Volkswagen Motorsport enjoyed a dream start to its 2024 racing season at Saturday’s South African National Championship Extreme Festival at the Killarney International Raceway. 2023 Polo Cup champion Charl Michael Visser opened his career as a Volkswagen Motorsport driver by winning his debut SATC SupaCup race, before teammate Jonathan Mogotsi stormed to the second heat win. Younger Visser brother and inaugural Volkswagen Rookie Cup champion, Kyle, meanwhile starred to come home best of the Astron Energy Polo Cup debutants.
“Wow, what a way to start our new Volkswagen Motorsport season,” Mike Rowe Head of Volkswagen Driving Experience,” admitted. Not only did Charl Michael and Jonathan each win a SATC SupaCup heat, and Kyle end up top rookie in Astron Energy Polo Cup, but these results have certainly proven Volkswagen Motorsport’s priority of developing deserving young talent to be the huge success it is.”
Charl Michael Visser qualified second for his maiden SATC SupaCup race before powering into an early lead he would hold to the finish, with Mogotsi third. Jonathan then emulated his young teammate to deliver a similar performance to win, with Charl Michael third. “We hit a little glitch in qualifying, but the races went much better,” overall SupaCup winner Jonathan Mogotsi explained. “I fought back to third in race 1 and took a hard-earned second race win to take the day, so job done. Huge congratulations to my young teammates and well done team!”
Charl Visser was delighted with his debut SATC SupaCup victory. “I had to pinch myself while leading that first race!” Charl owned up. “I made a great start, fought to the front, and led all the way. My Polo Cup championship experience proved a great help, but I also have a brilliant team behind me, which I am truly appreciative of. Race 2 was OK, I never had the pace to hang on to the top two in the end and we need to figure out why, but I hung in to pick up a good pile of points. Special thanks to Volkswagen Motorsport for this incredible opportunity!”
Younger brother Kyle Visser thoroughly enjoyed his step up to the Astron Energy Polo Cup with Volkswagen Motorsport. “Today was a bit of a baptism of fire!” Kyle smiled. I had a few good dices, fought hard and came home best of the 2024 Astron Energy Polo Cup rookies in both races. I ended fourth in the first and fifth in the second for fourth overall for the day. This is a huge learning curve, but I am so happy with how we started. Thanks so much to my team. Onwards and upward from here!
“All I can do is to congratulate Jonathan, Charl Michael, Kyle and the Volkswagen Motorsport team on a job very well done and thank you all for a splendid effort this weekend,” Mike Rowe concluded. “Now all we need to do is keep this momentum up for the rest of the season. Let’s
do it, lads!”
Volkswagen Motorsport’s next Extreme Festival appointment is the Kyalami International Raceway’s blockbuster second round over the weekend of April.
