Regional classes delivered more than their fair share of action, excitement, and drama at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit’s blockbuster Extreme Festival over the weekend. Racing alongside the National categories, the super-fast Mobil 1 V8 Supercars, dramatic PABAR VW Challenge, and exciting BMW M Performance Parts Race Series thrilled, while DOE Formula Vee and 111 GT Sports & Saloons with SuperHatch contributed to a spectacular day of racing for the large and enthusiastic crowd at the Home of South African Motorsport.
Among the fastest and most spectacular attractions of the day, the thundering Mobil 1 V8 Supercars thrilled the fans with sheer speed and force. Thomas Reib’s Lumina was unflustered as he roared to Friday’s opening race victory. He left champion Julian Fameliaris’ Corvette to find a way around Warren Lombard’s Mustang for second. Franco di Matteo was fourth from Terry Wilford and Sam Dahl. Wilford initially led Saturday’s reverse grid second race from di Matteo and Lombard, but Fameliaris and Reib were soon slicing through the field. Julian duly took the win and the day, from Thomas, Lombard, Wilford, di Matteo, and Dahl.
PABAR VW Challenge proved most dramatic. Rory Atkinson’s new Class X Polo passed Class A Masters brothers Wayne and Bevin to win the opening race. Stuart Mack’s turbo litre Polo likewise put one over 2-litre rivals Mo Karodia’s sedan and Stelio Nousias, and the rest of the hatchbacks in Class B. And Andy Gossman held youngsters Michael Zapheriou and Chris Tait off in Brat Pack Class C. The second race was however abandoned after Zapheriou suffered a frightening accident to stop the race. He was rushed to hospital, where he is recovering in a serious but stable condition.
Bob Neill made a happy return to win the opening 50-car BMW M Performance Parts Series race from Class B men Carlo Gabini, Andreas Meier, and JP Nortje. Gary Martins beat Devin Robertson and Jan Eversteyn to Class C. Claudio Jardim took Class D from Nicholas and Craig Herbst, and Marais Ellis beat Tihan van Rooyen and Matthew Wadeley to the E win. Neill then did the double, once again from Gabini, Nek Makris and Meier. Nishal Singh took Class C from Martins and Rob Gearing. Craig beat Nicholas Herbst and Shaun Dodd to D and Ellis beat Wadeley and Johan Miller to win Class E.
Lendl Jansen continued his winning 2024 form when he came from fourth to defeat Peter and Brandon Hills, Gert van den Berg, Kyle Watt, Jaco Schriks and MD Bester to a truncated opening DOE Formula Vee partnered with CIM Lubricants race on Friday evening. Saturday’s second 12-lapper however delivered a thrilling dice up front. Jansen had to fight Brandon and Peter Hills for that win to the cheers of the crowd. Van den Berg ended fourth from Watt, Schriks, Theodore Vermaak and Eric Booyens.
George Economides’ turbo Golf made short work of the opening 111 GT and Saloon race from BMW GT rivals Lenard Archer and Dawie Olivier, and Class B three, Lucas Bezuidenhout’s Lexus, and Melanie Spurr and Lindsay Clur’s VWs. Wayne Lebotschy and Wouter Roos’ VWs won Class B and C, Robert Clark’s Ballade D, and Jayden Goosen Class X. Jonathan du Toit’s BMW won SuperHatch from Karel Stols’ Etios and Seten Naidu’s Civic. Economides’ then did the double from Archer and Philip Meyer’s Porsche, Spurr, Bezuidenhout and Clur. Lebotschy, Roos, Clark and Goosen took the classes again and Mark du Toit beat Stols and brother Mark’s Civic in SuperHatch.
Kyalami’s blockbuster Extreme Festival also saw all the regular National classes racing. The South African Touring Cars and SATC SupaCup, Extreme Supercars Driven by Dunlop, Astron Energy Polo Cup, Investchem F1600 Including Formula Ford Kent, SunBet Zx10 Masters Cup motorcycles Gazoo Racing SA Cup all delivered great action too.
The Extreme Festivals now go back their own way, with the Regional circus heading to the Red Star Raceway near Delmas in Mpumalanga next on 11 May, and the National roadshow off to Zwartkops in Pretoria a week later on 18 May. If Kyalami’s action was anything to go by, both promise to be well worth the visit.
