National Extreme Festival gives it its all at Aldo Scribante
Championship's second coast visit gave the Friendly City crowd more action than it could have hoped for.
Keegan Campos (Campos Trucking BMW 128ti) led the first Touring Car race from beginning to end. Photograph: Brandsponential.
Brilliant racing and a large crowd braving extremely windy conditions typified round three of this year's National Extreme Festival Presented by Coca-Cola at the Aldo Scribante circuit outside Gqeberha on Saturday.
Touring Cars
Top billing belonged to the South African Touring Car category, with the rear-wheel drive two-litre turbocharged brigade racing on their own.
Keegan Campos (Campos Trucking BMW 128ti) led race one from lights to finish line, chased by Michael van Rooyen (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla), Julien van der Watt (Chemical Logistics Volkswagen Golf GTI) and Saood Variawa (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla).
Jagger Robertson (Sparco Volkswagen Golf GTI) finished fifth ahead of Nathi Msimanga (Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla).
ALSO READ: Kyalami shows its teeth to National and Regional Extreme Festivals
DNF's was recorded by Andrew Schofield, who was forced to stop on the final lap with mechanical maladies in his Safair BMW 128ti, and the Toyota Corolla of Syabonga Mankonkwane.
Race two saw a lot of robust action, after which Variawa took the victory ahead of van Rooyen, Campos, Msimanga, Schofield, Mankonkwane, Robertson and van der Watt.
With a number of protests still pending, the results are provisional.
SupaCup
Championship leader Tate Bishop (Angri Volkswagen SupaPolo took the opening SupaCup race from defending champion Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Motorsport SupaPolo), Muhammad Wally (Volkswagen SupaPolo), Charl Visser (Charl Engineering Volkswagen SupaPolo and Jason Loosemore (Astron Energy Volkswagen SupaPolo).
Championship leader Tate Bishop (Angri Volkswagen SupaPolo) had a perfect weekend, setting pole position and winning both the SupaCup races. Photograph: Brandsponential.
Bishop finished a perfect weekend by winning race two as well, leading home Visser, Mogotsi, Wally and Nicolas Vostanis (Volkswagen SupaPolo).
Polo Cup
The first Astron Energy Polo Cup race was red-flagged after one lap when the Charl Engineering Polo of Kyle Visser crashed in the esses.
At the restart, pole sitter Mohammed Karodia (Fast 5) jumped into the lead and he stayed there, leading home Charl Smalberger (Sabertek), Roshaan Goodman (Upward Spiral) and Hannes Scheepers (Dainfern Dental).
Mohammed Karodia (Fast 5) took both the Astron Energy Polo Cup races. Photograph: Brandsponential.
Wayne Masters (Performance Masters) took the Masters category from Derick Smalberger (Sabertek), John Kruger (Habot Lubricants) and Mike Barbaglia,
Karodia ended a perfect weekend by taking the second heat as well, followed by Judd Bertholdt (Rookie Cup), Smalberger and Goodman.
John Kruger took the Masters category ahead of Masters, Barbaglia and Smalberger.
Two-wheels
Multiple former Superbike champion Clinton Seller (King Price Extreme) had to start the Sunbet Kawasaki ZX10 Masters Cup races from the back of the grid after failing to visit the scrutineering bay following Friday's qualifying session.
He was not fazed and blasted through the race one field to win from Damion Purificati (Amulgum Welding), Graeme van Breda (Stefanutti Stocks) and Jayson Lamb (Tyremart).
Clinton Seller (King Price Extreme) took both the Sunbet Kawasaki ZX10 Masters races, despite having to start from the back of the grid. Photograph: Brandsponential.
He also set the day's quickest two-wheeler lap time of one minute 02.43 seconds.
Seller won race two as well, followed by van Breda, Lamb, David Enticott (ZX10) and Purificati.
Volkswagen Rookie Cup
The opening Volkswagen Rookie Cup race went to Josh Moore, ahead of Uzair Khan, Luke Hill and Mauro Da Luz.
