Pretoria - The twists and turns of South Africa's shortest and tightest national racing circuit can always be counted on for close racing and plenty of argy-bargy.
And Saturday's Round eight of the Extreme Festival at Zwartkops Raceway delivered on both counts - especially in the headline Production Car category, where 'works' Audi drivers Gennaro Bonafede and Hennie Groenewald led home the first race from Audi privateer Michael Stephen, Ford Focus hotshot Gary Formato, Stephen's team-mate Simon Moss and Graeme Nathan in the VW Golf GTI.
Race two started from a reversed grid - which makes more of a difference here than anywhere else. Saturday was no exception, with Bonafede spinning out early on while trying to cut through the pack and Simon Moss banging door-handles with Michael van Rooyen's Chevrolet Cruze coming into the pit straight, causing Van Rooyen to retire a lap later.
The vastly experienced Nathan took advantage of the mayhem, and held off all the Class A carts to win from Groenewald, Formato, Stephen, Bonafede and Moss.
Bonafede, suitably chastened by the ribald comments from his pit crew, played it 'straight and narrow' in the final outing, leading from start to finish, with Nathan putting in another giant-killer of a drive to come hone second ahead of Formato, Stephen, Groenewald and Van Rooyen.
VOLKSWAGEN CUP
Defending Polo Cup champion Sheldon van der Linde (who turned 16 in May) put in two robust drives to take both races, leading home Tasmin Pepper, Daniel Rowe and Chris Shorter in the quick-fire Race 1.
In the 20-lap Race 2, he settled in and stayed out of trouble to come in ahead of veteran Mathew Hodges, Rowe and brad Liebenberg.
MOTORCYCLES
Kawasaki ZX-10R pilot Daryn Upton set the day's quickest lap time - 62 seconds - on his way to winning the first Thunderbikes race from Anthony Shelley (also ZX-10R mounted) and Garrick Vlok's BMW S1000 RR.
Race 2 saw Upton in charge again, coming home ahead of Vlok and Ivan van Niekerk, while Dirk Stols (Kawasaki ZX-10R) and Kevin Redman (Yamaha R6) took a win apiece in the Sub 10-second category.
The one-make ZX-10R Masters Cup races for grown-up riders were a benefit for Springs rider Graeme van Breda, who won the first race from Tony Klem and Pieter de Vos, and the second from Kyle Robinson and Klem.
FORMULA VEE
Brad Beningfield (Vee) took the first Formula Vee race from Gert van den Berg (Rhema) and Alan Holm (Rhema) - but only after the Vees of Jaco Schiks and Michael Mastnak took each other out in a spectacular high-speed crash which ended in a multiple roll that destroyed Mastnak's car, and from which he was lucky to walk away uninjured.
The second race, with a slightly thinner field, went to Holm, ahead of Greg Wilson (Rhema) and Beningfield.
SUPER HATCHES
Brett Garland (Honda Civic) won Class A, Morne Human (VW Golf) took Class B and Melanie Spurr (Corsa) Class C, while Rory Atkinson was the Class A winner in the VW Polo Challenge races, Darren Nathan the Class B winner and Jody Robertson took Class C for the day.