After joining the national series for the last round, the Regional Extreme Festival reverts to its normal stand-alone format for the third round, which takes place at Red Star Raceway, just outside Delmas in Mpumalanga, on 10 and 11 May 2024.
The highlight of the event will be the fiercely competitive four races of the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series. The BMW field will be split, with classes A and C running together and classes B, D and E competing in the other two heats. The overall championship standings are currently led by Andreas Meier, closely followed by Nicholas Herbst and Gary Martins. Class A is led by Fabio Fedetto, who is expected to face tough competition from defending champion Leon Loubser and Bob Neill. Meier has a comfortable lead in Class B, but Nek Makris is hoping to secure his first win of the season at Red Star. Carlo Garbini and Renier Smith are also strong contenders for the class win.
Martin, in what is probably the fastest diesel-powered car in the country, leads the way in Class C. In the absence of his closest championship rival, Rob Gearing, his closest competition is likely to come from Bennie Luyt and Jan Eversteyn. Nicholas Herbst has yet to finish off the Class D podium this year and will be looking to continue his excellent run of form. Claudio Jardim and Cobus Bohmer are his closest rivals. Johan Miller, Eddie Rodrigues and Tihan van Rooyen will all be out to close the gap to Class E leader Zaheer Seedat.
The PABAR VW Challenge promises to deliver another thrilling show at Red Star. The Masters brothers, Wayne and Bevin, have been dominating Class A this year, sharing the race wins between them. They are expected to be the front runners, with possible competition from Dean Ross. Stuart Mack emerged victorious over Mo Karodia in the last race, but Karodia still leads the Class B championship. The pair will likely be joined by Ian Walker, Stelio Nousias and Jacques Heyes at the front of Class B. In the absence of Michael Zapherio, who is still recovering from the injuries sustained in a big crash at the last round, the Class C battle is expected to feature Andy Gossman, Christopher Tait and Judd Bertholdt.
The DOE Formula Vee Partnered with CIM Lubricants has provided some very tight racing over the years, and 2024 is proving to be no different. Lendl Jansen, Peter Hills and Jaco Schriks occupy the top three positions on the championship log, but there is no guarantee that they will be on the podium this weekend. Brandon Hills, Kyle Watt and MD Bester have all been close to the front this year, while Theo Vermaak will be out to convert his good form at the Simola Hillclimb into a circuit racing challenge.
2023 Mobil 1 V8 Supercars champion Julian Fameliaris trails Thomas Reib by just two points in the 2024 standings, the pair having shared the wins in the four races run so far this year. Warren Lombard’s consistency has rewarded him with third place in the standings ahead of Terry Wilford. Auke Campaan has dominated the GT2 class with Steve Herbst and Shaun Holtzhauzen in a tight battle for second and third.
The 111 & GT Sports and Saloons make their way to Red Star Raceway with a new sponsor. Ferro Energia, a premium green energy solutions provider, has taken over the naming rights to the series. George Economides has had the edge over the rest of the competitors in the GT category this year. His closest competition is likely to come from Lenard Archer and Phillip Meyer. Melanie Spurr has shown great speed since moving to the Golf, which Wouter Roos previously drove. Her competition at the head of Class A in the 111 category should come from Lucas Bezuidenhout and Charl Weyers. Wayne Robb and Michael Grobler have proved that they have the speed to run at the front of Class B this year, while Roos has had a good run at the front of Class C. The Honda Ballades of Rob Clark and Mike O’Sullivan should be part of the Class D fight.
Based on his performances this year, Jonathan du Toit is likely to dominate the SuperHatch category.
Qualifying begins at 07h00 on Saturday morning, and the first race is scheduled to begin at 09h20. Spectator tickets will be available at the circuit entrance gate.
Issued by Brandsponential on behalf of Extreme Festival
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