Christopher Tait took race two, leading Khan, Moore and da Luz.
GR Cup
The opening Toyota GR Cup race in the GR86 class went to Jason Coetzee ahead of Mbuso Ngwenya, Justin Rogers and Brandon van der Nest.
Veteran Mario da Sousa won the GR Corolla category ahead of Werner Venter, Andries de Villiers (Corolla) and Rudi Boonzaaier.
Coetzee won the second GR86 race as well, followed by Ngwenya, Rogers and Kent Swartz.
The same applied to da Sousa, who took race two ahead of GR Academy driving instructor Paul de Vos, Venter and Riaan de Ru.
The opening GR Yaris event, in the new eight-speed automatic models, went to championship leader Nabil Abdool (SuperSport) from Phuti Mpyane (TimesLive), Kyle Kock (CAR Magazine) and and Lawrence Minnie (AutoTrader).
A fraught second race two Abdool take victory in race two ahead of Kock, Mpayane and Minnie.
Zwartkops next
The next round of the National Extreme Festival Presented by Coca-Cola will take place at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday, 21 June.
ALSO READ: National Extreme Festival opens 2025 up with a show of note
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Toyota GR Corolla to be built in the UK starting in 2026
Toyota's GR Corolla is set to go into production in the UK from 2026, the carmaker confirmed on Friday, as part of a broader move to meet growing global demand for its high-performance Gazoo Racing models. The hot hatch will be built at Toyota's Burnaston plant in Derbyshire, operated by Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK), which assembles the standard Corolla range. It will be the first GR model produced at the facility, and the first time the GR Corolla is manufactured in Europe. Since launching in 2022, the GR Corolla has attracted strong interest among driving enthusiasts, joining Toyota's expanding GR line-up that includes the Supra, GR Yaris and GR86. According to the company, appetite for the models has routinely outstripped supply — prompting the Japanese carmaker's decision to add a new production location. Preparations at the UK plant reportedly began last year, with Toyota working alongside local suppliers and staff ahead of the 2026 production start. While Toyota hasn't confirmed how many units will be built or which markets they'll serve, the move is expected to reduce lead times and ease pressure on existing supply chains. The choice of the UK is also no accident. Toyota cited the country's motorsport culture, engineering know-how and the track record of the TMUK plant as key factors in the decision.
The Citizen
26-05-2025
- The Citizen
Toyota Gazoo Racing caps off Safari Rally with a strong finish
In addition to the pair of South African entered GR Hiluxes, overall victory went to the factory Gazoo Racing team of Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings. Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet completed the first-ever South African Safari Rally in 12th place overall for Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa. Picture: Toyota Gazoo Racing The inaugural South African Safari Rally, round three of the World Rally-Raid Championship, oncluded with the fifth stage on Saturday (24 May), wrapping up six days of racing through some of the country's most punishing terrain. Final push Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa crews Guy Botterill and Dennis Murphy, and Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet capped the event with a double top 15 finish on the on the final 111 km special stage around Sun City. The stage covered 222 km in total, featuring two liaison sections split by a high-speed special run through a mix of sand, soft gravel, rocky outcrops, and dry savannah. Opening the route after winning the fourth stage proved a tall order for teenager Variawa and his French co-driver Cazalet as they struggled to maintain pace. 'I gave it everything,' said Variawa. 'I pushed at yesterday's winning pace, but opening the road makes it incredibly difficult. There's just no line to follow, and by the time a few cars are through, the route changes completely. We saw corners become straights just a few cars back.' ALSO READ: Toyota Gazoo Racing ends Safari Rally fourth stage on a high The duo finished 18th on Stage 5, seven min 31 sec behind the leader. 'All in all, it was an amazing event,' Variawa added. 'The scenery, the fans, the stages, everything was fantastic. We were fighting with the world's best, and it's clear we're moving in the right direction.' Teammates Botterill and Murphy also rebounding strongly after a tough start to the event. They produced another clean run to finish 12th on the final stage. 'We had a really successful weekend overall,' said Botterill. 