Our 2024 Wall of Extreme Festival Champions

Our list of 2024 series and standalone class champions

National Extreme Festival

Arnold Neveling
Bobcat powered by GOSCOR Lift Trucks Audi R8 GT3 EVO
Extreme SuperCars Driven by Dunlop


After making a name for himself on our tour in the Polo Cup and GTC SupaCup, Arnold Neveling, already a key member of the Stradale Motorsport operation, shifted his attention to the Extreme SuperCars Driven by Dunlop championship in 2024, a series in which he did have sporadic outings in 2023. In his first full season, he won the championship. Neveling competed in the timed and specification classes this season and took 10 race wins en route to the title.

Jagger Robertson
Liqui Moly F1600 Mygale
Investchem Formula 1600

Having won multiple INEX Legends championships and competed in the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series and the Polo Cup, Jagger Robertson switched to South Africa’s national single-seater series in 2024. A strong performer from the start, Robertson finished his debut season by taking his maiden national title. Robertson won seven races.

Dawie van der Merwe
Bucketlist Racing Toyota 86
Gazoo Racing South Africa Cup Driven by Netstar: GR 86


Dawie van der Merwe previously competed in the VW Challenge and Polo Cup but switched to the Gazoo Racing South Africa Cup Driven by Netstar in 2024. He won the title in his debut season and all 14 races.

Sean Nurse
Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla

Gazoo Racing South Africa Cup Driven by Netstar: GR Corolla

AutoTrader’s Motoring Editor, Sean Nurse, joined the motoring journalists piloting the Toyota Corollas introduced into the series at the start of 2024. Apart from Race 2 in Round 5 at the East London Grand Prix Circuit, where he retired, Nurse won every other race in his debut season.

Devon Scott
GR Driving Academy Toyota Yaris
Gazoo Racing South Africa Cup Driven by Netstar: GR Yaris


With the journalist contingent competing in the GR Corolla class, the Toyota Yaris fleet was repurposed to introduce a new class to the Gazoo Racing South Africa Cup Driven by Netstar. The GR Yaris class saw staff members from Toyota South Africa’s dealer network and support structure compete. The class was only added in Round 2 at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, where Devon Scott debuted. He won five races en route to his title.

Jason Loosemore
Security Fencing and Alarms Volkswagen Polo GTI
Astron Energy Polo Cup


Jason Loosemore, one of South Africa’s stars in oval racing, started his Polo Cup career in 2022 after a few sporadic spells in other series. 2023 was his first full season in the series, resulting in him finishing the season in sixth place. The 2024 season opener saw his first race win in the series, with him taking five more wins en route to his maiden title in South Africa’s longest-running national circuit racing series.

Wayne Masters
AlphaESS Polo GTI
Astron Energy Polo Cup: Masters


2024 saw the Masters class reintroduced to the Astron Energy Polo Cup, but unlike previous years, the reintroduction came with it being a standalone championship. Wayne Masters, a regular VW Challenge competitor in recent years, was also one of the drivers who competed in the early years of the Polo Cup and made his return to the series in 2024. He won 10 races en route to his title, which includes a spell of seven successive wins at the end of the season.

Robert Wolk
Chemical Logistics SATC BMW 128 ti
South African Touring Cars: Drivers


Robert Wolk, a multiple national single-seater champion, joined the then-Global Touring Cars field in 2017 behind the wheel of a BMW. In 2021 and 2022, he won his first two Drivers’ titles, piloting a Toyota Corolla. However, the second half of 2023 saw him back behind the wheel of a BMW. This year, he took his third title, equalling Michael Stephen’s record, and made it the first Drivers’ title for BMW. He won six races in the process.

Toyota
Used by Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa and Lee Thompson Racing
South African Touring Cars: Manufacturers


From a one-car entry in 2019’s Global Touring Cars championship, the manufacturer’s input has grown to four cars in 2023 and 2024. Toyota took their fourth-consecutive South African Touring Cars Manufacturers title in 2024. Toyota drivers scored six race wins in the season, with three for Saood Variawa, two for Michael van Rooyen, and one for Anthony Pretorius.

Jonathan Mogotsi
Volkswagen Motorsport Volkswagen Polo SupaCup
SATC SupaCup


Jonathan Mogotsi debuted his Polo Cup in 2017 as part of Volkswagen Motorsport’s driver search and development programme. In 2020, he joined the then-GTC SupaCup in its inaugural season, finishing his debut season third in the championship. In 2021 and 2023, he finished as runner-up. 2024 saw him take five race wins and his maiden circuit racing title.

Judd Bertholdt
Sizanani Plastics Volkswagen Polo Vivo GT
Volkswagen Rookie Cup


Judd Bertholdt made his circuit-racing debut at the start of 2024 in the Volkswagen Rookie Cup. His third start resulted in his maiden win. He took five wins en route to winning the title. Earlier this year, he also won the Volkswagen Rookies Shootout in the Zwartkops 2000m Top of the Hill Challenge.

Clinton Seller
King Price Xtreme Kawasaki ZX10
SunBet ZX10 Masters Cup


Clinton Seller is a name that needs no introduction in South African motorsport, with him being one of the most accomplished Superbike champions in the country. In 2024, he joined the SunBet ZX10 Masters Cup. It showed his class immediately by taking eight wins on the trot en route to taking 15 wins and the title in his debut season. The only races he did not win were in Rounds 5 and 9, which he did not enter, and Round 7’s aborted first race.


Regional Extreme Festival

Wouter Roos
Car Care Clinic Volkswagen Polo
Ferro Energia 111 Sports & Saloons

Wouter is one of only three 2023 champions to defend their titles in 2024 successfully. With various classes, things remained close at the top right until the end. Wouter came into the season finale with a one-point lead. After Race 1, he trailed by one point and then regained a two-point advantage to win the title with one point.

George Economides
Wealth Avenue Volkswagen Monster
Ferro Energia GT Sports & Saloons

Having competed in this standalone class since its inception, George Economides has been trying hard to take this title. A driver who has competed in various championships through the years, he finally took this title in 2024 after a fierce contest until the final checkered flag.

Renier Smith
Fast Development BMW E36 M3 Turbo
BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series

Renier Smith lost an almost-certain Class C title two years ago when he broke out of the time bracket. This year, he wrapped up Class B and the series after a solid second half of the season.

Julian Fameliaris
Lube-Net Chevrolet Corvette
Mobil 1 V8 Supercars: GT Class

He is the last of the 2023 winners to defend his title in 2024 successfully. Julian Fameliaris has won at least one race in every round of the season and steadily built his advantage, culminating in him wrapping up the championship with one race to spare.

Auke Compaan
Hurricane Automotive Ford Mustang
Mobil 1 V8 Supercars: GT2 Class

Auke Compaan was one of the drivers who switched to the newly introduced standalone class in 2023. Having used some of the inaugural season’s rounds to prepare his car, he launched a successful title assault in 2024 and led the championship from the season opener.

Lendl Jansen
Bull Security Rhema 2
DOE Formula Vee Partnered with CIM Lubricants

Lendl Jansen got his season off to a successful start and led the championship throughout despite some fierce competition at the top. He took his maiden title in the series with one race to spare.

Stuart Mack
Creation Wealth Volkswagen Polo
PABAR VW Challenge

Stuart Mack has competed in the single-manufacturer series for two decades. In that time, he won his class and came close to winning the Series title. A consistent performance in 2024 saw him emerge as one of the favourites in the latter stages of the season before taking the outright lead in the penultimate round, resulting in his penultimate title in the season finale.