The last time the Dunlop V8 Supercars raced at the East London Grand Prix Circuit was back in 2018. Eastern Cape race fans will be able to reacquaint themselves with the “Rolling Thunder” on 22 and 23 August when the drivers tackle the fifth round of their 2025 championship.
Mechanical maladies decimated the field at the tight and twisty Red Star Raceway last time out, but that won’t be a problem at the very fast East London Circuit. Thomas Reib’s Café 9 Automotive Chevrolet Lumina managed to emerge from the last round unscathed, and with a third place and a win, he extended his lead at the top of the championship standings. Rieb now holds a 33-point advantage over Warren Lombard (PepBoys Automotive Ford Mustang), who was forced to retire in the second heat at Red Star Raceway after holding off Reib to take a hard-fought second place in the opening race.
Auke Compaan (Hurricane Automotive Ford Mustang) sits in third place on the championship log, 42 points behind Lombard and just 12 ahead of Terry Wilford (Wellnetix Ford Mustang). Wilford has been the man on the move in the last couple of rounds, moving from almost the bottom of the log to fourth place. He is confident that his recent run of good form will continue at the coast.
The top four in the championship standings will be joined by Wayne Spicer (Wellness Group Holden), Alan Ryan (Wellness Group Ford Falcon) and Johan van der Westhuizen (Chevrolet Camaro).
Qualifying for Saturday’s races will take place at 16h20 on Friday afternoon after the drivers tackle two practice sessions to get to grips with the 3.92km long circuit. The first two of Saturday’s three races is are eight-lap affairs scheduled for 10h00 and 12h30. The third heat will be a ten-lap reverse-grid race at 15h45.
Spectator tickets can be purchased at the East London Grand Prix Circuit entrance gate on Saturday morning. The event will be broadcast live on the Extreme Festival Presented By Coca-Cola website.