Championship’s second coast visit gave the Friendly City crowd more action than it could have hoped for.
Brilliant racing and a large crowd braving extremely windy conditions typified round three of this year’s National Extreme Festival Presented by Coca-Cola at the Aldo Scribante circuit outside Gqeberha on Saturday.
Touring Cars
Top billing belonged to the South African Touring Car category, with the rear-wheel drive two-litre turbocharged brigade racing on their own.
Keegan Campos (Campos Trucking BMW 128ti) led race one from lights to finish line, chased by Michael van Rooyen (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla), Julien van der Watt (Chemical Logistics Volkswagen Golf GTI) and Saood Variawa (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla).
Jagger Robertson (Sparco Volkswagen Golf GTI) finished fifth ahead of Nathi Msimanga (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla).
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DNF’s was recorded by Andrew Schofield, who was forced to stop on the final lap with mechanical maladies in his Safair BMW 128ti, and the Toyota Corolla of Syabonga Mankonkwane.
Race two saw a lot of robust action, after which Variawa took the victory ahead of van Rooyen, Campos, Msimanga, Schofield, Mankonkwane, Robertson and van der Watt.
With a number of protests still pending, the results are provisional.
SupaCup
Championship leader Tate Bishop (Angri Volkswagen SupaPolo took the opening SupaCup race from defending champion Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Motorsport SupaPolo), Muhammad Wally (Volkswagen SupaPolo), Charl Visser (Charl Engineering Volkswagen SupaPolo and Jason Loosemore (Astron Energy Volkswagen SupaPolo).
Bishop finished a perfect weekend by winning race two as well, leading home Visser, Mogotsi, Wally and Nicolas Vostanis (Volkswagen SupaPolo).
Polo Cup
The first Astron Energy Polo Cup race was red-flagged after one lap when the Charl Engineering Polo of Kyle Visser crashed in the esses.
At the restart, pole sitter Mohammed Karodia (Fast 5) jumped into the lead and he stayed there, leading home Charl Smalberger (Sabertek), Roshaan Goodman (Upward Spiral) and Hannes Scheepers (Dainfern Dental).
Wayne Masters (Performance Masters) took the Masters category from Derick Smalberger (Sabertek), John Kruger (Habot Lubricants) and Mike Barbaglia,
Karodia ended a perfect weekend by taking the second heat as well, followed by Judd Bertholdt (Rookie Cup), Smalberger and Goodman.
John Kruger took the Masters category ahead of Masters, Barbaglia and Smalberger.
Two-wheels
Multiple former Superbike champion Clinton Seller (King Price Extreme) had to start the Sunbet Kawasaki ZX10 Masters Cup races from the back of the grid after failing to visit the scrutineering bay following Friday’s qualifying session.
He was not fazed and blasted through the race one field to win from Damion Purificati (Amulgum Welding), Graeme van Breda (Stefanutti Stocks) and Jayson Lamb (Tyremart).
He also set the day’s quickest two-wheeler lap time of one minute 02.43 seconds.
Seller won race two as well, followed by van Breda, Lamb, David Enticott (ZX10) and Purificati.
Volkswagen Rookie Cup
The opening Volkswagen Rookie Cup race went to Josh Moore, ahead of Uzair Khan, Luke Hill and Mauro Da Luz.
Christopher Tait took race two, leading Khan, Moore and da Luz.
GR Cup
The opening Toyota GR Cup race in the GR86 class went to Jason Coetzee ahead of Mbuso Ngwenya, Justin Rogers and Brandon van der Nest.
Veteran Mario da Sousa won the GR Corolla category ahead of Werner Venter, Andries de Villiers (Corolla) and Rudi Boonzaaier.
Coetzee won the second GR86 race as well, followed by Ngwenya, Rogers and Kent Swartz.
The same applied to da Sousa, who took race two ahead of GR Academy driving instructor Paul de Vos, Venter and Riaan de Ru.
The opening GR Yaris event, in the new eight-speed automatic models, went to championship leader Nabil Abdool (SuperSport) from Phuti Mpyane (TimesLive), Kyle Kock (CAR Magazine) and and Lawrence Minnie (AutoTrader).
A fraught second race two Abdool take victory in race two ahead of Kock, Mpayane and Minnie.
Zwartkops next
The next round of the National Extreme Festival Presented by Coca-Cola will take place at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday, 21 June.
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