Spring’s first Extreme Festival will see the tour’s regional roster begin the downhill portion of its championship season at Zwartkops Raceway this coming weekend (11-12 September).
This will mark the third visit to the Pretoria circuit in five 2026 events for all but the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series, which also formed part of the Passion For Speed South African circuit racing season opener. They will also commence Saturday’s race programme, with the Turbo Cup first to take to the circuit.
The Series’ Turbo Cup will see Class A’s two top contenders, Anton Pommersheim (BMW E46 M3 Turbo) and Lee Thompson (BMW E92 M3 Turbo GT), go head-to-head. Pommersheim has been hanging onto the lead, despite Thompson dominating since his campaign began in Round 3. This weekend could see the tables turned. In Class B, Ethan Coetzee (BMW F30 340i) took the lead in the previous outing, which Renier Smith (BMW E36 M3 Turbo) missed, and this pair will battle for dominance. Class C sees three drivers within two points at the top: Reinhardt Miller (BMW E36 M3 Turbo), Oz Biagioni (BMW E46 M3 Turbo), and Anand Naidu (BMW F80 M3). Michael Grobler (BMW E46 328i Turbo) heads up Craig Herbst (BMW E92 335i) in Class D. Grobler’s sights will also be set on Pommersheim for the Turbo Cup lead.
The NA Cup has seen Andre van Vuuren (BMW E36 M3) quietly extend his lead in both the Cup and Class B, with Ignus du Plessis (BMW E46 M3) as his primary class rival, although the latter is a notable omission from the current entry list. Nicholas Herbst (BMW E90 330i) will look to get closer to Van Vuuren in the NA Cup, while continuing his Class C dominance, where his closest rival is Tihan van Rooyen (BMW E82 125i). Class D has seen Henry Platt (BMW E36/7 Z3) take the lead from Reinhardt Miller (BMW E30 325i), who will be back in action after not entering the NA Cup races in Round 5.
Following their fierce battle in Gqeberha, there will be a lot of eyes on the front of the ATE VW Challenge’s Class A. Josh Moore (Volkswagen Polo) and Christopher Tait (Volkswagen Polo) entertained the crowd in Round 4, while Anthony Lessing (Volkswagen Polo) will also look to keep himself in contention. This trio also leads the Series’ points table heading into the weekend.
In Class B, it will be Sebastian Boulliart (Volkswagen Polo) who will look to retain his advantage over Keyaan Dwomoh (Volkswagen Polo) and Jonathan Konig (Volkswagen Polo). It is also a close contest in Class C, where Stuart Konig (Volkswagen Polo) heads up Bryce Pillay (Volkswagen Polo) and Dimitri Zapheriou (Volkswagen Polo).
Like the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series, the DOE Formula Vee Partnered With CIM Lubricants field will also compete in its sixth championship round of the season. Defending champion Lendl Jansen (Rhema 2) currently holds a somewhat comfortable lead over the battle for second place between Vaughn Hills (Rhema 2) and Brandon Hills (Rhema 2). However, Brandon will not be in action, which could work to Peter Hills’ advantage.
The frontrunners in Class GTA will include championship leader Jared Rossouw (Volkswagen Polo) and Wayne Robb (Ford Focus ST), who is just four points behind Rossouw in both the overall and Class A championships. Jonathan Visser (Volkswagen Polo) and Victor Dias (Honda Ballade), the leading duo in the class championship, will be two drivers to watch for in Class GTB.
This weekend will be a rare occasion when both Melanie Spurr and Wouter Roos will not be competing due to pre-arranged family commitments. Tihan van Rooeyn (BMW E82 125i) will be out to extend his advantage over Spurr in Class A, while Wayne Odendaal (Volkswagen Golf) will look to catch up to Spurr. Piet Potgieter (Volkswagen Golf), overall championship leader Henry van Vledder (Volkswagen Golf), and Mimi le Roux (Volkswagen Golf), respectively competing in Classes B, C & D, will also be drivers to watch.
There are only nine points between the top three in the Dunlop V8 Supercars championship. Thomas Reib (Chevrolet Corvette) holds the advantage at present, with Terry Wilford (Ford Mustang) now in second place after the previous round. Defending champion Warren Lombard (Ford Mustang) is currently third.
For the first time since the season opener, the SuperHatch field will be competing separately from the DigitFMS 111 & GT Sports & Saloons brigade. The top three in the overall championship are Arthur Thorne (Volkswagen Polo), Ish Baloyi (Honda Civic), and George Aldrich (Aldrich Racing Peugeot 206 Gti). They are likely to face competition from Joshua du Toit (Trans Africa Racing Honda Civic) and Leon Bredenkamp (Honda Civic), among others.
Spectator tickets can be purchased at the Zwartkops Raceway entrance gate, priced at R150 per adult, R110 per student, and free for children under 12. Saturday’s 14-race programme is set to commence at 11:10 and will be broadcast live on the Extreme Festival website.
