Read more
The two BMW/// Performance Parts race went to Leon Loubser (Monaco Motors 335i) and Bob Neill (Delmon Mining M3), respectively.
This year’s Coca-Cola Regional Extreme Festival kicked off its 2025 activities in fine style at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday.
Topping the programme in front of a sizeable crowd were two races for Ferro Energia 111 GT Sport and Saloon Cars.
George Economides (Wealth Avenue Volkswagen CitiGolf Turbo) won the opening race from Mark du Toit (TAR BMW Z4), Marius du Plessis (Forklift Mining Nissan Primera), Wayne Robb (Ford Focus ST), Wouter Roos (Origen Oil Volkswagen Golf GTI) and Lindsay Clur (Nathan’s Volkswagen Golf).
ALSO READ: Regional Extreme Festival fires up for Zwartkops season opener
Economides won race two from du Toit and du Plessis as well, leading home Robb, Roos and Lucas Bezuidenhout (Pta Noord Lexus IS200).
After a huge race-long dice, Jayden Goosen (Ferro Energia) took the opening ATE VW Challenge heat from Wayne Masters (Performance Master), with the two cars separated by half a second over the finish line.
Campaigned mostly by Polo and Polo Vivos, rookie Judd Bertholdt (Sizanani Plastics) took the final podium place ahead of Elna Croeser (ATE), Dean Ross (Norbrake) and Stuart Mack (AutoZone).
Goosen, Masters and Bertholdt occupied the second race podium as well, chased by Ross, Croeser and Mack.
Warren Lombard (Pepboys Automotive Ford Mustang) won the first Dunlop V8 Supercar race from veteran Ben Morgenrood (Morgenrood Auto Ford Mustang), Thomas Reib (Café 9 Chevrolet Lumina), Antonie Marx (Chervolet Lumina), Sam Dahl (ArcPro Tech Ford Falcon) and Auke Compaan (Hurricane Auto Ford Mustang).
The race ended in spectacular fashion when the Wellness Group Ford Falcon of newcomer Alan Ryan caught fire.
He stopped in the pit straight and got out, after which the ever-efficient Zwartkops marshals doused the flames.
Race two, started from an inverted grid, saw Reib snatching an early lead and hanging on to it.
He hung on to win from ahead of Lombard, Morgenrood, Dahl, Wayne Spicer (Wellness Group Jaguar XK8) and Steve Herbst (Prei Instrumentation Chevrolet Corvette).
The first BMW M/// Performance Parts race went to Bob Neill (Delmon Mining M3), followed by Leon Loubser (Monaco Motors 335i).
Loubser led the race up to the very last corner when he spun his car, but recovered to grab second place ahead of Nek Makris (335i), Fabio Fedetto (M4) Renier Smith (Fast Development M3) and Andreas Meier (#CEC 318i STC).
Race two was won by Loubser, leading home Neill, Fedetto, Meier, Smith and Salvi Gualtieri (SavSpeed 328i Turbo).
Lendl Jansen (Bull Security Rhema) took the opening DOE CIM Formula Vee race ahead of MD Bester (Mangaza Rhema), Vaughn Hills (Mangaza Rhema), Gert van der Berg (DOE Parts Rhema), Peter Hills (Mangaza Rhema) and Shaun van der Linde (Truck City Rhema).
After a brilliant six-car war at the front end, race two went to Bester, from van der Berg, Jansen, Kyle Watt (Mangaza Rhema), Vaughn Hills and Peter Hills.
The first four cars were covered by less than a second over the finish line.
The first SuperHatch race went to Lenard Archer (ACD Welkom Hyundai Getz) ahead of Tyron Pillay (TPAS Volkswagen Golf), Keegan Nathan (Nathan’s Volkswagen Polo), Mark du Toit (TAR BMW 1 Series), Melanie Spur (Origen Oil Volkswagen Polo) and Ishmael Baloyi (Honda Civic).
Pillay won race two from Spurr, Archer, Nathan, Francis Aldrich (VaporWorx Volkswagen Polo) and Christopher Gerber (Executive Auto Volkswagen Polo).
The next event at Zwartkops will be an Inland Historic Championship round on Saturday, 5 April.
ALSO READ: Regional Extreme Festival concludes 2024 circuit racing on a high
Download our app
