Summarize

South African Rotax Max Challenge karting championship descends on Cape Town for the third round of a nail-biting national championship at the Killarney Kart Track Saturday 11 August. Inclement conditions at Idube and a mid-meeting squall at Vereeniging have led to some most interesting championship conundrums, all of which should play out in a dramatic day’s racing, plausibly even further excited by the prospect of rain in the long-term forecast for Saturday.

Vereeniging driver Arnold Neveling has best weathered the DD2 drama and heads to the Cape, leading that premier direct drive two-speed gearbox championship following victory in all three races at home. He holds a 20-point title advantage over multiple SA race champion and DD2 Masters championship leader, PE driver Michael Stephen, while Durban lad Benjamin Habig, Capetonian Jurie Swart and Durban's multiple world Rotax karting champion and another Masters man Cristiano Morgado hold a watching brief ahead of reigning four-time SA DD2 champion Bradley Liebenberg. Also keep an eye out for Cape lads Luke Herring, Sebastian Boyd, Jason Coetzee and Jonathan Thomas; Robert Whiting and Daniel Duminy from KZN and Jozi lass Ivana Cetinich, Brandon Smith and Jordan North.

Wayland Wyman has best dealt with the challenges to lead the top chain-driven Senior Max championship from Jozi rivals Jonathan Pieterse and Nicholas Verheul, while Durban lad Dominic Lincoln and Cristiano Morgado and Cape crew Jason Coetzee, Andrew Rackstraw and Andrew Thomas will be out to stamp down a home town advantage there. Also watch for Carlo Olivier, Shrien Naidoo, Ian Allnutt, Riley Horner, Dane van Heerde, Luvuyo Mobwano and Shannon Jackson among this lot.

Cape Town drivers have so far dominated the under-15 high school Junior Max title race so far, with Charl Michael Visser leading Joseph Oelz there and Jozi bunch; Aqil Alibhai, Jarrod Waberski, Leyton Fourie and Daniele Patrizi next up and then two more Cape kids, Simon Simpson-Heath and Tate Bishop holding off Gauteng rivals Daniel de Paiva and Zaeem Goolam. Several other regular frontrunners including Kwanda Mokoena, Jayden Els, Tiffany Napier and Troy Dolinschek sit well down the championship order and they all have something to prove too.

Two quite different results in KZN and at the Vaal mean that the under-13 primary school Mini Max title chase sees Cape lad Mikhail Fernandez and Jozi kid Liam De Beer two points apart at the top of the table, with two more Reef kids, Joshua De Paiva and Josh Le Roux next up ahead of Cape driver Kyle Visser and Jordan Brooks, who dominated proceedings in Vereeniging last time out. Add locals Joaquin De Oliveira and brothers Andre and Kyle Le Riche, Jayden Goosen and Mandla Mlangeni and this one should be a cracker too.

There will be four heats of the  newly proclaimed South African championship under-11 Micro Max championship to cater for the class’s late promotion to national status where Jo’burg’s Muhammad Wally holds a slender 3-point championship advantage over Cape Town local Reza Levy, with another Johannesburg racer Joshua De Paiva third and close enough behind to be of real concern. Troy Snyman is next up in the title race ahead of Luviwe Sambudla, Reese Koorzen, KC Ensor-Smith, Mohammed Moerat, Bjorn Bertholdt and Moosa Kajee.

Racing starts midday Saturday 11 August, with three heats per class through the day along with a trio of races each for regional Clubmans and under-8 Bambino (nee Cadet) karters. The Killarney Kart track certainly is worth a raceday visit — especially on a national raceday, so diarise 11 August and get down there — the karting facility is at the end of the circuit’s southern entrance off Potsdam Road in Milnerton. Good food is available at the Kart Café in the pits clubhouse, with entertaining and informative commentary all in a cool atmosphere and best of all, dynamite racing!