Extreme Festival Saturday Report – Arangies Ferrari tops wild GT Fest

Zwartkops Raceways’s second day of its Youth Race Extreme Weekend produced another epic day’s racing Saturday topped by a GT racing extravaganza that included the debut of three new to SA GT racers, of which one of the Ferraris won the day, while a Lamborghini and a Ferrari headlined in a top-end accident on the Zwartkops tabletop.

The ante was upped Friday when two brand new to South Africa Stradale Racing Ferrari 458 GT3s were rolled out of their transporter, while Franco Scribante fired his splendid new Porsche 997 Turbo up at the other end of the pit lane. All three were however toppled by the visiting Capetonian Dawie Joubert’s wild Lotus Exige claimed pole position and he made early running ahead of Charl Arangies’ Ferrari and Scribante’s Porsche.

The Lotus however slowed at mid-distance to allow Arangies to score a maiden win in the Ferrari from Scribante and Jonathan du Toit’s Ferrari 430 Challenge. Dawie Olivier ended fourth in the G&H BMW ‘Baby Beemer’ BMW, while Paul Hill took Class B in his Kalex BMW 335i, Mark du Toit clinched class C in his Ferrari 360 ahead of Class B winner Kashen Naicker’s BMW 335i. Shane Page took Class D in his BMW and Johan Hattingh won Class E in his Nissan 350Z.

Paarl visitor Joubert made no mistakes to take the race 2 win in his Lotus, but not before the red flags flew when Simon Murray’s Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 and Craig Jarvis’ new Ferrari 458 GT3 made contact and the accident spilled into the Table Top kitty litter. Joubert took charge again after the delay to lead Arangies’ Ferrari to the line with Olivier third from Scribante. Adrian Dalton’s BMW M3 took Class A honours, Ricky Giannoccaro’s BMW G&H M3 GTi won Class B; Andre van der Merwe Class C in his Ferrari 360 Challenge; Shane Page took Class D again and Marius Wait won Class E in his BMW Z4.

The fourth round of the Comsol Volkswagen Challenge saw veteran driver Iain Pepper put his Husqvarna Motorcycles LTR Polo on pole position from championship leader Stiaan Kriel’s Spanjaard Polo, but Kriel was eliminated in a turn 1 incident to leave Pepper to win from Devon Piazza Musso’s Allegiance/Reef Supplies and Wayne Masters Performance Masters Polos. Nic Clarke took Class B in his Pozi Drive Polo from Adrian Wood’s Laserfiche Vivo and Lyle Ramsay’s Monroe Vivo and Rory Atkinson took Class C in his Pozi Drive Polo from Wouter Roos’ Strata Drilling Polo and Shaun Crous’ Ancro Building Vivo.

Kriel bounced back to take a narrow race 2 win from Pepper, Masters and Piazza Musso; Clarke, Wood and Ramsay repeated the Class B result in race 2 while Wouter Roos took Class C from Strata Drilling Greg Gossman’s Pozi Drive Golf 1 GTI and Gareth Lyke’s Gaz-O-Matic Vivo. Pepper took overall honours from Piazza Musso and Masters, Clarke took Class B and Roos won Class C for the day.

Peter Hills took his Lube Fusion Rhema 2 to Formula Vee race 1 victory from Gert van den Berg’s BP Nantes Motors Rhema 2, Lushen Ramchander Miami Forza, Jaco Schriks Rhema 2, Brandon Hills Lube Fusion Rhema and Lendl Jansen’s Bull Security Rhema. Van den Berg turned the tables on Hills to take race 2 with Ramchander third from Brandon Hills, Siyabonga Mankonkwana’s Cervinia Vee and Lendl Jansen as van den Berg won the day from Hills and Ramchander.

Stuart White took a wildcard Sports & GT race 1 win in a Fantastic Shelby Can Am ahead of Gerald Wright and Steve Venter in a pair of Nash MVWs, James Forbes’ ADR MCE3, Keegan Campos Fantastic Shelby and Ian Smith’s Revolution Shelby. Race 2 started in almost darkness as Forbes led Campos, Mark Lauth (Fantastic Can Am), White, Smith and Wright home.

Gerhard Henning took his Toyota Replacement Parts VW Polo to a double victory over a 43-car 111 Sports & Saloons field over Harry Arangies Stradale Porsche 944 Turbo, while Marius Jackson’s Mega Fiber Audi TT and Louis Cloete’s Beetle shared the third pales. Brent Henshaw won Class B in his Delvin Projects Toyota Celica, Gawie Marais’ took Class C in his Titan Products/Sign Wonder VW Golf and Kevin Miller took Class D in his We Sell Parts Ford Ikon. Adrian Dalton’s Extra VW Golf took race 1 Class B, Danie Deysel se Vrou se Honda Class C and Jannie van Rooyen’s VW Golf Class D.

Brett Garland made series sponsor AutObarn’s day when he brought his AutOBarn Honda Civic home to Super Hatch race 1 victory over Chris Davison’s Precision Opel Superboss and Class B winner Zane van Zyl’s Credit Guarantee VW Golf. Robyn Kruger’s Kalex/Ukubila Ford KA took Class C and Pieter Kirkhoff’s Wife’s VW Golf took class E. Jonathan du Toit’s TAR Honda Civic beat Garland and Davison to race 2 victory, van Zyl and Kruger took Classes B and C and Greg Gossman took Class E in his Pozi Drive VW Golf.

Zwartkops Raceway’s next circuit race action is at the Inland Championship meeting Saturday 29 July before the next Extreme Festival National meeting on 12 August.