The battle for the 2024 BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series Championship continues this coming weekend (10-11 May) at Red Star Raceway with Round 4 and a host of drivers closing down on former Champion Andreas Meier.
Class A sees its third leader after as many rounds. Fabio Fedetto, the only driver to have competed in all three rounds, has 39 points to his name and enjoys a five-point lead over defending series and class Champion Leon Loubser. The latter missed Round 3 but is eager to return to Red Star Raceway’s clockwise circuit, where he dominated the field in 2023. Bob Neill’s return to the grid saw him take both wins in Round 3, and he will also look to close in on the battle at the front. Ryan Naicker, who recently moved to Class A, is determined to open his Class A points account.
Meier has been on top of Class B throughout 2024. With 56 points, he holds a lead of 14 in the class. However, his last victory came in Round 2’s first race, and he will look to get back to the top step of the podium. His nearest rival is defending Class B Champion Nek Makris, who is still searching for his first win for 2024. Third-placed Carlo Garbini, nine points adrift, will aim to extend his winning streak, which currently stands at two. Renier Smith has shown good pace this season but suffered some horrible luck, with 21 points to his name. Oz Biagioni is two points adrift and has enjoyed a very consistent season thus far.
Gary Martins heads Class C with 44 points and has become a regular on the podium in recent rounds, which includes two wins. He holds a 15-point advantage on paper, but with second-placed Rob Gearing missing Round 4, Martin’s closest rival, Bennie Luyt and Jan Eversteyn, are 21 points behind, with Hein van der Merwe one behind them. The likes of Andre van Vuuren, Bernard de Gouveia, Lenard Archer, Neil Reynolds, Reinhardt Miller and Varish Ganpath will also look to get closer to the front of the field.
Class D leader Nicholas Herbst recorded a podium finish in every race this year and has accumulated 48 points. This sees him 15 clear of Claudio Jardim, with Cobus Bohmer a further four adrift. Shaun Dodd, who broke into Class D in Round 3, will miss the fourth round but has 29 points to his name. Craig Herbst is one adrift. This class has seen a different race winner in each completed race, and the likes of Arri van Heerden, Dewald Smith, Ferdi van Staden, and Trevor Long will also look to move closer to the front. Stefano Cavalieri’s BMW E46 330i CS sustained heavy damage at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. However, Cavalieri will compete in Shane Grobler’s borrowed BMW E46 330i.
Shane Grobler will also be on the grid in Grobler Motorsport’s spare BMW E36/7 Z3, last raced by Mike Grobler in 2022. The class that he will compete in will be communicated in due course.
Like Meier, Class E’s Zaheer Seedat has also been on top of his class throughout the season. He heads into Round 4 with 39 points to his name. Johan Miller, nine points behind, and Eddie Rodrigues, a further seven adrift, will look to close that gap. Young star Tihan van Rooyen will look to continue his impressive form, while Caren Nienaber will be the sole lady competing in Round 4.
Meier leads the overall championship from Nicholas Herbst, Martins, Makris, and Seedat.
Round 4’s races will take place on Saturday at the following times:
09:50 – Classes A & C – 8 Laps
11:30 – Classes B, D & E – 8 Laps
13:35 – Classes A & C – 8 Laps
15:15 – Classes B, D & E – 8 Laps
Spectator tickets can be purchased at the Red Star Raceway entrance gate on Saturday, and the full Extreme Festival Race Programme will be broadcast live on the BMW Car Club Gauteng Facebook page and 2WheelsTV YouTube Channel.
Issued by Brandsponential on behalf of BMW Car Club Gauteng
Photography by: Willie Pretorius
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