Summarize

While Sunday’s South African Rotax Max Challenge Finals karting meeting may not have been young Aqil Alibhai’s best outing of the year following a tough weekend at Zwartkops, there were a few positives, including the fact that his effort was good enough to see him up a position to fourth in the championship. 

The best news was however, a call Alibhai received earlier in the week confirming that he was after all the winner of July’s Junior Max African Open and that he is on his way to the Rotax Max Grand Finals in Brazil. “That was the best call we have ever had!” Aqil beamed. “We finished second in the African Open, but the kart that beat us was unfortunately found to have a problem with its clutch and was excluded, so we actually won in the end! 

“Racing the Rotax Max World Finals is a dream come true — all our international travels to race karts overseas over the past few years and a great 2018 season have paid off and we are off to Brazil — this really is a special moment for us!” All the more amazing is that Aqil has taken the African Open prize in his Junior Max rookie year after only stepping up to the highly competitive high school class this season. 

Aqil now joins SA champion Charl Visser in the Rotax Junior Max Grand Finals in Conde, Paraíba in the northeast of Brazil as part of the South African team comprising SA and African Open champions from November 24 to 1 December.