Summarize

Out of town drivers visiting the Zwartkops Kart Raceway’s sixth-round Northern Regions kart races may not have made much of a dent on their Gauteng rivals’ local championship races on Saturday, but they certainly made a significant impression on the day’s results at the Rand Kart Club run meeting. The visitors were in Pretoria in preparation for Sunday’s Rotax Max African Open, but they clearly had the home crew on their toes…

Local hero Bradley Liebenberg may have won all three DD2 gearbox races aboard his Birel to increase his stranglehold on that title race, but he was kept honest by Cape lad Jurie Swart (EMR CRG) and returning home boy Eugene Brittz (CRG). The lovely Ivana Cetinich was the effective second-placed lass when it came the local title race in fourth ahead of Masters class winner Jonathan Pieterse, Robert Whiting and Trent Williams, while returning trio Shayur Harpal, Richie Napier and Fabienne Lanz rounded off the top ten.

There were three winners in the three Senior Max races as FA Kart duo, Cape visitor Luke Herring and local lad Cameron O’Connor and Gauteng-based Ballito racer Daniel Duminy (TonyKart)  took a race apiece, but Luke’s two second places gave him the win for the day from O’Connor and Duminy.  Two more Cape lads, Jason Coetzee and Andrew Rackstraw were next up ahead of Brandon and Jamie Smith and the troubled Oliver Gunner.

The 125 GP lot never had to worry about outside interference, but KZN-based Scott Falconer continued the out of town winners theme alive as he returned to status quo with a trio of wins over Jimmy Auby, Kurt Bakewell, Miguel Dias, Clint Jones, Ian Basson and veterans driver Rob Bakewell. Brandon Auby meanwhile took Superkart honours over Jason Smith, Dominic and Calvin Dias.

Out of town drivers had a significant effect on high school Junior Max 125cc affairs however, as Kosmic Cape duo, triple winner Sebastian Boyd and Jason Coetzee beat local lad Jayden Els (CRG) to the win, with Durban’s Dominic Lincoln and Durbanville (Cape) Charl Visser driver Charl Visser next up.  That left sixth placed Wayland Wyman an effective Northern Regions second from Tiffany Napier, who turned the tables on her top lady rival Cameron Dias, with PE driver Joshua Coertze and Mozambican Jeffrey Novela next.

In the primary school classes, Kai van Zijl (Kosmic) was another to throw a Cape cat among the Jozi under-13 Mini Max pigeons as he took a trio of wins over top locals Leyton Fourie (Kosmic) and Jarrod Waberski (Praga). Aqil Alibhai was fourth from Daniel De Paiva, Sibo Solomon, Matthew Morrell, Liam De Beer, Josh Le Roux and another Mozambican visitor Carmo Novela Junior showing well in tenth.

Jarrod Waberski (Praga) took under-13 Mini Rok honours from Leyton Fourie (Kosmic) after double race winner Kwanda Mokoena (FA Kart) hit trouble in the final to drop to third overall. Ethan Coetzee was fourth from Cape wildcard Tate Bishop with Reece Fuller next up from brothers Saood and Sa’aad Variawa.

Local lad Joshua De Paiva defended local honour in a close two-race-to-one under-12 Maxterino 60cc win over Cape visitor Tate Bishop, with locals Aqil Alibhai and Muhammad Wally third and fourth. Cape lad Troy Dolinschek was fifth from local kid Troy Snyman and another Cape visitor Kyle Visser, with locals KC Ensor-Smith, Jordan Brooks and Josh Le Roux closing off the top ten.

Muhammad Wally (TonyKart) took a trio of wins to fend off Cape under-11 rivals Reese Koorzen (FA Kart) and Reza Levy (CRG), who ended up ahead of locals Joshua De Paiva, Mandla Mlangeni, Troy Snyman, KC Ensor-Smith, Mohammed Moerat, Jayden Goosen and Kyle Beukes.

Last but not least, Rayn Asmal beat Luke Hill two races to one to claim baby under-8 Cadet honours with Wian Boshoff third from Tshepang Shisinwana, Anthon Lombard, Cyril Jacobs and Cape visitor Luan Franco Mostert seventh in his first race meeting away from home.

Saturday’s races should also give a fair indication of what to expect from Sunday’s Rotax Max African Open, where the winners of those wildcard final races will win the right to represent South Africa in the Rotax Max World Finals in Portimao, Portugal in November. The Northern Regions karters will meanwhile return to their regular regional action in the penultimate round 7 at Zwartkops once again on Saturday 30 September, a week after the National Final there.