Season finale at Zwartkops saw periods of red flags, numerous accidents and close, hard racing.
The National Extreme Festival Presented by Coca Cola ended on a high note at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday, with spectacle and close racing in front of a large crowd the names of the game.
Touring Cars
Top billing belonged to the South African Touring Car brigade.
Keegan Campos put in a brilliant performance and led the opening race from start to finish in his Campos Transport BMW 128ti.
Michael van Rooyen (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla) took the second place, clinching the year’s title in the process.
He was chased over the finish line by Jagger Robertson (Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTI), Sa’aad Variawa (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla), Julian van der Watt (Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTI) and Andrew Schofield (Fly Safair BMW 128ti).
ALSO READ: National Extreme Festival’s final coastal visit doesn’t disappoint
Race two was red-flagged two laps from the end when the Campos BMW lost its brakes, reversed off the track at high speed after the pit corner and slammed into the tyre wall.
On countback before the race stoppage, van der Watt was awarded victory ahead of Robertson, Schofield, Variawa, Campos and van Rooyen.
Campos, who was registered as a finisher, saw his resultant fifth place net him second place in the championship.
SupaCup
Behind the touring car field, Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Motorsport SupaPolo) took the first SupaCup victory ahead of teammate Jason Loosemore, Nicolas Vostanis (Campos Transport Volkswagen SupaPolo), David Franco (Graphix Supply Volkswagen SupaPolo) and Tate Bishop (Angri Volkswagen SupaPolo).
Loosemore won race two, ahead of Mogotsi, Vostanis, Bishop, Dylan Praggi (Stylin Auto Volkswagen SupaPolo) and Franco.
Tate Bishop arrived at Zwartkops with the SupaCup title already in the bag.
Polo Cup
The opening Astron Energy Polo Cup race went to Hannes Scheepers (Dainfern Dental), leading home Rory Atkinson (Industry Petroleum), Tyler Robinson (AF Fans) and Ethan Coetzee (Ethan Motorsport).
In the process, Atkinson clinched this year’s overall championship.
The Masters category was won by Derek Smalberger (Sabertek), ahead of John Kruger (Habot Lubricants), Wayne Masters (Performance Masters) and Mike Barbaglia.
Jayden Goosen (AA Pre-Owned) won race two ahead of Scheepers, Coetzee and Robinson.
Masters emerged as the year’s overall Polo Cup Masters champion.
MSA4
Adriaan Nel (Central Cycles) won the first Investchem MSA4 single seater race, leading home Mikel Bezuidenhout (Corsa Dei Gemelli), Karabo Malemela (KMFT Morita) and Liam Polome (Red Dot).
Nel won race two, followed by Malemela, Bezuidenhout and Renzo Ribiero (Metal Used Spares).
Race three went to Ndzalo Khoza (Horizon Dynamics), chased by KC Ensor-Smith (African Heating), Nel and Nicolas van Weelie (Magnificent Paints).
Two-wheels
Multiple former Superbike champion Clinton Seller (King Price) won both the SunBet Kawasaki ZX10 Masters races by a large margin ahead of Damion Purificati (Amalgum Welding), Hein McMahon (K9 Law) and Graeme van Breda (Stefanutti Stocks).
Supercars
Charl Arangies (Stradale Mercedes AMG GT3) snatched the opening Dunlop Extreme Supercar race lead, but incurred a 30 second penalty for jumping the start.
That left Jonathan du Toit (TAR Lamborghini Huracan GT3) to win ahead of Gianni Giannoccaro (BISC Audi R8 LMS), Kris Budnik (Bucketlist Dodge Viper) and Ricky Giannoccaro (G&H Transport Lamborghini Hurican GT3).
Du Toit won race two as well, chased to the flag by Gianni Giannoccaro, Arangies and Ricky Giannoccaro.
Race three went to Du Toit, ahead of Arangies, Ricky and Gianni Giannoccaro.
GR Cup
Jason Coetzee won the first Toyota GR Cup race in the GR86 class ahead of debutant, Namibian, Koos Reyneke and season runner-up, Kent Swartz.
The newly crowned champion then made it a double in race two ahead of Reyneke and Swartz.
Werner Venter took the opening GR Corolla heat from new champion Mario da Sousa and Johan Boonzaaier, while SuperSport‘s Nadil Abdool won the Yaris GR category ahead of TimesLive‘s Phuti Mpayne and Car Magazine‘s Kyle Kock.
After the race though, the TimesLive man was hit with a 20 second penalty for overtaking under double waved yellow flags, thus promoting Kock to second and AutoTrader‘s Lawrence Minnie to third.
The second race ended one lap from home under red flag after the Waterberg Yaris of Rudolf Boonzaier slammed into the outside barrier of turn one.
Victory in the GR86s again went to newly crowned champion Coetzee followed by Reyneke and Swartz.
Venter also won the second Corolla race from Da Sousa and GR Academy driving instructor Paul de Vos, while the Yaris GR category went to Kock, ahead of Abdool and The Citizen’s Charl Bosch.
Volkswagen Rookie Cup
In identical road-going Polo Vivo GTs, Christopher Tait (Sportex) took the first Volkswagen Rookie Cup race ahead of Josh Moore (BPW), Uzair Khan (TSS Polo) and Luke Hill (Steelform Polo).
Khan won race two from Tait, Moore and Hill.
Regional finale next
The next Extreme Festival event at Zwartkops will be the Regional finale on Saturday, November 8.
ALSO READ: East London wreaks havoc with National Extreme Festival
