The crowd at Aldo Scribante Raceway in Gqeberha can expect an action-packed National Extreme Festival this coming weekend (28-29 June), with all but one series on the roster either crossing or reaching the halfway mark in their 2024 championships.

The South African Touring Car Championship‘s (SATC) fourth round will lead the weekend’s action. Former double champion Robert Wolk (Chemical Logistics BMW 128ti) leads stablemate Julian van der Watt (Chemical Logistics Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI) by 12 points and will look to cross the mid-season point in an even stronger position. Michael van Rooyen, the most experienced driver in the series and on the back of a solid third round, heads up the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Corolla team’s efforts, eight points behind Van der Watt and seven clear of teammate and defending champion Saood Variawa. Toyota leads BMW and Volkswagen in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

Sharing the circuit with them will be the SATC SupaCup field, where Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Motorsport Polo SupaCup) will aim to extend his eight-point advantage over Keegan Campos (Campos Transport Polo SupaCup). Mogotsi’s teammate Charl Visser is also in close contention, and the team will chase dominance at Volkswagen South Africa’s home. Defending champion Brad Liebenberg (TGR Starlet SupaCup), in fourth place, is the highest-ranked non-Volkswagen competitor and gained two places at Zwartkops Raceway following his first podium performances for the manufacturer, who joined the series at the start of the season. This weekend, TGR’s campaign in the series will become a two-car effort, with the reigning GR 86 Cup champion Sa’aad Variawa, the younger brother of Saood, set to debut. Roberto Franco (Graphix Supply World Polo SupaCup) leads the SATC SupaCup Masters class but is not yet featured on the Round 4 entry list at the time of writing.

While 2020’s inaugural SupaCup season, then run as part of the Global Touring Cars series, saw two rounds of SupaCup-only entry lists, all races since the start of 2021 have formed part of a combined field. However, only the first of the two races will see a combined field this weekend, with the afternoon’s second races seeing separate SATC and SATC SupaCup fields. This will mark the first time the SATC field has a standalone race.   

The fourth round of the Astron Energy Volkswagen Polo Cup will also be one of the major drawcards at the event. Jason Loosemore (Security Fencing and Alarms) holds a 10-point advantage over Nathan Victor (Summit Racing) in the all-Volkswagen Polo GTI field. Loosemore holds a 4-3 race win advantage over Victor, with the pair having topped all seven of this year’s races. Mohammed Karodia (Fast 5 Motorsport), Ehan Coetzee (JRT Racing Experience), and reigning Volkswagen Rookie Cup champion Kyle Visser (Volkswagen Motorsport) will also be in contention. In sixth place, local hero Jeandre Marais (APS) is bound to receive a lot of hometown support.

Only nine points separate Wayne Masters (AlphaESS) and Derrick Smalberger (Sabertek) in the Masters class, with John Kruger (Habot Oils) also in close contention.

The second half of the Extreme SuperCars Driven by Dunlop championship will commence in Gqeberha with Round 5. After Rounds 3 and 4, the series returns to the three-race format this weekend. Jonathan du Toit (Trans Africa Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3) holds the points lead, with Arnold Neveling (Bobcat powered by GOSCOR Lift Trucks Audi R8 LMS GT3) in second, 15 points adrift. However, Stuart White (Wurth SA Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO) will aim to continue his on-track dominance, which sees him now trailing Neveling by only seven points. Du Toit and Neveling are also locked in the battle for the lead in the GT3 class, while White heads up Class A+.

This will also be the fifth round of this year’s 10-round SunBet ZX10 Masters Cup, the sole two-wheel series on the roster. Clinton Seller (King Price Xtreme) is yet to be beaten this year in the all-Kawasaki ZX10 series and holds a commanding 79-point lead in the championship, equalling an advantage of just over a three-race wins ahead of second-placed Trevor Westman (Team Wayward Powerd by Project Sixty SA). Hein McMahon (K9 Law enforcement) trails the latter by 16 points.

This trio occupies the same positions in Class A, albeit with Seller leading Westman by 74 points and with McMahon 15 adrift. Defending Series champion Graeme van Breda (Stefanutti Stocks) holds a 23-point lead over Dave Veringa (Wheelzonline) in Class B, with wins shared 7-1 in Van Breda’s favour. Appanna Ganapathy (ART Technologies) is third, 62 points adrift. Jayson Lamb (Tyremart EL) is in control of Class C, with six wins thus far in 2024, and is currently on a five-win streak. He leads Johan Le Roux (Avidan Tro) by 69 points, with Ian James Harwood (IRP Distributors) third.

Jagger Robertson (Liqui Moly) leads the Investchem Formula 1600 Championship heading into Round 4 of the single-seater series. The previous two rounds saw the season debutant unbeaten, resulting in an eight-point lead over KC Ensor-Smith (African Heating), who is yet to win his first race of the year. Third and fourth-place duo Jason Coetzee (DAW Racing) and Shrien Naidoo (Production X) will also look to challenge Robertson, having shared the wins in the season opener.

Having missed Round 3 at Zwartkops Raceway, the Formula Ford Kent field will return to the grid behind the Investchem Formula 1600 brigade. This battle will be contested between Ian Schofield (Investchem), Duncan Vos, Rick Morris (Investchem), Graham Hepburn (Qualipak Jhb), and Allen Meyer.

Dawie van der Merwe heads up the GR 86 class, the leading group in the Gazoo Racing (GR) South Africa Cup. Van der Merwe is unbeaten thus far in 2024 and holds a 17-point lead over Niko Zafiris, with third-placed Setshaba Mashigo three points adrift.

It has been an equally dominant season for Sean Nurse in the GR Corolla class, with second-placed Alex Shahini also 17 points adrift. Hannes Visser occupies third and trails Shahini by five points.

While this will be the fourth round for the top two classes in the GR Cup, it will be the third for the GR Yaris brigade. Mario De Sousa’s (Motus Toyota) four second-place finishes see him holding a six-point lead over his three closest rivals, all tied on 14 points. Paul De Vos (GR Driving Academy), with the latter having won both races at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in his last outing. Johan Snyman (Rustenberg Toyota) has been a regular on the podium, while Devon Scott (Rola Toyota) took two wins on debut at Zwartkops Raceway.

Round 3 of the Volkswagen Rookie Cup will mark the season’s halfway point. Dhivyen Naidoo holds a three-point lead over Judd Bertholdt, with Jayden Goosen third, eight points adrift. Josh Moore and Uzair Khan will also feature in this battle, while driver coaches Daniel Rowe and Matt Merton will join them on the circuit.

During the lunch break, spectators can meet their favourite drivers during the SATC & SATC SupaCup grid walk.

Saturday’s 16-race programme will commence at 10:10. Spectator tickets can be purchased from the Aldo Scribante Raceway entrance gate at R100 per person, while children under 12 get in for free. The full race day programme will also be broadcast live on the Extreme Festival website.