Extreme Festival serves-up thrilling season opener at Killarney

The 2022 Extreme Festival series kicked off in style at the Western Cape Killarney circuit on Saturday, with a large, enthusiastic crowd treated to a full programme of spectacular motorsport.

Top billing went to the Global Touring Car category, where defending champion, Robert Wolk (Chemical Logistics Toyota Corolla), won the first race from Daniel Rowe (Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTI), Bradley Liebenberg (Hype Sparco Audi S3), Michael van Rooyen (Gazoo Toyota Corolla), Mandla Mdakane (Gazoo Toyota Corolla) and Julian van der Watt (AutoZone Ford Focus).

Race two, started from an inverted grid, was red-flagged when Liebenberg’s Audi got tagged, spun and was solidly collected by the Toyotas of Saood Variawa and Mdakane.

After the restart, Julian van der Watt took his Focus to victory, closely followed by Wolk, Rowe, Andrew Rackstraw (RDSA Audi S3), a recovered Variawa and Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTI). After various protests re driver conduct, the GTC results are provisional.

Keagan Masters (Motul SupaPolo) won the opening SupaCup race, chased to the flag by Jeffrey Kruger (Universal SupaPolo), Leyton Fourie (Express Hire SupaPolo) and Keegan Campos (Turn 1 SupaPolo).

The race produced the day’s biggest crash when the vehicles of Nathan Hammond, Andre’ Bezuidenhout and Sam Hammond came together at some 140 km/h, causing Nathan’s car to barrel-roll.

He was not injured, but the SupaPolo went to that final pit stop in the sky. Kruger won race two, marginally ahead of Fourie, Masters and Campos.

The first CompCare PoloCup heat went to Tate Bishop (Angri Polo), closely folloed by Jurie Swart (Bullion Polo) and Giordano Lupini (Bullion Polo). 

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Swart won race two from Dawie van der Merwe (Universal Polo) and Charl Visser (Universal Polo). Bishop won again the third time out, leading home Swart and Lupini.

Jonathan du Toit took his new Lamborghini Huracan to a convincing win in the first G&H Transport Extreme Supercar race, followed by Charl Arangies (Stradale Nissan GT-R) and Dayne Angel (Autohaus Angel Ferrari 488).

Pre-event favourite Franco Scribante (Porsche 911) dropped out with electronic maladies on the warm-up lap. Scribante charged back in race two though, winning ahead of Du Toit, and Arangies. The Porsche driver also scored the day’s final win from Du Toit and Angel.

Brothers Gerald and Antwan Geldenhuys, both in Abacus Mygales, finished first and second in the opening Investchem F1600 race, leading home Nicholas van Weely (Magnificent Paints Van Diemen).

Race two went to Josh le Roux (RDSA Formula 1600), followed by Antwan Geldenhuis and Troy Dolinschek (RBR Mygale).

Capetonians Trevor Westman (Wayward ZX10) and Ronald Slamet (Vaultmarkets ZX10) swapped the first and second places in the respective SunBet ZX10 Masters race, both times ahead of David Enticott (Kawasaki ZX10).

Ashley Oldfield won both the inaugural Toyota Gazoo Racing Cup races from Deon Joubert and Thomas Falkiner.

The next round of the 2022 National Extreme Festival will be at at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on 23 April.