Coca-Cola announced as Extreme Festival commercial partner
The Coca-Cola brand will be prominent in South African motorsport in 2025, with the country’s leading soft drink manufacturer and distributor announced as the commercial partner of the Extreme Festival, the country’s premier circuit racing tour.
The Extreme Festival, owned and operated by Zwartkops International World Of Motoring, has entered into an agreement with Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA). The tour will be marketed as Extreme Festival, Presented by Coca-Cola.
The Extreme Festival’s origins can be traced back to the demise of the Pro Tour in 2013, which left a host of circuit racing series without a home. In 2014, it became the promoter of a host of series competing in the Northern Regions. However, the end of the Motorsport South Africa Super Series tour in 2014 also meant that national championship series such as the Polo Cup, South African Single Seaters, and South African Production Cars also needed a new home.
The Extreme Festival then became the promoter of national events alongside its regional events in 2015. While both rosters had their headline series, a couple of line-ups were trialled in the following years. Amongst others, the SuperGP tour for motorcycles joined the programme for specific events, and other series from the regional roster or operating in particular regions joined the programme. The 2024 calendar saw a definitive national and regional roster split, with a combined headline event at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit.
This, however, was not the only significant change in the 2024 season. Realising the importance of commercial partnerships to competitors, series, and local host venues, Extreme Festival invested heavily in its marketing campaign during the season. Not only did this significantly improve the tour’s media footprint, but it also elevated it to be recognised as one of South Africa’s leading marketing roadshows in the sports industry. This allowed the Tour’s management team to attract the interest of a major corporation such as CCBSA.
“We are delighted to have Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa onboard for 2025 and look forward to building a long-lasting, mutually beneficial partnership.” Says Tanya Human, Chief Executive Officer of the Zwartkops International World Of Motoring and Manager of the Extreme Festival. “We have invested heavily in compiling an entertaining product for South Africa’s vast motorsport-hungry audience and ensuring all stakeholders receive the marketing benefits they deserve. Attracting a leading brand like Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa will help us further grow the tour and the sport.”
There are undoubtedly many new, exciting developments for 2025 and beyond as Human continues: “The three-and-a-half month break between seasons was by no means a quiet period. Notably, our marketing team spent a lot of time identifying the aspects that made other non-motorsport events successful and formulating plans to implement them in the Extreme Festival. We firmly believe that we will exceed the requirements of Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa and establish ourselves as a lucrative marketing option for other potential partners.”
It is less than a month until the 2025 Extreme Festival tour gets into full swing, with back-to-back events to start both the regional and national calendars. The first of these events will see the regional roster commence at Zwartkops Raceway on 28 February and 1 March before the Killarney International Raceway will host the start of the national tour on 7 & 8 March. April will again see the bumper edition National & Regional Extreme Festival showpiece at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. The Extreme Festival will also expand its reach internationally during the latter part of the year with a maiden visit to Mozambique.
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