Michael van Rooyen (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla) led Saturday's second Global Touring Car race from beginning to end. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
A large crowd, spectacular action and ultra-close racing typified Saturday’s National Extreme Festival meeting at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria.
Heading up the show were two South African Championship Global Touring Car races, with 16 cars assembled on the grid.
Defending champion Robert Wolk (Chemical Logistics Toyota Corolla) led the opening race but was punted into the Zwartkops flora early on.
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After a protest hearing by race officials that ran into late Saturday evening, Nathi Msimanga (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla) was declared the winner ahead of Wolk, Michael van Rooyen (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla) and initial race winner Saood Variawa (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla), who judged to have tapped Wolk into the spin.
Van Rooyen grabbed the race two lead and he was never headed, crossing the line ahead of Wolk, Variawa, Msimanga and Josh le Roux (Sparco Audi S3).
The first SupaCup race went to Bradley Liebenberg (Hype Energy SupaPolo), leading home Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Motorsport SupaPolo), Arnold Neveling (GOSCOR SupaPolo), Keegan Campos (Veloci SupaPolo) and Dominic Dias (Chemi SupaPolo).
Liebenberg won race two as well, leading home Neveling, Mogotsi, Campos and Dias.
Franco Scribante (Scribante Porsche 911 RSR) won the first G&H Transport Extreme Supercar race from Jonathan du Toit (TAR Lamborghini Huracan ), Gianni Giannoccaro (CISC Nissan GT-R), Kris Budnik (Bucketlist Dodge Viper) and Mark du Toit (TAR Audi R8).
Scribante won again in race two, chased to the flag by a hard charging Jonathan du Toit, Giannoccaro, Budnik and Mark du Toit. In the process, he also set the quickest time of the day at 59.183 seconds.
The third race was a different story for Scribante as two laps from the end, the Porsche burst into flames when the exhaust, which had been repaired after the second race, broke.
He stopped at a marshals’ point and abandoned the car in a hurry, while the race was red-flagged. That left Jonathan du Toit to win with Scribante officially second, ahead of Giannoccaro, Budnik and Mark du Toit.
The first CompCare Polo Cup race went to Anthony Pretorius (Fast Development Polo), ahead of Dawie van der Merwe (Nathan’s Polo), Giordano Lupini (Torkcraft Polo), Charl Visser (Universal Polo) and Nathan Victor (Summit Polo).
Visser took race two from van der Merwe, Lupini, Victor and Farhaan Basha (QV Polo). Lupini won the third time, ahead of Visser, van der Merwe, Pretorius and Basha.
Troy Dolinschek (Sujean Mygale) led the first InvestChem F1600 race from start to finish, followed by Nicholas van Weely (Magnificent Paint Van Diemen), Jason Coetzee (Mint Mygale), Siyabonga Mankonkwana (Investchem Mygale) and Gerard Geldenhuys (Abacus Mygale).
Dolinschek won race two as well, this time beating off the attentions of Coetzee, van Weely, Ensor Smith (Vitro Mygale) and Antwan Geldenhuys (Abacus Mygale).
Saeed Variawa won the first Gazoo Racing Yaris League race from lady racer Karah Hill and Taariq Adam. Nikki Vostaris took race two from Variawa and Hill.
In a dominate display, Setshaba Mashigo won both the GR86 League races, followed in race one by Dennis Droppa and Chad Luckhoff. In race two, Luckhoff and The Citizen’s Road Test editor Mark Jones filled the other podium places.
The next event at Zwartkops will be a round of the Regional Extreme Festival, on Saturday, 24 June.
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