Summarize

It’s been a long break since the Northern Regions Karting community last raced two months ago, but Gauteng’s karters are raring to go as the weekend’s fifth round races see the 2017 championship into its second half at Vereeniging’s Laserfiche Raceway this Saturday 5 August.

Among those looking to make an impact are the quickest DD2 class competitors, where triple SA champion in that gearbox class, Bradley Liebenberg will continue his title fight with young gun Cameron O’Connor. Don’t ignore super-quick lass Ivana Cetinich, Bloemfontein lad Justin Allison, Michael Buccholz or Brandon Smith from this equation, while Andrea Furci, Pascal Acquaah and Philippe Chapat will be among the older guys chasing DD2 Masters honours.

Joshua Dias outwitted his rivals to sneak 125cc open class Senior Max honours last time out over championship leaders Cameron O’Connor and Daniel Duminy, but they will be out to restore the expected order. Shannon Jackson, Oliver Gunner and Tiago Rebelo are among the drivers keen to unsettle that top three at Laserfiche.

Scott Falconer remains the man to beat in the old school 125 GP class, but the likes of Miguel Dias, Kurt Bakewell, Richard Fuller, Clint Jones and Jimmy Auby will be lining up to do just that and Rob Bakewell is keen to maintain his recent advantage over Laurance Jones, Mike Venske and Mauro Munari in the Veterans class. The 125 GPs share the track with the Superkarts, where Trent Williams, Connor Rogers and Dylan Seely are among the frontrunners.

In the junior ranks, it remains to be seen if the previously dominant Blaine Rademeyer returns to the high school Junior Max ranks this weekend after skipping the previous round. That allowed Mini Max world champion Jayden Els to easier deliver an emphatic maiden victory last time out over another top karting, lass Cameron Dias. Also watch out for Wayland Wyman, Kwanda Mokoena, Zachary Dufty and Shrien Naidoo among this lot.

Moving on to the primary school classes, Kwanda Mokoena will be keen to reassert his winning ways after driving a tactical race to clinch the South African Mini Rok championship last weekend, but he will have his work cut out by the likes of Jarrod Waberski, Leyton Fourie, Daniele Patrizi, Nikolas Roos, Ethan Coetzee and Elam Modiba in the chase for the Gauteng championship of that 60cc air-cooled class. 

Leyton Fourie is hell-bent on continuing his recent winning form in the under-13 Mini Max title race, where Daniel de Paiva,  Jarrod Waberski, Aqil Alibhai, Ethan Coetzee and Alessio Angelucci will be out to stem his tide in that power-restricted water-cooled 125cc class.  

Aqil Alibhai was unbeaten in the under-12 year old 60cc air-cooled Maxterinos last time out and he will be chasing more of the same, but not if Jordan Brooks, Joshua de Paiva, Muhammad Wally, Bjorn Bertholdt or Josh Le Roux have anything to do with it.

Muhammad Wally meanwhile starts the restricted-power water-cooled 125cc Micro Max class catering for under-11 year old kids as the favourite this weekend. But several other youngsters including Mandla Mlangeni, Joshua de Paiva, Jayden Goosen, Mohammed Moerat and Dhivyen Naidoo will be giving it their all to stop him.

Wian Boshoff is on to continue in his interruption of Luke Hill’s under-8 year old 50cc Cadet form in the kindergarten karting class, where Anthon Lombard Rayn Asmal, Tshepang Shisinwana and Mzwandile Mjodi are also likely to prove factors on Saturday.

Find the Laserfische Raceway on van Riebeeck Street, Vereeniging next to the Vaal Show Grounds, left off the Boy Louw Street off-ramp heading south on the R59 Vereeniging freeway. Scrumptious refreshments are on sale at the circuit and entrance is free.