Summarize

The 2018 Rotax Max Northern Regions Karting Championship returns to action in its second round at Vereeniging’s Laserfiche Raceway following a three month sabbatical since the February season opener at Zwartkops. 

Gauteng’s karters have however been quite busy since, with most drivers heading south to the Vaal Triangle just two weeks after a dramatic national championship season opener at iDube in the KZN Midlands, but the Vereeniging Kart Club is itching for its first race action in a while, let alone that the weekend should also prove something of a mini-national with several out of town drivers coming up to prepare for the national at Laserfiche 28 April, so expect some surprises come Saturday…

Opening round winner Eugene Brittz will miss the Vereeniging round of Gauteng’s premier Rotax DD2 class, where SA champion Bradley Liebenberg and Durban visitor Benjamin Habig will be out to make up lost ground following their season-opening Zwartkops hassles. They will all need to deal with another leading lady Ivana Cetinich, who comes back after missing the first round, along with Bloemfontein driver Justin Allison, who makes a return to his happy hunting ground, while Brandon Smith, Anton Pommersheim and Nathan Hammond and Masters men Richard Fuller, Philippe Chapat, Carlo Gil and Pasqual Acquaah can never be ignored.

The under-15 Rotax Junior Max class is proving to be a key 2018 South African karting battleground and it’s Ormonde rookie Aqil Alibhai who heads to the river ahead in that title race ready to take on national winner, rainmaster and fellow class rookie Jarrod Waberski for top Gauteng honours. They also need to deal with a whole gang of wild high school kids including former world mini Max champion Jayden Els, SA 60cc champions Kwanda Mokoena and Leyton Fourie, Nathi Msimanga, Ethan Coetzee and Daniel de Paiva, not to mention top karting lasses Cameron Dias and Tiffany Napier.

Another Durban visitor, Dominic Lincoln was in dominant form as he raced off to three open age group Rotax Senior Max NR race wins on the trot last time out, but rest assured that Gauteng locals Wayland Wyman, Joshua Dias, Farhaan Basha, Ian Allnutt, Ewan Taylor and East London lass Shannon Jackson will be out to restore the status quo.

Under-13 Mini Max will see another strong field take to the track, with Josh Le Roux heading to the Laserfiche Raceway in the early Northern Regions championship lead after taking two race wins to one over Jordan Brooks last time out. Joshua de Paiva was also quick at the KZN national more recently and he will want to get his local campaign flying too, while the likes of Reece Fuller, Mandla Mlangeni and Troy Snyman are all in with a shout too.

 

Expect another large entry for under-11 Micro Max, where SA champion Muhammad Wally must be the man to beat following his dominance back at the opening round. Wally will however want to bounce back after a torrid national, where his local rivals and the lads closest to him in the Gauteng title race, Joshua De Paiva who won at iDube and Troy Snyman will be keen to bring their fast form home. Luviwe Sambudla, Kyle Beukes, Bjorn Bertholdt, Moosa Kajee, Hriday Pooren and Mohammed Moerat are all Micro Max kids to keep an eye on too.

The under-8 baby Cadets are always good for an epic battle and there little Tshepang Shisinwana took a closely fought victory last time out with a pair of race wins over race 1 winner Cyril Jacobs. Aadam Kajee, who took the Cadet win at iDube, Troy Van Der Laan, Anesu Maphumulo and Goran Gruben are other names to keep an eye on in the kindergarten of Gauteng racing.

Gauteng’s increasingly popular and rejuvenated Clubmans karters also head to Vereeniging this weekend, with Llewellyn Myburgh, Kenny Garcia and Ruan Pienaar set to duke it out with Michael Hawcroft, Arno Stadler, Jovan Enslin, Ivan Hartley and ‘Clubladies’, Michelle Le Roux and Cherise Enslin. There’s also much to play for among the Masters Clubmen where the man to beat, Johan Van der Walt will enjoy the full attentions of Pierre Joubert, Lionel and Colin Black, Andre Le Roux and Maurice Garcia 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, so why not make a day of it? You’d need to go a long way to find better entertainment than what’s set to fly in Vereeniging on Saturday…