This past weekend’s (22-23 August) first BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series outing at the East London Grand Prix Circuit saw the defending champion, Renier Smith, consolidate his points lead in the coastal sixth round of the 2025 championship.
Classes A, B & C
Leon Loubser set the pace throughout the weekend, and it did not come as much of a surprise when he topped Saturday morning’s qualifying session to secure the Dunlop Pole Position. He was joined by his sole Class A rival, Bob Neill, on the front row. The latter piloted a borrowed BMW E63 M6 on the weekend. Andreas Meier was back on the grid, and headed up the Class B group from Anton Pommersheim. Nek Makris qualified third, with Smith fourth. Class C was dominated by a host of drivers who regularly compete at the circuit. Anand Naidu and Nishal Singh headed up the class. Nick Naidoo and Sheldon Chetty were fourth and fifth, with third-placed Lenard Archer being the only driver in the top five to compete at East London for the first time.
Loubser took a relatively easy win in Race 1, as Neill took the M6 through its development paces. Meier beat Pommersheim in a cat-and-mouse battle at the front of Class B, with Smith crossing the line in what appeared to be third place. However, Archer broke out of Class C and, having passed Smith, completed the Class B podium. Makris’s BMW E46 335i lost power through the latter part of the eight-lap race. He did cross the line in fourth place, albeit a lap down. Archer’s breakout promoted Naidu to the top of the Class C podium, with Singh second, and Chetty third. Reinhardt Miller finished fourth, while Nicky Dicks retained his fifth place, despite a 30-second penalty for jumping the start. Early podium contenders Cameron Christian and Oz Biagioni made contact on Lap 4, an incident that saw the latter eliminated from the race.
It did not take Loubser long to slot into the lead of the 10-lap second race, from where he went on to make it two wins for the day. Neill, in a similar fashion to that of Race 1, crossed the line in second place. While Smith had the Class B lead in the early stages, Archer took the place at the midway mark to complete his day with a win. This battle also included Pommersheim, who retired on Lap 7, which saw Smith finish as runner-up. Makris completed the podium after holding off Meier. Naidu made it two wins for the day, with Chetty two seconds behind him, while Miller beat Dicks to the final podium spot. Christian completed the top five.
The Round 6 ZF-Aftermarket Overall Results saw Loubser take Class A from Neill, with the pair scoring 16 and 12 points, respectively. Archer’s 16 points saw him take a one-point win in Class B over Meier. Archer, one of the drivers who did double-duty on the day and also competed in the ACD Welkom 111 & GT Sports & Saloons, also took the ITOO Driver of the Day award. Smith, with 13 points, was third. Naidu’s full house of 20 points saw him take Class C, six clear of Chetty, with Miller three adrift.
Classes D, E & F
Christian’s weekend started in the second group, but he broke out of Class D in Qualifying. This saw Nick Naidoo, who entered in two classes in two different cars, take the ATS Motorsport Pole Position, with East London’s Shaun Gradwell second. Andre van Vuuren beat Bernard de Gouveia to third place. Gerhard du Plessis qualified fifth. In Class E, Wessel Mostert beat Karabo Malemela to the pole position. Kent Swartz, Tihan van Rooyen, and Eddie Rodrigues completed the top five. Brady Choudree, one of the local drivers and a late addition to the entry list, set the Class F pace, with Paul Berry, Kyan Boodaya and Shriyav Naidu completing the top four. Fifth place went to Philip Mostert Jnr.
Naidoo took a lights-to-flag win in Race 1, with Van Vuuren in tow. Gradwell completed the podium, with Gerhard du Plessis and Johan Miller being the final two Class D finishers. De Gouveia battled with electrical issues and retired his BMW E46 M3 on Lap 2. Wessel Mostert also only completed one lap, with Malemela taking his third win in a row. Swartz and Van Rooyen completed the podium, while Ignus du Plessis beat Chloe Stuart to fourth place. Boodaya took his second win for the year in Class F, with Naidu beating Berry to second place. Choudree and Harry Platt completed the top five.
Race 2 saw Van Vuuren take the Class D win with Gradwell in close pursuit and finishing second. Gerhard du Plessis, who treated the fans to a lot of sideways action, took the final podium spot. Miller was the final Class D finisher. Mostert was back on the grid in Race 2 and took the Class E, while Malemela held off Rodrigues and Swartz for the runner-up spot. Van Rooyen completed the top five. Boodaya and Naidu again took the top spots in Class F, with Philip Mostert Jnr, Platt and Choudree completing the top five.
The ZF-Aftermarket Overall Results saw 18-point Van Vuuren beat Gradwell by four points in Class D, with Gerhard du Plessis three adrift in third. Malemela, also with 18 points, took the Class E honours, with Swartz five adrift, but three ahead of Van Rooyen. A full house of 20 saw Boodaya win Class F. Naidu was four points adrift in second, and seven clear of third-placed Choudree.
Championship After Round 6
Loubser now has 81 points and finds himself 15 clear of Neill. Fabio Fedetto, who missed the weekend, is third with 44 points. Smith has 96 points at the top of Class B, 37 ahead of Pommersheim. Makris is a single point behind him in third. While Salvi Gualtieri missed the round, his 61 points still see him on top of Class C, 10 ahead of Singh. Anand Naidu is three points adrift.
Van Vuuren, with 69 points, has taken the lead in Class D, one point clear of De Gouveia. Dawie Olivier, also missing this weekend, is third with 35 points. Malemela’s 79 points still see him on top of Class E and 10 clear of Wessel Mostert, with Rodrigues only two adrift. Zaheer Seedat’s absence has also not toppled his lead in Class F, albeit with Boodaya now only 15 points behind. Caren Nienaber, also absent, occupies third place.
The Series championship sees Smith leading Loubser, Malemela, Van Vuuren and Wessel Mostert.
Next Event
The seventh and penultimate round of this year’s BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series championship will see the field return to Red Star Raceway on 3-4 October.