Summarize

Locals dominate Killarney national

Saturday’s second round South African National Karting Championship races at Killarney proved an overwhelming success, which not only provided the red-flag ridden edge of the seat spectacle of 21 exceptional races, but local racers utterly dominated as they took 18 of those wins and also six of the seven overall wins on the day on a perfect, if unusually hot Cape autumn’s afternoon.

The only class to escape that total Cape domination was the premiere Rotax DD2 gearbox class, which proved a clash of the SA racing titans as Johannesburg SA Mini GTC racer and triple SA DD2 champion Bradley Liebenberg (BirelART) edged local SA Investchem Formula 1600 championship leader and WP DD2 champion Julian van der Watt to the win by just two points. Both drivers won a heat each, but Brad scored a second and a third to beat Julian’s two third-places in the other races.

Jozi lass Fabienne Lanz (Praga) proved the thorn among the roses as she took a pair of sixth places and a third to beat off SA race superheroes and DD2 Masters class top two, multiple SA race champion Michael Stephen who drove his CRG to a trio of sixth places and SA Dakar star and another many-time race, rally and off-road champion Leeroy Poulter (CRG) who took a win and a second but was eliminated from the final.

Consistent Bloemfontein driver Justin Allison brought it home sixth overall ahead of another local, Jonathan Thomas, Robert Whiting and another driver sidelined in a hectic final, local lad  Jurie Swart, while PE lad Bryn High closed off the top ten.

Luke Herring (Kosmic) made amends for a difficult opening national in Vereeniging last month to take two stunning Senior Max wins, but not without the frustration of being punted off in his second race battle to demote him to ninth, which saw Jason Coetzee (Kosmic) take the middle race win. Dino Stermin navigated through most of the trouble to end third in a Cape 1-2-3 ahead of Jozi lad Cameron O’Connor (FA Kart), who was also eliminated from that second race skirmish. Durban lad Jordan Sherratt made an impact on his karting return to end up fifth from Tiago Rebelo, Reece Oellerman, Shannon Jackson, Daniel Duminy and Oliver Gunner

High school Junior Max was another class to witness a dramatic weekend with several red flags flying through the day, the most remarkable of which was a race 2 stoppage to rectify an overhead transmission cable that sagged dangerously low. But local lad Jason Coetzee (Kosmic) kept the home fires burning to take the win with a race 2 win and a couple of seconds and over race 1 winner Blaine Rademeyer (FA Kart) and another ever-consistent Cape driver, Charl Visser (FA Kart). 

The results from second down however remain subject to appeal after an opening race technicality on race 2 winner Sebastian Boyd’s kart, but Durban lad Dominic Lincoln was provisionally third ahead of impressive local Simon Simpson-Heath, Jozi lad Jayden Els, Maputo lass Naomi Pitzer, Cameron Dias, Rodrigo Almeida and Wayland Wyman.

Local driver Joseph Oelz (FA Kart) dominated the under-13 Mini Max races as he led compatriot Tate Bishop (Kosmic) home ahead of Johannesburg driver Leyton Fourie (Kosmic), local kid Kai van Zijl (Kosmic) and Jozi lad Aqil Alibhai. Sibo Solomon ended sixth from Jarrod Weberski, Daniel De Paiva and Thaqib Meyer, as Ethan Coetzee closed off the top ten.

Another Cape driver, Troy Dolinschek (Kosmic) emerged the overall winner of the primary school Maxterinos with a red-flagged middle race win and a pair of seconds. Jo’burg visitor Aqil Alibhai (Zanardi) was second from race 1 and 3 winner Tate Bishop, whose middle race malady prevented an overall dominant performance. A mightily impressive Denis Joubert ended up fourth from Jordan Brooks, Muhammed Wally, Jason MacBeath, Reza Levy, Joshua de Paiva and Paul Malcolm.

The under-11 Micro Max brigade was another class to deliver three different winners in three races, as opening race winner Joaquin De Oliveira’s first race win broke his points tie with race 2 winner and Cape neighbour Valentino Hoffman. Johannesburg visitor Muhammed Wally was third from another local and a delighted race 3 winner Reza Levy, Joshua De Paiva, Reese Koorzen, Mohammed Moerat, Dhivyen Naidoo and Julius Schwager.

Reese Koorzen took the invitational baby Cadet race from Joshua Smit, Ethan Deacon and Luan Mostert, who was knocked out cold in a late race incident; Adam Kajee and Eric Norman.

Karting returns to Killarney for the fourth round of the Western Province championship on 20 May, while the SA National Championship continues at its traditional midwinter date at iDube, KZN Saturday 8 July.

ENDS

Issued on behalf of WPMC Kart Club

What:SA Karting Nationals Round 2 Report
Where:Killarney Kart Track
When:29 April 2017
Community:Killarney Karting

For further information please contact secretary@wpmckarting.co.za

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