Sasol Race Day Long – August 12 racing extravaganza set to thrill

Gauteng race fans can look forward to a another great day’s racing when the Extreme Festival returns to Pretoria’s Zwartkops Raceway Saturday 12 August. The Sasol Race Day will play host to SA’s leading circuit series as they continue their National Championship battles, backed up by a sound selection of local races on a day clearly well worth diarising right now.

GTC title fight
The Sasol Race Day will serve as the home race to both the Sasol Global Touring Cars and the Sasol BMW team and with lead driver Gennaro Bonafede ahead in that flagship series albeit fighting off a rearguard action against charging Sasol GTC champion Michael Stephen and his Engen Audi, 12 August is set for a clash of the titans as Zwartkops, with Stephen having slashed his title deficit down to just 29 points following a difficult start to his season. The likes of Simon Moss, Johan Fourie and Mathew Hodges are among the several drivers who will be keen on a Zwartkops GTC win too.

Keagan Masters has built up a strong Sasol GTC2 championship lead in his Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTI in spite of the attentions of Bradley Liebenberg’s Ferodo and Chris Shorter’s Champion Minis, quick Golf GTI privateers Trevor Bland and Charl Smalberger and now also rapid rookie Bryn High’s Chevrolet Cruze. GTC2 thrilled at Zwartkops last time out — one should expect more of the same come Saturday 12 August.

Sensational Polos
You can rest assured that the Engen Volkswagen Cup will produce sensational racing at Zwartkops as the field focuses on stopping Devin Robertson (Payen) from stealing the championship this year. Devin has a handy title lead, but it’s behind him where the action is, with Clinton Bezuidenhout (Glyco) and Juan Gerber (Glasfit/C-Track) tied on points in second and only a short head clear of the likes of Jeffrey Kruger, Shaun La Réserveé and Matthew Shorter in that title chase.

Julian van der Watt (Investchem RDSA) has made the Investchem Formula 1600 championship his own this year with ten wins from ten races. But young guns Stuart White (Fantastic Racing), Cameron O’ Connor (Strata/Repro), Alex Gillespie, Brad Beningfield, Dean Venter and Liam Pienaar are all hell-bent on stopping the Julian juggernaut…

It’s not just the national races that will thrill the August 12 Sasol Race Day crowd, with four regular Zwartkops series also on the bill. The autObarn Super Hatch will return to do battle and four motorcycle races will include the national challenge Red Square Kawasaki ZX10s, Bridgestone Challenge Brunch Run motorcycles, Thunderbikes and Bridgestone Sub 10 action.

Nonstop Action
There will be non-stop action both on and off the track throughout the day, including a Grid Walk and other trackside entertainment with a food market, live entertainment and specialist stalls behind the pits and much more to do around the track.

So there’s pretty good reason to diarise Zwartkops’ Sasol Race Day now for Saturday 12 August. Buy tickets at itickets.co.za or at the gate.