A very large crowd at Killarney International Raceway enjoyed an action-packed Extreme Festival Presented By Coca Cola this past weekend (12-13 September) with the first of 2025’s championships decided.
The tone for Saturday’s fast and fierce action was set by the Extreme SuperCars Driven By Dunlop field, in their first of three races. In Race 1, Charl Arangies (Stradale Motorsport Mercedes AMG GT3) held off Jonathan du Toit (Trans Africa Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO for the race and GT3 Class win. Gianni Giannoccaro (Sparco Nissan GTR R35 GT3) was third.. Completing the race podium, but winning Class A was series debutant, Cape Town’s own Charl Visser (Charl Engineering Porsche GT3). With an influx of Cape Town-based drivers in the series, Marcel Angel (Autohaus Angel Ferrari GT3 3.9L), took the runner-up spot in the class, with Paul Hill (Promigen Audi R8). Mike Verrier (NDT Racing BMW Z4M) took the Class B win from Ant Blunden (SAJCO Lamborghini SAJCO). Yanni Hatzi (Nissan S14 2L) took Class C, ahead of Weylin Volschenk (IMC-SA Porsche 997.1 Cup) and Jimmy Giannoccaro (G&H Transport Audi R8 GT4). Wayne Hoffman (Hoffman Property Group Porsche GT3 Cup) won Class D from Richard de Roos (Porsche) and Jan Greeff (Porsche).
Du Toit turned the tables in Race 2, where he took the GT3 win from Arangies, with Gianni Giannoccaro again completing the podium. Visser had a battle on his hands in Class A to keep Ricky Giannoccaro (G&H Transport Lamborghini Huracan GT3) at bay, but took his second win. This time, Marius Jackson (MJR Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3) finished in third place. Verrier beat Blunden in Class B, in a repeat of Race 1, with Class C also seeing a repeat podium as Hatzi beat Volschenk and Jimmy Giannoccaro. De Roos took the Class D win from Hoffman and Greeff.
Although leading the third race, Du Toit retired with two laps to go, which saw Arangies beat Gianni Giannoccaro in the GT3 Class. Du Toit was classified in third place. Ricky Giannoccaro took the Class A honours, with Visser following up his earlier wins with a third place. He crossed the finish line in second but received a 15-second penalty for jumping the start, resulting in Jackson taking second in the final classification. Verrier again beat Blunden in Class B to finish his day with a hat trick of wins. Volschenk was the sole Class C competitor to go the distance, but with Hatzi completing 60% of the race distance, he was classified in second place. Hoffman was the sole Class D starter.
In the all-Volkswagen Polo GTI Astron Energy Polo Cup. It was the challenger, Rory Atkinson (Industry Petroleum), who reeled in the points leader, Mohammed Karodia (Fast 5 Motorsport), after the day’s three races.
Atkinson jostled for the lead with Hannes Scheepers (Dainfern Dental Studio) in the first race, with the win going Atkinson’s way after Scheepers’ retirement. Tyler Robinson (AF Fans) and Shiren Rajpaul (Dubcorp Service Centre) completed the podium, with Karodia finishing fifth. In Race 2, Karodia did get onto the podium, in third place behind the fierce battle between the winner Ethan Coetzee (Ethan Coetzee Motorsport) and Judd Berthold (Volkswagen Rookie Cup). This time, it was Atkinson who had to settle for the lower points-paying positions, in eighth place. Scheepers won the final race. While Robinson crossed the line in second place, a post-race enquiry saw her penalised to finish third, and behind Atkinson. Karodia finished 11th.
The Polo Cup Masters saw the top three competitors alternating the podium places. In Race 1, Derick Smalberger (Sabertek) beat John Kruger (Habot Lubricants) and Wayne Masters (Performance Masters). Smalberg made it two wins later, this time with Masters ahead of Kruger. In the final race, it was Kruger who took the win, with Smalberger second, and Masters third.
The Volkswagen Rookie Cup saw Uzair Khan take the Race 1 win in the all-Volkswagen Polo Vivo GT series. Behind him, the battle for second saw Mario de Luz hold off Berlin Robertson and Luke Hill. In Race 2, it was a battle between the top contenders at the front of the field. This time, Christopher Tait beat Josh Moore, with De Luz completing the podium.
It was a maiden win for Jagger Robertson (76 Legacy Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI) in the first South African Touring Cars race. Keegan Campos (Campos Transport BMW 128ti) was one of the early challengers, but had to retire after his engine bay cover came undone. Points leader, Michael van Rooyen (Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla), held off Sa’add Variawa (Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla) for second place.
Campos bounced back in Race 2 to beat Van Rooyen and Julian van der Watt (Chemical Logistics Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI). This does mean the championship will be decided in the season finale.
The SATC SupaCup championship has a new title holder, and it’s Cape Town’s own Tate Bishop (ANGRi Racing Volkswagen Polo SupaCup). He sealed up the title after taking second and third places in the respective races. In Race 1, Jason Loosemore (Astron Energy Volkswagen Polo SupaCup) took his maiden win, while Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Genuine Parts Volkswagen Polo SupaCup) completed the podium. The latter pair took the top spots in Race 2, with Mogotsi beating Loosemore.
In 2024’s corresponding event, Trevor Westman (Team Wayward) suffered a serious injury in the SunBet ZX10 Masters Cup. This weekend saw him return to racing in the all-Kawasaki ZX10 series, with a double victory at home. David Enticott (Ravenol), also from Cape Town, and Jayson Lamb (Tyremart East London) took the runner-up spots in Race 1, with the pair alternating the order in Race 2.
Westman and Enticott also headed up the Class A podium in both races, from Hein McMahon (K9 Law Enforcement). It was also a repeat result in Class B, where Graeme van Breda (Stefanutti Stocks) beat Lubabalo Ntisana (LB Auto) and Reginald Seale (HX Consulting Services). Lamb won Class C in both races, with Joao Cruz second in Race 1 and third in Race 2. Ian Harwood (TRP Distributors) completed the podium in Race 1, while Johan le Roux (Avidan) took the runner-up spot in Race 2.
In Cape Town’s first look at the Investchem MSA4 championship, Mikel Bezuidenhout (Corsa Dei Gemelli) took a double victory. In Race 1, KC Ensor-Smith (African Heating) and Renzo Ribeiro (Metal Used Spares & Rebuilds) completed the podium. Ensor-Smith completed the Race 2 podium, while Shrien Naidoo (Production X) chased Bezuidenhout to the finish line.
Behind them, the Formula Ford Kent field battled it out. Rick Morris (Investchem Mygale) won both races. In Race 1, Alex Vos (DV Building Supplies Van Diemen) and Allen Meyer (Investchem Van Diemen) kept him honest in the respective races, with the pair also trading the final podium spots.
Two further titles were decided in the GR Cup Driven By Netstar. Jason Coetzee became the other Capetonian to take a title at home in the GR 86 Class. His two wins also make him the only driver still to have a 100% win ratio for the season on the tour. Kent Swartz took both runner-up spots, while Khanya Ngwennya and Calvin Dias took the final podium spot in Races 1 & 2, respectively.
The GR Yaris Class saw a new winner in Kyle Kock, who won both races ahead of Nabil Abdool, the driver who took every other win this season. Phuti Mpyane completed the podium on both occasions.
Mario de Sousa and Devon Scott swapped the top two places in the respective GR Corolla Class races, with Wener Venter completing both podiums.
The season finale for the Extreme Festival Presented By Coca-Cola’s national roster will take place at Zwartkops Raceway on 24-25 October.