The largest crowd seen at Aldo Scribante Raceway in many years was treated to some of the closest and most competitive racing ever, as the National Extreme Festival reached its halfway stage with several surprise results paving the way for an absolute thriller of a day.
In the SA Touring Car series, Cape Town driver Julian van der Watt in his immaculate Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI converted pole position into a lights-to-flag maiden race win under immense early pressure from teammate Robert Wolk’s BMW 128i and Nathi Msimanga’s Gazoo Corolla.
Unfortunately, mistakes from both Wolk and Msimanga saw them going off the track allowing the Gazoo Racing Toyota Corollas of Michael van Rooyen and Saood Variawa to finish in second and third behind Van der Watt.
In race two under immense pressure, rookie Anthony Pretorius took his Toyota Corolla across the line first to claim his first SATC race win, while Wolk increased his lead in the championship taking second from Van Rooyen followed by Msimanga, Variawa, Van der Watt and the BMW of Andrew Schofield.
Another Capetonian, Tate Bishop, led the opening SATC SupaCup race from lights-to-flag from pole position to take his maiden victory from Jonathan Mogotsi, with Keegan and Jason Campos followed by JP van der Walt chasing them home.
It was the first time that the SupaCup had their own standalone race and what a race it turned out to be, with Charl Visser making an incredibly brave move in turn one of the opening lap, driving around the outside pole-sitter Bishop.
The action behind the leaders was frenetic with positions changing regularly as the gloves came off in the closest racing seen at Scribante.
The action went down to a dramatic incident on the exit of the last corner where there was contact between Jason Campos and Jonathan Mogotsi that saw Mogotsi fly off onto the grass and miraculously stay out of the tyre wall.
Keegan Campos capitalised to finish just ahead of Bishop, Jason Campos and the Toyota Starlet of Bradley Liebenberg.
There was an upset win in the Investchem Formula 1600 championship where KC Ensor Smith made the best of championship leader Jagger Robertson’s clutch failure that unfortunately forced him to miss race one, with Karabo Malemela snatching second from Jason Coetzee.
In race two Robertson had no answer to Ensor Smith and finished behind him in second with Coetzee bagging third.
Graham Hepburn won both Formula Ford Kent races with Rick Morris in second and Duncan Vos third.
Stuart White’s dominance in the Extreme Supercars driven by Dunlop series came to a halt as Arnold White stunned everyone, winning three out of three races in his Bobcat & Goscor Lift Trucks-backed Audi R8 with White in second in his Lamborghini Huracán.
Jonathan du Toit and Xolile Letlaka in their Lamborghini Huracans got the better of the Porsche 997s of Charl Arangies and Ant Blunden.
There was high drama for Ricky Giannoccaro when the brakes of his McLaren exploded at almost 240km/h, leading to a premature retirement from the day's action.
In the Astron Energy Polo Cup, Jason Loosemoore extended his lead in the championship standings by completing a double win on the day over Summit Racing’s Nathan Victor, but local hero Jeandre’ Marais got the biggest cheer of the day from the appreciative crowd when he came home in fourth place in his best national race finish yet.
In the Masters class, Wayne Masters had to work hard for the race one win with Derick Smalberger in second and John Kruger in third before Smalberger took heat two from Masters and Kruger.
The VW Rookies Cup competitors had their best day yet with close racing being the order of the day.
Dhivyen Naidoo beat Jayden Goosen, Judd Bertholdt, Uzair Khan and local lad Josh Moore in the opening race and then the young karting graduates put up a thrilling show in the second race that saw Goosen beat Bertholdt, Khan, Naidoo and Moore.
In the Gazoo Racing SA Cup, the dominant Dawie van der Merwe took both race wins from Niko Zafiris and Dylan Pragji with Sean Nurse taking the media win in the GR Corolla class and Paul de Vos winning the Yaris Cup class.
On two wheels, Damion Purificati was another surprise winner in the SunBet ZX10 Masters motorcycles as he took advantage of the absence of runaway championship leader Clinton Seller, who surprisingly missed the Scribante weekend, to lead Trevor Westman, David Enticott and Graeme van Breda home in race one.
David Enticott came out with guns blazing in race two to take the win from Purificati, Van Breda and Westman.
The next round of the Extreme Festival season is at the East London Grand Prix Circuit on July 27.
