The engines roared back to life at Aldo Scribante Raceway on Saturday as the Algoa Motorsport Club hosted Round 5 of its Regional and Club Championship, kicking off what promises to be three consecutive weekends of high-octane racing action in ideal winter conditions.
With spectators treated to a full day of close racing, mechanical drama and giant-killing performances, the event served as the perfect curtain-raiser ahead of next weekend’s Northern Regions Regional Extreme Festival, before the country’s top competitors arrive for the National Extreme Festival the following weekend.

One of the biggest talking points of the day was the home debut of Gerald Beech’s spectacular Chevrolet Camaro. The thunderous V8 machine drew plenty of attention both in the paddock and on track as Beech completed a successful shakedown ahead of next weekend’s Regional Extreme Festival, where the Camaro will line up against more than a dozen V8 Dunlop Supercars.
The standout race of the meeting undoubtedly came in the EP Regional Modified Saloons. Geoff Stephen produced one of the drives of the season in his lightning-fast VW Citi Golf, refusing to be intimidated by machinery with far greater horsepower. In a sensational performance, Stephen beat Ian Riddle and Elan Buchman’s highly-rated VW SupaPolos as well as Rudolph de Vos’s mighty Chevrolet Can-Am V8 to claim a memorable victory.
Unfortunately, motorsport can be as cruel as it is exhilarating. Stephen’s dream day came to an abrupt end when a faulty injector forced his Golf into limp mode, ending his challenge before the remaining races and denying fans the opportunity to see whether he could repeat his heroics.
The Wide Horizon Advanced Training Coastal Challenge for historic and classic cars delivered its own share of excitement. Rudolph de Vos and Matthew Gudmanz immediately established themselves as the pace-setters in their booming Class A Chevrolet Can-Am V8s, but mechanical gremlins soon reshuffled the order.
Gudmanz was the first casualty after a broken differential bracket ended his race, while de Vos claimed victory before parking his car with an unspecified mechanical problem. Their misfortune opened the door for Nick Davidson, whose beautifully prepared Zakspeed Ford Escort proved both reliable and rapid as he dominated the remainder of the day’s proceedings in style.
In the handicap Street & Fine Cars category, Quinsley Sale demonstrated that outright horsepower isn’t everything. Driving his nimble Honda Jazz with determination and precision, Sale entertained the crowd throughout the day before claiming overall line honours in an impressive giant-slaying performance of his own.

Class results –
Wide Horizon Coastal Challenge
Class A
• 1st Rudolph de Vos (Chevy Can-Am)
• 2nd Matthew Gudmanz (Chevy Can-Am)
Class B
• 1st Nick Davidson (Ford Escort)
Class C
• 1st Rane Berry (Nissan Skyline)
• 2nd Tom Hugo (Nissan Skyline)
• 3rd Ian Oberholzer (Volvo S40)
Class D
• 1st Sydney Lippstreu (Toyota Celica)
• 2nd Anton Ehlers (Ford Escort)
Class E
• 1st Johan Marais (Opel Rekord)
Class X
• 1st Steven Phillips (BMW E36)
• 2nd Darryn Vice (Ford Anglia)

Street & Fine Cars
• 1st Quinsley Sale (Honda Jazz)
• 2nd Peter Nielson (BMW E36)
• 3rd Justin Theron (Nissan 350Z)

EP Regional Modified Saloons
Class A
• 1st Juan “Bollie” van Rooyen
Class B
• 1st Ian Riddle (VW SupaPolo)
• 2nd Elan Buchman (VW SupaPolo)
• 3rd Rudolph de Vos (Chevy Can-Am)
Class D
• 1st Greg Forward (BMW E36)
• 2nd Tom Hugo (Opel Supercar)
Class E
• 1st Kiesha Potgieter (Audi A3)
• 2nd Raymond Redinger (Porsche 924)
• 3rd Henry Adams (VW Golf Mk1)
Class F
• 1st Josh Moore (VW Polo)
• 2nd Peter Schultz (Opel Supercar)
• 3rd Riaan van Vuuren (VW Polo)
Class X
• 1st Gerald Beech (Chevrolet Camaro)