The 2026 South African Endurance Series season officially gets underway this weekend as teams head to Zwartkops Raceway for Round 1: the Four Hours of Zwartkops.
Last season crowned its champions; this weekend resets everything. We’re starting with no points on the board, no established hierarchy for the year, just a fresh grid and four hours to lay down intent.
Zwartkops is the best place to start a season; the 2.4km Pretoria circuit is tight, technical and busy, so traffic builds quickly and mistakes cost you immediately. Strategy matters from the first stint, not just the last; Zwartkops values commitment.
And while the Four-Hour endurance race headlines the weekend, the programme is far from one-dimensional.
Spectators will see a full day of sprint and endurance action, including 3 sprint races for: GT Cup, Sports & GT, MRSSA National Series, Silver Cup (support class). Fans can also look forward to the 1 Hour Dash, the shorter, more intense version of the 4h.
It means fans are not just arriving for a single race, they’re walking into a full motorsport showcase. Short-form intensity in the sprints builds into the endurance-racing long-form strategy.
The Silver Cup category adds another layer of excitement as a special support class this weekend.
For teams, this round is about more than trophies; it’s about momentum. A strong result in Round 1 can shape a championship campaign, while a poor one forces an early recovery mode. Testing conditions are now over… this is where preparation meets pressure.
Fans can expect tight class battles, traffic management to play a major role, and strategy calls to define the final hour.
For fans, it’s an accessible introduction to endurance racing. Four hours is long enough for the story to unfold, short enough to feel relentless. Add in the sprint races, the variety of machinery, and the atmosphere unique to Zwartkops, and Round 1 becomes an EPIC starting point of the new season.
The 2026 SAES championship begins here. Everything is still possible.
Published by: Cindy van der Laan
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