Zwartkops Raceway will see the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series reach the mid-season mark of the 2025 championship after this weekend’s (16-17 May) two races.
While the past seasons have all seen upsets and surprises until the final flag of the year, the midway mark always provides a clear indication of who the drivers are that will battle it out in the downhill section of the calendar.
Class A’s competitors will race for a full points payout following Rick Loureiro’s late entry. The battle is likely to be headed up by Leon Loubser and Bob Neill, with Loubser’s 48 points seeing him 12 clear of Neill. However, the on-track rivalry between this pair has seldom been separated by more than a few centimetres. Both drivers have two wins from their four Zwartkops Raceway starts this season. Loubser, though, recorded the fastest lap in all four outings and has a 100% podium-finish record this season, compared to Neill, who is yet to tick the fastest lap box and has stood on the podium in four of this year’s six races. They will be joined by Fabio Fedetto, 14 points behind Neill. Loureiro’s prior to 2025 outing ended after the Round 2 qualifying session, in which he set the fastest time.
Full points payouts won’t concern the defending Series champion Renier Smith, whose 54 points see him on top of things in both the class and series. Smith took the lead in the series in Round 3, taking his win tally to four for the season. Two of those wins came at Zwartkops Raceway in Round 1, while Andreas Meier, with 35 points, and Nek Makris, with 28 points, shared the Round 2 wins. Meier has been one of the grittiest competitors thus far in 2025. Despite various mechanical issues, he has a 100% points-scoring rate this year. Makris, who missed Round 3, will also look to get back in contention. However, the other two drivers competing with them this weekend can potentially spring a few surprises. Anton Pommersheim, five points behind Makris, might have had bad luck negotiating traffic at Kyalami, but in clear air, he has shown the pace to challenge for victory. Carlo Garbini, who has yet to open his 2025 account, is also no stranger to the middle step of the Class B podium.
Class C has provided some of the best action in the top half of the field, again racing separately from the Class D, E & F pack. Hein van der Merwe, with 38 points, retook the lead in the class, along with his second 2025 win, at Kyalami. Seven points adrift is former leader Salvi Gualtieri, who dominated Class C in the last Zwartkops outing. Equal on points with Gualtieri is Varish Ganpath, who broke out of Class D in Round 3 but will have to up his game and pace to flex his muscles in this competitive group, which will also include Oz Biagioni, six points adrift and with a 2025 win at the circuit, and Nick Naidoo, the most-recent winner. Other drivers Anand Naidoo, Bilal Ahmed, Dewald Smith, Lenard Archer, Nicky Dicks, Nishal Singh, and Reinhardt Miller will also look to be in contention. The latter is the defending Class C champion, who will also look to regain momentum, currently lingering in 11th place on the class points table.
Class D sees Bernard de Gouveia at the top with 46 points and a win in each round. On paper, the challenge to retain his spot might look even easier, with Michael Grobler and Paolo Cavalieri, his two closest rivals, not entering this round. However, performance trumps paper when the lights go out, and many drivers are eager to break his hold. Andre van Vuuren recently won a race, while Dawie Olivier has also shown good pace at Zwartkops Raceway. Reliability issues have overshadowed Mario Hattingh’s strong presence on the circuit, and Craig Herbst is another contender not to be discounted. Eugene Gouws, Gerhard du Plessis, Johan Miller, Neil Reynolds, Olerato Sekudu, and Richard Gerntholtz will also look to come to the fore. One of the more interesting entries in this class is Nick Naidoo, who will split his participation between his Class C BMW F87 M2 and Class D BMW F82 1M.
Class E could well see a new leader after the weekend. Incumbent Eddie Rodrigues, with 50 points, will miss this round due to family commitments, with Wessel Mostert, who recently won a race to go with his three other podiums, likely to emerge on top should he manage to clear the 12-point deficit. Karabo Malemela, 10 points behind Mostert, is also expected to increase his tally this weekend, while Claudio Jardim, four points behind Malemela, has built a solid reputation for being competitive at the Pretoria circuit, where he won a race in the last outing. Dave Rehse, Kent Swartz, and Tihan van Rooyen will also look to compete at the front.
Class F leader and former Series leader Shaun Dodd will look to get back into the mix in Round 4. Despite leaving Kyalami empty-handed, he holds a one-point lead over Justin Brown, the latter having picked up his maiden win last time at Zwartkops. Zaheer Seedat is a further six points adrift. Caren Nienaber has consistently taken points, with her tally of 23, while Kyan Boodaya’s solid Kyalami form now sees him three points behind her. Gerald Anthony and Ignus du Plessis will also be two drivers in contention. Former single-seater regular Chloe Stuart made her tin-top debut in Round 3 and is eager to get to the front. Manny Ribeiro will drive the well-known BMW Car Club Gauteng Track Taxi, while Shane Grobler has entered Taxi 2.0 for a development shakedown.
Cobus Bohmer will make his 2025 appearance, now piloting a BMW E12 540i. Three debutants, Cameron Christian, Miguel da Costa, and Sheldon Chetty, will make their debuts this weekend. This group will only be classified once the officially timed sessions commence.
Saturday’s programme will see:
11:15 – Classes A, B & C – 10 Laps
12:30 – Classes D, E & F – 10 Laps
14:10 – Classes A, B & C – 12 Laps
15:25 – Classes D, E & F – 12 Laps
Spectator tickets can be purchased at the Zwartkops Raceway entrance gate. The event will also be broadcast live on the Extreme Festival Presented By Coca-Cola website. A handy mobile device-friendly event link portal has also been created to access important links and downloads easily.
