The BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series‘ busy October will commence with Round 8 of the 2024 championship at Red Star Raceway this coming weekend (11-12 October).
This is the second visit to the Delmas circuit on the season’s calendar; however, unlike in Round 4, this weekend, competitors will battle around the anti-clockwise layout of the circuit. Round 8 comes just two weeks prior to the penultimate round of the season when the series will headline the motorsport programme of the 2024 BMW MFest at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit & Convention Centre.
Renier Smith has moved into the top spot of the points table in Round 7 in what is shaping to be another closely contested end of the season. This after former leader Johan Miller broke out of Class E. Miller’s stint at the top did not last long, with him and Smith being on the list of four leaders. Previously, Nicholas Herbst held the lead, which he took from former double champion Andreas Meier.
In Class A, it is defending champion Leon Loubser, who holds 77 points and a 14-point advantage over Bob Neill. This pair shared the wins in Round 4, which was also the last time that Loubser stood on the podium’s top step. Neill will have the mental edge, but his participation is pending on the supply of parts for his BMW E92 M3 Turbo. Third-placed Fabio Fedetto’s BMW F82 M4 is also in the parts queue, requiring a new turbocharger. Ryan Naicker, one of the recent stars, will miss the event due to a testing opportunity abroad.
Renier Smith’s 95 points also see him with a 14-point advantage over defending class champion Nek Makris. Smith has momentum on his side heading into the weekend, with his four 2024 victories coming with double wins in Round 4 and Round 7. Makris’ only win for the season came in Round 5, and he only scored points once by finishing as runner-up in the recent outing. Meier, 11 points adrift, will feel the pressure to catch up to the top duo. After a stellar start to his 2024 campaign, his last points came at Red Star Raceway, whereafter he had been plagued by mechanical maladies on his BMW E36 320iT STC. Oz Biagioni will miss this event, with the new engine to be fitted to his BMW E46 M3 in time for Round 9, while Carlo Garbini will also be back then.
Class C will see four of the top five contenders in action. Third-placed Jan Eversteyn, who won a race in Round 4, will not be in action. With 73 points and on the back of four consecutive wins, Reinhardt Miller will look to extend his advantage, while Gary Martins, 10 points adrift, will look to diminish the lead. Eversteyn’s 52 points see him one clear of Bennie Luyt and three of Hein van der Merwe, the other driver who won in Round 4. The latter two will look to gain positions. Rob Gearing, Neil Reynolds, Bernard de Gouveia, Lenard Archer, and Andre van Vuuren will also look to be in contention in this competitive midpack class. Varish Ganpath will miss Round 8 due to business commitments abroad.
While Nicholas Herbst’s 89 points see him 26 clear of Claudio Jardim, his sights will be set on retaking the lead in the overall standings. Jardim has steadily been moving up the rankings. George Economides, who took a double win in Round 4, trails Jardim by one point but will not participate in the next two rounds due to prior commitments. Potentially, the likes of Johan Miller, who slotted into fourth place after breaking out of Class E, and Cobus Bohmer could gain positions this weekend. Dave Rehse, Ferdi van Staden, Roland Hopkins, Shane Grobler, and Tihan van Rooyen will also be in contention.
Miller’s breakout promoted Matthew Wadeley to the top of Class E. He won both races in Round 7 and will look to add to his 79 points, which sees him 19 clear of former leader Zaheer Seedat. The latter has a 21-point advantage over Zeyad Ismail, who has not entered the event. Mike Grobler is only 11 points adrift and will be eager to gain a place. Justin Brown will compete in his second outing, while Mariaan Emmenis returns to the circuit’s anti-clockwise layout, where she debuted a year ago. Willie Kok will also be in contention.
Round 8 will see Strati Yiannakis debut in the series.
The BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series will form part of this year’s seventh Regional Extreme Festival. Qualifying will be held on Saturday morning, which will determine the Dunlop and ATS Motorsport Pole Positions for the two groups. Saturday’s four races are scheduled for:
10:40 – Race 1 Classes A, B & C – 8 Laps
12:40 – Race 1 Classes D & E – 8 Laps
14:15 – Race 2 Classes A, B & C – 8 Laps
15:50 – Race 2 Classes D & E – 8 Laps
Spectator tickets can be purchased at the Red Star Raceway entrance gate on Saturday morning. The full Extreme Festival race day programme will be broadcast live, free-to-air, on the Extreme Festival website. A detailed preview of the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series will also form part of the BMW Car Club Gauteng’s monthly BMW Club TV Show.
