Drama, spectacle and ultraclose racing typified round five of this year’s Extreme Festival tour at the Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday.The day’s main crowd drawcards were two races for G&H Transport Extreme Supercars.
The first heat saw Charl Arangies (Stradale Lamborghini Gallardo) take a narrow victory ahead of Jonathan du Toit (TAR Ferrari 430), Craig Jarvis (Pablo Clark Ferrari 430) and Dawie Olivier (G&H Transport BMW M3). Arangies won race two as well, with Du Toit on his heels. The AF Hydraulics Subaru WRX of Anton Cronje finished third, followed by Jarvis’s Ferrari.
That’s How We Roll: Craig Botha’s DCM Motors Golf completes a flip in front of the Zwartkops pits after being nudged by another car. The driver was unhurt.
The race for Dunlop Thunderbikes was red-flagged after five laps when female rider Landi Sinden crashed her Milwaukee Yamaha R6 in the pit corner and was knocked unconscious. She was taken to the circuit hospital and discharged with minor injuries. After the restart, Greg Gildenhuys (Kawasaki ZX10R) took victory ahead of Dean Vos (Trolan Bikes Kawasaki ZX10R), Nicholas Grobler (Yamaha R1) and Gareth Davidson (Linex Yamaha R1).
Harry Potgieter (Green Machine BMW) won the race for Silverton Bolt & Nut Challenge motorcycles, ahead of Savannah Woodward (Monroe Honda CBR) and Joe Herbig (Fairing-Less MV Agusta).
The first race for 111 Sports and Saloon cars provided the day’s biggest shunts. First, the DCM Motors Golf of Craig Botha was tagged in the pit corner, turned sideways and rolled across the track. Botha was unhurt but the same could not be said for the car. Then, the Nissan 300ZX of JB Breedt blew its engine on the back straight and the driver elected to coax the oil-spewing car through the circuit’s fastest sweep and another 300m further on the track. The ensuing chaos saw nine cars going off on the oil with the Volkswagen Golf GTI of Daniel Rowe plowing through a tyre wall at 160km/h. The driver was unhurt but the vehicle was wrecked. The oil spill was cleaned up but the track was still extremely slippery, leading to the motorcyclists’ decision to pack up for the day. After a lengthy delay, Chad Wentzel (Alfa Romeo GT) won the restarted race ahead of Jeff Langeveldt (JDM Tuning Honda Civic) and George Bezuidenhout (Accolade Nissan Primera). Bezuidenhout won the second time around, followed by Ryan Quan-Chai (RDG BMW Z4).
Close Stuff: The top five cars cross the finish line in half a second in the first Hankook Formula Vee race.
The day’s closest race was the opening heat for Hankook Formula Vee cars. Symm Grobler (Rhema) won from Peter Hills (Lube Fusion Rhema), Jaco Schriks (Rhema), Anthony Taylor (Vacuform Rhema) and Lushen Ramchander (Miami Forza). Schriks won the second time around, leading home Grobler, Gert van den Berg (Nantes Rhema), Greg Wilson (Reflex Forza) and Ramchander.
Brett Garland (autObarn Honda Civic) won the first autObarn Northern Bolt & Tool SuperHatch race from Jeffrey Kruger (VW Polo) and Hilton van Nieuwenhuizen (ASAP Peugeot 206). Kruger won the second heat from Van Nieuwenhuizen and Garland.
Tasmin Pepper (Alpine Motors Polo) won both the Comsol VW Challenge races from Rory Atkinson (Comsol Polo) and Waldie Meintjes (Thompson Racing Polo).
Mark Lauth (Fantastic Shelby) took the first National Sports car race from Michael Jensen (Fantastic Shelby).
Story courtesy of Andre’ De Kock – The Citizen.