Revving up the action: VW Challenge entertains with thrilling races

The festival featured seven racing disciplines, including VW Challenge with 42 contenders.

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The 2023 Regional Extreme Festival performed at the Red Star Raceway near Delmas on Saturday, with seven racing disciplines, on four wheels and two, entertaining a reasonably sized crowd.

Topping proceedings were two Pabar VW Challenge races, with the category bringing 42 contenders to the party.

Bevin Masters (CPS Warehouse Polo) led throughout the opening race, winning from his brother Wayne (Performance Masters Polo), Waldie Meintjies (VW Polo), Charl Smalberger (Sabertek Polo) and Rory Atkinson (BHIT Polo).

Bevin Masters repeated his feat in race two, chased to the flag by Atkinson, Smalberger, Meintjies and Mike Barbaglia (Pabar Polo).

Leon Loubser (Bid Wheels BMW 335i) won the first BMW M Performance race, leading home Lorenzo Gualtieri (Kimbo BMW 328i Turbo), Andreas Meier (#trainedamateurs BMW STC) and Nek Makris (BMW 335i).

Loubser won race two as well, ahead of William Einkamerer (BTAS BMW 335i), Gualteiri and Nek Makris (BMW 335i).

Mackie Adlem (Adlem Auto Jaguar) took the opening Mobil 1 V8 Supercar race, ahead of Julian Familiaris (Lube-Net Corvette), Thomas Reib (Mobil 1 Chev Lumina) and Franco di Matteo (Deltex Jaguar).

Adlem’s car broke down in race two, leaving Familiaris to win, setting the day’s quickest lap time at one minute 55,978 seconds en route.

He was followed by Reib, Warren Lombard and Larry Wilford (Aurora Corvette).

Lendl Jansen (Bull Rhema) won both the DOE Formula Vee races, closely followed by Gert van den Berg (DOE Rhema), Jaco Schriks (Cubed Rhema) and Eric Booyens (CIM Rhema).

The first SunBet ZX10 Masters race was red-flagged when Byron Rothquel (Mag Magic ZX10) and Johan le Roux (Avidan ZX10) touched and crashed, luckily without serious injury.

After the restart victory went to Ronald Slamet (Vault ZX10), from Greame van Breda (Stefanutti ZX10), Jayson Lamb (Tyremart ZX10) and David Enticott (Motorwise ZX10).

Van Breda took race two from Slamet, Enticot and Brian Bontekoning (Jaguar Power ZX10).

That race was also red-flagged, after Henk Schuiling (Kawasaki ZX10) fell and left bike debris on the track. He was not badly injured.

George Economides (Wealth Golf Turbo) took the Car Care Clinic 111 race, leading Lenard Archer (ACD Welkom Honda Civic), Johan van Heerden (JVH Golf Mk1) and Adrian Dalton (Xtra Golf Turbo).

The SuperHatch races went to Francis Aldrich (Opel Corsa), ahead of Andre’ de Lange (Roofsure VW Golf), Seten Naidoo (Honda Civic) and Quintus Viljoen (VW Polo).

The next event at Red Star will be a round of the SA Endurance Series next Saturday.