2024’s final Extreme Festival, to be held at Zwartkops Raceway this coming weekend (15-16 November), will see the last few names added to 2024’s list of champions on the tour.
For all the series competing on the tour, apart from the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series, it will be the eighth round and fourth 2024 visit to the circuit.
Saturday’s race day programme will commence with the DOE Formula Vee Partnered with CIM Lubricants series. Lendl Jansen (Bull Security Rhema 2) has a 26-point lead over Peter Hills (Mangaza Racing Rhema 2), who is 24 points clear of Brandon Hills ((Mangaza Racing Rhema 2). Jansen is the driver who holds the momentum, having won the last four races, including a double win on their previous visit to Zwartkops Raceway. Peter Hills took four wins this year, while Brandon Hills was the other driver to step to the top. Both the latter two have won a race at the circuit this season.
This will be Round 10 for the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series. With their championship out of sync with the rest of the tour, their previous outing saw them compete on the BMW M Fest roster at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. Having also competed at this year’s Passion for Speed event, this will be their fifth outing at Zwartkops Raceway.
While Drop Rounds are common among the regional series, things are made more interesting in this time-based series with breakouts and eligibility factors that will decide the final outcome.
On the face of it, Class B’s Renier Smith (Fast Development BMW E36 M3 Turbo) heads Nicholas Herbst (BMW E90 330i) for the Series honours. Barring breakouts, these are the only two drivers currently in contention for the title. Should that happen, defending Series champion Leon Loubser (Monaco Motors BMW E92 335i) will also be in the mix.
The five classes are headed up by Loubser, Smith, Reinhardt Miller (Amtec Racing Fuels BMW E36 328i Turbo), Herbst, and Matthew Wadeley (BMW Car Club Gauteng (BMW E46 330i Touring), respectively. Unless one of them breaks out, they should be the favourites to take their class wins.
The PABAR VW Challenge brigade is also heading for a fierce finale. Class B’s Stuart Mack (Creation Wealth Volkswagen Polo) now has an eight-point lead over Class C’s Christopher Tait (Sportex Volkswagen Polo), and Andy Gossman (Car Doc Service Centres Volkswagen Polo) is a further six points adrift.
Class A is headed up by Bevin Masters (The CPS Warehouse Volkswagen Polo) from Wayne Masters (Performance Master Volkswagen Polo), with only three points between the brothers. Mack is 33 points clear of Mohammed Karodia (Fast 5 Motorsport Volkswagen Polo) in Class B, with Tait and Gossman at the top of Class C.
Julian Fameliaris (Lube-Net Chevrolet Corvette) is on the verge of his second-consecutive Mobil 1 V8 Supercars GT Class title, with him holding a 38-point advantage over Thomas Reib (Mobil 1 Chevrolet Lumina). Mathematically, Warren Lombard (PepBoys Automotive Ford Mustang) is still in contention, trailing Reib by nine points.
The mathematics might literally force the outcome in the GT2 Class. Auke Compaan (Hurricane Automotive Ford Mustang) is 44 points clear of defending champion Steve Herbst (Prei Instrumentation Chevrolet Corvette). The latest available entry list shows three entrants in the class. Should it remain at this number, Compaan will be crowned champion with the maximum available points being less than with a grid of four drivers.
Two drivers will race for the GTX Class honours. They are Terry Wilford (Fuch Lubricants Ford Mustang) and Ben Morgenrood (Ben Morhenrood Ford Mustang).
There are a host of close contests awaiting spectators in the Ferro Energia 111 & GT Sports & Saloons, including SuperHatch races.
In the GT Class, Dawie Olivier (International Race Supplies BMW E30) holds a three-point lead over George Economides (Wealth Avenue Volkswagen Monster). Olivier will have the momentum with three wins on the trot, which started at their last outing at Zwartkops Raceway.
Defending 111 Sports & Saloons champion and Class C competitor Wouter Roos (Car Care Clinic Volkswagen Polo) holds a single-point lead over Class A’s Melanie Spurr (Car Care Clinic Volkswagen Golf) heading into the finale. Wayne Robb (Ford Focus 225 ST), also in Class A and 20 points adrift, is also still in contention.
Spurr and Robb will head up the Class A battle as well. Michael Grobler Pest Control Specialsts Volkswagen Golf) heads up Class B from Jonathan Visser (Jonathan Visser Volkswagen Polo) by 17 points. In Class C, Roos is 38 clear at the top. Rob Clark (Containerforce Self Storage Honda Ballade) is in control of Class D,
While no points table has been made available for the SuperHatch bridge, the races will be contested by the likes of Mark du Toit (Trans Africa Racing BMW 118i), George Aldrich (Aldrich Racing Opel Corsa), and Ishmael Baloyi (Trans Africa Racing Honda Civic).
All series will have two races on Saturday.
Spectator tickets can be purchased at the Zwartkops International World of Motoring entrance gate. The full race day programme, starting at 10:50, will also be broadcast live on the Extreme Festival website.
Published by: Reynard Gelderblom
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