The 2025 Dunlop V8 Supercars season will start this coming weekend (28 February – 1 March) at Zwartkops Raceway, with an intriguing mix of new and old.
Earlier in February, the Series, operated by SAMCAR, announced a new naming rights partner for the 2025 season. After a successful initial few race trim tests during the latter half of 2024, Dunlop Tyres was announced as the Series’s tyre- and naming rights partner for the 2025 season. This sees the tyre manufacturer and distributor taking up the role filled by African Group Lubricants through their Mobil 1 product line since the start of the 2019 season.
Mobil 1 is also not the only name that became synonymous with the V8 Supercar Series in 2019 that will not form part of the 2025 setup. That season also saw Julian Fameliaris, who had already tasted championship success in BMW Car Club Gauteng’s race series, fulfil one of his lifelong dreams to compete in a V8 Supercar. After a challenging few years, 2022 saw Fameliaris develop into a consistent frontrunner. In 2024, while still being the youngest driver on the grid, Familiaris took his maiden V8 Supercars GT1 Class title, a feat repeated in 2025. During both his title-winning years, he also won at least one race in each round. However, earlier this year, Fameliaris announced his retirement from the Series, shifting his focus to endurance racing. The GT1 Class will, therefore, see a new champion at the end of 2025.
Thomas Reib (Café 9 Automotive Chevrolet Lumina) must be one of the early favourites based on his consistent form in the past few years. While Famelieris, and before him, Mackie Adlem, racked up multiple titles, Reib often finished those seasons as runner-up. On many of those occasions, like in 2024, he was the one who started the season with the early edge. Warren Lombard (PepBoys Automotive Ford Mustang) is another driver who joined the Series in 2019, albeit at the backend season and has since also emerged as a regular frontrunner. Franco di Matteo (Jaguar XKR) is another experienced campaigner in the Series. While it was Fameliaris who won the recent titles, a lot of the behind-the-scenes effort that went into the preparation of his Chevrolet Corvette was spearheaded by Di Matteo. Terry Wilford (Fuchs Lubricants Ford Mustang) might have a slight mental edge going into the season opener, especially with him having conducted the in-race tests on the Dunlop tyres. This trio will likely form the nucleus of the onslaught at the top of the GT1 Class challenge. Another familiar driver in the line-up will be Sam Dahl (ArcProtech Ford Falcon). The Finn will start his fifth season in the Series and has recently moved closer to the front.
Auke Compaan (Hurricane Automotive Ford Mustang) found himself on top of the GT2 Class standings throughout 2024 and will look to start the new season in the same manner, as he will be looking to take his second successive title. Former champion Steve Herbst (PREI Instrumentation Chevrolet Corvette) will not make Compaan’s goal easy to achieve. Antonie Marx (Holden) has had sporadic outings in the GT2 Class, but he was usually a contender for the win when he was on the circuit.
This weekend, Ben Morgenrood (Ben Morganrood Ford Mustang) will be the sole GTX Class Competitor.
With the SAMCAR Committee continuously dedicating efforts to getting new drivers into the Series, the 2025 season opener will see no less than three debutants. Clint Weston (Ford Falcon) will compete in the GT1 Class and come into the Series on the back of experience that includes competing in the Kyalami 9-Hour and various Time Challenge Course events. Wayne Spicer and Alan Ryan will compete under the Wellness Group banner in the GT2 Class, piloting a Jaguar XKRS and Chevrolet Corvette. Both drivers have competed in the ZX10 Masters superbike series before, with Ryan also competing in powerboat racing.
Saturday’s races will commence at 13:15 and 15:55 and will be contested over 10 and 12 laps, respectively. Spectator tickets can be purchased at the Zwartkops Raceway entrance gate, while the full Saturday race day programme will also be broadcast live on the Extreme Festival website.
Published by: Reynard Gelderblom
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