Bezuidenhout Banks Pole and Double Podium at East London EXTREME FEST

Mikel Bezuidenhout continued his impressive Investchem MSA4 campaign with a strong showing at Round 2 of the championship, hosted at the high-speed East London Grand Prix Circuit this past weekend.

Driving for Corsa dei Gemelli, the Sandton teenager topped the Friday practice timesheets. He carried that momentum into qualifying, where he stormed to pole position, his first of the season.

Saturday's action saw Mikel deliver two composed drives, underlining his credentials as a genuine championship contender. In Race 1, Mikel lost the race lead to championship rival, KC Ensor-Smith, to finish as the runner-up.

Race 2, however, saw a red flag stoppage as a result of a start-line incident after Mikel made a strong start from the front row. At the restart, Mikel made another lightning start and soon challenged for the lead heading out of Cocabana Corner. Unable to make the pass, he attempted another pass a lap later but ran off line and dropped to third, where he would eventually finish.

Reflecting on the weekend, Mikel remained upbeat:

"We were quick out of the box on Friday, and qualifying went perfectly. Race 1 was strong, I had a good pace but didn’t want to risk too much. Race 2 was a bit tougher and I risked a little more, which didn’t pay off in the end. But another double-podium keeps us in the mix for the championship. Huge thanks to the team at Corsa dei Gemelli for the support and setup work this weekend."

With a pole position, two top-three finishes, and valuable points added to his tally, Mikel remains firmly in the hunt as the MSA4 Championship heads to Cape Town for Round 3 in September. His consistency and speed across both rounds have marked him as one of the standout performers in the series thus far.