Summarize

Dunlop South Africa Racing is celebrating no less than 55 champions crowned in South African motor racing on four wheels in 2025. From the national Extreme Festival, through regional racing to hot rods, rallying and even lemons racing, from supercars to touring cars, V8s, rally cars and rods, the country’s leading championships all depended on Dunlop for success.

“Dunlop is delighted to toast our 55 champions crowned in South Africa for 2025,” Dunlop Marketing Manager Joanne de Freitas explains. “Our official involvement spans no less than 24 racing series from national to regional and even racing just for fun, so we are immensely proud to toast every one of our champions this year. Well done, one and all!”

Looking at the fastest first, Jonathan du Toit dominated his home Zwartkops finale to take his Lamborghini Huracan EVO to the Dunlop Extreme Supercars championship over principal rival Charl Arangies’ Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Gianni Giannoccaro’s Audi R8 GT3 EVO II Ricky Giannoccaro’s Lamborghini GT3 Evo meantime edged Kris Budnick’s Viper to the Class A crown, Ant Blunden took the B title, Ulli Sanne’s BMW Z4 won Class C and Jimmy Giannoccaro’s Porsche Class D.

Ever-consistent Michael van Rooyen kept his nose clean throughout the South African Touring Cars season as he steered his Toyota Corolla to a most popular maiden championship victory. Behind him the fight for second was resolved a delighted rookie Jagger Robertson’s way, a couple of points clear of Volkswagen Golf teammate Julian van der Watt after a dejected Jason Campos suffered brake failure to crash his BMW late in the final race.

Young Cape Town privateer Tate Bishop defeated the works as he steered his Supa Polo to the SATC SupaCup crown over Volkswagen factory duo Jonathan Mogotsi and top rookie Jason Loosemore. Charl Michael Visser, missed the last few races but still did enough to take fourth from Dawie van der Merwe’s sole Toyota SupaStarlet, and the ever-improving Nicolaos Vostanis. 

The inaugural Dunlop-shod MSA4 single seater championship went down to the wire as contenders KC Ensor-Smith and Mikel Bezuidenhout traded blows through a stunning three-heat Zwartkops finale. Ensor-Smith retired from heat 1 and overheating, slumped to sixth in race 2 a twice second, Bezuidenhout moved ahead. Then Bezuidenhout brushed Smith to puncture in the final, leaving KC to win the race... and the title. Namibian Adriaan Nel dominated the finale to steal third in the chase on a count-back over Renzo Ribiero, Karabo Malemela and Shrien Naidoo.

While Rory Atkinson ultimately emerged a dominant Dunlop-shod Astron Energy Polo Cup champion, his route to the top was less simple. The first three-quarters of the season saw him battling Mohammed Karodia, before Mo endured a tough run, but hung on to second from Hannes Scheepers, Ethan Coetzee, Rookie of the Year Judd Bertholdt and lady racer Tyler Robinson. Wayne Masters had little trouble in wrapping up a second Astron Energy Polo Masters title on the trot from Derick Smalberger and John Kruger.

The Dunlop-shod Volkswagen Rookie Cup also went all the way as Chris Tait made sure of the title with a first race win and second to Uzair Khan in the finale. Title rival Josh Moore soldiered on to second in the chase, six points behind Tait with Khan third from Mario da Luz, Luke Hill, and young lady racer Berlin Robinson. Also racing on Dunlop, the Toyota Gazoo Racing Cup titles went to 86 Rookie Jason Coetzee, Yaris Media lad Nabil Abdool and Corolla Dealer champion Mario da Souza.

Class A crew Into Xolile Letlaka and Stuart White racing occasionally with Axcil Jefferies as third driver, drove their Lamborghini Huracan to clinch the overall South African Endurance Series championship on Dunlop Tyres by winning the December Kyalami 9 Hour. It was a family affair behind as Barend and Harm Pretorius ended second in their Class B Backdraft. Third placed David and Robbie Franco ended third overall in their Volkswagen SupaPolo.

