On Saturday, 8 June, Zwartkops Raceway will be painted black and yellow. Dunlop Tyres South Africa, the leading tyre manufacturer in local motorsport, has been announced as the naming rights partner for the upcoming Extreme Festival.
The Dunlop Winter Extreme Festival will showcase the full regional tour roster competing in pre-winter break rounds. The categories on the programme include the Mobil 1 V8 Supercars, Ferro Energia 111/GT Sports & Saloons, SuperHatch, PABAR VW Challenge, BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series, and DOE Formula Vee partnered with CIM Lubricants, all of which promise to keep you on the edge of your seat. The latter four of these are Dunlop-shod, with the manufacturer also supplying tyres to six categories forming part of the national tour, for which the next outing will be in Gqeberha at the end of June.
ATS Motorsport, Dunlop Tyres South Africa’s fitment partner and a leading supplier of various motorsport performance and safety accessories, will join Dunlop Tyres South Africa in this venture.
However, the festivities aimed at providing the fans with a maximum dose of entertainment will not stop with what will be offered on the arena-style circuit. The event will also see a host of charities, to be announced at a later stage, benefitting from hot laps around the circuit in some of South Africa’s fastest Dunlop-tyred race cars. A food, blanket, and jacket drive in aid of these charities will also form part of the proceedings, Hot laps will also be available to some fortunate spectators, with more details regarding this to be announced via the Extreme Festival, Dunlop Tyres South Africa, and ATS Motorsport social media channels.
Off-track activities will also include a children’s ice rink, drifting passenger rides, simulators, pedal karts, balloon artists, face painting, stilt walkers, merchandise displays, and a 360 photo booth. Various food and drink stalls and a beer garden will keep the spectators fuelled up, while live music and a DJ ensure the festivities continue till after the final checkered flag of the day. To bring the fans closer to their favourite cars and drivers, Extreme Festival events also have an open pit policy. With grass embankments around the circuit offering views of all the action, Zwartkops Raceway is also a good venue to bring friends and family along for an enjoyable day next to the fire. Spectators will also be allowed to bring in their own food and drinks, making it a truly inclusive and enjoyable experience for all.
Joanne de Freitas, PR & Events Manager for Dunlop Tyres South Africa, anticipates the event will succeed in delivering entertainment for everyone. “In the last decade, Dunlop Tyres has solidified its footprint in South African motorsport. Apart from the categories on the Extreme Festival tour, we also partner with a host of other circuit and offroad championships. It is incredible to look back on 2023 with the knowledge that most of the champions crowned used Dunlop tyres. South African motorsport has contributed hugely to our success; therefore, it is time for us to give back to those who made this possible. There is no better way to do so than to drive fan experience to the next level, and we are confident that the planned programme of events will make this one of 2024’s most successful events.”
ATS Motorsport Sales & Marketing Director, Heinz Böse, is equally excited about the upcoming Dunlop Winter Extreme Festival. “We already know that we will fit quite a lot of tyres on the weekend, but our team always does this with a smile, as there is no greater satisfaction for us than seeing this star-studded cast of competitors enjoying what they love doing while utilising the optimum in performance and safety engineering. What’s the one thing that can top that? Looking at a sizeable crowd being entertained both on and off the circuit. We believe the Dunlop Winter Extreme Festival will deliver in that aspect.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Zwartkops International World of Motoring and General Manager of the Extreme Festival tour, Tanya Human, appreciates everyone who has helped make this event possible and invites all motorsport fans to come and enjoy the day. “As venue and tour, our efforts are constantly driven by the goal of exceeding our previous efforts. This year alone, we have implemented a host of new strategies to combine passion from our stakeholders with entertainment for the spectators and package it into something beneficial for our partners. We are confident that, along with our event partners, we have pulled out all the stops to make Saturday, 8 June, a day for everyone to enjoy.”
Spectator tickets for the Dunlop Winter Extreme Festival will be available at the Zwartkops Raceway entrance gate on Saturday, 8 June, and can be purchased beforehand by contacting info@zwartkops.co.za. Tickets are available at R130 per adult, R90 per student, and children under 12 will get in for free. In addition, the entire race day will be broadcast live on https://extremefestival.co.za/live/.