National karts thrill, Poulter back in style
The 2017 South African Karting Championships kicked off in spectacular, bruising style at Vereeniging on Monday as South African race, rally and cross country star Leeroy Poulter stole the headlines when he stepped back into a kart to deliver a brilliant performance to take the day’s top class DD2 wins among several star drives on the day.
South Africa’s top karters were greeted by the spectacularly resurfaced, refettled and renamed Laserfische Raceway – the Gauteng circuit looking brilliant following it’s recent upgrades partially funded by an FIA grant to return it to top international standards. That was all complimented by a perfect Autumn Highveld day and packed grids, which made for an ideal backdrop to what was to be a punishing day’s racing for some.
Leeroy Poulter was not one of those drivers to suffer the rigours of a rough day at the track. The double reigning SA Rally and Cross Country champion, who missed the Dakar in January as he recuperated following recent major surgery, delivered the perfect signal that he is now well and truly over his health scare by stepping back into a kart to beat SA’s racing best.
Leeroy put his Imperial Toyota CRG second on the DD2 grid behind Durban lad Benjamin Habig (Kartking Birel) before moving into the lead he would not relinquish on the second lap of the first heat. Birel-mounted triple-SA DD2 champion Bradley Liebenberg and Cape lad Umpie Swart (EMR CRG) also found their way past Habig as the race progressed, with SA GTC champion Michael Stephen (CRG) next up and keeping a watching brief ahead of sixth-placed Capetonian Julian van der Walt on a Zanardi.
Swart turned the tables to deliver a great lights-to-flag Race 2 victory over Liebenberg, while SA motorsport giants Poulter and Stephen tussled behind ahead of Habig and the impressive Ivana Cetinich. Poulter then turned a final race pole position into another win, but not before a great scrap with Liebenberg and Swart with Stephen, Swart and Cetinich next up.
So Poulter took overall DD2 honours on the day from Liebenberg, Swart, Stephen, Habig and van der Watt. Cetinich ended seventh from Cape driver Jonathan Thomas, Justin Allison from Bloemfontein and Richard Fuller, who ended up third in DD2 Masters for drivers over 30 years old. Poulter won Masters from Stephen.
Dino Stermin (RKT WOrr Kosmic) was one of several Cape Town drivers to steal the glory from his home rivals when he powered to a two-race-to-one win to Senior Max victory over race 3 winner; local lad Cameron O’Connor (FA Kart). Another Cape driver, young Jason Coetzee (RKT Kosmic) was third from local lad Joshua Dias, Ballito lad Daniel Duminy and Tiago Rebelo. A troubled Luke Herring, Shannon Jackson, Carlo Olivier and Nicholas Spanoyannis rounded off the top ten.
High school Junior Max was a wild affair and a Cape Town whitewash as three different drivers took race wins on the day but none could stop rookie Charl Visser (Charl Electrical Engineering FA Kart) from taking a debut national victory on the day thanks to a couple of seconds and a third. Race 3 winner Jason Coetzee (RKT Kosmic) ended up second overall ahead of Sebastian Boyd who won Race 1 winner on his Boyd Boss Freight Kosmic, with Jozi lass Cameron Dias fourth from Durban driver Dominic Lincoln and race 2 winner Blaine Rademeyer. Jayden Els was next up from Wayland Wyman, Simon Simpson-Heath and Kwanda Mokoena in tenth.
Cape driver Tate Bishop (TPB Kosmic) took two primary school Maxterino races to one over the younger Visser brother Kyle (Charl Electrical Engineering Zanardi) to take under-12 Maxterino honours from his compatriot. Local lad Joshua de Paiva ended up third from another Cape kid, Troy Dolinschek (Makita Kosmic) and locals Muhammad Wally, Jordan Brooks Aqil Alibhai and Nikolas Roos. Mozambique lad Carmo Novela Junior took ninth from Troy Snyman.
Young Gauteng driver Leyton Fourie (Kosmic) made the under-14 Mini Max his own with three solid race wins to take the day from Cape visitor Kai van Zijl (SAKRA Kosmic) with the impressive Sibo Solomn third. Tate Bishop, Daniel de Paiva and Aqil Alibhai and Jarrod Waberski were next up from Thaqib Meyer Matthew Morrell and Jagger Robertson in tenth.
Another on-form Gaueng driver, Muhammad Wally (Tony Kart) took a clean sweep of baby Micro Max wins to ensure a dominant overall victory from Joshua de Paiva and impressive Cape driver Reza Levy (Jive CRG). Reece Fuller took fourth from Mohammed Moerat and Valentino Hoffman, while Jayden Goosen, Moosa Kajee, Kyle Beukes and Dhivyen Naidoo wrapped up the top ten.
The South African Karting Championship battles resume at Round 2 at Killarney in Cape Town Saturday 29 April.
Issued on behalf of Vereeniging Kart Club
| What | : | SA Karting Nationals Round 1 Report |
| Where | : | Laserfische Raceway, Vereeniging |
| When | : | Monday 20 March 2016 |
| Community | : | Vereeniging Kart Club |
For further information please contact vkartclub@gmail.com
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