Moving away from the main circuit, the South African National Hot Rod Tour was another to run exclusively on Dunlop tyres. Former Polo Cup and multiple hot rod Champion, Capetonian Kosie Weyers added up yet another title to his CV when he took the final round win to beat Richards Bay veteran Neville Loosemore and Gauteng driver Donovan Vorster to the 2024 title run over four rounds across the country.

And off track, Benjamin Habig and Barry White are South Africa’s Dunlop-shod 2025 Rally Champions after an impressive season in their NRC1 Volkswagen Polo. They beat season-long title rivals Jono van Wyk and Nico Swartz’s NRC1 Mazda2 to the overall title with NRC 2 winners Paul van Niekerk and Willemjan Human third overall in their Polo, while Russel Stone and Jonty Brown’s giant-killing NRC 4 Toyota RunX beat the NRC3 crews to the front-wheel drive title.

Dunlop also dominated the 2025 Gauteng Extreme Festival circuit racing season. Warren Lombard’s Mustang won the Dunlop V8 Supercars championship on the 30th year since the series switched to V8s in 1995. Warren enjoyed a season-long tussle with Thomas Reib’s Chevrolets as late charger Terry Wilford’s Ford Mustang fought to third. Auke Compaan’s Corvette held another late charger, Wayne Spicer off for the GT2 title.

The Gauteng ATE VW Challenge championship went down to the wire. Class C star Adriaan de Beer won a controversial finale to both beat Class B man Stuart Mack to the overall title and C rival Bryce Pillay to the class crown. Fourth overall, young gun Jayden Class A en route to the premier class title. Class C rookie Stuart Konig wound up fifth overall and third in class from Class B runner up Francis Aldrich and yet another Class C Brat pack driver, Dimitri Zapheriou.

Away from the Gauteng Festival, young gun Schalk Geldenhuys cruised to the Class A title in the equivalent Western Cape API Property GTI Challenge, which also exclusively runs on Dunlop tyres. Mohammed Khalfey had to work a little harder to topple Weylin Volschenk in Class B, but the Class C chase was seismic. Adriano Ferroli tied with Mark Fontini after both leapfrogged Flash Finneran in the finale. Fontini was declared champion on a countback of wins, while Khalfey did enough to take the overall title.

Also in the Cape,  Class E man Ernest Page beat Class B winner Mansoor Parker to the Killarney-based BMW Car Club Cape Town Race Series championship title racing on Dunlop tyres by just two points.  Nian du Toit took Class A, Marco Retter C, Dexter Bruce E and Shane Boscombe Class F. And Glen Phillips dominated the Cape Formula SuperCars over Kyle Hallick and Brad Fenner.

Back to Gauteng, nobody would stop Renier Smith from his second overall and Class B BMW M Performance Parts titles on the trot with another tidy double in the Zwartkops finale. Leon Loubser once again came home Class A champion, while Hein van der Merwe took the Zwartkops C double to wrap up that title. Bernard De Gouveia rattled off a win and a third to clinch the D crown, Eddie Rodrigues claimed the E title and Henry Platt clinched Class F with a double victory in Pretoria.

Reigning champion Lendl Jansen dominated the DOE Formula Vee championship to make it a double soon enough to skip the finale. That left Gert van den Berg to follow Theodore Vermaak home to clinch second in the chase from Vermaak. He led a family affair as Vaughn, dad Peter and brother Brandon Hills rounded off the 2025 top six.

Last but not least, Dunlop is also the tyre of choice for the iLamunas ‘lemons’ endurance series of two nine-hour races at Red Star and Killarney raceways and then the Red Star 24 Hour. Limited to cars valued at R50K or less, the VDN Auto team won the 24 Hour from ATS Motorsport and the Flintstones. Sour Lemon Racing took the overall 2025 Lemons championship from ATS Motorsport’s Citi Golf and the Octane Outlaws.

“Dunlop salutes all our competitors, winners and champions for 2025,” Joanne de Freitas concludes. “Also a huge word of thanks to our tireless partners ATS Motorsport and their secret heroes, the tyre crew that travels around the country to service teams and drivers at all the main events. Dunlop also takes the opportunity to wish all our competitors, clients and partners a safe and wonderous Festive Season as we all charge up for another special season ahead.”