Summarize

With the pomp and drama of Team South Africa’s attack of the past weekend’s Rotax Max Grand Finals now a thing of the past, the SA karting season will come to a decidedly calmer conclusion when the final round of the 2019 Gauteng Rotax Max Northern Regions karting championships returns to the Zwartkops International Kart Track on Saturday. That does not mean the competition will not be extreme however, as most tiles are still set to go down to the wire.

One of SA’s stars in Italy on Saturday, Edenvale veteran Nicholas Verheul led most of the way against the best in the world in DD2 Masters, but a slowing kart dropped him to fifth. He will be one of four men fighting it out for the Gauteng DD2 gearbox kart title currently led by Bloemfontein lad Justin Allison in the title race with brothers Brandon and Jamie Smith both in the mix on Saturday. 

Do not ignore another SA Grand Finals racer Wayland Wyman, Anton Pommersheim, Llewellyn Myburgh, Pascal Acquaah and Eugene Brittz in DD2, while Philippe Chapat will want to wrap up his 2019 over-30 DD2 Masters title advantage over Steve Beaumont, Pascal Acquaah and Mitch Coetzee.

Wayland Wyman leads Nick Verheul in the Senior Max title fight, with East London lass Shannon Jackson on Verheul’s case and Dane van Heerde also well in the picture. Expect Brandon Smith, Jurgen Pommersheim, Taiibi Tucci and Max 175 leader Erwin Sterne to all stir up the Senior title race too.

Aqil Alibhai is another SA Grand Finals team member who will be keen to show what he learned en route to 12th in the world last Saturday, but as much as he has to prove, his local rivals will be keen to go one better. Kwanda Mokoena leads that under-15 title race from Alibhai, Jordan Brooks and the bunch, including Kgalema Mngadi, Ndumiso Bungane, Lorenzo Cianfanelli, Ethan Coetzee and Godfrey Malumane.

SA Grand Mini Max Final hero Troy Snyman was in the lead dice all the way in Italy last weekend and he remains the lad to beat in under-13 karting. Snyman has Muhammad Wally, Matthew Morrell and Ghazi Motlekar, who made the trip to the Cape to win his first race a few weeks back, breathing down his neck, while Mandla Mlangeni, Taya Van Der Laan, Jordan Brooks, Bjorn Bertholdt, Giulio Cianfanelli and Seth Gomes are all eager to score.

Little Mo Moerat leads the under-11 Micro Max championship chase over the impressive Luviwe Sambudlal, Erich Heystek, Wian Boshoff, Kent Swartz and Kyle Beukes, but keep an eye on Caleb Cotterell, Hriday Pooren, Ntiyiso Mabunda and Mahlori Motlhabani among these kids.

The baby Bambino class has been growing by the race, but the dice up front is between Tshepang Shisinwana, Keagan and Beaumont and Troy van der Laan, with Christian Verheul, Aiden Beaumont, Matao Mason and Rafael Da Silva all in the mix, while a host of new kids on the block will want to stake their baby kart claims too.

With the day also counting toward the Zwartkops Club championship, there will be a few additional races for the Clubmen, where the likes of Michael Hawcroft, Pierre Joubert, Mandla Mlangeni, Avinesh Francis and veteran Maurice Garcia will fight it out, while Joshua and Samara Garland and Jayden Goosen will be among the 60cc Junior Clubmans racers competing.

The Zwartkops International Kart Raceway is located behind the main circuit pits - find Zwartkops on the R55 just outside Laudium, Pretoria. Entrance is free and the facility offers great grub and all amenities at the clubhouse.