What National Extreme Festival Report
Where East London Grand Prix Circuit
When Saturday 19 July 2025
Community South Africa National
KC deals with tough conditions, rivals in East London
A slippery East London Grand Prix Circuit Extreme Festival powered by Coca-Cola greeted the Investchem MSA4 gang to its second-ever round at the spiritual home of South African single seater racing on Saturday.
After setting a time that would have put him on pole position ahead of Jim Clark’s Lotus 25 Climax Clark in the 1964 South African Grand Prix at the same East London racetrack, Corsa dei Gemelli lad Mikel Bezuidenhout still made best of slippery qualifying conditions to storm to pole position by half a second over championship rival KC Ensor-Smith’s African Heating Investchem MSA4 on Saturday morning.
Shrien Naidoo’s Production X car was a similar margin behind on the second row next to Red Dot Vanage lad Liam Polome. South African Touring Car wildcards Andrew Schofield in Alex Vos’ place and Siya Mankonkwana replacing Adriaan Nel, filled the third row ahead of 76 Legacy lad Jorden Moodley and Kian Spies’ second Gemelli car.
Ndzalo Khoza’s Ducted Solutions Makasela MSA4 was next up from Nicholas van Weely’s Investchem CLR version in tenth, debutant Anastasia Gerasis in her Apex Cordset car and Investchem CLR lad Simphiwe Mohlahlo. Formula Ford Kent legends Ronald van Weely, Ian Schofield, Rick Morris, and Allen Meyer closed the grid in their tread-shod classic non-wing machines.
It had dried in time for the opening heat but standing water just off the track after the line caused officials to start the race in single file behind the safety car. Ensor-Smith pressured Bezuidenhout into Copabana and Naidoo slipped wide. It was even more chaotic at the complex as four cars skated across the infield before re-joining. By the time it had all settled down, Bezuidenhout led Ensor-Smith with a gap growing to the chasing throng.
Ensor-Smith made his move around the outside of Rifle Range on the second tour with Bezuidenhout in chase and a splendid eight-car battle behind him for third. Ensor-Smith opened the lead over Bezuidenhout to take the heat from Mikel. The fight behind saw a few cars slip-sliding out of contention en route, to leave five cars squabbling for third as Shrien Naidoo ultimately edged Karabo Malemela to claim the final podium step.
Andrew Schofield ended fifth from Liam Polome and Nicholas van Weely, with Kian Spies some way off in eighth ahead of Anastasia Gerasis, Ndzalo Khoza and Simphiwe Mohlahlo. Ronald van Weely took Kent honours from Rick Morris and a delayed Ian Schofield after Jorden Moodley, Siya Mankonkwana and Kent man Allen Meyer stopped.
Shrien Naidoo started the second race on pole position ahead of Mikel Bezuidenhout, Liam Polome and KC Ensor-Smith only fourth. The race never lasted much more than a few metres. Stranded on the startline, Polome was collected by Mankonkwana to set off a chain reaction crash that eliminated wildcards Mankonkwana and Schofield, Jorden Moodley and Kent pair Ron van Weely and Ian Schofield to bring out the red flag.
When the race restarted, it did so to a splendid dice up front. Naidoo, Bezuidenhout, Ensor-Smith, Schofield and van Weely fought it out. Ensor-Smith quickly found a way past the wayward Bezuidenhout in the Complex, before KC repeated his move around the outside of Naidoo through Rifle to claim a lead, he would not relinquish to take the double for the day and his fourth MSA4 win in five starts.
Naidoo kept Ensor-Smith honest all the way for second with Bezuidenhout a distant third from Malemela, van Weely, Spies, a recovered Polome and Gerasis in pursuit. Mohlahlo and Khoza followed behind Formula Ford Kent survivors Rick Morris and Allen Meyer. So KC Ensor-Smith took the day overall to consolidate his title advantage over Mikel Bezuidenhout, who was also second from the day ahead of Naidoo, Malemela, van Weely and Polome.
Investchem MSA4 now moves on to the home of South African motorsport next at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, where it will be among the racing highlights of the annual WesBank Festival of Motoring for its third round over the weekend of 29 to 31 August.
Issued on behalf of Investchem MSA4
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