Mixed fortunes at Kyalami blockbuster

The largest entry field ever to take part in a race day at Kyalami provided huge thrills and spills for the supporters who came out in huge numbers to enjoy the action that the National Extreme Festival provided.

Combining the country’s top national classes with Gauteng’s Regional Extreme classes was a master stroke by the organisers to showcase the fantastic track and facilities that Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit has to offer, along with an open pit policy that gave fans a rare opportunity to get up close to the competitors as well as their cars and bikes.

Nelson Mandela Bay hero Michael Stephen, who made a guest appearance in place of Andrew Schofield, was immediately on pace in the Chemical Logistics/Fly Safair BMW in the South African Touring Car series, pushing team mate Robert Wolk all the way.

There was drama for Wolk late on Friday afternoon when in the dying seconds of qualifying, rear suspension failure led to him slamming into the trackside concrete wall sideways before careening across the track to hit the opposite side wall, causing extensive damage to his car.

It looked like it was game over for the championship leader, but his team pulled off an incredible job working through the night to ensure that the car was on the front row of the grid on Saturday morning.

Julian van der Watt in the Chemical Logistics VW Golf GTI took the first heat win after an intense battle with both Wolk and Stephen, finishing just behind after an intense battle up front.

With heat two having an inverted start grid, Saood Variawa used the advantage of being on pole to take a lights to flag victory despite being pushed very hard by Wolk and Stephen, who took second and third place respectively.

Wolk took the overall win for the day, thus consolidating his lead in the SATC championship.

In the Astron Energy PoloCup class, Jeandre Marais was relatively happy after his performance at the circuit that he considers his least favourite due to the many corners and elevation changes.

Having had very little practice time at the circuit, he continued to impress as his times started to drop and he managed an eighth and seventh place finish in the incredibly competitive class.

Nathan Victor secured the overall PoloCup victory in his Summit Racing entry after taking the win in heat one and third place in heat two, moving him into the lead of the championship.

Kyalami certainly wasn’t a happy hunting ground for brothers Aldo and Silvio Scribante as their tyre woes continued, with Silvio suffering a slow puncture in his left rear tyre that led to a spin out of contention into the gravel traps midway through race one.

Aldo brought his Lamborghini Huracán home in eighth place overall in both races with Silvio taking seventh in race two.

Stuart White in his Out of Africa Lamborghini Huracán put in a masterful performance, showcasing his skills to perfection as he got the better of Franco Scribante Porsche in both of the heats in the Dunlop-backed Extreme SuperCar class.

Jayson Lamb continued to impress on his Kawasaki ZX10 motorcycle running at the sharp end of the field as they tried close up on the dominant Clinton Seller, who has won all six of the season races so far.

Lamb finished fourth in race one and sixth in race two and this performance saw him take the overall win in class C.

The next round of the National Extreme Festival takes place at Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria on April 18.

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