Summarize

Thursday was a mixed day for Team South Africa through the Qualifying Heats for the 25th Rotax Max ‘Olympics of Karting’ Grand Finals in Bahrain. Competing among 400 top karters from over sixty countries around the world to crown a global champion in each of the Rotax Max karting classes, it was crunch time with most of the heats going down through the day to set the grid, and the fields for Friday’s Pre Finals.

Team South Africa’s youngest stars once again impressed in the heat of the Sakhir desert, but among their senior teammates also had good outings. Brodi Dowling was tenth in his first under-13 Rotax Mini Max heat and eleventh in the second to end 18th overall and will start his pre-final from ninth. Ronaldo Koen dusted himself off after his Wednesday troubles to end eighth after running as high as fourth in his second Mini heat. Koen closed off with 14th in his second race to end up 30th overall and will start his first Friday Pre-Final in 15th.

Luhan de Wet may have suffered his toughest session of the weekend to end fifteenth in his Thursday heat. His Wednesday effort of eleventh in qualifying and eighth in his heat, was however enough to see him line up tenth for his Friday under-11 Rotax Micro Max Pre Final.

It was a busy day for the older Southern Africans, who all raced three heats on Thursday. Rotax Senior Max lad Muhammad Wally was 14th once and twice 13th in his heats to end 22nd overall through the qualifying process. Wally will start his first Pre Final in eleventh. Charl Michael Visser ended 22nd, 19th and 30th in his races to end up 47th overall. He will start his first Senior Max Pre Final from 23rd. 

South African DD2 man, Sebastian Boyd made up an impressive 12 places to end 15th in his opening heat before ending 25th in his second race. Seb then bounced back to 14th in his third heat to end 33rd overall. He will start his opening Pre Final from 17th. Jason Coetzee was 26th in his first DD2 heat before a strong run to make up ten places to 17th in race 2 and then 24th in his final run to end 45th. He will start his first Pre Final in 22nd. 

South Africa’s high school Rotax Junior Max lads picked up well, off their tough opening day. Caleb Moss and Caleb Odendaal each made up four places in their first heat as they fought back to 27thand 32nd. Odendaal then bounced back to 17th in his second race where Moss ended 30th. That saw Odendaal end up 59th overall to start his first Pre Final in 29th, with Moss 67th overall and starting his heat 33rd.

South African over-31 DD2 Master Jonathan Pieterse was 32nd and 29th in his heats and starts his Pre Final 31st. Mozambican DD2 driver Cristian Bouche was 29th in his first race and 27th in his both second and third to end 56th overall and start his Pre-Final 28th. Namibian Kian Fussell started in 32nd before a good run to 25th and then 33rd in his last heat to end 67th overall and will start his Pre Final in 33rd. 

Friday’s Pre Finals will now determine the make-up of which drivers will reach, as well as their starting positions on the grid for Saturday’s respective Rotax Max Grand Finals. Those six Saturday Finals will then crown the champion in each Rotax Max category. Catch the live stream at www.kart.co.za