GQEBERHA, South Africa – In a display of motorsport theater that had fans on their feet from the first green flag to the final checkered wave, the National Extreme Festival exploded into life at the Aldo Scribante racetrack on Saturday—and the action delivered everything but the ordinary.
The fifth round of the championship, expertly orchestrated by the Border Motor Sport Club, saw East London's neighboring circuit step into the spotlight after scheduling complications forced a last-minute venue switch. If there were any concerns about the change of scenery, they were quickly silenced by wheel-to-wheel warfare across every class on the card.
Touring Cars: Van der Watt's Perfect Start, Coetzee's Redemption
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Julian van der Watt arrived at Scribante with a championship lead to protect and a Volkswagen Golf GTI that meant business. He planted it firmly on pole before converting that advantage into a commanding lights-to-flag victory, leaving Keegan Campos' BMW 128ti, KC Ensor-Smith, and Robert Wolk's Golf GTI chasing shadows in his wake.
But the real story unfolded in the second heat. With the reverse-grid format flipping the starting order on its head, Jason Coetzee seized the moment with both hands. The Aldo Scribante specialist repeated his previous heroics at the same venue, driving a flawless race under relentless pressure from Campos, van Rooyen, Ensor-Smith, and the charging van der Watt to claim a victory that tasted sweeter than the first.
SupaCup: Loosemore Leaves No Doubt
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If there were any lingering questions about who owns the SATC SupaCup crown this season, Jason Loosemore provided a definitive answer. The championship leader delivered a textboook grand slam weekend—pole position, twin race wins, and fastest laps—in a display of pure dominance.
The opening encounter may have been described as pedestrian, with Loosemore leading home Niko Zafiris, Rory Atkinson, and Judd Bertholdt, but the second race followed an eerily similar script. Loosemore repelled every challenge from his closest title rival Atkinson and a persistent Zafiris, while Bertholdt completed the top four ahead of Paulo Loureio, Jared Rossouw, Rick Loureiro, and debutant Brandon Dean. The message was clear: the crown will have to be pried from his grasp.
Polo Cup: Smalberger Strikes Back
The Astron Energy Polo Cup delivered the upset of the weekend before a single race had even begun. Midfield regular Bjorn Bertholdt stunned the established order by clinching pole position in his brand-new machine—only to be outshone by rookie sensation Mauro Da Luz, who snatched Superpole honors.
But Bertholdt responded in the only way racers know how. He dominated Race 1 from start to finish, holding off title contender Charl Smalberger, Chris Tait, Roshaan Goodman, Da Luz, and a subdued championship leader Hannes Scheepers.
Race 2, however, belonged to Smalberger. A flawless launch off the line propelled him to his third victory of the season, with Scheepers, Da Luz, Tait, Goodman, and Shiren Rajpaul following in his wake. When the dust settled, Smalberger had claimed the overall day honors ahead of Tait and Da Luz—while Scheepers clung to his championship lead, now looking decidedly less comfortable. The Smalberger family celebration was complete when patriarch Derick secured both Polo Masters wins over log leader Wayne Masters and John Kruger.
MSA4: Alibhai Finally Breaks the Cycle
The Investchem MSA4 championship had developed a predictable rhythm in recent rounds—Aqil Alibhai and Mikel Bezuidenhout trading victories like sparring partners exchanging blows. But Saturday belonged exclusively to Alibhai.
Starting from pole, the championship leader delivered a double-dose of dominance, winning both heats outright. Bezuidenhout did everything in his power to limit the damage, securing second place in both races, but the mathematics now favor Alibhai with a slender but significant championship advantage.
Renzo Ribeiro, Aadam Kajee, and Liam Polome filled the Race 1 top six, while the second heat saw Guido Bidoli, the impressive Anastasia Gerasis, Chase Haskins, and Kent Swartz round out the order. For Gerasis, a delighted third overall on the day marked another milestone in her rising career.
Toyota Gazoo Cup: Reynecke Strikes First, Fussell Strikes Back
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Kobus Reynecke opened the Toyota Gazoo Cup proceedings with a victory in the first GR 86 Rookie heat, leading home Connor Weston, Reagile Mailula, and Tshepang Shisinwana in a controlled performance.
But the second race brought chaos and a changing of the guard. Namibian driver Kian Fussell capitalized on a collision between Reynecke and Weston to snatch victory ahead of Shisinwana and Mailula, proving that in motorsport, fortune favors the bold—and the opportunistic.
Elsewhere, Nabil Abdool swept the GR Yaris Media class victories, while Devon Scott GR made it a clean sweep in the Corolla Dealer category.
Rookie Cup: Dias Doubles Down
Home hero Jack Moore thrilled the local crowd by winning the opening Volkswagen Rookie Cup heat ahead of Sebastian Dias, Luke Hill, Sebastian Venkov, and the returning Anwill April.
But Dias had other plans. The young charger bounced back to beat Venkov, Hill, Moore, and April in Race 2, before completing a dominant double in the finale—once again outpacing Moore, Venkov, Hill, and April. When the points were tallied, Dias claimed the overall day victory from Moore and Venkov, cementing his status as the rookie to beat.
Looking Ahead
With the fifth round now in the books, the National Extreme Festival convoy packs up and points its wheels toward the Cape. The penultimate sixth round awaits at the iconic Killarney International Raceway on Saturday, September 19—and if the action at Aldo Scribante was any indication, the championship battles are only just beginning to heat up.
Colin Windell for Colin-on-Cars in association with
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