Regional Extreme Festival ends year on a wet note

Almost non-stop rain failed to dampen spirits during the final 2022 Regional Extreme Festival round at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday.

Top billing belonged to the Mobil 1 V8 Supercar brigade. Thomas Reib (Mobil 1 Chevrolet Lumina) took the first race from Terry Wilford (Fuchs Ford Mustang) and Franco di Matteo (Laude Jaguar XK8).

Wilford won race two, leading home Warren Lombard (Pepboys Ford Falcon) and Julian Familiaris (Lube-Net Chevrolet Corvette). Familiaris won the day’s final heat, ahead of Lombard and Di Matteo.

William Einkamerer (BTAS BMW 335i) won the initial BMW M Performance race, followed by Thomas Potgieter (Stone Hill BMW M4) and Lorenzo Gualtieri (SavSpeed BMW 328i). Leon Loubser (Bid Wheels BMW 335i) won race two from Einkamerer and Carlo Gambini (Kimbo Coffee BMW 330i).

Veteran Peter Hills (Mangaza Rhema) won the opening DOE Formula Vee race to clinch the year’s title. He was followed over the line by Jaco Schriks (Cubed Rhema) and Brandon Hills (Mangaza Rhema).

Gert van den Berg (DOE Rhema) won race two, followed by Peter Hills and Brandon Hills (Mangaza Rhema).

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Thomas Falkiner (Adaptive Resource Taylon) clinched the year’s Lotus Challenge title by winning the category’s opening race from Jeffrey Kruger (Design Hut Birkin) and Mackie Adlem (Adlem Auto Birkin). Falkiner won race two as well, followed by Adlem and Kruger.

Bevin Masters (CPS Polo) won both the PABAR VW Challenge heats from Wayne Masters (Performance Masters Polo), with Rory Atkinson (BHIT Polo) and Mike Barbaglia (PABAR Polo) taking turns in the respective third places.

The first race produced a huge shunt when Waldie Meintjies (VW Polo) slid off on to the wet grass before Turn 4, regained the track and was solidly T-boned by Dewald Theron (Interceptor Polo). Both drivers were unharmed but their cars took that last pit stop in the sky.

Karel Stolts (Pta Noord Toyota Etios) won both the Car Care Clinic Super Hatch races from Louis Scholtz (Car Care Clinic Honda Civic) and Andre’ Dannhauser (Pro Auto Rubber Opel Corsa). The results were enough to net Dannhauser the championship.

The day’s biggest crash happened in the opening Car Care Clinic 111 race when Mark Harvey (Adapt Porsche 924), Mark du Toit (TAR BMW Z4) and Andre’ de Lange (Roofsure Ford Focus) came together in the scary-fast Turn 4. The BMW and Porsche slammed into the tyre wall, while the Focus rolled.

The race was stopped with Louis Scholtz (Car Care Clinic Volkswagen Golf GTI) the winner ahead of Phillip Meyer (Pple Porsche 924) and Bob Neill (Delmont Ford Focus). Scholtz won race two ahead of Meyer and JP van der Walt (Audi RS4).

Dirk Lawrence (JDM Honda Ballade) won the first On Track Clubmans race ahead of Richard Beningfield (RWB 400) and Gerald Wright (Sports 2000). Beningfield won race two from Wright and Lawrence.

The opening Silver Cup heat went to Andre’ de Lange (Roofsure Focus), leading home Paul van Niekerk (Dub Volkswagen Golf) and Karel Stoltz (Rotrix Mazda RX-7).

Wayne Pereira (Grange Golf Mk1) won the next time, ahead of Freek Blignaut (Mitspro Mazda 323) and Van Niekerk.

More information on the Regional Extreme Festival season can be viewed here.