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By Andre De Kock

Motorsport Correspondent


Regional Extreme Festival preparing for final match at Zwartkops

Series' first visit to the Pretoria North circuit will draw the line under the 2024 track racing events.


The final round of this year’s Regional Extreme Festival will take place at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday, with five categories taking to the tarmac.

Track full of BMWs

Heading up proceedings with 36 entries will be two races for the BMW ///M Performance Parts brigade.

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Pre-event winning favourites should include Leon Loubser (335i), Bob Neill (M3 Turbo), overall championship leader Renier Smith (M3 Turbo), Oz Biagioni (320i), Nek Makris (335i) and Andreas Meier (318i STC).

111 GT and Saloons

The Ferro Energia 111/GT Sport and Saloon Car category should see podium chasers like Dawie Olivier (BMW 325i), George Economides (Volkswagen CitiGolf Turbo), Phillip Meyer (Porsche 924), Wayne Lebotschy (Volkswagen Golf) and Lucas Bezuidenhout (Lexus IS 200),

Regional Extreme Festival season finale preview
Wouter Roos (Volkswagen Polo) will start Saturday’s Ferro Energia 111/GT Sports and Saloon Car races with the narrowest of possible overall championship lead. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.

Not be discounted will be Mark du Toit (BMW 118i), Lenard Archer (Hyundai Getz) and Wayne Robb (Ford Focus ST).

Meanwhile, teammates Wouter Roos (Volkswagen Polo) and Melanie Spurr (Volkswagen Golf GTi) will fight for the overall championship, separated by a single point on the log.

Polo onslaught

Leading the biggest charge will be PABAR VW Challenge contested by no less than 35 entrants.

Regional Extreme Festival season finale preview
The 35 strong PABAR VW Challenge pack should again provide ultra-close racing and brilliant spectacle. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.

Fighting for victory will be Wayne Masters ,Bevin Masters, Miguel Dias, Dean Ross ,Bjorn Bertholdt, Mike Baraglia, Jayden Goosen and Giullio Airoga.

Stuart Mack will go to Zwartkops as the overall title leader.

Single-seaters

Regional Extreme Festival season finale preview
The DOE CIM Lubricants Formula Vee races always provide slip-streaming battles at Zwartkops, and Saturday’s races should be no exception. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.

Peter Hills (Rhema), Lendl Jansen (Rhema), Blane de Meillon (Rhema), Brandon Hills (Rhema), Shaun van der Linde (Rhema), Kyle Watt (Rhema), Klinton Kane (Rhema) and Jaco Smit (Forza) should be the drivers to watch in the DOE CIM Lubricants Formula Vee races.

Supercars

Regional Extreme Festival season finale preview
Julian Familiaris (Chevrolet Corvette) will be the Mobil 1 V8 Supercar title favourite at Zwartkops. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.

Julian Familiaris (Chevrolet Corvette), Franco di Matteo (Jaguar XK8), Warren Lombard (Ford Mustang), Thomas Reib (Chevrolet Lumina), Terry Wilford (Ford Mustang) and Ben Morgenrood (Ford Mustang) should all fight for podium places in the Mobil 1 V8 Supercar races.

How much and when?

The Zwartkops gates will be open from 07h00, with qualifying sessions for all the categories. Racing proper will commence at 10h00.

Admission will cost R130 per adult and R90 per student, with kids under the age of 12 going in for free.

Everybody is welcome to visit the pits on foot and the circuit’s Mini Moke trains will run between the pit gate and spectator areas throughout the day. Food and drink will be on sale or you may take your own.

There will be live music, and kiddies’ entertainment will include balloon artists, stilt walkers, clowns, pedal karts and jumping castles. You could also go for a passenger drifting ride on the skidpan.

For more information, call the Zwartkops office at 012 384 2299 or visit www.zwartkops.co.za.

NOW READ: Regional Extreme Festival melts away the winter cold at Zwartkops

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