PREDICTION: Wolk Favoured To Repeat At Aldo Scribante
Championship leader Julian van der Watt remains the safest bet for points, but recent form makes Robert Wolk the Motorsport Fanatix™ favourite for Saturday’s overall victory.
The South African Touring Cars (SATC) return to Aldo Scribante Racetrack this weekend for the fifth round of the 2026 championship, giving the field an unusual second opportunity to compete at the Gqeberha circuit in the same season.
The event was initially scheduled for the East London Grand Prix Circuit but was moved to Aldo Scribante following the temporary withdrawal of East London’s permit. The change gives teams access to valuable information gathered during their previous visit on 27 June, reducing some of the uncertainty that ordinarily accompanies a new race weekend.
More importantly, the recent results provide a strong indication of who could emerge victorious on Saturday.
Julian van der Watt arrives as the championship leader with 99 points. His 17-point advantage over rookie teammate KC Ensor-Smith reflects an impressive opening half of the season in the African Heating WCT Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Van der Watt won three races, took three pole positions and recorded the fastest lap in all but two races this season, securing valuable points towards his 2026 campaign. Having collected 29 points at both Red Star Raceway and Zwartkops, his consistency has made him the driver everyone else must catch, but his previous visit to Aldo Scribante produced his lowest return of the season.
After qualifying on the front row, Van der Watt finished third in the opening feature race. An early excursion in the reverse-grid sprint left him seventh and restricted his weekend haul to 18 points. It was far from a disastrous result, but it offered his rivals a rare opportunity to close the gap.
Form points towards Wolk
Robert Wolk delivered the standout performance during the championship’s previous visit to Gqeberha.
The returning triple champion placed his Chemical Logistics WCT Volkswagen Golf GTI on pole position before controlling the opening race from the front. He followed that victory with fourth place in the reverse-grid race, securing the overall win ahead of Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa’s Michael van Rooyen and Jason Coetzee.
Wolk’s form has improved with every appearance since joining the championship at the second round. He scored six points on his return at Red Star Raceway, followed by 19 at Zwartkops and 28 at Aldo Scribante.
Although seventh in the championship on 53 points, Wolk’s position does not accurately reflect his current competitiveness. Missing the opening round placed him at an immediate disadvantage, but his recent results suggest he is now one of the drivers most likely to fight at the front.
Qualifying will again be crucial. The opening feature carries full points, while the reverse-grid race awards half points. Establishing track position and controlling the first race can therefore create the foundation for the overall victory. Wolk has already shown that he and the Volkswagen combination can do exactly that at Aldo Scribante.
Campos remains a genuine threat
Keegan Campos is another driver whose championship position disguises his potential. Like Wolk, Campos missed the season opener. Since joining the field, the BMW driver has scored 19 points at Red Star, 19 at Zwartkops and 21 during the previous Aldo Scribante weekend.
Campos qualified third in Gqeberha and followed Wolk home in the feature race. He looked capable of challenging for an overall podium before an intense reverse-grid battle dropped him to sixth in the second heat following an incident. Fourth overall did not fully reflect his pace.
If Campos can reproduce his feature-race performance and avoid losing ground in the reverse-grid race, he has every chance of challenging Wolk and Van der Watt for Saturday’s honours.
Toyota carries momentum
TGRSA’s Van Rooyen and Coetzee share third place in the championship on 73 points, nine behind Ensor-Smith.
Neither Toyota qualified among the leading three during the previous visit, but the reverse-grid race demonstrated the Corolla’s potential. Coetzee controlled the race to claim his maiden SATC victory, with Van Rooyen protecting his teammate and completing a Toyota one-two.
Van Rooyen’s fourth and second-place finishes earned him second overall, while Coetzee recovered from fifth in the feature to finish third for the day.
The defending champion’s consistency makes him a strong podium candidate. Van Rooyen remains without a race victory this season, but his ability to accumulate points has kept him firmly in contention.
Coetzee has already proven that he can convert an opportunity from the front of the grid. His next challenge will be improving his qualifying and feature-race results. Doing so would transform him from a reverse-grid threat into a genuine overall contender.
Ensor-Smith and Schofield cannot be ignored
Ensor-Smith’s second place in the standings has been one of the season’s most impressive stories. The rookie has won a race, scored regularly and remained Van der Watt’s closest championship challenger throughout the opening four rounds.
His previous Aldo Scribante weekend was complicated by an opening-lap incident in Race 1, but he recovered to finish sixth, then took third in the second race. A cleaner opening race could place him in contention for the overall podium.
Andrew Schofield also arrives as a proven race winner after his Zwartkops breakthrough. He struggled to match Wolk and Campos during the previous Aldo round, finishing seventh and fifth, but the BMW package has demonstrated enough speed to keep him in the conversation.
The Motorsport Fanatix™ verdict
The championship table makes Van der Watt the logical favourite. He has the largest points total, a strong record across different circuits and the consistency required to recover from a difficult session. However, this weekend is not being held at a different venue where previous form offers little guidance. The championship is returning to the same circuit where Wolk took pole position, won the most valuable race and secured the overall victory. That evidence carries considerable weight.
Wolk’s improving results, experience and previous performance at Aldo Scribante make him the Motorsport Fanatix™ selection for Saturday’s overall win. Van der Watt remains the most likely driver to score heavily across both races, while Campos appears best placed to upset the two Volkswagen drivers.
Coetzee is the leading candidate for the reverse-grid race, and Van Rooyen’s consistency should keep him in the podium battle.
Motorsport Fanatix overall results prediction:
Robert Wolk
Julian van der Watt
Keegan Campos
The action gets underway on Friday with three practices at 08:50, 11:25, and 14:25. A 15-minute qualifying session at 08:50 will set the grid for the opening race, with 20 points up for grabs for the race winner, 17 points for runner-up and 14 points for the final podium placing. The fourth-placed driver scores 12 points, 10 points for fifth, 8 points for sixth, and 6 points for seventh.
The top six positions are then inverted for Race 2, where drivers score half the points. Drivers also score a point for the Race 1 pole position and a point each for the fastest lap in both races.
Tickets can be purchased at the gate at R140 per adult, R80 per pensioner, and children under 12 are free. The event will be broadcast live here and will get underway at 09:55
