julian van der Watt (Chemical Logistics Ford Focus).

Leyton Fourie (Express Hire SupaPolo) won the first GTC SupaCup race from Jeffrey Kruger (Universal SupaPolo) and Keagan Masters (Perfect Circle SupaPolo). Kruger won the next time out, followed by Fourie and Jonathan Mogotsi (Sonax SupaPolo).

Dawie van der Merwe (Universal) took the opening CompCare Polo Cup race, ahead of Clinton Bezuidenhout (Stu Davidson) and Jurie Swart (Polo).

Race two was stopped after eight laps when the Universal Polo of Ethan Coetzee got tagged just before the ultra-fast Rifle Range corner, turned sharp right and crashed a long way into the Eastern Cape flora.

At the chequered flag a short while later, van der Merwe emerged victorious, thus making it a double for the day ahead of Bezuidenhout and Swart. 

Franco Scribante (Porsche 911 RSR) won both the day’s G&H Transport Extreme Supercar races from Jonathan du Toit (TAR Lamborghini Huracan), with Nicky Dicks (Stradale Porsche 911 RSR) and Marius Jackson (MJR Audi R8) filling the respective third places.

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In doing so, Scribante also set the quickest lap of the weekend with a time one minute 18,17 seconds in race two.

The first Investchem F1600 race produced the day’s biggest crash when the Mygale of Ewan Holtzhausen touched wheels with that of another car and violently barrel-rolled at over 200 km/h. The driver was taken to hospital with concussion, while the car went to the final pit stop in the sky.

After the restart, Troy Dolinshek (Sujean Mygale) won ahead of Gerard Geldenhuys (Abacus Mygale) and Andrew Schofield (Investchem Mygale). 

Race two went to Josh le Roux (Investchem Mygale) ahead of Dolinshek and Geldenhuys (Abacus Mygale).

Peter Hills (Mangaza Rhema) took the first DOE Formula Vee race victory, leading home Lendl Jansen (Bull Security Rhema) and Brandon Hills (Mangaza Rhema).

Hills won the next time as well, followed by Jaco Schriks (Cubed Rhema) and Greg Wilson (Rhema). On the third occasion, the winning veteran was followed by Jansen and Schriks.

Jayson Lamb (Tyremart ZX10) and Greame van Breda (Stefanutti Stocks ZX10) swapped victories and second places in the SunBet ZX10 races, with Ronald Slamet (Vault Markets ZX10) third both times.

The next round of the 2022 Extreme Festival, the Inland Series, will be at the Zwartkops Raceway this Saturday.