Second half of BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series dawns at Red Star Raceway

BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series at Red Star Raceway

The second half of the 2025 BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series Championship will start this coming weekend (27-28 June) at Red Star Raceway outside Delmas.

This will be the Series’ first visit to the four-kilometre circuit this season, with the anti-clockwise layout being utilised this time around. Forming part of the Extreme Festival Presented By Coca-Cola, the Series will field no less than 62 entrants, all battling for championship honours, with races split into two groups, with Group 1 compromising of Classes A, B & C, while the second group will see Classes D, E & F in action.

Leon Loubser

With four drivers entered, the Class A field will again compete for full points in Round 5. The defending Class champion Leon Loubser, with 65 points, currently has a 21-point lead over Febio Fedetto. While Loubser has regularly been one of the fastest drivers on the circuit and recorded two race wins, Fedetto’s consistency has paid off to see him surpass Bob Neill, eight points adrift, in the previous round. Loubser’s record at Red Star Raceway is also superior to that of Fedetto and Neill. However, this weekend will see another variable added. It has been a while since Elwyn Steenkamp has been in action, but he made his return to the circuit this past weekend in the Extreme SuperCars Driven By Dunlop round held at Zwartkops Raceway, piloting the same BMW F82 M4 he will compete with this coming weekend.

Renier Smith

In Class B, it is defending Class and Series champion Renier Smith who holds a significant lead. With 70 points, he has exactly double that of his nearest rival. While the minimum number of entries has also influenced Class B’s points payout in recent times, Smith knows that every point will be important in the final four rounds should he wish to become the first two-time consecutive champion in the Series. This may have an impact again this weekend, as Andreas Meier does not yet appear on the entry list. With the battle for second place also being a close contest, Smith should not expect any favours from Nek Makris and Anton Pommersheim, the pair is tied on 34 points, trailing Meier by one. Smith does have the most wins, though, four from eight starts. Meier, who has recorded a win this year, built up his tally despite mechanical issues that brought his ability to complete the race distance into doubt in numerous rounds. Makris missed Round 3 and had a crash in Round 4, but has been fast throughout and has already recorded a win. Pommersheim, the only Class B starter this year not to record a win, has also shown good pace and has a good record at the circuit from his Class C days.

Salvi Gualtieri

Class C sees Salvi Gualtieri, with 50 points and three wins, on top and 10 points clear of two-win Hein van der Merwe. Varish Ganpath, who broke out of Class D in Round 3, holds third place, four points behind Van der Merwe. Oz Biagioni, a further four points adrift, also has a 2025 win to his name and is tied with Nishal Singh, who has a host of podiums in the first half of the year. The defending Class champion, Reinhardt Miller, will hope for a better second half of the year to get back in contention. Other regulars to look our for will be Bennie Luyt, Bilal Ahmed, Dewald Smith, Gary Martins, Lenard Archer, and Nicky Dicks. Stefan Snyders, who made his debut in Round 3, will be back on the grid after missing Round 4, while Rob Gearing, the former class leader who last competed in Round 2, will also return.

Bernard de Gouveia

Bernard de Gouveia, with 55 points, has a 21-point lead in Class D after a superb first half of the year. While Michael Grobler will not be in action, Dawie Olivier, the most recent race winner who is tied on 34 points with Grobler, will be a driver to contend with. Andre van Vuuren, another regular at the front, finds himself six points adrift. Class D has seen some of the closest battles of the year, and two other drivers to watch are Mario Hattingh and Neil Reynolds. Other drivers to look for will be Cameron Christian, Craig Herbst, Eugene Gouws, Gerhard Du Plessis, Johan Miller, Olerato Sekudu, Richard Gerntholtz, and Sheldon Chetty. Troy Cochran, who rebuilt his car after a Round 3 accident, will also be back on the grid.

Wessel Mostert

Wessel Mostert, the 2025 debutant, has moved into the lead of Class E. With 57 points, he finds himself seven clear of former leader Eddie Rodrigues, who will be back in action. Karabo Malemela is 10 points adrift and 2.6 points ahead of Justin Brown, who broke out of Class F in Round 4. Claudio Jardim and Tihan van Rooyen, tied on 34 points, have both had good outings at the Delmas circuit in the past. Cobus Bohmer, Desmond Bloem, and Kent Swartz will also be in contention. Phillip Emmenis returns to the grid after a long sabbatical.

Shaun Dodd

Class F sees Shaun Dodd, with 53 points, on top while Zaheer Seedat is 13 points adrift. Third-placed Caren Nienaber, who trails Seedat by nine points, has another lady to contend with in Chloe Stuart, the recent double winner who now has 28 points. Ignus du Plessis, Manny Ribeiro, Miguel da Costa, Selvan Kistnasamy, and Zeyad Ismail will also be in contention. Mariska Du Plessis will also return to the grid.

The weekend will see a host of new drivers and new driver/car combinations. One of the more significant ones will be Shane Grobler piloting a newly-procured BMW E36 M3 Turbo. Gerhard Mostert, Philip Mostert JNR, Philip Mostert SNR, Ethan Coetzee and Henry Platt will all make their debut. The sixth debutant will be Simphiwe Mohlahlo, bringing the total number of female drivers in the line-up to four.

Saturday’s programme will see:
10:30 – Classes D, E & F – 8 Laps
12:45 – Classes A, B & C – 8 Laps
14:10 – Classes D, E & F – 9 Laps
16:30 – Classes A, B & C – 9 Laps

Spectator tickets can be purchased at the Red Star 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. A detailed review of the season to date, along with driver reactions, will also air on the BMW Club TV magazine show this coming Thursday at 19:30

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