Excitement in the Extreme

The 2017 Extreme Festival visited Kyalami on Saturday, with a widely varied race programme providing a large crowd with an excellent spectacle, plus a new overall circuit lap record.

• The top-billed Sasol Global Touring Car races produced close finish excitement. The opening race went to Johan Fourie (EPS Couriers BMW), narrowly ahead of Mathew Hodges (VW Motorsport Jetta), Michael Stephen (Engen Xtreme Audi), Gennaro Bonafede (Sasol BMW) and Smon Moss (Engen Xtreme Audi). Race two produced a rash of retirements, leaving Stephen to win from Hodges, Daniel Rowe (VW Motorsport Jetta), Moss and Bonafede. Keagan Masters (VW Motorsport Golf GTI) took the first GTC2 heat, to clinch the year’s class championship. He led home Christopher Shorter (Champion MINI JCW) and Bradley Liebenberg (Ferodo MINI JCW). The next time out, Trevor Bland (BM Golf GTI) was followed by Liebenberg and Shorter.
• Charl Arangies took his new Stradale Aston-Martin Vantage GT3 to a comfortable victory in the first race for G&H Transport Extreme Supercars, chased by Toby Venter (Porsche 911 GT2R), Marcel Angel (Autohaus Angel Ferrari 458), Jonathan du Toit (TAR Ferrari F430) and Adrian Dalton (Xtra Clothing BMW). In the process, Arangies set a new overall Kyalami lap record of 1 minute 44.68 seconds. Arangies led race two from the start to chequered flag, leading Venter, Angel, Dalton and Du Toit.
• The first Engen Volkswagen Cup victory went to veteran Juan Gerber (Glasfit Polo), ahead of Jeffrey Kruger (Universal Health Polo) and Clinton Bezuidenhout (Glyco Polo). Darren Oates (Glasfit Polo) took race two from Gerber and Kruger.
• The opening Investchem Formula 1600 event went to Stuart White (Fantastic Duratec), leading home Wesley Vosloo (Henkel Duratec) and Cameron O’Connor (Mygale). The next time around, White won from O’Connor and already crowned 2017 champion Julian van der Watt (Investchem Mygale).
• Jaco Schriks (Cubed Coatings Rhema) won both the Hankook Formula Vee races ahead of Siyabonga Mankonkwana (Cervinia Rhema), with Peter Hills (Lube Fusion Rhema) and Luchen Ranchander (TRA Forza) taking turns in the respective third places .
• Devon Piazza Musso (Reef Supplies Polo) won the first Amada VW Challenge race from Waldie Meintjies (Lee Thompson Polo) and Wayne Crous (Delway Polo). Iain Pepper (Husqvarna Polo) won race two ahead of Meintjies and Piazza Musso.
• Old-timer George Bezuidenhout took his venerable Accolade Nissan Primera to the 111 Sport and Saloon Car race victory, just three hundreths of a second ahead of Lucas Bezuidenhout (Pta Noord Toyota Celica) and Kevin Miller (Auto Aircon Ford).
• The invitational race for AMC SAMCAR V8 Supercars went to Larry Wilford (Fuchs Ford Falcon), leading home Ben Morgenrood and Benjamin Morgenrood, both in Morgenrood Ford Mustangs.
• Reigning title holder Sven Grune (Kawasaki ZX10R) took both the Red Square Kawasaki Masters races, with Greama van Breda (IVID ZX10R) and Teddy Brookes (Brooke Refrigeration ZX10R) swapping the second and third places.
• Alex van den Berg (South Suzuki) won the opening Bridgestone Thunderbike heat ahead of Shaun Vermaak (Fourways Kawasaki) and Neil van Loggerenberg (Kawasaki).
• Dean Vos (Trolan Kawasaki) took race two from Hendrik de Bruin (RSA Yamaha) and Vermaak.
• Coen Erasmus (E Engineering Suzuki) took the Bridgestone Challenge race from Reino Kruger (Kawasaki) and Joe Herbig (MV Agusta). The final round of the 2017 Extreme Festival series will take place at the Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, November 25.