Summarize

Johannesburg karting lass Tiffany failed to fully relieve herself of the monkey on her back, but the third round of the South African National Junior Max championship did bring results amid more trouble and a hectic day’s racing. Napier has been desperately unlucky on track so far this year and the KwaZulu Natal Midlands meeting once again threw a spanner in the works.

“I qualified 10th which was a few positions down from where we hoped I’d start,” Tiffany explained. “I had good pace in most  of the practice sessions so I probably wanted better. “I had a good start to heat one, but then Simon Simpson-Heath made a hugely optimistic move to try pass me at the top of pipeline coming up the hill…

“I ended up worst off — the impact spun me around and damaged my kart, forcing me to limp home well down the field. “I don’t know what I have to do to stop being taken out like that, but all this just seems to go on and on — someone else’s actions once again ruined my weekend.

Race 2 was much better for Tiffany who was quickly up to sixth position, where she stayed for most of the race until passed by fellow lady karter Cameron Dias towards the end, but her joy was short lived when she was penalised for a nose cone infringement which dropped her down to tenth on the time sheet. “That’s racing I suppose — we get docked ten seconds if the nose cone is bumped off and sadly it was,” Miss Napier rued.

“But the final was brilliant — the racing was frantic in the mid-pack and I was right in the thick of it,” Tiffany grinned. “I was up to seventh at a point but Shrien Naidoo shoved me onto the grass up the hill exiting Honda Hairpin and that cost me a few positions. “So I put my head down and I clawed back to finish 10th in the grueling 20 lap race. 

“Twelfth overall is not great, but I thoroughly enjoyed the great dices in a very competitive Junior Max field on the most daunting and challenging track in the country and I am quite happy with my performance in spite of those challenges. “Now I’m looking forward to the National Final at my home track at Zwartkops in September and hopefully a few strong results in the regionals before that too. 

“They say you make your luck, Tiffany concluded. “I suppose I can do that — I just need to move up the grid to the front where there’s probably a bit less of a chance of being taken out so often and it’s really up to me to get there after all….”