- Loosemore clinches 2024 Astron Energy Polo Cup title at Zwartkops
- Wayne Masters takes Polo Masters title, Kyle Visser is top rookie
Jason Loosemore is 2024 South African National Astron Energy Polo Cup champion. Wayne Masters took the Masters title and Kyle Visser emerged the top rookie at the Extreme Festival finale on Saturday.
Loosemore’s championship title earns him a South African Touring Cars (SATC) SupaCup drive in Volkswagen Motorsport’s Astron Energy SupaPolo for 2025. The weekend was a breakthrough for multiple PABAR Volkswagen Challenge champion Rory Atkinson, who won both races.
Atkinson continued his recent qualifying form with a fourth pole position in four races aboard his Industry Petroleum Polo Cup on Friday afternoon, just a second clear of Volkswagen Motorsport Rookie Cup lad Kyle Visser. Dainfern Dental doctor Hannes Scheepers put a tough season behind him to plant his Polo third on home ground, ahead of Charl Smalberger’s Sabertek machine and AF Fans lass Tyler Robinson, once again going through to the top six shootout while Loosemore’s Security Fencing & Alarms Polo sneaked in sixth.
Atkinson then validated his qualifying pace lap by claiming the shootout Superpole, as Loosemore jumped to second from Smalberger, Scheepers, Visser and Robinson. Loosemore’s remaining title rival, Ethan Coetzee’s JRT Racing Experience Polo was the best of the rest in seventh ahead of Gqeberha lad Jeandre Marais’ Syrabix Team Red car, Mo Karodia’s Fast Five Polo Cup and Nirav Singh’s Racing Spirit car in tenth. Rookie trio, Sizani lad Bjorn Bertholdt, newcomer Milan Emslie’s Universal car and FSS driver Pierluigi Muzzulini closed off the Cup grid.
Astron Energy Polo Masters championship leader Wayne Masters and his Alpha ESS Polo put Habot Lubricants driver John Kruger between himself and title rival and Derick Smalberger’s Sabertek car. ATE Brakes lady driver Elna Croeser pipped Luigi Ferro’s second Alpha FSS entry for fourth from Chris Dale’s Dale Automation car, PABAR driver Mike Barbaglia and FSS man Elio Muzzulini.
Rory Atkinson pounced from pole to jump ahead of Jason Loosemore at the start, with Charl Smalberger, Hannes Scheepers and Kyle Visser in chase. Ethan Coetzee’s championship hopes faded as he sat sixth ahead of Mo Karodia, with Jeandre Marais and Bjorn Bertholdt in chase. Loosemore kept Atkinson under pressure, while Coetzee found a way past Visser at a point. But Kyle had none of it and fought back, which is how they finished with Atkinson winning the battle, Loosemore the war.
Charl Smalberger had however used his push to pass on the opening lap to cop a ten second post-race penalty and drop him to eighth behind Scheepers, Visser, Coetzee, Karodia and Marais. Behind them, Wayne Masters tucked into Cup backmarkers Nirav Singh and Pierluigi Muzzulini as he beat Derick Smalberger to the Masters win and all but clinched that title. John Kruger ended third from Elna Croeser, Chris Dale, Michael Barbaglia and Elio Muzzulini.
On pole again for his fifth race on the trot, Atkinson went on to a lights to flag win over Loosemore again, to wrap up a brilliant grand slam maiden victory. Loosemore kept him under pressure throughout, but he was also under the whip from Scheepers and Smalberger. Scheepers slowed and slipped back later in the race to leave Kyle Visser in fourth to clinch third, and best rookie in the championship, after he fought back past Coetzee and Karodia. Tyler Robinson also managed to pass the ailing Scheepers for seventh, with Marais, Bertholdt, Emslie Muzzulini and Singh in chase.
Derick Smalberger’s scant Masters title aspirations ended with a first lap spin, but John Kruger kept Wayne Masters busy. Nothing would however stop Wayne from delivering his own grand slam to take the double win and clinch the Engen Polo Masters title. He edged Kruger, Elna Croeser, the recovered Smalberger, Barbaglia, Ferro Elio Muzzulini and Dale.
New Volkswagen Rookie Cup champion Judd Bertholdt will move up to Astron Energy Polo Cup. For the rest, the 2025 Astron Energy Polo Cup cars will race to a new specification to be revealed before the new season, when the rest of the make-up of the next episode of this legendary racing series will also become apparent.
