Aldo Scribante Raceway in Gqeberha delivered an action-packed mid-season National Extreme Festival this past weekend (28-29 June), which included a host of maiden race winners.
The Volkswagen Rookie Cup started Saturday’s race programme, where points leader Dhivyen Naidoo started his day from pole position. The first race saw him hold the place to record his third win of the season, with Jayden Goosen in second place. A bit further back, Judd Bertholdt held off Uzair Khan for the final podium spot.
Race 2 saw a fierce contest up front, with Goosen taking his maiden race win ahead of Berholdt, Khan and Naidoo. Josh Moore completed the top five in both races.
The SunBet ZX10 Masters Cup was guaranteed to see a new race winner in 2024, with points leader Clinton Seller not making the trip to the Eastern Cape. Damion Purificati (Amalgum Welding Shop) took the first race and Class A win in the all-Kawasaki ZX10 series after jostling for position with Trevor Westman (Team Wayward Powered by Project Sixty SA). Westman’s fellow Capetoian David Enticott (Ravenol SA), who missed the third and fourth rounds, returned to the circuit with a podium after holding off defending champion Graeme van Breda (Stefanutti Stocks), with the latter taking the Class B win. In ninth place, James Barson (1.Steel Monkey Clothing) beat David Veringa to the runner-up spot on the Class B podium. Class C was won by 12th-placed Johan le Roux (Avidan Tadcaster Apex Alprene Woodlands), with Joao Cruz (Firm Faith) and Martyn Parry (BOBSA Machinery) completing the podium.
The second race was neutralised early after Sfiso Themba came off his Wakahina Racing machine, which saw the red flag deployed, but with no injury to the rider. Enticott headed up the field from the restart to take his first win of the season, with Purificati second and Class B winner Van Breda third. The latter saw off Westman, who had completed the Class A podium. Barson and Veringa repeated their positions. However, this time, five riders separated them, including Le Roux, who made it two Class C wins for the day. Parry and Cruz traded the final two Class C podium positions this time.
The first three rounds of this year’s Astron Energy Polo Cup saw Jason Loosemore (Security Fencing and Alarms) and Nathan Victor (Summit Racing) trade the race wins, but this time, it was Loosemore who took a double victory from his Dunlop Pole Position to extend his points advantage. Victor finished both races as runner-up. Kyle Visser (Volkswagen Motorsport) jostled with Hannes Scheepers (VCSA) and Tyler Robinson (AF Fans) for the final podium spot in the first race. In Race 2, Victor was closely pursued by Ethan Coetzee (Ethan Coetzee Motorsport) to the line.
Wayne Masters (AlphaESS) took the Dunlop Pole Position in the Masters Class, from where he went on to win Race 1. Derick Smalberger (Sabertek) held John Kruger (Habot Oils) off for the runner-up spot. In Race 2, Smalberger beat Masters to win, while Kruger made it two third places for the weekend.
KC Ensor-Smith (African Heating) dominated Rotax MAX Karting events numerous times, but not only did he take his first Investchem Formula 1600 win, he topped it off with a grand slam of two race wins and the fastest lap from his first pole position. The first race saw fellow front-row starter and points leader Jagger Robertson (Liqui Moly) unable to make the start due to a clutch failure. Karabo Malemela (KMFT Morita) took the runner-up spot, with Jason Coetzee (Mint Wrapworks) beating Siyabonga Mankonkwana (Investchem) to third place. Robertson was back in contention in for Race 2 but had to settle for second. Coetzee again clinched third place, this time after jostling with Malemela.
Behind this group, Graham Hepburn (Qualipak Jhb) made it two Formula Ford Kent wins on the day, also from pole position. Rick Morris (Investchem) and Duncan Vos traded the podium positions in the two races.
With Seller not in action, only two drivers, both competing in the Gazoo Racing South Africa Cup Powered by Netstar, were still on course to extend their 100% race win records in 2024. This is just what both Dawie van der Merwe and Sean Nurse did in Gqeberha.
In both races, Van der Merwe headed up the GR 86 podium from Niko Zafiris and Dylan Pragji, followed by two entertaining battles.
Nurse had an easier time of things in the GR Corolla class. Hannes Visser finished second in the first race, with Alex Shahini completing the podium. The second race saw John Thomson, in his first outing of 2024, hold off Visser for the runner-up spot.
Paul de Vos and Devon Scott traded the GR Yaris class wins, with Mario de Sousa completing the podium in both races.
The South African Touring Cars (SATC) saw Julian van der Watt take his second Dunlop Pole Position before taking the Race 1 win in his Chemical Logistics Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI at the home of Volkswagen South Africa. He was closely pursued to the line by Michael van Rooyen (Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla), who also celebrated his birthday. Defending champion Saood Variawa (Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla) completed the podium ahead of points leader Robert Wolk (Chemical Logistics BMW 128 ti). Anthony Pretorius (OMP Toyota Corolla) and Nathi Msimanga (Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla) also featured in the battles up front until an incident sidelined the latter, with Pretorius dropping to sixth place.
However, in Race 2, the 2024 debutant Pretorius turned disappointment into triumph by taking his maiden win. Wolk took the runner-up spot, while Van Rooyen held off Msimanga for third. This race also marked the first standalone SATC race from the SATC SupaCup.
Tate Bishop (ANGRi Racing Volkswagen Polo SupaCup) backed up his practice pace by taking his maiden SATC SupaCup Dunlop Pole Position. He took his maiden race win from Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Motorsport Polo SupaCup), with Keegan Campos (Campos Transport Volkswagen Polo SupaCup) completing the podium.
The second race saw a hotly-contested battle for the lead, with Charl Visser (Astron Energy) narrowly beating Campos, with Bishop third.
Arnold Neveling (Bobcat powered by GOSCOR Lift Trucks Audi R8 LMS GT3) literally pulled out all the stops and restrictions to make it a clean sweep in the three Extreme SuperCars Driven by Dunlop races. Originally entered in the GT3 class, the restrictor caused problems, resulting in the device being removed and Neveling moving into Class A+. This saw him head up Stuart White (Wurth SA Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO) in a fiercely contested Qualifying battle before the pair put on a superb show throughout the day in Class A+. Xolile Letlaka (Wurth SA Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO completed the class podium in all three races.
Jonathan du Toit (Trans Africa Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3) won the GT3 class in all three races from Gianni Giannoccaro (G&H Transport Porsche 997 GTR Gen 1). Charl Arangies (Stradale Motorsport Porsche 997 Gen 2 Cup) and Ant Blunden (Sajco McLaren GT3) took three wins in Classes A & B, respectively.
The next stop on the National Extreme Festival calendar will be the Border Motorsport East London Grand Prix Circuit on 26-27 July.
The National Extreme Festival at Aldo Scribante Raceway 
Jayden Goosen took his maiden Volkswagen Rookie Cup win 
Damion Purificati leads Trevor Westman 
Jason Loosemore victoriously extended his points lead 
KC Ensor-Smith dominated the Investchem Formula 1600 races 
Dawie van der Merwe remains unbeaten in the GR 86 class 
Anthony Pretorius took his maiden SATC win 
A first Dunlop Pole Position and race win for Tate Bishop 
Arnold Neveling was unstoppable
Issued by Brandsponential on behalf of Extreme Festival
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