Summarize

The final round of the Northern Regions Rotax Max karting championship brought the 2019 South African karting season to a close with a few surprises among Gauteng's latest crop of karting champions. Brandon Smith took a last gasp DD2 title, while Wayland Wyman had enough in hand to take the Senior Max championship, Kwanda Mokoena took the Junior Max crown, while Troy Snyman Mini Max, Mohammed Moerat Micro Max and Tshepang Shisinwana the Bambino titles.

The biggest drama of the day came in the premier DD2 class, where Bloemfontein driver Justin Allison arrived narrowly leading the title chase from Nicholas Verheul and Brandon Smith. A perfect weekend for Smith however not only saw him taking all three race wins, but he also stole the title from Allison by just four points after Justin hit trouble in race 2 and World Final hero last week, Verheul never raced the final after taking a couple of heat seconds, to end up third in the title race behind Smith and Allison.

The drama allowed the consistent Llewellyn Myburgh to take second of the day, but that was not enough for him to wrest fourth in the title race from fourth man on the day, Jamie Smith. Philippe Chapat meanwhile ticked off a trio over-30s DD2 Masters wins to clinch that title, ahead of the rapidly improving Tinahe Ncube, Steve Beaumont, Rob Nicholson and Brandon Dean on track, and from Beaumont and Ncube in the title chase.

Nicholas Verheul made up for his DD2 disappointment with two Senior Max race wins to Dane van Heerde’s one to take the day, with East London lass Shannon Jackson third. That was however not enough for Verheul to haul absent 2019 Senior Max champion Wayland Wyman in, in the title race, where Jackson ended third from van Heerde and Jayden Els.

Kwanda Mokoena was in imperious form in under-15 Junior Max as he trotted off to a triple victory on the day to close off his junior karting career with an overall win and a dominant championship victory too. Jordan Brooks and Aqil Alibhai shared out the second places en route to second and third on the day ahead of Ndumiso Bungane, Mandla Mlangeni and Kgalema Mngadi. Alibhai took the title second from Brooks and Bungane pipped Mngadi to the post for fourth.

A delighted Ghazi Motlekar beat Troy Snyman to under-13 Mini Max honours as the two diced hard all day with Matthew Morrell and Mandla Mlangeni in close attendance in third and fourth. World Final hero a week ago, Snyman however cruised to the Gauteng 2019 title, which he added to his national crown on his primary school karting swansong, ahead of Morrell, Motlekar and Mlangeni in the regional championship.

Erich Heystek was another driver to deliver a splendid upset as he crushed his under-11 opposition in a Micro Max triple win, while Mohammed Moerat and Wian Boshoff tussled for second and third ahead of Luviwe Sambudla, Ntiyiso Mabunda and Lwandle Pule. Mo Moerat never needed much more than second on the day to wrap up an ultimately dominant Micro championship win however, with Sambudla ending up second from Heystek and Boshoff in the title race.

Keagan Beaumont took the baby Bambino kart win for the day from Mattao Mason, race 1 winner Tshepang Shisinwana, Cristian Verheul, newcomer MJ Thekiso, Aiden Beaumont and Rafael da Silva, with more newcomers, Ruald Hartzenberg, Matthew Shuttleworth and Shayaan Mohamed next up. His first race win saw national champion Shisinwana wrap his second Gauteng title up on the trot, with Beaumont second from Verheul, Troy van der Laan, Aiden Beaumont and Mattao Mason next up.

Two Club races wrapped the day up as Michael Hawcroft beat Veteran four Maurice Garcia, Lionel Black, Pierre Joubert, Colin Black and Avinesh Francis to the opening Clubmans race, with Joubert second from Lionel Black in race 2, before Joubert took the finale from winner for the day Hawcroft, Garcia, Colin Black, Avinesh Francis and Lionel Black. Jayden Goosen meanwhile beat Moosa Kajee and Ashton Repsold all three 60cc Clubmans races, with Joshua and Samara Garland and Georgia Lenaerts next up.

That wraps the 2019 Rotax Max karting season. It all happens again in the new year when the action starts from scratch with brand new 2020 regional, national and African titles up for grabs...