Following a two-month winter break, the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series will start a whirlwind final half of the 2024 season with its first outing at the Killarney International Raceway in Cape Town this weekend (9-10 August).
The inclusion of coastal rounds on the calendar started last season with the visit to Aldo Scribante Raceway in Gqeberha. As with all series competing on the Regional Extreme Festival roster, the fly-away venue is rotated annually, with the former World RallyCross hosting circuit getting the nod in 2024.
However, the weekend will provide a host of drivers on the fringes of the various championship battles to make up ground on the points table. With 10 rounds in this year’s championship, there are two Drop Rounds. This means that all championship-eligible competitors will forfeit their two lowest-grossing weekends, which includes weekends they have not entered for. With all drivers in the series being privateers, a host of regular contenders will not make it to Cape Town, which creates opportunities for others to step to the top.
Class A will see only one regular contender absent, second-placed Fabio Fedetto. Defending series and class champion Leon Loubser, with 65 points, holds a four-point lead over Fedetto. However, on paper, it is not all Advantage Loubser, with him being the only driver in the class to head into the weekend without prior experience at the circuit. Bob Neill is 22 points behind Fedetto, with Ryan Naicker a further 15 adrift. Both drivers are on the back of some excellent form and have competed at the circuit before, in Global Touring Cars and the Gazoo Racing South Africa Cup, respectively. Nian du Toit debuted in the series with a dominant performance in the season opener. His full-house of 22 points sees him still in the top five after that solitary performance, and this weekend, he will be back in contention at his home circuit. A contingent of local drivers will compete in the slick-shod Class A. Ammaar Coetzee and Marco Retter have competed in the series before, with Renzo Torentte set to debut.
Class B is likely to see some upset this weekend. Currently, defending class champion Nek Makiis leads Andreas Meier by three points. The only driver in the top five who will be on the grid is Renier Smith, nine points behind Meier. Oz Biagioni and Carlo Garbini are a further 17 and 28 points adrift, respectively. The weekend will see Mansoor Parker returning to the series at his home circuit, having already tasted victory in 2023.
Class C will see the leading trio of Gary Martins (59 Points), Jan Eversteyn (52 Points), and Hein van der Merwe (49 points) all dropping a round. However, Bennie Luyt, with 38 points, and Reinhardt Miller, five points further back, will head up the contingent of drivers eager to cash in, which includes Bernard de Gouveia, Lenard Archer, Troy Cochran, and Varish Ganpath. Class C will also include an already-classified Capetonian, Anwar Levy, who is eager to impress his home fans.
With 76 points, Nicholas Herbst leads Class D, with George Economides a further 14 points adrift. While Herbst will not make the trip to Cape Town, Economides will be looking to add more wins to his 2024 tally. Third-placed Cobus Bohmer (56 Points) will also be sitting this one out, which opens a narrow margin for Claudio Jardim to gain a spot. Jardim trails Bohmer by 19 points. Dewald Smith, Roland Hopkins, Shane Grobler, and Trevor Long will also look to come to the fore.
Class E leader Johan Miller, with 68 points, will set his sights on extending his advantage, with Zaheer Seedat, 13 points adrift, missing the round. Matthew Wadeley, fresh from his recent win and with 48 points, will also look to gain a position. The weekend will see Jacques Smith returning to the grid, having had numerous VW Challenge outings at the circuit before. Stephan Aucamp from Gqeberha, who competed in last year’s coastal round in his home city, will also be back on the grid.
The weekend will see a host of Cape Town-based drivers joining the action. Nieyaaz Modack competed in the series in last year’s second round but will be fielding a BMW F87 M2 this time around. He will be joined by fellow Cape Town regional Power Series stars Achmat Achmat, Baby Jakes, Daanyaal Coetzee, Dexter Bruce, Ebrahim Levy, Ernest Page, Faizel Jacobs, Fiekie Pather, Reza Levy, Ryan Kat, and Yusuf Hendricks. Aucump will also be accompanied by two Gqeberha debutants, Dean Ball and Reynard Potgieter. This group will be classified following Friday’s qualifying session.
Overall, Nicholas Herbst leads Makris, Meier, Johan Miller, and Loubser. However, positions will likely change with Economides Herbst, Makris, and Meier absent and with Economides and Smith also within striking distance.
The BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series will compete on the circuit at the following times:
10:30 – Race 1 Classes D & E – 10 Laps
13:00 – Race 1 Classes A, B & C – 10 Laps
14:20 – Race 2 Classes D & E – 10 Laps
16:50 – Race 2 Classes A, B & C – 10 Laps
Spectator tickets can be purchased via Webtickets beforehand or at the Killarney International Raceway entrance gate on Saturday. 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.