As the Extreme Festival national racing circus heads to Killarney International raceway for its second visit of 2019 on Saturday September 28, the big news is that All Power Audi’s Simon Moss is not leading the headline Global Touring Car championship (GTC).
Works Volkswagen driver Keagan Masters took a maiden GTC race win at the East London Grand Prix Circuit on August 31 and that, along with a string of good results during his rookie season in South Africa’s premier motorsport series, has put him six points ahead of Moss in the drivers standings.
But Moss is accustomed to being “the man” in GTC racing, and he will be going all out to regain the championship lead at the penultimate round of the series.
The two contenders will be facing a strong challenge, however, from the second Factory Jetta in the hands of Daniel Rowe, as well as local hero Johan Fourie’s privateer BMW M2.
Michael van Rooyen’s Toyota Gazoo Corolla is still something of an unknown quantity; pencil him in as a dark horse.
The tightest showdown of the day, however, is likely to be in the SA Superbike races, where reigning champion Clinton Seller (King Price Xtreme R1) and international star Steven Odendaal (Petra R1) will take on hometown heroes David McFadden (RPM/Stunt SA R1), newly crowned Regional champion Hayden Jonas (WP Motors/Samurai R1) and Brandon Haupt (Fueled Racing R1), in his first outing at national level since returning from a long layoff due to injury.
Right now, however, Haupt is at the top of his game and if any local rider can take the fight to the visitors, it’s him.
“The City of Cape Town has identified motorsport events as one of the priority sectors to further explore going forward and our support for the Extreme Festival National Racing Championship is part of our strategy to position Cape Town as the premier motorsport hub,” says the City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for safety and security and events, JP Smith.
“Cape Town has a long-standing motorsport culture and these championships provide enthusiasts with an opportunity to enjoy their favourite sport.”
Tickets can be purchased at Computicket and at the gate for R100 for adults, pupils under 16 for R40 and children under 12 free.