HeraldLIVE
Aldo Scribante Raceway delivers exciting action
Competitive racing, surprise results as National Extreme Festival reaches halfway stage
Image: Extreme Festival www.motorsportmedia.co.za
The largest crowd seen at Aldo Scribante Raceway in many years was treated to some of the closest and most competitive racing ever, as the National Extreme Festival reached its halfway stage with several surprise results paving the way for an absolute thriller of a day.
In the SA Touring Car series, Cape Town driver Julian van der Watt in his immaculate Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI converted pole position into a lights-to-flag maiden race win under immense early pressure from teammate Robert Wolk’s BMW 128i and Nathi Msimanga’s Gazoo Corolla.
Unfortunately, mistakes from both Wolk and Msimanga saw them going off the track allowing the Gazoo Racing Toyota Corollas of Michael van Rooyen and Saood Variawa to finish in second and third behind Van der Watt.
In race two under immense pressure, rookie Anthony Pretorius took his Toyota Corolla across the line first to claim his first SATC race win, while Wolk increased his lead in the championship taking second from Van Rooyen followed by Msimanga, Variawa, Van der Watt and the BMW of Andrew Schofield.
Another Capetonian, Tate Bishop, led the opening SATC SupaCup race from lights-to-flag from pole position to take his maiden victory from Jonathan Mogotsi, with Keegan and Jason Campos followed by JP van der Walt chasing them home.
It was the first time that the SupaCup had their own standalone race and what a race it turned out to be, with Charl Visser making an incredibly brave move in turn one of the opening lap, driving around the outside pole-sitter Bishop.
The action behind the leaders was frenetic with positions changing regularly as the gloves came off in the closest racing seen at Scribante.
The action went down to a dramatic incident on the exit of the last corner where there was contact between Jason Campos and Jonathan Mogotsi that saw Mogotsi fly off onto the grass and miraculously stay out of the tyre wall.
Keegan Campos capitalised to finish just ahead of Bishop, Jason Campos and the Toyota Starlet of Bradley Liebenberg.
There was an upset win in the Investchem Formula 1600 championship where KC Ensor Smith made the best of championship leader Jagger Robertson’s clutch failure that unfortunately forced him to miss race one, with Karabo Malemela snatching second from Jason Coetzee.
In race two Robertson had no answer to Ensor Smith and finished behind him in second with Coetzee bagging third.
Graham Hepburn won both Formula Ford Kent races with Rick Morris in second and Duncan Vos third.
Stuart White’s dominance in the Extreme Supercars driven by Dunlop series came to a halt as Arnold White stunned everyone, winning three out of three races in his Bobcat & Goscor Lift Trucks-backed Audi R8 with White in second in his Lamborghini Huracán.
Jonathan du Toit and Xolile Letlaka in their Lamborghini Huracans got the better of the Porsche 997s of Charl Arangies and Ant Blunden.
There was high drama for Ricky Giannoccaro when the brakes of his McLaren exploded at almost 240km/h, leading to a premature retirement from the day's action.
In the Astron Energy Polo Cup, Jason Loosemoore extended his lead in the championship standings by completing a double win on the day over Summit Racing’s Nathan Victor, but local hero Jeandre’ Marais got the biggest cheer of the day from the appreciative crowd when he came home in fourth place in his best national race finish yet.
In the Masters class, Wayne Masters had to work hard for the race one win with Derick Smalberger in second and John Kruger in third before Smalberger took heat two from Masters and Kruger.
The VW Rookies Cup competitors had their best day yet with close racing being the order of the day.
Dhivyen Naidoo beat Jayden Goosen, Judd Bertholdt, Uzair Khan and local lad Josh Moore in the opening race and then the young karting graduates put up a thrilling show in the second race that saw Goosen beat Bertholdt, Khan, Naidoo and Moore.
In the Gazoo Racing SA Cup, the dominant Dawie van der Merwe took both race wins from Niko Zafiris and Dylan Pragji with Sean Nurse taking the media win in the GR Corolla class and Paul de Vos winning the Yaris Cup class.
On two wheels, Damion Purificati was another surprise winner in the SunBet ZX10 Masters motorcycles as he took advantage of the absence of runaway championship leader Clinton Seller, who surprisingly missed the Scribante weekend, to lead Trevor Westman, David Enticott and Graeme van Breda home in race one.
David Enticott came out with guns blazing in race two to take the win from Purificati, Van Breda and Westman.
The next round of the Extreme Festival season is at the East London Grand Prix Circuit on July 27.
HeraldLIVE
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