The East London Grand Prix Circuit saw one of its biggest spectator turnouts this past weekend (26-27 July) to witness the action-packed championship battles that the Extreme Festival’s national roster dished up.

While official figures will only be made available by the event hosts, Border Motorsport Club, at a later stage, the high-speed circuit on East London’s southern shoreline saw one of its biggest spectator turnouts in history.

The SunBet ZX10 Masters Cup commenced the race day programme. After missing the previous round, points leader Clinton Seller (King Price Xtreme) was back in command of the all-Kawasaki ZX10 brigade. He added two more wins to his 2024 tally, maintaining his record of every start leading to him stepping to the top of the podium. In both races, AJ Venter finished as runner-up, with the pair also taking the same positions in Class A.

Class B’s Graeme van Breda (Stefanutti Stocks), the defending series champion, completed the Race 1 podium, adding a class win to his tally and finishing ahead of Class A’s Damion Purificati. Class C winner Johan le Roux (Avidan Tro) crossed the line in sixth place following a good battle with Peter de Vos. David Veringa (Wheelzonline) and Abrie Marais (First for Cloud) completed the Class B podium, while Raymond Keel (Stromabex) finished third in Class C.

In Race 2, Purificati beat Van Breda to the podium, while the latter made it two Class B wins for the day. De Vos, in fifth place, took the Class C honours. Jason Barson (Steel Monkey) finished as runner-up in Class B, ahead of Veringa, while Le Roux and Keel completed the Class C podium.

Next on the programme was the Investchem Formula 1600 battle, where the top two contenders, KC Ensor-Smith (African Heating) and Jagger Robertson (Liqui Moly), shared the wins. Ensor-Smith made it three-in-a-row in Race 1 after holding off Robertson in an entertaining tussle. A little bit further back, Siyabonga Mankonkwana (Investchem) completed the podium.

An incident in Race 2 saw Ensor-Smith drop down the field. Robertson won, while Mankonkwana, Alex Vos (Investchem) and Ensor-Smith had a good battle for the final two podium spots.

Stuart White (Into Africa Racing Lamborghini Huracan) had a near-perfect weekend in Extreme SuperCars Driven by Dunlop. Having dominated throughout Friday, he took a lights-to-flag win in Race 1. This saw him beat Arnold Neveling (Bobcat by GOSCOR Lift Trucks Audi R8 GT3) and Silvio Scribante (Scuderia Scribante Lamborghini Huracan) in the race and Class A+.

In Race 2, a puncture with a couple of laps left to run saw white pull into the pits, giving Neveling the win. Silvio Scribante finished second, while Xolile Letlaka (Into Africa Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3) completed the race and Class A+ podium.

Jonathan du Toit (Trans Africa Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo) was the sole GT3 competitor, with his two wins aiding his title pursuit greatly. Charl Arangies (Stradale Motorsport Porsche 911) retired from the second race after winning Class A in Race 1.

Ethan Coetzee (JRT Racing Experience) became the only third different race winner in this year’s Astron Energy Polo Cup. This was after points leader Jason Loosemore (Security Fencing and Alarms) crossed the line in the lead in the all-Volkswagen Polo GTI series in the opening heat. Loosemore’s win was denied after a post-race penalty put him behind Coetzee in the official results, with Kyle Visser (VW Rookie Cup) in third. In Race 2, Coetzee claimed the win without official action, building a sizeable gap over Loosemore, while Charl Smalberger (Sabertek) completed the podium.

Coetzee’s win is even more significant because the corresponding event two years prior saw an accident that left the young driver’s life in the balance.

Wayne Masters (AlphaESS) took a double victory in the Masters Class. In both races, he was followed by Derick Smalberger (Sabertek) and John Kruger (Habot Oils),

Dawie van der Merwe, in the Gazoo Racing South Africa Cup Driven by Netstar, is now the only competitor on the tour to remain unbeaten in 2024. He took the double in the GR 86 Class, with a commanding performance in both races. In Race 1, Ryan Naicker and Dylan Pragji jostled for the final two podium positions. The final race, just after the sun set, saw Setshaba Mashigo and Niko Zafiris battle for the final two podium spots.

Sean Nurse made it nine GR Corolla Class wins on the trot in Race 1, well ahead of Alex Shahini and Anand Pather. However, his hopes of a perfect 2024 scorecard came to an end just before the start of Race 2 when he had to abort the Warm-up lap. Shahini became the first other driver in the class to win in 2024, with Pather second and Kumbi Mtshakazi completing the podium.

Devon Scott, Mario de Sousa, and Theo Brits stepped onto the GR Yaris Class podium in that order on both occasions.

The South African Touring Cars saw Robert Wolk (Chemical Logistics BMW 128 ti) win the first race to extend his points advantage. 2024 debutant Anthony Pretorius (OMP Racing Toyota Corolla) finished as runner-up, while Andrew Schofield (FlySafair) made it two BMW 128 ti drivers on the podium.

The race was restarted after a Lap 1 incident in which Julian van der Watt’s Chemical Logistics Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI landed on its roof. The driver did not sustain an injury.

It was a challenging weekend for the Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa Corolla trio. However, in Race 2, Michael van Rooyen and Nathi Msimanga took a one-two finish, with Pretorius in third.

Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Motorsport Polo SupaCup) took a double win in his quest to chase down Keegan Campos (Campos Transport Polo SupaCup) in the SATC SupaCup. The latter finished both races in third place. In Race 1, Brad Liebenberg (Sparco Starlet SupaCup) took a well-deserved podium after a solid start to the weekend. Race 2 saw a one-two Volkswagen Motorsport Polo SupaCup performance, with Charl Visser finishing as runner-up.

The next National Extreme Festival outing will see the tour returning to Killarney International Raceway on 20-21 September. However, the Cape Town circuit will also host the coming coastal leg of the regional tour on 9-10 August.