Summarize

The 2026 National Championship circuit motor racing Extreme Festival delivered a splendid day of racing at the Red Star Raceway near Delmas on Saturday. The twisty racetrack saw Julian van der Watt Keegan Campos share South African Touring Cars wins, while double victories for Rory Atkinson in SupaCup, Hannes Scheepers in Astron Energy Polo Cup, Aqil Alibhai in Investchem MSA4, Damion Purificati in the SunBet ZX10 Masters motorcycles and Connor Weston in Gazoo Toyota Cup certainly failed to detract from a thrilling day.

Pole man Julian van der Watt and his Volkswagen Golf GTI made off to an easy opening South African Touring Cars opening race win after returning duo, Robert Wolk’s Golf GTI and Keegan Campos’ BMW 128iS, and KC Ensor-Smith’s Golf collided in the first turn. Wolk stopped, Campos pitted and Ensor-Smith chased Jason Coetzee’s second placed Toyota Corolla all the way to the flag. Campos then took advantage of his reverse grid second race pole position to win from Ensor-Smith and day winner van der Watt.

Rory Atkinson took his pole position gifted by two rivals’ penalties with both hands to initially fend Tyler Robinson and log leader Jason Loosemore off before clearing off to a maiden win in the opening SATC SupaCup race. Penalised pole man Judd Bertholdt ended fourth from Nikki Vostanis and the other penalised party, Bradley Liebenberg. Atkinson made short work of race 2 as Loosemore, Liebenberg and Bertholdt found a way past Robinson. 

Hannes Scheepers continued unbeaten in the Astron Energy Polo Cup by twice passing pole man Charl Smalberger off the start to score a double victory. Roshaan Goodman held Mauro Da Luz off for third with Shiren Rajpaul and Jayden Goosen in chase. Wayne Masters won Polo Masters from Derick Smalberger and John Kruger. Charl Smalberger tried every trick in the book to pass defensive Scheepers in an enthralling second race, where Goodman held Goosen and Da Luz off and Masters again beat Smalberger and Kruger to the Masters win.

Former British Formula 4 ace Aqil Alibhai turned the Investchem MSA4 chase on its head. Pole man Shrien Naidoo bogged at the start to leave log leader Mikel Bezuidenhout to second from Karabo Malemela, Guido Bidoli and Naidoo, who fought back to fifth. Alibhai beat Naidoo to turn 1 again in race 2 before Naidoo clashed with Bezuidenhout, who held on for second. Malemela was third from Bidoli and Kent Swartz, as Naidoo recovered to seventh. Ian Schofield meantime did the Formula Ford Kent class double from Alex Vos and Nicholas van Weely.

Damion Purificati made a lightning start to leave Keith Agliotti to fend Hein McMahon and James Barson off en route to the opening race SunBet ZX10 Masters win. Henk Kruger, Ad van Dalen, Trevor Westman and Reginald Seale chased hard. Purificati also dominated race 2, leaving McMahon to fend Agliotti and Barson off while van Dalen nicked fifth from Kruger.

GR86 Rookie trio Connor Weston, Kobus Reynecke and Emma Dowling topped the opening Gazoo Toyota Cup race, where GR Yaris Dealer lad Devon Scott and GR Corolla Media man Nabil Abdool ensured their classes continued to race to the formbook. The second race delivered the same results although there was indeed a tight four way battle behind race winner Weston.

The third round of the National Extreme Festival remains on the highveld with a visit to its home Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria on Saturday 23 May. That promises to be an explosive day of racing. Be there!