Summarize

Not only did Saturday’s Zwartkops second round South African Rotax Max National Championship races deliver scintillating action throughout all seven classes, but the jam packed results sheets looked completely different to those of the Cape Town season opener in March. Which leaves all classes wide open and only one chance left for SA’s finest karters to fight for both National Championship glory, and to make the national team for October’s Rotax Max ‘Olympics of Karting’ World Finals in Italy.

The premier Rotax DD2 gearbox class primed expectations with three winners in three races. But local hero and second race winner Jamie Smith turned it on its head when he came in from the cold to take the day overall. He beat Cape rival and opening heat winner Jason Coetzee, and final heat winner Bradley Liebenberg to top honours. Opening round winner and reigning South African champion Sebastian Boyd was only fourth for the day from Karabo Malemlela and Nicolaos Vostanis.

Rotax Max King Cristiano Morgado then came, saw, and conquered as he also gained a little revenge for the day’s races being shifted away from his KZN iDube home track on clerical issues. The four-time world champion dealt a three-win karting lesson to Gauteng local Bjorn Roos, fellow KZN objector Jonathan Pieterse and Cape Town round 1 winner Jared Jordan, with Justin Rogers and Mozambican Cristian Bouché in pursuit.

It was also all change in popular Senior Max, where local hero Muhammad Wally was back to winning ways. He drove away to defeat Kent Swarts in each race to record three straight wins. Ever consistent Jonno Wilson was back on the podium after he ended third, from an on form Mauro Da Luz, Roshaan Goodman and Senior champion Charl Michael Visser back in sixth. Opening round winner Luca Wehrli was nowhere to be seen after a day he’d rather forget.

Mid-pack last time out, Kegan Martin won two heats to take high school Junior Max from William Marshall, who delivered consistent results to end up second for the day ahead of Luke Hill. It was a case of what could have been for top karting lass Gianna Pascoal, who bounced back to win the second heat en route to fourth for the day from Keagan Beaumont and Georgia Lenaerts. Just ten points separated the Junior Max overall top six.

Rafael de Sousa put bitter memories of his tough opening round to rest with a fine two win to one victory over second again for the day, Tshepang Shisinwana in a 22-kart under-13 Mini Max field. Brodi Dowling also bounced back to third after a tough opening round, while Max Boshoff and Ruvan Maritz should be satisfied with their days at the office in fourth and fifth. Durelle Goodman ended sixth in yet another class that’s limbering up to be a really close fought 2024 Rotax Max National title fight.

Third in the opening round, Matthew Shuttleworth used his under-11 Micro Max home town advantage to great effect to take a two race to one victory over a surprise in second. Former Bambino champion Noah Cronje took the opening heat on his Rotax return to lay the foundation to second for the day. Adriaan Steyn ended third from Liam Wharton, opening round winner Michael O'Mahoney, and a much improved Luhan de Wet.

Cape kid Radhi Harris was the only driver to repeat his first round overall win at Zwartkops. The Cape lad delivered a dominant triple baby Bambino away win over the ever-improving Aston Verheul and Alonzo De Oliveira. Sebastien Shuttleworth raced to fourth from Caleb Lingeveldt and Russell Josephat to close off a memorable day of Rotax Max National Championship Karting at Zwartkops.

There’s no rest for the Cape karters with their third WP regional championship round already at Killarney this coming Saturday 11 May. The Jozi racers have an easier lead up to their next GP round at Vereeniging two weeks later, while the KZN crowd will be back in action at iDube a week later. National action is scheduled to return midwinter for an early finale to crown the champions and finalise that October Grand Finals team at Formula K in Benoni on Saturday 6 July.