The Extreme Festival tour for 2026 will start this coming weekend (6-7 March) at Zwartkops Raceway, with the regional roster eager to deliver with big fields and action-packed racing.
Opening Saturday’s packed programme will be the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series, the only series for which this will not be the season opener, having already featured on the recent 25th Passion For Speed. Although the past few years have seen grids split into two for this series, 2026 introduced two standalone championships: the Turbo Cup and NA Cup.
The Turbo Cup will be up first this weekend. In Class A, it is Andre Pommersheim (BMW E46 M3 Turbo) who holds the advantage, but he will be challenged by the likes of Leon Loubser (Monaco Motors BMW E92 M3 Turbo) and Sav Gualtieri (SavSpeed Auto BMW F30 340i Turbo). Class B sees the last combined series champion, Renier Smith (BMW E36 M3 Turbo), heading up the field, with Lenard Archer (ACD Welkom BMW E90 335i Turbo) being his primary rival. Oz Biagioni (Sky Blue Cyber Security BMW E46 330i Turbo) heads up Class C, as well as the Turbo Cup, but will face competition from the likes of Anand Naidu (SA Auto Tech BMW F80 M3 Turbo). Craig Herbst (The Blue Store BMW E92 335i Turbo) and Johan Miller (Hei-Jo Transport BMW E36 325i Turbo) are set to continue their Class D battle.
Bernard de Gouveia (De Gouveia Accountants BMW E46 M3) heads up Class B in the NA Cup from the opening round’s race winners, Andre van Vuuren (Curvent International BMW E26 M3) and Oleratu Sekudu (RamPage Racing BMW E36 M3). Class C and NA Cup points leader Ignus du Plessis is a notable omission from the current entry list, which could see Nicholas Herbst (The Blue Store BMW E90 330i) and Kent Swarts (AutoZone BMW E46 330i) capitalising. Ruan van der Walt (RJ Pack Solutions BMW E36 328i) heads up Class D, with Reinhardt Miller (Mosco Specialised Contractors BMW E30 328i) also in contention. Currently, no drivers have broken into Class A, although this may change over the weekend.
The ATE VW Challenge is set for a shake-up in Class A this weekend. Stuart Mack (AutoZone Volkswagen Polo) and Christopher Tait (King Price Xteme Volkswagen Polo) have moved into this class, while another young star, Josh Moore (Worx Volkswagen Polo), will also form part of the line-up. Jonathan Konig (Northern Bolt & Tool Volkswagen Polo) and Chris Davison (Generator Services Inc Volkswagen Polo) will be two of the Class B regulars to watch for. The defending Series champion, Adriaan de Beer (Ukwazi Engineering Volkswagen Polo), will look to set the pace early in Class C, which will also see regular campaigners such as Philip Croeser (ATE Volkswagen Polo).
While a host of drivers are yet to enter the DOE Formula Vee Partnered with CIM Lubricants championship, some of the likely early contenders will include Gert van der Berg (DOE Quality Parts Rhema 2), Theodore Vermaak (DOE Quality Parts Forza), and Jaco Schriks (Cube Coatings Rhema 2).
The season opener will also see the 111 & GT Sports & Saloons field split into two separate grids, however, this is not the only major news from the series. The new season sees Digit FMS joining the series as the new naming rights partner.
The GT Sports & Saloons field will feature two classes. Class A will see Jared Rossouw (AXON/ Sparx Volkswagen Polo) and Lenard Archer (ACD Welkom BMW E90 335i) as two of the early frontrunners. Defending Series champion Wouter Roos (Origen Oil Volkswagen Golf) and Jonathan Visser (WIX Filters Volkswagen Polo) will be two of the drivers to watch for in Class B.
The 111 Sports & Saloons field will see a host of regulars returning to the grid. In Class A, Lucas Bezuidenhout (Pretoria Noord Toyota Lexus IS250) and Melanie Spurr (Origen Oil Volkswagen Golf) will be some of the drivers to watch for. Wayne Lebotschy (Shield Volkswagen Golf) and Keegan Nathan (Nathan’s Motorsport Volkswagen Polo) will be among the early contenders in Class B. Louis Scholtz (Car Car Clinic Honda Civic) and Rob Clark (Container Force Self Storage Honda Ballade) will be two of the early contenders in Class C.
With 29 cars on this grid around a circuit capped at 42 by Motorsport South Africa, the host of new driver/car combinations, better known as Class X, will compete separately. Joshua du Toit (Trans Africa Racing Honda Civic) and Charles Fowlds (0861clearview.co.za Subaru WRX) will be just two of the drivers to watch for.
The Dunlop V8 Supercars series will again be one of the biggest crowd attractions. Warren Lombard (Pepboys Automotive Ford Mustang) and Thomas Reib (Café 9 Automotive Chevrolet Corvette) will look to resume their fierce rivalry from 2025, with Franco Di Matteo (Di Matteo Racing Ford Mustang) making a welcome return after an extensive absence.
The SuperHatch field will also start the season as a standalone series again, having done so in last year’s season finale as well, after a long period of joining forces with the 111 & GT Sports & Saloons grid.
Mark du Toit (Trans Africa Racing BMW 116i) and Joshua du Toit (Trans Africa Racing Honda Civic) will look to dominate Class A early on. Arthur Thorne (Volkswagen Polo) and Hendrik Venter (4J’s Auto Opel Corsa) in Class T1, and George Aldrich (Aldrich Racing Peugeot 206 GTI) and Keithin Meintjies (TRC Truck Repair Centre Renault Sandero) in Class T2, will also be looking for an early advantage.
Saturday’s 16-race programme is set to commence at 10:35. Spectator tickets can be purchased at the gate, and all races will be broadcast live on the Extreme Festival website.