Kyalami shows its teeth to National and Regional Extreme Festivals

The Extreme Festival competitors always regard their once per year visit to the Kyalami Grand Prix as a highlight of the season.

Saturday was no exception, when the venue hosted both National and Regional Extreme Festival Presented by Coca-Cola events, with a total of 20 races on the menu.

National Extreme Festival

Touring Cars

Top billing belonged to the South African Touring Car category, where Saood Variawa returned to take the day’s opening race in his Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla.

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He was chased to the line by Michael van Rooyen (SVR Steelworks Toyota Corolla), Jagger Robertson (Sparco Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI) and Julian van der Watt (Chemical Logistics Volkswagen Golf GTI).

Series newcomer, Keegan Campos (Campos Transport BMW 128ti), won race two from Robertson, Variawa and van der Watt.

SupaCup

Behind them, reigning champion Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Motorsport SupaPolo), won the SupaCup category ahead of Charl Michael Visser (Charl Engineering Volkswagen SupaPolo), Tate Bishop (Angri Volkswagen SupaPolo) and Dylan Pragji (Stylin Auto Volkswagen SupaPolo).

Mogotsi won the SupaCup class again, followed by Bishop, Charl Visser and lady racer Karah Hill (Kalex Volkswagen SupaPolo).

Extreme Supercars

The day’s quickest event, the Dunlop Extreme Supercars, saw race one going to Bradley Liebenberg (TurnMeOn Audi R8 LMS), closely followed by Ryan Naicker (Mercedes-AMG GT3), Jonathan du Toit (TAR Lamborghini Huracan GT3) and Damian Hammond (Lamborghini Super Trofeo).

Du Toit won race two ahead of Naicker, Kris Budnik (Bucketlist Dodge Viper) and Hammond.

Polo Cup

Lady racer Tyler Robinson drove brilliantly to win the opening Astron Energy Polo Cup race in her AF Fans Polo.

She was pursued by Ethan Coetzee (Ethan Racing), Anthony Lessing (Insurisk) and Rory Atkinson (Industry Petroleum).

Race two went to Mohammed Karodia (Fast 5), ahead of Coetzee, Shiren Rajpaul (Dubcorp Service) and Hannes Scheepers (Dainfern Dental).

Toyota GR Cup

SuperSport’s Nabil Abdool took the overall first Gazoo Racing Cup in addition to coming out in the media section using the GR Yaris.

He was followed by three GR86 competing in the GR Academy driven by Kent Swartz, Khanya Ngganya and Jason Coetzee.

Former Group N driver Mario de Sousa took the overall victory in the second race in the GR Corolla piloted this year by select Toyota GR dealers.

He finished ahead of Abdool, Coetzee and Ngganya.

Regional Extreme Festival

Formula Vee

The first DOE Formula Vee partnered with CIM Lubri Fuel race was red-flagged on the opening lap, after the Mangaza MXTwo of MD Bester touched wheels with another car in the first series of corners, sending it rolling and skidding through  the sand trap upside down.

Bester was not injured, but the race was abandoned.

Race two saw defending champion Lendl Jansen (Bull Security Rhema) win from Kyle Watt (Mangaza Rhema), Peter Hills (Mangaza Rhema) and Gert van den Berg (DOE Parts Rhema).

111 Sports and GTs

The first race for 111 Sports and Saloon Cars went to George Economides (Wealth Avenue Volkswagen CitiGolf Turbo), followed by Mark du Toit (TAR BMW Z4), Phillip Meyer (Swiss Hotel School Porsche 924) and Wouter Roos (Origen Oil Volkswagen Golf GTI). 

In race two, Economides and du Toit filled the top two places again, this time followed by Wayne Robb (Ford Focus ST) and Jonathan Visser (Auto Express Volkswagen Polo).

BMW M Performance

The opening BMW///M Performance Parts race for classes A, B and C went to Ryan Naicker (Fast Development M3) leading home Sav Gualtieri (SavSpeed M3 Turbo), Leon Loubser (Monaco Motors 335i) and Renier Smith (Fast Development M3 Turbo).

The race had to halted a lap early, after the Steton Investments M3 Turbo of Stefan Snyders blew its engine and left a massive oil slick on the track.

Naicker won race two as well, chased to the flag by Gualtieri, Loubser and Smith.

Dewald Smith (Amtek M3 Turbo) took the first class D, E and F race, ahead of Andre van Vuuren (Curvent 325 Turbo), Paulo Cavalieri (Pablo Clark 330i Turbo) and Michael Grobler (Pest Control 328i Turbo).

The second race saw the Hei-Jo Trans BMW 328i of Johan Miller catch fire and stop next to the circuit.

The fire was put out by the ever efficient Kyalami marshalls, while the rest of the field went around behind the Safety Car.

After hostilities resumed, Bernard de Gouveia (De Gouveia Accountants M3) won, followed by Grobler, Olerato Sekudu (Rampage M3) and Craig Herbst (The Blue Store 335i).

V8 Supercars

Warren Lombard (Pepboys Automotive Ford Mustang) took the opening Dunlop V8 Supercar race from Thomas Reib (Café 9 Chevrolet Lumina), Ben Morgenrood (Morgenrood Auto Ford Mustang) and Richard Fuller (Potaround Ford Falcon).

Race two, started from an inverted grid, saw Reib win, followed by Morgenrood, Lombard and Fuller.

Volkswagen Challenge

The opening ATE VW Challenge race was taken by Wayne Masters (Performance Masters), leading home Jayden Goosen (Ferro Energia), Ian Walker (Melow Velo) and Mike Barbaglia (Pabar Polo).

Race two saw a mirror-image of race one’s results, with Masters, Goosen, Walker and Barbaglia in the top four places.

Up next

The next Extreme Festival round will be held at the Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, April 17.

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