Summarize

South Africa’s three premier circuit racing championships will come to a head at Zwartkops’ Extreme Festival finale races 20 October — a must-do meeting for race fans considering all three titles will go down to the wire that weekend. It promises to be a blockbuster weekend, with each of the Sasol Global Touring Car, Engen Polo Cup and Investchem Formula 1600 championships still to be decided, while the G&H Transport Extreme Supercars, Red Square Kawasaki ZX10 Masters Cup and regional MotorMart VW Challenge, Lotus Challenge and V8 Supercars, as well, and the Bridgestone SUB10 Superbikes will add to the drama.

All eyes will be on Audi duo Michael Stephen and Simon Moss at the top of the Sasol Global Touring Car table, while BMW lad Gennaro Bonafede has an outside chance of stealing the title, but second certainly is on the table. BMW privateers Johan Fourie and Michael van Rooyen and Daniel Rowe are meanwhile locked into a three-way battle for third and just 9 points split Audi and BMW in the maker’s title race. Champion Keagan Masters needs to cruise his VW Motorsport GTi home to clinch a GTC2 double from Mini man Devin Robertson, while his teammate Bradley Liebenberg and Trevor Bland are tied on points in third — don’t miss that 20 October decider! 

It’s also all to do in the Engen Polo Cup, where Jeffrey Kruger and Tasmin Pepper are split by just ten points in that championship dice, while Jonathan Mogotsi in third, has Keegan Campos looming large in his mirrors. Kruger also has Mogotsi to worry about in the Junior title race, where both Keegan Campos and Clinton Bezuidenhout are both very much in the picture and while Tasmin Pepper is already Masters champion, Jason Campos needs to fight Juan Gerber off for second.

It should be a formality for Stuart White to clinch the Investchem Formula 1600 championship’s Road to Indy grand prize, but that’s what they said before the last race and Nick van Weely is still in there with a shout, so White knows full well that it is not over before the fat lady sings. Scott Temple also has Alex Gillespie to keep him in check if he wants that championship third, while Ian Schofield and David Jermy should continue their Class B spat right down to the line…

The G&H Transport Extreme Supercar championship is pretty much set in stone following Charl Arangies’ dominant season in his Aston Martin seeing him on double the points of nearest challenger Mark du Toit’s Ferrari 430, who has a similarly strong hold on second over Marcel Angel’s Ferrari 458, but expect spectacular action between them and their various McLaren, Lamborghini, Porsche, Lotus, BMW, Alfa Romeo and other rivals. Another championship certainly not done and dusted is the Sven Grune and Graeme Van Breda show, with the two of them still flat out at it in the Red Square Kawasaki ZX10 Masters Cup.

The regional support act should prove equally entertaining as those titles deliver their penultimate round action, with Jacques Smith and Rory Atkinson tied in the MotorMart VW Challenge lead and the real fight between Atkinson and his class A rival Stiaan Kriel, while Class B man Smith needs to keep an eye on Deon Holliday Junior and Chris Dale. Jeffrey Kruger also leads the Lotus Challenge from Mackie Adlem, Andre Human and Thomas Falkiner, while the thundering V8 Supercars and the Bridgestone Sub 10 Superbikes will round off a full day’s racing.

So there you have it — make sure to diarise Saturday 20 October for Zwartkops’ Extreme Festival finale right now — it's bound to be a cracking day’s racing not to be missed. Tickets will be available at the gate or you can book online at itickets.co.za with adult entry at R120, students R90 and kids under 12 for free. Find Zwartkops Raceway on the R55 just south of Laudium, west of Pretoria and keep posted on pre-race news at www.zwartkops.co.za.