Regional Extreme Festival finishes season finale on a dramatic note

This year’s Regional Extreme Festival series presented By Coca-Cola ended in style at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday.

A respectively sized crowd was rewarded with the final rounds of six title chases, producing spectacle and close racing.

V8 Supercars

Heading up proceedings were the final two races of the Dunlop V8 Supercar season.

Race one went to Warren Lombard (Pepboys Automotive Ford Mustang), followed by Thomas Reib (Café 9 Automotive Chevrolet Corvette), Larry Wilford (Fuchs Holden Commodore) and Sam Dahl (ArcPro Tech Ford Falcon).

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Terry Wilford (Fuchs Ford Mustang) won the next race, leading home Lombard, who started from the back as a result of the inverted grid format, Dahl and Reib.

In the process, Lombard clinched the year’s overall title.

BMW M Performance

The opening BMW///M Performance Parts race for cars in Classes A, B and C was won by Rick Loureiro (Combined Racing 335i), ahead of Paulo Loureiro (Fast Development 335i), Leon Loubser (Monaco Motors 335i) and Anton Pommersheim (Eagle Granite M3 Turbo).

Loubser won race two after a late race incident involving the Loureiros and a slower car at the final corner resulted in the safety car to also repair the tyre barrier.

Andreas Meier (CEC Pty 318i STC) finished second ahead of Pommersheim and Renier Smith (M3 Turbo).

Bernard de Gouveia (De Gouveia Accountants M3) won the first race for Classes D, E and F, leading home Eugene Gouws (Master Mowers M3 Turbo), Dawie Olivier (International Race Supplies 325i) and Troy Cochran (Tyremart Boksburg M3).

Gouws won race two ahead of Cochran, Johan Miller (Hei-Jo Trans 328i) and De Gouveia who, having clinched his class title in the first heat, took a leisurely tour to make absolutely sure of a finish.

111 GT/Sports

Zimbabwean native Dylan Pragji (Styling Auto Volkswagen Polo) won the first ACD Welkom 111 GT Sports and Saloon Car race ahead of Jared Rossouw (OMG Gifts Volkswagen Polo), Mark du Toit (TAR BMW Z4) and George Economides (Wealth Avenue Volkswagen CitiGolf Turbo).

In a dramatic second race, Pragji made it a double ahead of du Toit, Marius Truter (2D Trucks Volkswagen Golf) and Rossouw, who saw a double podium finish vanish after being bumped off less than two laps from the finish.

SuperHatch

The first SuperHatch race victory went to Ja Frecklelton (SHAIN Volkswagen Golf), leading home Arthur Thorne (Volkswagen Polo), Karel Stols (Pta Noord Toyota Etios) and Quintus Viljoen (Aldrich Racing Volkswagen Polo).

Ian Walker (Melow Velo Volkswagen Polo) won race two ahead of Thorne, Stols and Viljoen.

Formula Vee

Theo Vermaak (DOE Quality Parts Forza) won the red flag affected first race for the DOE Formula Vees, ahead Gert van den Berg (Start My Car Rhema) – who finished first despite missing his nosecone from the second lap – MD Bester (Mangaza MXTwo Rhema) and Vaughn Hills (Mangaza MXTwo Rhema).

Vermaak and van den Berg were first and second the next time out as well, chased by Brandon Hills (Mangaza MXTwo Rhema) and Johan Gouws (Acanjo Printer Repairs JForce).

Volkswagen Challenge

Jayden Goosen (AA Certified Pre-Owned) took the first mostly Polo campaigned ATE Volkswagen Challenge race from Anthony Lessing (PABAR), Ian Walker (Mellow Velo) and Mydi Mfana (Clean Renewables).

Race two went to Goosen as well after passing Lessing on the penultimate lap. Mfane took the final podium place, ahead of Elna Croeser (ATE Brakes).

Meanwhile, Adriaan de Beer took both class C win in his Ukwasi Engineering Polo, taking the year’s overall title in the process.

Next…

The next event at Zwartkops will be the venue’s annual Top of the Hill Challenge, on Friday, 21 November, and Saturday, 22 November.

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