Summarize

The 2021 Investchem South African Formula 1600 championship finally gets back on track when it joins the first post-lockdown National Extreme Festival at the East London Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday 28 August. The meeting postponed from June is the first of four that will pick up from the three Extreme Festivals run up to May.

All eyes will be on Cape Town lad Andrew Rackstraw, who remains unbeaten this season. Rackstraw and his Claudio Piazza Musso-run Investchem RDSA Mygale have had an almost perfect season so far with three pole positions and six heat wins out of six. He's only lost a couple of the maximum possible points out to drivers who recorded faster race laps and he cannot wait to extend on his run at the historic venue that once played host to the South African Grand Prix.

Rackstraw holds a 25 point lead championship lead over impressive former karter and Investchem Formula 1600 rookie Jarrod Waberski's DAW Mygale. So even if Rackstraw fails to score a point this Border weekend at the Border, he will still head home leading the title chase. Nicholas van Weely is looking for a little luck following an uncharacteristically slow start to his season aboard his Magnificent Paints & Hardware Van Diemen that sees him third on 31 points.

Another Formula 1600 rookie out of karting, Josh le Roux arrives in East London one point adrift of van Weely aboard his Mygale, but well clear of another talented youngster, Alex Vos’ Ecurie Zoo DV Supplies Van Diemen. He has Ewan Holtzhausen’s Total Plastics Mygale snapping at his heels with Andrew Schofield’s Fly Safair Mygale, brothers Antwan and Gerard Geldenhuys' Abacus Divisions Mygales and Brendan Tracey’s Investchem Mygale keeping a watching brief. 

The 2021 Investchem Formula 1600 championship began at Killarney in Cape Town in March before moving on to Zwartkops in Pretoria and then Aldo Scribante in PE in May. The postponed East London meeting from June now picks up before two further Extreme Festival rounds at Red Star in Delmas in September and then Zwartkops in October. 

With lesser lockdown measures still in force, spectators remain banned at sporting events. You can still follow the Investchem Formula 1600 action via live streaming on the Extreme Festival social platforms.