Brilliant racing keeps keen Gqeberha crowd on its toes

Aldo Scribante Raceway’s tightly contested fifth round Extreme Festival meeting thrilled Gqeberha fans with some incredible close racing in perfect conditions on Saturday. All classes delivered racing of the top order, some of it perhaps a little too close for comfort as South Africa’s various circuit racing championships crossed their midseason through the day.

Local hero Silvio Scribante’s Lamborghini Huracan dominated both G+H Extreme Supercar races as he challenged the PE track’s outright lap record. He beat Jonathan du Toit’s similar car, Charl Arangies Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, Franco’s Scribante Porsche 997 Turbo and cousin, Aldo Scribante in another Huracan, at the racetrack with his grandfather’s name. Marius Jackson’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 followed from Gianni Giannoccaro’s Nismo GT-R in both heats.

Toyota drivers, championship leader Saood Variawa and title rival Robert Wolk kept the 2023 Global Touring Car title battle wide open as each took a race win. Pole man Variawa held Wolk’s similar Toyota Corolla off to take the first race as Julian van der Watt returned from his Kyalami crash to end third in his brand new BMW from Michael van Rooyen’s Corolla. The reverse grid second race saw early leaders Josh Le Roux and Andrew Rackstraw crash to allow Wolk to take one back from title rival Variawa, van Rooyen and van der Watt.

Keegan Campos came, saw, and conquered has he dominated proceedings in the GTC SupaCup. Under championship pressure from Bradley Liebenberg, who had won the previous four races on the trot, Campos responded by delivering a perfect grand slam weekend with pole position, two lights to flag wins and the fastest lap in each race too. Liebenberg was second each time from Jonathan Mogotsi, Arnold Neveling, Tate Bishop, and Masters winner Danie van Niekerk.

Charl Michael Visser likewise kept his title aspirations on track with a dominant CompCare Polo Cup grand slam. Visser topped qualifying before winning both races with the fastest lap in each. He beat Anthony Pretorius, Nathan Victor, Jason Loosemore, Giordano Lupini, and Ethan Coetzee in the safety affected opening race. And Pretorius, Lupini, Dawie van der Merwe, Victor, and Loosemore in the red-flagged and crash-shortened 30 minute mini endurance heat 2.

Another Cape lad, Troy Dolinschek continued his dominant 2023 Investchem Formula 1600 form with another double victory at Aldo Scribante Raceway’s Extreme Festival at Gqeberha on Saturday. While he only started third, Dolinschek was soon ahead as he staved off the attentions of compatriot Jason Coetzee in both races to make it six wins out of eight starts this season. Nicholas van Weely took both third places.

Trevor Westman beat David Enticott and Graeme van Breda to SunBet ZX10 Masters motorcycles pole position. But it was Jayson Lamb who emerged from the pack to take the opening race win from Enticott, and Westman, all within a couple of tenths of a second, and van Breda. Pieter de Vos, Brian Bontekoning, Klint Munton and Johan Le Roux entertained behind. Westman then bounced back to take race 2 from Lamb, van Breda, de Vos, Bontekoning and Johan Le Roux. 

Mackie Adlem put his Jaguar XKR Mobil 1 V8 Supercar pole position, but a penalty dropped him to the back to see championship leader Julian Fameliaris’ Corvette on the front row alongside Franco Di Matteo’s XKR. Fameliaris then raced to the win from Di Matteo, Thomas Reib’s Chevy Lumina and Adlem. Reib turned the tables in race 2 from Adlem, di Matteo and Fameliaris, who took the day from Reib and Adlem.

 

Sa'aad Variawa took the opening Toyota GR Yaris League race from Karah Hill, Bjorn Bertholdt, Nicolaos Vostanis, Taariq Adam, and Ryan Naicker. The race 2 top three was unchanged as Adam beat Naicker and Vostanis to third. Behind them Setshaba Mashigo trounced his GR86 media opposition, Denis Droppa, Mark Jones, Reuben van Niekerk, Toyota Suit Peranand Pather, Brendon Staniforth and Chad Luckhoff in race 1. Mashigo beat Droppa, Luckhoff, van Niekerk, Mark Jones, Staniforth and Pather in the dusk second heat.

 

The next round of the Extreme Festival is at the East London Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday 22 July.