The ATE VW Challenge poses fans with a most intriguing prospect when the Gauteng Northern Regions Extreme Festival returns for its second bite at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday 13 June. The two races so far, at Zwartkops back in March and at Red Star last month, delivered two completely different results, so most will be waiting to see if a trend can be established, or if consistency can actually kill the cat.
The Pretoria opener was all about Class A rookie Joshua Moore and his Worx BPW Puma Polo. But it was another young gun, Chris Tait’s similar King Price Extreme machine that dominated at Red Star in Delmas, so which of them will emerge on top this weekend remains to be seen. That is however not the full story.
The silent assassin, Anthony Lessing has quietly taken all the second places so far to sit between his young rivals on top of the championship log in his Raless car. Also keep an eye on Francis Aldrich, lan Walker’s Mellow Velo car and Dricus du Plessis. Class B champion Stuart Mack is sure to have his Class A AutoZone entry up to speed soon and Mydi Mfana makes a welcome return too.
Class B is another melting pot that delivered somewhat different results over the opening two rounds. That has left the middle class championship top three split by all of two points and the form man only fifth. Keegan Nathan’s Nathans Polo dominated at Zwartkops first time out but hit trouble at Red Star, where Applied Heat lad Sebastian Bouilliart had the pace.
Bouilliart however had anything but a clean run to leave fellow rookie Keyaan Dwomoh and Northern Bolt & Tool sophomore Jonathan Konig to win the Red Star heats. All of which somehow leaves Bouilliart leading Konig, Mr Consistency Chris Davison’s GSI Polo, Dwomoh and Nathan in the chase. 2025 overall and Class C champion Martin de Beer is now also back in Class B.
It’s a clearer cut in Class C, where Bryce Pillay in charge with three of the four race wins in his Sustech Vivo, he’s had to work for it though, with the other heat winner, Northern Bolt lad Stuart Konig, Dimitri Zapheriou, Kyle Petersen and Philip Croeser’s ATE Vivos on his case. Newcomer Brendon van Geed debuts his Hencom version this weekend.
Zwartkops is always a bargain way to spend a splendid Saturday.
