National Extreme Festival off to a season opening flyer at Killarney
· Citizen
Stifling heat was the main topic of conversation at the Killarney Raceway on Saturday, with track temperatures rarely dipping below 40 degrees Celcius, and the air not a lot cooler.
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Luckily, the opening round of the 2026 National Extreme Festival, in association with the City of Cape Town and Smile FM, also produced sizzling hot action, making most of the large crowd forget the discomfort.
Touring Cars
Heading up proceedings were two races for South African Touring Cars and SATC Supercup entries.
The opening Touring Car event provided a brilliant surprise, when category novice and single-seater graduate K.C. Ensor-Smith won his first ever national tin-top race in his African Heating Volkswagen Golf GTI.
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Fellow youngster Jason Coetzee (Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla) finished second, followed by Andrew Schofield (FlySafair BMW 128ti) and defending champion Michael van Rooyen, whose Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla suffered from a recurring misfire.
Julian van der Watt (WCT Engineering Volkswagen Golf GTi) won the second heat, leading home Coetzee, Ensor-Smith, Schofield and van Rooyen.
Jason Loosemore (Nathan’s Volkswagen SupaPolo) won both the SupaCup heat. Photograph: Brandsponential.In the SupaCup series, contested solely by Volkswagen SupaPolos, Jason Loosemore (Nathan’s Motorsport) took the first heat ahead of Rory Atkinson (Easy Drive), Tyler Robinson (AF Fans) and Judd Bertholdt (Union Power).
Loosemore repeated the victory in race two, again followed by Atkinson and Bertholdt, with David Franco (Graphix Supply World) in fourth place.
Extreme Supercar
The opening Dunlop Extreme Supercar race went to Charl Arangies (Stradale Mercedes-AMG GT3), leading home Jonathan du Toit (TAR Lamborghini Huracan GT3) and Charl Visser (Charl Engineering Porsche 911 GT3).
Two of the day’s three Dunlop Extreme Supercar races were won by Charl Arangies (Stradale Mercedes-AMG GT3). Photograph: Brandsponential.Du Toit took race two from Arangies, with Gianni Giannoccaro (Sparco Audi R8 GT LMS) filling out the podium.
The third and final race reverted to Arangies again, chased by du Toit and Giannoccaro.
Polo Cup
Hannes Scheepers ruled supreme in the Astron Energy Polo Cup category, taking pole position and winning both races in his Dainfern Dental Polo.
Hannes Scheepers ruled supreme in the Astron Energy Polo Cup category, taking pole position and winning both races in his Dainfern Dental Polo. Photograph: Brandsponential.On both occasions he was followed by Roshaan Goodman (Upward Spiral), with Shiren Rajipaul (Goldwagen Springfield) and Pierluigi Muzzulini (FSS International) sharing the final podium places, respectively.
Single-seaters
Mikel Bezuidenhout (Corsa Del Gemini) took the opening MSA4 race, closely followed by Aqil Albhai (Kokoro Racing Academy) and Renzo Ribiero (Metal Used Spares).
Bezuidenhout and Albhai finished first and second the next time out as well, this time chased to the line by Karabo Malemela (KMFT Monita).
Two-wheels
Sunbet Kawasaki ZX10 Masters Cup motorcycle pre-event favourite Clinton Seller suffered a pinched nerve in his arm and could not race.
Jayson Lamb (Tyremart East London) rode brilliantly to win the second SunBet Kawasaki ZX10 Masters by six thousandths of a second. Photograph: Brandsponential.That left Damion Purificati (Amalgum Welding) to take the first race from Jayson Lamb (Tyremart East London) and Trevor Westman (Project Sixty SA).
Lamb rode brilliantly in the second race, coming from behind to win by six thousandths of a second ahead of Purificati and Westman.
GR Cup
The GR86 Cup class of the opening Toyota GR Cup race went to Kobus Reyneke followed by Connor Weston and Emma Dowling.
Reyneke won the next time as well, challenged to the end by Dowling and Weston.
Devin Scott won the Dealers category from Werner Venter and Theo Brits (Toyota Corolla), while Nabil Abdool was the first Media driver home, ahead of Tayedza Mbiri and Craig Nicholson.
Scott made in a double in race two ahead of Venter and Brits, with Abdool doing likewise, but this time ahead of Nicholson and Justin Ford.
Rookie Cup
Luke Hill (Steelform) won the Volkswagen Rookie Cup race from Jack Moore (Puma Fleet Dynamics) and Anwill April,
Next…
The next round of the National Extreme Festival will take place at the Red Star Raceway on Saturday, 14 April.
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