What Gauteng Regional Festival Preview
Where Red Star Raceway, Delmas
When Saturday 21 October 2023
Community South Africa National
Northern Regions Extreme Festival returns to Red Star Raceway
Gauteng race fans can look forward even more great October action close to home, when the Northern Regions Extreme Festival returns from its coastal sojourn to race at Red Star Raceway near Delmas on Saturday 21 October. The Pabar VW Challenge, BMW M Performance Parts Race Series, Lotus Challenge, DOE Formula Vees, Car Care Clinic 111 GTs Sports and Saloons and Superhatches are all ready to thrill at the Mpumalanga race track.
The Pabar VW Challenge returns upcountry following two coastal rounds and three class titles up for grabs already before the November Zwartkops finale. It’s close overall as leader Yotti Nousias has Class C under control, but he now has Class A leader Rory Atkinson breathing down his neck for the overall crown. Racing alone, Class B is also all over bar the shouting with young Ethan Coetzee in control. Wayne and Bevin Masters, Waldie Meintjes, Charl Smalberger and Dean Ross will chase Rory in Class A. Hannes Scheepers, Ross Butt, Elna Croeser, Jacques Hayes and Shiren Rajpaul are Ethan’s main B rivals. And Yotti has Philip Croeser, Bjorn Bertholdt and Andy Gossman chasing in the Brat Pack.
The BMW M Performance Parts Race Series classes also split into two races. Classes A, B and C race together, where log leader Leon Loubser will have Bob Neill and Shaun Gradwell to deal with in Class A. Andreas Meier, Nek Makris, Lyle Ramsay, Lorenzo Gualtieri, Renier Smith, and Oz Biagioni are the top B men, and Nick Fischer, Jan Eversteyn, Troy Cochran, and Alan Hilligen fight it out in Class C. Classes D and E race alone. Reinhardt Miller, Nicholas and Craig Herbst, Neil Reynolds and Matthew Wadeley the D leaders, and Dave Rehse, Arri van Heerden, Dewald Smith, Cobus Bohmer, and Claudio Jardim in Class E.
Race fans can always rely on the DOE Formula Vees to put on more than just a spectacular show and Red Star will be no different. Title leader Jaco Schriks and Lendl Jansen have 2022 champion Peter Hills keen to get back charge. And MD Bester, Eric Booyens, Kyle Watt, Shaun van der Linde and son Brandon Hills are also all factors for definite consideration on the quick, tight, and challenging confines of the Mpumalanga Red Star racetrack.
Rated on variety alone, the Car Care Clinic 111 GTs Sports and Saloons will entertain. But the racing there is always good. The GT Class sees 111 veteran Lenard Archer and ex-Production racer Dawie Olivier out in a pair of hot BMWs against exotica like Phillip Meyer in his Porsche 924 GTR and Johan van der Vyver’s Subaru. They all face a gang of Volkswagens including Louis Scholtz and George Economides’ turbo Golf 1s, Jandre Bezuidenhout in a Supercup, and a horde of Polos, Golfs, Hondas, Opels and Porsches in the smaller classes.
Karel Stols should arrive at Red Star as the Superhatch favourite in his Toyota Etios. Expect his biggest challenge to come from Francis Aldrich’s Corsa, Mark du Toit and Jenny Henning’s Civics and Quintus Viljoen’s Polo. Class B will see Christiaan van Wyk’s Figo fight it out with George Aldrich’s Peugeot, Civic trio Jono du Toit, Ish Baloyi and Seten Naidoo, and Steve Mearns and Andre de Lange’s Golfs.
With practice Friday, qualifying early and racing from 10 am Saturday, the racing is set to entertain all day long. Buy tickets at the gate to enjoy some great Gauteng championship racing 21 October. See you at Red Star Raceway!
Issued on behalf of Extreme Festival
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