Summarize

WP Rotax Max pre-national delivers the goods

The second round of the Western Cape Rotax Max Karting Championship delivered brilliant racing at Killarney on Saturday as several drivers used the weekend as their final preparation for the Cape Town circuit’s upcoming 23 March national championship opener.

Jonathan Thomas took the opening of three thrilling DD2 gearbox race wins from Dino Stermin, Johannesburg visitor Nicholas Verheul, Jarryd Evans and Sebastian Boyd. Thomas took the second heat too, over Jason Coetzee, who came from the back after a first race issue, Boyd and Evans, before Coetzee took the final from overall winner Thomas, Boyd, Verheul, Evans and Stermin. With a huge grid of DD2s set for the nationals, fans should expect fireworks come 23 March

In DD2 Masters for over-31 year old drivers, Roy Gruer took the opening heat of a record field for the local class from Conor Hughes and Ernst Viljoen, before Hughes took the second race from Marco Viegas and Gruer. Gruer was however back on top to take the final win over Viegas and Harry Georgiou to wrap up the overall win for the day. DD2 Masters will run in a class alone for the first time at Killarney’s upcoming national.

Kai van Zijl opened his Senior Max day with a win over last weekend’s Formula 1600 race winner Andrew Rackstraw, Charl Visser, Reece Oellermann, Simon Simpson-Heath and Storm Lanfear, before Visser bounced bacl to take the second heat from van Zijl, Rackstraw, Oellermann, Lanfear and Dane van Heerden. Visser went on to take the final too, once again from  van Zijl, with Simon Simpson-Heath third from Rackstraw, Oellermann and Lanfear as Visser pipped van Zijl to the overall win by just a point. Proper racing indeed!

Nicholas Verheul took the opening win of an encouraging new Max 175 field for older and heavier drivers from Gary Lennon and Erwin Sterne. Verheul repeated the win in race 2 from Lennon and Jared Jordan before taking the final win too, to make it a clean sweep over veteran Johan Hamman and Sterne. Max 175 fights with the mid pack in Senior Max - impressive considering their 15kg extra and many years more and this new class should thrill at that first national, with a strong field of KZN rivals expected in the Cape that weekend. 

Troy Dolinschek picked up where he left off last time out with a high school Junior Max win over Tate Bishop, Kyle Visser, Joseph Oelz, Ethan Coetzee and Storm Lanfear, before Bishop turned the tables to beat Dolinschek to the race 2 win ahead of Visser Oelz, Lanfear and Coetzee. Bishop then added the final win to clinch overall honours for the day ahead of Dolinschek, Visser, Oelz, Lanfear and Coetzee. The prospect of the likes of Kwanda Mokoena, Aquil Alibhai and others are set to add even more spice at the national.

Upcountry lad Muhammad Wally raced the under-13 Mini Max races in preparation for the national and promptly put one over locals Ethan Stier Jason MacBeath and fellow Gauteng visitor Troy Snyman, with local lads Mikhail Fernandez and Paul Malcolm next up. Stier took revenge over Wally, MacBeath, Fernandez, Snyman and Valentino Hoffman in race 2, before taking the final too over Wally, MacBeath, Fernandez, Snyman and Malcolm, Stier’s star wins were enough to lift the overall winner’s trophy for the day. 

Local lad Reese Koorzen took an under-11 Micro Max opener heavily weighted by upcountry visitors over Jozi lad Mohammed Moerat, local kids Joshua Smit and Reza Levy, Luviwe Sambudla and Ethan Lennon. Koorzen then held off Levy, Moerat, Sambudla, Lennon and Erich Heystek in heat 2 and Moerat, Smit, Sambudla, Lennon and Ethan Deacon in the final to take a dominant overall win for the day. Micro Max is another tantalising national championship prospect

The baby Bambinos also had several visitors down from the north on Sunday as Rayan Karriem fended off intruders Troy van der Laan and Tshepang Shisinwana and local Luan Mostert in a four way fight. Rookie Jordon Wadeley next up ahead of Pretoria lad Christian Verheul. Van der Laan then got the better of the locals beating Karriem, Mostert and Wadeley to race 2 ahead of Shisinwana and Matthew Smit, before van der Laan wrapped it up with a final win over Shisinwana, Mostert, Wadeley, Verheul and Smit, while 6 year old Kai van Rensburg amazed on his first ever outing. Bambino’s first ever nationals look most promising when several other upcountry kids join the party.

Karting eyes are now firmly on the opening Rotax Max National at Killarney 23 March before the second round in Port Elizabeth on Easter weekend. The next WP round is on Saturday 18 May at Killarney

ENDS

Issued on behalf of Rotax Max Challenge

What:Western Province Karting Round 2 report
Where:Killarney Kart Track, Cape Town
When:Saturday 9 March 2019
Community:Cape Town, Western Province.

For further information please contact jennifer@kart.co.za

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