Stephen shows his class

The 2018 Extreme Festival entertained a large Western Cape crowd at the Killarney race circuit last Saturday, with close competition and spectacle the name of the game.

Top billing for the day belonged to the Sasol Global Touring Car contingent, with reigning South African champion Michael Stephen leading the opening race from start to finish in his Engen Audi.

He was followed over the finish line by Simon Moss (Engen Audi), Michael van Rooyen (RSC BMW), Daniel Rowe (VW Motorsport Jetta), Johan Fourie (EPS Couriers BMW) and Mathew Hodges (VW Motorsport Jetta).

Top title contender Gennaro Bonafede (Sasol BMW) had to be content with the seventh place after getting tapped and spinning his car at high speed.

Starting from an inverted grid, Stephen and Moss worked their way through the field to finish first and second again in race two.

They led home Bonafede, Fourie, Van Rooyen and Rowe. Keagan Masters (VW Motorsport Golf GTI) won the first GTC2 race from Trevor Bland (Universal Health Golf GTI), Adrian Wood (Kyovera Golf GTI) and Devin Robertson (Champion Mini JCW). Masters won the next race too, ahead of Wood, Bland and Robertson.

Charl Smalberger fought for the lead both times but was penalized twice – firstly for being underweight and secondly for jumping the start.

In the opening Engen Polo Cup heat, Tasmin Pepper (Electric Life Polo) showed the men how it’s done, leading home Jason Campos (Turn 1 Insurance Polo), Jeffrey Kruger (Universal Health Polo), Keegan Campos (Campos Transport Polo) and Clinton Bezuidenhout (Glyco Engines Polo).

Kruger won the next time around, followed by Pepper, Jason Campos, Keegan Campos and Bezuidenhout.

Stuart White (Fantastic Mygale) won the first race for Investchem Formula 1600 single seater cars from Scott Temple (Road to Race Mygale) and Andrew Rackstraw (Investchem Mygale).

Temple won the next time out, ahead of Nicholas vanWeely (Magnificent Paints Van Diemen) and Joshua Dolinschek (Makita Tools Mygale). Sven Grune (Kawasaki ZX10R) took the opening Red Square Kawasaki Masters race, leading home Rob Cragg (Kawasaki ZX10R) and Graeme van Breda (Stefanutti ZX10R). Van Breda bounced back to win race two from Cragg and Grune.

Local hero Dawie Joubert took his Lotus Exige Honda Turbo to victory in both races for Pirelli Sports and GT Cars, chased to the line by Steve Humble (Harp Mallock Opel). Clinton Thorne (Fulloutput Birkin 7 Toyota) and Mike Verier (Rico Barlow Shelby CanAm) took turns in the respective third places.

Nicholas Grobler (GME Yamaha R1) set the day’s overall quickest lap time of one minute 11,49 seconds en route to winning the opening Bridgestone Thunderbike race from Lance Isaacs (Supabets BMW S1000R and Bernard Haupt (Fueled TCF Yamaha R1). Grobler crashed out of race two, after which Isaacs took the victory from Haupt and Hendrik de Bruin (NETCB Yamaha R1).

Shane du Toit (S&S Meat VW Golf Turbo) won the opening race for Mike’s Place Clubman Saloon Cars, followed by Danie van Niekerk (Wingfield BMW 325) and Jurie Swart (Alpine Autohaus Nissan Skyline).

Van Niekerk won the next time around, leading home Du Toit and Jesse Hugget (Weskaap Bakwerke VW Jetta). The final round of this year’s Extreme Festival series will be held at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday, October 20.

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