A HOT, HOT, HOT CAPE MAX SATURDAY

WP Rotax karting off to a scintillating start

The Western Cape Rotax Max Challenge was hot, hot, hot, with scintillating racing in forty degree-plus centigrade sunshine at Killarney on Saturday. That did not prevent encouraging fields, epic racing, and even a new lap record as the Cape contingent laid down its marker for the new RMC season ahead.

DD2 + MASTERS

Joseph Oelz delivered lights to flag wins in the first and final heats as he dominated premier division DD2. He also took the race 2 win, which Jason Coetzee led most of the way, but dropped to third behind Oelz and Sebastian Boyd by the flag. Boyd lost on second the day to Coetzee on a nose cone penalty in the final, with Storm Lanfear and Jaden Jacobs in chase.

Conor Hughes was untroubled in DD2 Masters. He left brothers Jared and Michael Jordan to fight over second from Steve Beaumont, Eugene Clark, Neville Chapman and Chris Flack.

SENIOR MAX

Charl Visser had Senior Max pretty much his own way once he’d fought Ethan Stier off midway through the opening heat. Visser went on to deliver two lights to flag wins in the second and third races, to take the day. He left Matthew Wadeley to hold Stier off for second ahead of Zac Laden, Storm Lanfear and Lucas Aladag.

JUNIOR MAX

Reese Koorzen stamped his authority on high school Junior Max with two dominant opening heat wins. He had to pass and then fight Jordon Wadeley off to win the final, as Reese set a new lap record in his final chase, despite less than favourable conditions in the in stifling heat. Wadley overcame William Marshall and Matthew Chiwara in their fight for second for the day, with Ethan Deacon and Keagan Beaumont next up.

MINI MAX

Race 2 winner, Aiden Beaumont emerged the winner of the day in under-13 Mini Max after the opening heat was scratched. That dropped first and final race winner, brother Keagan to third overall behind Cody Schultz, with Liam Koekemoer fourth from Nicholas Lennox and Franco Bensch.

MICRO MAX

Michael Danks was in fine form to take a triple victory in under 11 Micro Max. he had to fight hard to overcome Aiden Beaumont in race 2, but Beaumont’s day was ruined when he was excluded underweight on the scales at the end of that heat. That left Liam Wharton to pick up second from Kiyaan Reddi, Michael O’Mahoney, Carter Cedras and Jayden van der Merwe off another positive 12-kart grid.

BAMBINO

Michael O’Mahoney was in imperious form as he took a trio of lights to flag baby Bambino wins off pole position, with the fastest lap too. He left Radhi Harris to fight off Jacques Lewis and Caleb Lingeveldt, Slater Smith and Jake Steyn for the kindergarten karting honours.

The Rotax Max Challenge focus switches to iDube near Camperdown in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands this coming weekend. Expected to be something of a mini-national, that meeting is likely to attract several Gauteng and Cape entries in preparation for the first pukka MSA Rotax Max National there two weeks on.