'We managed two 1-2 stage finishes as a team, which was fantastic. The pace is definitely there; we just need to cut out the small mistakes and learn how to better manage the road order strategy in these world-level events.' Reflecting on the rally's, Botterill noted: 'Nobody won a stage starting in the top 10 this week. You really want to be starting fifth or sixth every day, but it's hard to get that balance right. The guys who've been doing this for a while know how to play the game. We're learning fast, and we'll come back stronger.' All round success for Toyota Both Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa GR Hilux EVOs completed the event without issues Variawa/Cazalet finishing 12th overall and with Botterill/Murphy 13th. In the overall standings, works Toyota Gazoo Racing team Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings took the victory ahead of the Dacia Sandrider of nine-times world rally champion Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin, and the second Gazoo Racing Hilux EVO of Brazilian Lucas Moraes and Spanish co-driver Armand Monleon. In the drivers' classification, Variawa edges closer to the top ten, while Botterill adds valuable points to his international campaign. With the South African round complete, the focus shifts to the next round in Portugal on 22-28 September. Overall Results #205 Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings – Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux DKR EVO #219 Sébastien Loeb/Fabian Lurquin – Dacia Sandrider #203 Lucas Moraes/Armand Monleon – Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux DKR EVO #277 Gareth Woolridge /Boyd Dreyer – Castrol Neil Woolridge Motorsport Ford Ranger T1+ #225 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz – Ford M-Sport Raptor DKR #204 Seth Quintero/Dennis Zenz – Toyota Gazoo Racing Hilux DKR EVO #227 Nani Roma/Alex Haro – Ford M-Sport Raptor DKR #242 Daniel Schröder/Henry Köhne – PS Laser Racing Volkswagen Amarok #222 Guillaume De Mévius/Xavier Panseri – X-Raid Mini John Cooper Works #200 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Édouard Boulanger – Dacia Sandrider ALSO READ: Stage 3: No let up for Toyota Gazoo Racing on South African Safari
IOL News
15-05-2025
- IOL News
Next Volkswagen Golf GTI will be a 'monster' - here's when to expect it
The next Golf GTI is currently under development as an all-electric model. Image: Supplied It's a well-known fact that the next-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI will be all-electric, but now the company's Chief Executive has shed some additional light on the upcoming performance hatch. In an interview with Auto Express, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer confirmed that an all-new, battery-powered Golf would launch around the end of this decade, based on the company's new SSP scalable architecture. The current, eighth-generation Golf will continue until then, receiving further updates. The CEO is promising big things for the next-generation performance hatch. 'At the end of the decade we will bring an electric Golf (GTI), and that will be a monster car,' Schäfer told Auto Express. 'I'm very happy with the progress. It's cool. You can make it exciting, it has to be exciting, it has to be authentic. If we bring a GTI, it has to be a (true) GTI.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading The new GTI will retain its front-wheel drive layout, the UK publication stated, while a new R version is also in the works, with power going to all four wheels as per the current version. But long before these two hot Golfs hit the market, Volkswagen will launch the production version of its ID. GTI Concept 01, which will form part of the ID.2 family. This Polo-sized hatch is expected to hit the market in 2026. Outputs for the next-generation Golf GTI have yet to be confirmed, but given the fun factor being promised, the GTI will surely need to usurp the current ID.3 GTX, which is good for 240kW. Piped-in sound and numerous chassis innovations will no doubt form part of the package, but the specifics are still under wraps. 'Can you make an electric Golf exciting? Absolutely,' Schäfer said of the next GTI, of which development is already well underway. Meanwhile South Africans are still waiting to get their hands on the latest Golf '8.5' GTI. In 2024, VWSA stated that fuel quality concerns were holding back the launch of this more powerful new model. But CarMag recently reported that 'favourable results' from the company's latest batch of fuel tests have put the vehicle back on the radar, for possible introduction later in 2025. As a reminder, the facelifted GTI now produces 195kW and 370Nm, up from the current model's 180kW, with the 0-100km/h time now listed at 5.9 seconds. IOL
