ROTAX MAX THRILLS AROUND THE COUNTRY

 

Over the weekend, there was an action-packed double dose of RMC Regional Kart Racing.

The 2023 Northern Region champions were crowned at a fresh Formula K track in Benoni, while the penultimate round of the Western Province series took place at a windy Killarney in Cape Town.

DD2

Jamie Smith had a stellar performance in the Gauteng DD2 category, securing a triple victory and claiming the day’s top spot, but it was Kian Grottis, with three second-place finishes, who managed to clinch the DD2 title. DD2 Master Carlo Gil finished in third place, followed by Dusan Radojevic, Jorden Moodley, and Llewellyn Sutherland. Gil also secured the Masters category win, with Sutherland and Bjorn Roos in tow, and Kyle Lawrence was crowned DD2 Masters Regional champion.

DD2 Masters & Vets

Philippe Chapat emerged victorious in the Vets category, outpacing Robert Fulton and Grant Veenstra. Meanwhile, at Killarney, Sebastian Boyd triumphed, winning two out of three races against Joseph Oelz, while Jason Coetzee held off Reza Levy to secure third place. In the Cape DD2 Masters category, Jared Jordan took two wins, besting Conor Hughes, who managed one win, and his brother Michael Jordan finished in third ahead of Niel Lambrechts and Eugene Clark.

SENIOR MAX

KC Ensor-Smith rounded off an exceptional season in South African karting by claiming a triple Senior Max victory en route to adding the Northern Regions title to his National crown. His competitors on the day included Roshaan Goodman, Olerato Sekudu, Kian Spies, Mikel Bezuidenhout and Brandon van der Walt. The newly crowned CompCare Polo Cup champion, Charl Visser, dominated the Cape Senior races, outperforming Julius Schwager, Matthew Wadeley, SupaCup racer Tate Bishop, Ethan Stier, and Gabriele Gazzilli.

JUNIOR MAX

Race 2 winner Amani Kinyua took his maiden Junior Max overall win to finish ahead of Jonno Wilson who secured two wins on the day and Gianna Pascoal, whose second places in races 1 and 2 were enough for the final step of the podium.  Close behind were karting talents Mauro Da Luz, Junior Max debutant Reagile Spice Mailula, Emma Dowling and Georgia Lenaerts rounding out the field. Wian Boshoff had already secured the 2023 Northern Regions high school title. In the Cape Junior Max races, William Marshall was unbeatable, with Jordon Wadeley finishing runner-up in all three heat races. James Nash emerged in third-place finisher in a closely contested midfield battle, with Ethan Deacon, Matthew Chiwara, and Anwill April in pursuit.

MINI MAX

In the highly competitive Northern Regions under-13 Mini Max category, it was a day of close racing with three different race winners. Tshepang Shisinwana claimed the day’s victory after winning the second heat. Franco Gibhard, who won race 3, finished ahead of the opening heat winner, Durelle Goodman, on a count-back. Ruvan Maritz secured fourth place, with Zaydaan Hussain and Jordan Klaasen not far behind. Despite missing the day, Caleb Odendaal was crowned 2023 champion. Meanwhile, at Killarney, Michael Danks dominated the Mini category, winning all three races ahead of Franco Bensch who claimed second place through a count-back over Matthew Roach, followed by Nicolas Lennox, Zach McAuley, and Mikko Arries.

MICRO MAX

In Micro Max, Brodi Dowling was unstoppable, securing a triple victory in Benoni. Ronaldo Koen held off  Cristian Verheul for second place, while Matthew Shuttleworth, Bophelo Molatlhegi, and Benjamin Gibhard followed closely. The absent Rafael Da Silva secured the Northern Regions Micro title. The under-11 races in the Cape region proved to be the most exciting, with three different race winners. First time winner Kiyaan Reddi, who won race 3, emerged as the overall winner, besting heat 2 winner Liam Wharton and race 1 victor Michael O’Mahoney. Jayden van der Merwe, Carter Cedras, and Ruan Lewis battled it out for the remaining positions.

BAMBINO

Adriaan Steyn triumphed over Ronald Venter in the Bambino category, winning two out of three races in Gauteng and securing the 2023 Northern Regions baby kart title. He outpaced Alonzo De Oliveira, Sebastien Shuttleworth, and Aston Verheul on Saturday. At Killarney, Yaqeen Gamieldien dominated the Bambino category, winning all three races, while Michael O’Mahoney and Slater Smith shared the second and third positions with Radhi Harris, Jake Steyn, and Caleb Lingeveldt giving chase.

The final round of the WP Regionals will be hosted at Killarney on Saturday, November 11. The 2023 Rotax Max Karting season will culminate when the South African National Champions and African Open Ticket winners compete against the world’s best at the RMC Grand Finals in Bahrain from December 2 to 9.