ROUND 5 RETURNS HOME TO ZWARTKOPS!
Spring has sprung, the temperatures are climbing and so is the intensity as Digit FMS 111 GT Sports & Saloons returns home to Zwartkops Raceway for Round 5 of the Regional Extreme Festival.
After heading down to Gqeberha and Aldo Scribante Raceway for our coastal away round, it’s back to familiar territory – and with championship battles tightening up, plenty of new faces and a bumper 47-car entry across 111 and GT, we’re set for an action-packed return to Zwartkops.
DIGIT FMS 111 SPORTS & SALOONS
Things couldn’t be much tighter at the top of the 111 championship.
Henry van Vledder heads into Round 5 leading the overall standings on 92 points, but Tihan van Rooyen is just two points behind on 90, with Piet Potgieter right in the fight on 86. Just six points cover the top three, so every position – and every point – is going to count this weekend.
The class championships are equally competitive. In Class A, Van Rooyen leads on 90 points ahead of Melanie Spurr on 81, while Wayne Odendaal currently holds third on 41.
Class B sees Potgieter comfortably leading the way with 86 points, but the fight behind him couldn’t be closer. Mike O’Sullivan sits second on 46, with Ernest Heather just one point behind on 45.
Overall championship leader Van Vledder also heads Class C on 92 points, followed by Rob Clark on 72 and Troy Starr on 66, while Mimi Le Roux leads the way in Class D on 42 points.
Round 5 also brings plenty of fresh faces to the 111 grid, with several newcomers starting out in Class X. JP Bohlmann joins us in a VW Mk1 Golf, while Sean Murrany and Kyle Shepherd from LND Motorsport bring their VW Polos into the mix. Ian Gilley joins the action in a BMW 130i, and we’re also excited to welcome Mark Harvey back for his long-awaited return in the Porsche 944 Turbo.
With a huge 35-car 111 field taking to Zwartkops, there will be battles everywhere you look. From the championship fight at the sharp end to the class scraps throughout the field, expect non-stop action from lights to flag.
DIGIT FMS GT SPORTS & SALOONS
And then there’s GT!
Another 12 GT Sports & Saloons cars complete the bumper Digit FMS entry, bringing us to an impressive 47 cars across the two categories for Round 5.
With the fantastic support from competitors, we’re once again privileged to have GT Sports & Saloons running completely separately from 111, with GT enjoying its own qualifying session and its own standalone races.
That gives the GT machinery some clear air to really stretch its legs around Zwartkops – and with the championship as close as it is, they’re going to need every inch of it!
There’s also an exciting family element joining the GT grid this weekend, as sisters Tyler and Berlin Robinson make their first appearance in the category together. Tyler Robinson will take to Zwartkops in her German-spec VW SupaPolo, while sister Berlin Robinson lines up alongside her in a South African-spec SupaPolo.
At the front, the overall GT championship is incredibly tight.
Jared Rossouw arrives at Round 5 leading the standings on 81 points, but Wayne Robb is right on his heels with 77, while Mark du Toit is just behind on 74. Only seven points separate the top three, and those same three drivers lead the battle for GTA honours.
Over in GTB, Jonathan Visser heads the class championship on 69 points, while the battle for second couldn’t be closer. Vic Dias holds the position on 31 points, with JP Nortje just a single point behind on 30.
With 47 cars across two separate racing fields, championships hanging in the balance, new competitors joining the grid and plenty of familiar rivalries ready to resume, Round 5 has all the ingredients for an absolute cracker!
The flowers might be blooming, but so are the championship battles. 🌼🏁
Spring is here. We’re back home. It’s time to go racing!
Be there at Zwartkops Raceway and experience the action first-hand, or catch all the racing on the Extreme Festival YouTube livestream.
LET’S GO RACING! 🏁