Robert Wolk (BMW 128ti) won Saturday's opening Touring Car race at the East London Grand Prix circuit (Picture: Brandspotential.
The good people of East London turned up at the city’s Grand Prix circuit in large numbers on Saturday, to be fully entertained by round five of this year’s National Extreme Festival.
The event’s premier billing belonged to two South African Touring Car races.
The opening heat was red-flagged after one lap when the Volkswagen Golf GTI of Julian van der Watt and the Toyota Corolla of Michael van Rooyen collided in the Cocabana corner, resulting in a roll for the former, fortunately without injury.
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After the restart, Robert Wolk took his BMW 128ti to a comfortable victory ahead of Anthony Pretorius (Toyota Corolla), Andrew Schofield (BMW 128ti) and Saood Variawa (Toyota Corolla).
A re-energised van Rooyen led race two from flag to flag, ahead of Nathi Mismanga (Toyota Corolla), Pretorius and Wolk.
Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen SupaPolo) won the first Super Hatch category race ahead of Bradley Liebenberg (Toyota SupaStarlet), Keegan Campos (Volkswagen SupaPolo) and Tate Bishop (Volkswagen SupaPolo).
The second heat went to Mogotsi as well, chased to the flag by Charl Visser (Volkswagen SupaPolo), Campos and Bishop.
The day’s overall quickest lap time of one minute 16.041 seconds belonged to Stuart White (Lamborghini Huracan), en-route to winning the first Dunlop Extreme Supercar race.
He finished ahead of Arnold Neveling (Audi R8 GT3), Silvio Scribante (Lamborghini Huracan) and Jonathan du Toit (Lamborghini Huracan).
White’s Lamborghini suffered rear suspension failure mid-way through the next race, leaving Neveling to win ahead of Scribante, Xolile Letlaka (Lamborghini Huracan) and Du Toit.
Jason Loosemore took the first Astron Energy Polo Cup race from Ethan Coetzee, Kyle Visser and Nathan Victor.
Coetzee won the next time out, finishing in front of Loosemore, Charl Smalberger and Tyler Robinson.
The first Investchem Formula 1600 race went to KC Ensor-Smith (Mygale), leading home Jagger Robertson (Mygale), Siyabonga Mankonkwana (Mygale) and Karabo Malemela (Mygale).
Race two saw Robertson winning, narrowly ahead of Malemela, Alex Vos (Mygale) and Ensor-Smith.
Multiple former South African Superbike champion Clinton Seller took the opening SunBet Kawasaki ZX10 Masters victory, ahead of AJ Venter, Greame van Breda and Damion Purificati.
Seller also set the day’s quickest two-wheeler lap at one minute 20.843 seconds.
Seller and Venter finished first and second again the next time out, while Purificati beat van Breda to the flag.
The next round of the National Extreme Festival will be at the Western Cape Killarney circuit on Saturday, September 21.
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