GQEBERHA EXTREME FESTIVAL DOUBLE-HEADER STARTS WITH REGIONAL ROSTER COASTAL VISIT

After a quiet July on the circuit, the Extreme Festival is ready to commence a two-weekend run at the Aldo Scribante Raceway, the first of these being the regional roster’s coastal visit on 7-8 August.

However, while the roar of the engines may have been quiet, it was all but that behind the scenes. While the regional roster was already confirmed to make its first visit to Gqeberha since 2023, the following weekend, 14-15 August, will see a second national visit for an event that will be organised by the Border Motorsportsport Club, the original hosts of the second weekend prior to the East London Grand Prix Circuit being removed from the calendar due to safety concerns.

For the majority of the regional roster, their season will recommence with Round 4 after a two-month winter break.

Saturday’s race programme will begin with the Dunlop V8 Supercars, one of two series with three races on the day. While their last Gqeberha outing was in 2023, it was three months earlier than the rest of the roster. There have been some quite significant changes in the series since then, particularly with Dunlop becoming the official tyre partner. As far as the main protagonists are concerned, they all have competed at the circuit before.

Thomas Reib (Chevrolet Corvette) leads the defending champion, Warren Lombard (Ford Mustang), by 15 points, with Terry Wilford (Ford Mustang) a further 20 points adrift. In the six races thus far, each of these drivers has taken two wins. There will also be a lot of local focus on Gerald Beech (Chevrolet Camaro), who made his debut in the series in Round 2.

The second series to have three races on the day will be the DOE Formula Vee Partnered with CIM Lubricants brigade. They will also be one of two series for whom this will be the fifth championship round, and, to put them completely out of sync with the rest, it has been only two weeks since their fourth round in Maputo, Mozambique.

Defending two-time champion, Lendl Jansen (Rhema 2) holds a 21-point lead over Vaughn Hills (Rhema 2) heading into the weekend, with Brandon Hills a further 11 points adrift. Capetonian Joshua Smit (Rhema 2) will join the action, while BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series regular Chloe Stuart (Forza) will make her second consecutive cameo appearance in the series.

Having started their season earlier than the rest of the categories on the Regional Extreme Festival tour, the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series is the second series to tackle their fifth round in Gqeberha. They have also announced the addition of another standalone round at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit as their penultimate championship round, with both the Turbo Cup and NA Cup now being nine-round championships.

The NA Cup will start things out. Andre van Vuuren (BMW E36 M3) leads both the NA Cup and Class B championships. In Class B, he holds an 11-point lead over Ignus du Plessis (BMW E46 M3). Nicholas Herbst (BMW E90 330i) holds a commanding 29-point lead over his closest Class C rival, Tihan van Rooyen (BMW E82 325i). The Class D brigade is headed up by Reinhardt Miller, who has entered his Turbo Cup car, but not his NA Cup vehicle. Miller’s absence from the NA Cup field could create an opportunity for Henry Platt (BMW E36/7 Z3) to diminish the 17-point lead. Gqeberha will be represented by Duncan Phillips (BMW E36 328i), Paul Berry (BMW E36 328i), Steven Phillips (BMW E36 328i), and Timothy Ball (BMW E46 328i).

Anton Pommersheim (BMW E46 M3 Turbo), leading both the Turbo Cup and Class A, will again go head-to-head with Lee Thompson (BMW E92 M3 GT Turbo), the driver who has won all four races since his 2026 campaign started. The gap between them is just 21 points. Class B leader Renier Smith is likely to lose his six-point lead this weekend. He is a notable omission on the entry list. Ethan Coetzee (BMW E240i) is likely to take the position. Wessel Mostert (BMW E46 M3 Turbo) will also look to catch up to the top. Only three points separate Bennie Luyt (BMW E46 M3 Turbo) and Anand Naidu (BMW F80 M3) at the top of Class C. Michael Grobler (BMW E46 328i Turbo) will look to extend his nine-point lead over Eugene Gouws. The latter, also not on the entry list, is likely to lose his place to Craig Herbst (BMW E92 335i).

The DigitFMS 111 & GT Sports & Saloons field is set for a hosting of entertaining battles. In the GTA class, Jarred Rossouw (Volkswagen Polo) and Wayne Robb (Ford Focus ST) are tied at the top, albeit with Rossouw currently holding the advantage on position-countback. Mark du Toit (BMW Z4M) is also in contention. Class GTB points leader Jonathan Visser is likely to have an easier time of things in the points battle, with his nearest rival, Vic Dias, not entered for this round. However, there will be a new challenger in the Class GTB field, Wayne Spicer (Volkswagen Polo), already established in the Dunlop V8 Supercars series, and now making his GT Sports & Saloons debut.

It’s also a close affair at the top of the 111 Sports & Saloons field. Melanie Spurr (Volkswagen Golf) holds a one-point lead over her Class A rival, Tihan van Rooyen (BMW E82 125i). Class C’s Henry van Vledder (Volkswagen Golf) is tied with Van Rooyen, just eight points ahead of his nearest class rival, Rob Clark (Honda Ballade). The latter is neck and neck with Class B leader Piet Potgieter (Volkswagen Golf). With Wimpie Raman not entered for this round, the likes of Arthur Thorne (Volkswagen Polo) will be looking to make up ground in Class B.

There will also be a local flavour in Class X of this series, with Raymond Redinger (Porsche 924) and Stephan Aucamp (Volkswagen Jetta) raring to go.

The SuperHatch field will also share the circuit with them. This includes Thorne, who will also compete in Class T1. He will be joined by George Aldrich (Peugeot 206) in Class T2, and Class A’s Joshua du Toit (Honda Civic). Thorne is leading his class, while Class T2 leader Leon Bredenkamp and Class A leader Ish Baloyi have not entered. With the pair of them not making the trip to Aldo Scribante, Thorne could emerge as the SuperHatch points leader after the weekend, as he is only eight points behind Baloyi.

The ATE VW Challenge championship is set for quite a few shake-ups. Series and Class A points leader, Anthony Lessing, will not be travelling to Gqeberha, which opens the door for Josh Moore (Volkswagen Polo) and Christopher Tait (Volkswagen Polo), his immediate rivals in both championships.

Keyaan Dwomoh (Volkswagen Polo) will also be in contention to leapfrog Lessing, but will have to fend off his Class B rivals, Sebastian Boulliart (Volkswagen Polo) and Keegan Nathan (Volkswagen Polo). Class C leader Bryce Pillay will also not be making the trip, opening the door for Stuart Konig (Volkswagen Polo) and, potentially, Dimitri Zapheriou (Volkswagen Polo) to get the upper hand.

Spectator tickets can be purchased at the Aldo Scribante Raceway entrance gate, priced at R120 per adult, R60 per pensioner, and free for children under 12. Saturday’s 14-race programme is set to commence at 10:05, and will be broadcast live on the Extreme Festival website.

Published by: Reynard Gelderblom

MSA Publishes media releases from a host of different sources on our website as a service to the sport. It is not practically possible to vet/approve every release that is published. Some news items and articles are written by correspondents and do not necessarily represent MSA’s views.