AFRICAN OPEN CROWNS ROTAX KART CHAMPIONS

Huge grids, epic racing as winners claim ‘Olympic’ seats

The Rotax Max African Open delivered hot racing in fresh conditions as it crowned Africa’s 2025 karting champions at Zwartkops on Saturday, 5 July. Winners, Jason Coetzee (DD2), Muhammed Wally (Senior), Caleb Odendaal (Junior) and Ronaldo Koen (Mini) all secured a Team South Africa seat at this year’s RMC Grand Finals at the Bahrain International Karting Circuit, taking place November 29 to December 06. In addition, Kian Fussel secured a Grand Final seat as top-placed DD2 driver from Namibia. Meanwhile, Masters winner Cristiano Morgado won himself a ticket to spectate the Grand Finals, as did Micro Max winner Adriaan Steyn, and Bambino African Champion Alonzo De Oliveira took home a Team South Africa RMC Grand Finals race suit.

DD2 & DD2 MASTERS

The day’s racing featured visitors from Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Namibia on record grids. But it was Cape veteran Jason Coetzee who was in imperious form as he sped to double premier Rotax DD2 heat wins to claim pole position over Gauteng rival KC Ensor-Smith. Coetzee then made off to win the Final as Jamie Smith fought Ensor Smith off for second, with Sebastian Boyd, Dusan Radojevic and Matthew Wadeley in chase.

Multiple Max world champion, KZN hero Cristiano Morgado lined himself up for a potential DD2 Masters Grand Final return, and who knows, a sixth Rotax world title with a double heat victory over Justin Rogers. Morgado duly waltzed to an easy victory over Rogers, Mozambican Cristian Bouché and Cape driver Jonathan Pieterse.

Senior MAX

SupaCup main circuit rivals Charl Visser and Muhammed Wally shared the Senior Max heat wins to qualify on the front row, but it was Wally who came home to a tight Final win to earn his Grand Finals berth from Kian Spies and Visser. KZN wildcard Troy Snyman drove home fourth from Kent Swartz and Georgia Lenaerts in that epic 24-kart Final.

Junior MAX

Jozi karting lass Emma Dowling earned the high school Rotax Junior Max African Open pole position after she shared the heat wins with compatriot lad Cristian Verheul. But it was Caleb Odendaal who delivered a feisty drive from fifth on the grid to win by just under a second from Mattao Mason, Keenan du Plessis and Reagile Mailula. That after Dowling and Verheul dropped down the order in a frantic Final.

MINI MAX

Brody Dowling and Ronaldo Koen shared out the under-13 Rotax Mini Max heat wins off full 33-kart grids to share the front row, but it was Koen who held Dowling off to a quarter-second victory to claim that hallowed Grand Finals seat. Rafael de Souza and Declan Jurgens followed ahead of a tight pack headed by Maddox Mason and Max Boshoff.

MICRO MAX

Under 11 Rotax Micro Max proved another quarter-second African Open Final to remember when local lad Adriaan Steyn fought pole man and double heat winner Luhan de Wet off to take victory to claim his Grand Finals spectator ticket. Another home driver, Luke du Toit, was a lonely third while Riley van Staden beat Michael O’Mahoney and Cape lad Radhi Harris off for fourth.

BAMBINO

Two baby Bambino Rotax African Open heat wins saw local lad, Alonzo de Oliveira, onto pole for the final, leaving the rest behind as he sped to an 11-second win to earn a South African team race suit. Racing lass Teresa Bettencourt did Mozambique proud with a splendid second in the final over Sean Arde and Rofhiwa Ndwambi. Namibian Rocco van Eeden made it two visitors in the top six ahead of Zonkizizwe Holomisa on a truly united African grid.

“The African Open once again proved a jewel in the crown of South African Rotax Max karting with epic racing, multinational entries and record-packed grids,” Rotax SA CEO Ed Murray concluded. “Congratulations to the winners on earning their ‘Olympics of Karting’ seats. Now to complete the team for Bahrain with the National Champions to be crowned at Zwartkops at the end of August.”