Summarize

Anthony Lessing, Keegan Nathan, and Bryce Pillay each scored a grand slam as they dominated Zwartkops Raceway’s fifth round Northern Regions Extreme Festival ATE VW Challenge action on Saturday. All three results also served to tighten up the chases and leave each class championship wide open with two rounds left to race.

Anthony Lessing gave notice of his weekend intentions when he put his Raless Polo 6R on pole position in qualifying. He lapped a tenth of a second quicker than Chris Tait’s King Price Extreme version, while Francis Aldrich was on the qualifying pace once again in third. Ian Walker’s Melo Velo machine sat alongside Aldrich and ahead of the returning Dewald Theron, Stuart Mack and championship leader Josh Moore‘s Worx BPW Puma Polo. Newcomer Dricus du Plessis was next up from Mydi Mfana.

Keegan Nathan bounced back from his injury to take pole position in Cass B in the Nathans Polo by a quarter of a second over Keyaan Dwomoh’s Adhive car. Class leader Sebastian Bouilliart’s Applied Heat car, Northern Bolt & Tool youngster Jonathan Konig and GTI Generators man Chris Davison followed. Bryce Pillay‘s Phishrod Vivo was also back in Class C as he likewise put a quarter second on Elna Croeser’s ATE Vivo with Dimitri Zapheriou, Cardoc driver Andy Gossman and newcomers Lebo Mokutu and Hencom lad Brendon van Gend in chase. 

There was drama as lone Class T lad Luke Hill and Class B youngster Max Corbett’s fuel samples returned negative, and Class C frontrunner Stuart Konig was found underweight on the scales. All three were relegated to the back of their class grids.

The first race clearly went exactly according to plan for pole man Anthony Lessing. He charged to a lights to flag win from Christopher Tait, with Francis Aldrich and Anthony Lessing in hot pursuit. Josh Moore found his way past the duelling Stuart Mack and Dewald Theron, who took a 30 second jump start penalty to promote Dricus du Plessis to sixth from Mack Mydi Mfana and T man Luke Hill.

Keegan Nathan dominated Class B to leave fellow youngsters Anthony Bouillart and Keyaan Dwomoh to fight it out for second with Chris Davison, Jonathan Konig and Max Corbett next home. Bryce Pillay fended Elna Croeser and a resurgent Stuart Konig off for Class C honours with Andy Gossman, Dimitri Zapheriou,  Lebo Mokutu and Brendon van Gend keeping a watching brief.

Anthony Lessing picked up where he left off once again in heat 2 with what appeared an easy win. Christopher Tait chased all the way while Josh Moore earned a reprieve in third ahead of Ian Walker, a slower starting Dewald Theron, Stuart Mack, Dricus du Plessis, Mydi Mfana and Luke Hill. Keegan Nathan likewise delivered a dominant Class B double over Keyaan Dwomoh, while Max Corbett fought his way to a fine third from Sebastian Bouillart, with Jonathan Konig and Chris Davison next across the line.

Class C was a humdinger. Bryce Pillay and Stuart Konig fought it out with Konig doing his best to snatch the lead. But Pillay held on to do the double with Andy Gossman third from Dimitri Zapheriou, Elna Croeser, Lebo Mokutu and Brendon van Gend. Overall, Anthony Lessing took the day from Chris Tait and Francis Aldrich; Keegan Nathan took B from Keyaan Dwomoh and Sebastian Bouiliaart, and Bryce. Bryce Pillay beat Stuart Konig and Elna Croeser in Class C.

All of which leaves all three ATE VW Challenge classes poised on a knife’s edge en route to the penultimate round Northern Regions Extreme Festival at the Red Star Raceway near Delmas on Saturday 10 October.

*VW Challenge salutes series sponsor ATE Brakes as well as series partners, Dunlop Tyres South Africa, ATS Motorsport Supplies, AutoZone, Norbrake, PABAR and the Extreme Festival.