This past weekend’s (14-15 August) national Extreme Festival did more than merely entertain the sizeable crowd that packed the embankments of the Aldo Scribante Raceway, but also showcased that the passion for hosting top-class motorsport in the Eastern Cape is alive and well.
This, the fifth outing for The Tour’s national roster in 2026, already received much attention mere days after the fourth event, also hosted at the same circuit. This was because the original host venue, the East London Grand Prix Circuit, could not complete the required safety upgrade in time for the event. This necessitated a change, with the Gqeberha circuit hosting Extreme Festival events on consecutive weekends, with it also playing host to the regional roster’s 2026 coastal outing a week prior (7-8 August).
While hosted at the Algoa Motorsport Club’s (AMSC) venue, the local organising was conducted by the Border Motorsport Club (BMSC), operators of the East London Grand Prix Circuit.
An action-packed say commenced with the first of three Volkswagen Rookie Cup races. The first of these was won by Gqeberha-based young driver Jack Moore, before Sebastin Dias won the latter heats in the all-Volkswagen Polo Vivo GT series. Dias started his day by taking the runner-up spot in Race 1, ahead of Luke Hill, who also went on to conclude the Race 2 podium. The runner-up spot in Race 2 went to Sebastian Venkov, who concluded the Race 3 podium behind Moore.
The Investchem MSA4 championship provided more than its fair share of action and drama in both races. In Race 1, contact between Chase Haskins and Guido Biddoll left both drivers stranded on the outside of the circuit. Race 2 was red-flagged early due to a startline incident involving multiple drivers, and the restart saw a similar repeat. Nonetheless, Aqil Alibhai stayed clear of it all and recorded two wins, beating title rival Mikel Bezuidenhout both times. Renzo Ribeiro completed the first podium. Back on the grid in Race 2, Biddoll ended his day with a strong performance and the final podium spot.
The Astron Energy Polo Cup saw a new face on the top step of the Race 1 podium in Bjorn Bertholdt. He beat Charl Smalbertger and Christopher Tait in the day’s first outing of the hotly-contested all-Volkswagen Polo GTI series. Smalberger kept his title hopes alive by beating points leader Hannes Scheepers in Race 2, with Mauro da Luz completing the podium.
It was indeed a day of celebrations for the Smalberger family, with Charl’s father, Derick, taking both wins in the Masters Class, beating points leader and two-time defending champion Wayne Masters. John Kruger completed both podiums.
Championship leader Julian van der Watt (Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI) took a step closer to his maiden South African Touring Cars crown with his Race 1 win. In the second race, Jason Coetzee (Toyota Corolla) repeated his reverse-grid triumph from the previous round. Keegan Campos (BMW 128ti) pushed both winners hard throughout the day, with his superb display seeing him take both runner-up spots. Robert Wolk and KC Ensor-Smith, the other two Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI drivers, completed the respective podiums.
Jason Loosemore celebrated both the SATC SupaCup wins. Niko Zafiris took his maiden podium finish in the all-Volkswagen Polo SupaCup series with the runner-up spot in Race 1, with Rory Atkinson completing the podium. Race 2 saw Atkinson beat Zafiris to second place.
Kobus Reyneke started his day with a win in the GR Cup’s first GR 86 race, beating championship rival Connor Weston and Reagile Mailula. Kian Fussell took his maiden win in Race 2, beating Tshepang Shisinwana, with Mailula making it two third-place finishes on the day.
Nabil Abdool continued his path to a successful GR Press Challenge defence, taking both wins while Brandon Jacobs and Craig Nicholson alternated the runner-up spots in the two races.
In the GR Dealer Challenge, Devon Scott beat Werner Venter and Theo Brits in both races.
The next Extreme Festival outing will see the regional roster in action at Zwartkops Raceway on 11-12 September. The national roster has one final coastal leg a week later (18-19 September), returning to Killarney International Raceway for the second time this season. The latter event will be hosted in association with the City of Cape Town and Smile FM.