Rotax MAX: Double the Action

Gauteng, Cape Regionals set National tone

Large fields and close and competitive racing were the order of the Rotax Max day both at Killarney in Cape Town and Zwartkops in Pretoria, as the two regions raced their sixth round races on Saturday and the final SARMC Regional scoring rounds for the season. The weekend served as the perfect build-up too, as each region’s top karters put their finishing touches in place as they prepared for the all-important South African Kart Championships Finals in two weeks’ time.

DD2
Premier class DD2 National leader Sebastian Boyd made his intentions clear with a triple victory over third man in the national chase, Joseph Oelz at Killarney. Making an impressive DD2 comeback, Jason Coetzee was third for the day. Second in the National chase, Jamie Smith was also untouchable in Pretoria’s DD2 races over the ever-improving Kian Grottis, Masters interloper Eugene Brittz, an unknown quantity in Tiaan Eloff, Niko Zafiris, Dusan Radojevic and Nicolas Spanoyannis.

DD2 Masters + Veterans
Brittz meanwhile won the opening Gauteng DD2 race before national rival Nick Verheul struck back to take the other heats after a first race problem. KZN visitor Alistair Mingay ended second from Llewellyn Sutherland, Preshlen Reddy and Verheul. Philippe Chapat left Frikkie Cornelius and Rob Nicholson to pick up the pieces in the Vets. Conor Hughes meanwhile left Marco Viegas, Jared Jordan, Johan Hamman and Andrew Thomas to fight for second in the Cape Masters.

Senior Max
Charl Visser served notice of his national Senior Max dark horse status with victory over Matthew Wadeley, Reza Levy and third in the SA chase, Ethan Stier after National Senior Max leader and Visser’s Polo Cup rival Tate Bishop did not finish the first Cape heat. Fifth in the national log, Oleratu Sekudu continued his good Gauteng Senior form with a two race to one victory over Karabo Malemela, with SA title second man Moosa Kajee, and Roshaan Goodman in chase.

Junior Max
Dominant National under-15 Junior Max leader KC Ensor-Smith beat Erich Heystek two heats to one to take Gauteng honours with National second and third man Wian Boshoff and Jayden Goosen, Sa’Aad Variawa and Jonno Wilson next up. Reese Koorzen meanwhile took the Cape Junior laurels from Ethan Deacon, Ashton Repsold, Joshua Smit and Jude Stuart.

Mini Max
Keagan Beaumont won the Cape Mini Max day from Jordon Wadeley, Matthew Chiwara and Sabelo Ntuli. Beaumont’s closest SA championship competition Caleb Odendaal is a tiny fraction of a point adrift in that chase, and his triple win at Zwartkops has set up an epic finale in that under-13 Rotax Max class. Spice Mailula was second in the Gauteng races from Kegan Martin, Georgia Lenaerts, Amani Kinyua and Torben Roos.

Micro Max
National second placed lad Tayln Patel beat Rafael Da Silva two races to one to take the Zwartkops under-11 Micro Max win for the day. Cristian Verheul did enough to pip Da Silva for second, with Emma Dowling, Rafael De Sousa and Logan Billau in chase. Third on the Micro national log, Aiden Beaumont had to make do with third in the Cape races on Saturday too, as Matthew Roach found form to lead Michael Danks and Beaumont home with Liam Wharton and Nicolas Lennox next up.

Bambino
And National leader Noah Cronje had to fight back to beat Brodi Dowling two races to one in the Gauteng baby Bambinos, with Ronaldo Koen, Adriaan Steyn, Diego Antunes and Luhan De Wet fighting it out behind. Zac Boshoff, Liam Wharton and Michael O’Mahoney shared out the Cape Bambino heat wins but it was Carter Cedras who sneaked third behind Boshoff and Wharton and ahead of O’Mahoney, with Caleb Lingeveldt, Micah Corneilse and Slater Smith in chase.

Up Next
All of which lays the gauntlet down for that stunning National Final at Zwartkops 3-4 September. By the end of which the champions and certain runners up of the 2022 Rotax Soutwould have set the South African team to travel to the 2023 ‘Olympics of Karting’ Rotax Max international Grand Finals in October.