Extreme Festival roars into Red Star Raceway this weekend

The challenging Red Star Raceway outside the Mpumalanga town of Delmas will play host to Round 4 of the 2022 Extreme Festival this weekend. The motorsport bonanza sees the national Polo Cup, Global Touring Cars (GTC), G&H Transport Extreme Supercars, Red Square Kawasaki ZX-10R Masters Cup and Thunderbikes, while the open wheel single seater racing is headed up by the Formula 1600 Duratec and the Hankook Formula Vee regional championship series.

No less than three TGRSA cars and drivers are again entered in SA's premier circuit racing formula. The team will be spearheaded by the experienced Michael van Rooyen who will be eager to get his 2022 title fight back on track. The “Rustenburg Rocket” is yet to taste victory in 2022, something which he will want to set right in Delmas.

“So far, things have not quite gone our way this season, but we’ve done what we could between the last race and now and we will most definitely be racing hard for the top spot this weekend,” said Van Rooyen.

Teammate and 16-year-old Saood Variawa has proven his mettle during the first three rounds and will be gunning for a maiden victory. The youngster has come close with a number of second place finishes to his credit.

“It has been a steep learning curve, but I really enjoy driving the TGRSA Corolla and I will do everything I can to try to claim a victory this weekend.”

The third TGRSA Corolla on the grid will be in the hands of Mandla Mdakane, again joining the fray. Mdakane has not had the best of luck so far in 2022 and like his teammates, the Johannesburg-based driver will be keen to change things around in Delmas.

Volkswagen will be without its GTC Golf 8 GTIs after an unfortunate road accident earlier in the year where the racing cars piloted by factory drivers Daniel Rowe and Jonathan Mogotsi were lost in the blaze.

But racing fans in and around Delmas will also get to see the inaugural GR Cup in action for the first time at Red Star Raceway. In the GR Cup, six SA motoring scribes do battle in identical Toyota GR Yaris road-going cars.

So far, Capetonian Ashley Oldfield has been the class of the field and the proverbial rabbit that the rest are chasing, but the gap has closed with drivers such as Thomas Falkiner (TimesLIVE) and Sean Nurse also putting up a challenge in recent races. Add to that the efforts of Mark Jones, Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger and Lerato Matabese and the fans are in for a treat when these exciting cars take to the track.

The action will get under way with three practice sessions on Friday while qualifying and two races each are scheduled for Saturday.

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