HIGHLIGHTS ON THE TRACK
This year’s Extreme Festival series delivered, as it was designed to do, healthy entry lists, a huge variety of vehicles and, generally speaking, large numbers of spectators.
The country’s premier circuit racing show largely owes its popularity to its built-in diversity. When it was conceived, its creators understood that an exclusive travelling circus with just national championship categories would not be sustainable. So they broadened the base by including a number of popular regional series. Furthermore, when the festival visited coastal circuits, the local club racing categories were invited to join in – and they came in large numbers. In the end, the festival appealed hugely to the most important people in local motorsport – the spectators. They were entertained at Zwartkops, Kyalami, Killarney, Aldo Scribante, East London, Phakisa, Midvaal and the Red Star Raceway. The Extreme Festival will continue to head up the South African circuit racing next season. Again, it will be mirrored by the South African SuperGP and Super600 championships, still running their events separately to everybody else. We will not delve into the politics or wisdom of presenting the country’s premier two-wheeler racing show all on its own. Instead we will reflect on the fact that the two-wheeler brigade produced two extremely able champions and, often, brilliant spectacles. Some of the Inland and Coastal regional title chases were also entertaining, and competitors’ commitment ranked right up there with that of their better-funded national counterparts. We present a gallery of photographs from the season in acknowledgement of the pleasure watching the racers at play gave enthusiasts throughout the country.