Big news on the racing front is that an all-new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 racer is set to take on the best Porsches, Ferraris and the rest racing in South Africa when the G&H Extreme Supercars return to stun the Kyalami Motorsport Festival crowd Saturday 4 November.
Charl Arangies’ new Aston Martin Vantage landed in the country a few weeks back and the Stradale Motorsport team has been readying the machine for its debut at the home of South African motorsport. But it’s not going to be easy considering the depth and ability of the G&H Extreme Supercar grid — first of all, Arangies needs to overcome Kyalami king Toby Venter, whose Porsche GT2R has been the car to beat at Kyalami since the new circuit opened a year ago.
Circuit owner Venter will also be out to grab back his overall lap record lost to a sports racing car last time out, while the likes of Cape Town visitor Johan Engelbrecht will want to keep his black Jogajoga Coffee Porsche 911 GT2R ahead of Venter this time and Cape Ferrari 458 GT3 duo Marcel Angel (Autohaus Angel) and Craig Jarvis (Maui Motorhomes Ferrari) will be out to see to it that their Maranello-made machines put one over Stuttgart’s finest.
But that’s not all — there’s just as big a threat from north of the Boerewors Curtain with Jonathan du Toit keen to put one over the rest in his Trans Africa Racing Ferrari F430 GT3, while Dawie Olivier will be keen to teach all the exotics a lesson in his wild G&H Transport ‘Baby Beemer’, so expect no holds barred among the Class A+ frontrunners.
A step back to Class A should see just as intriguing a dice among an eclectic quintet as Dino Scribante (Scribante Labour Porsche 997T) takes on Deon du Plessis wieldy BPT KTM X-Bow RR, Oliver Dalais’ Marlboro Crane Hire Ford GTI and two more quick tin tops, ex-Production Car BMW 335i duo, SA Endurance Championship exponent Adrian Dalton (Xtra Clothing & Shoes) and Paul Hill (Kalex).
Bigfoot Express Freight Porsche duo Sun Moodley and Andrew Culbert will be the men to beat in Class B, but Ricky Giannoccaro will be wanting to do just that in his G&H Transport /Tre Cugini BMW and there’s another mixed bag in Class C where Cape visitor Saul Hack’s Porsche 996 GT3 Cup takes on Pretoria men Mark du Toit (Trans Africa Racing Ferrari F360) and auditor Pieter Zeelie’s exciting Toyota MR2 Super GT in another North versus South battle.
Class D driver Johan Carlos da Silva’s Tiffendale Mazda RX7 will have its mirrors full of a group that will put on a show to remind fans of a Production Car race ten years back as Johan Hattingh’s Nissan 350Z takes on Marius Jackson in a Megafibre Audi A4 and Len-Henry Gobey’s Lesavert BMW M3, with Brian Hastie’s Castrol Jaguar running interference.
Four drivers will find out what classes they will race in after practice, with BMW challenge refugees, Montana BMW brothers Sav and Lorenzo Gualtieri, Cape trespasser Peet van der Walt’s PSW Sport BMW M3 and Roy Orbery in what would seem an obscure Haval Edenvale Alfa Romeo 3.2 GT joining the series at Kyalami.
The G&H Extreme Supercars will race twice at Kyalami on Saturday 4 November, but rest assured that several battles the likes of Aston Martin versus Porsche versus Ferrari, supercars against mad tin-tops, North versus South, Alfa Romeos taking on a horde of BMWs, a Nissans, Audis and even a Jaguar will keep interest high throughout.
Kyalami Motorsport Festival fans will also be treated to National Championship racing of the highest order in Sasol GTC, Engen Volkswagen Cup, Investchem Formula 1600 and the Hankook Formula Vees, backed up by thrilling National Challenge G & H Transport Extreme Supercars races, as well as a star-studded supporting act that includes the rolling thunder of V8 Supercar invitational races, the Volkswagen Challenge and a packed autObarn Superhatch and 111 Sports & Saloon grid and motorcycle races too.
The Kyalami Motorsport Festival promises a great day out for race fans, enthusiasts or anyone keen on an entertaining day’s extreme entertainment — spectator embankments at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit offer excellent views of the track and race fans are encouraged to bring and braai. There will be a lunchtime grid walk where spectators can meet the drivers and see the race cars up-close on the starting line and there will be a Galleria Expo Retail Hall too.
General access starts at R50 up to a R400 premium package, pit passes are R75 each and kids under 12 enter free — book now at itickets.co.za.
See you at Kyalami 4 November!