Summarize

The 2025 South African Rotax Max karting season took off like a rocket on Saturday with a Cape regional more akin to a national at Killarney. A Zwartkops club meet up in Pretoria meanwhile emphasised to growth and sustenance of Rotax Max karting countrywide.

“If this weekend’s races were anything to go by, Rotax Max karting is in a rude state of health,” Rotax SA CEO Ed Murray explains. “Saturday’s opening Cape regional race meeting was more like a good national race day. We had a record 22 Mini Max kids at a regional and you could throw a blanket over the top six at any point throughout the day!

“If you add the thirteen Mini karts that still raced at Zwartkops, we may even need to bring heats when we really do get down to nationals and the African Open later this year! Senior Max is also looking very good with eighteen karts racing in the Cape alone this weekend, and a lot more at it upcountry so that’s also super competitive and a real bumper start to the season.”

With the first national weekend at Killarney in March, most of the bigger upcountry teams took the opportunity to trek down to the weekend’s Cape regional opener in order to best prepare for that crucial weekend in their Cape rivals’ back yard. 

The influx did not really effect the premier DD2 class where mainly Cape locals raced. Champion Sebastian Boyd raced to a triple victory over Jason Coetzee, Matthew Wadeley, Anwil April and Ethan Stier. Home hero Jared Jordan however held Durban rival Jonathan Pieterse and an exciting new face in Masters, former V8 racer and Lebanon A1GP pilot Jimmy Auby off for DD2 Masters honours.

Senior Max at Killarney may as well have been a national anyway. Luca Wehrli did not need to win a heat as he took the win in a wild day from heat winners Gianna Pascoal and Jonno Wilson, William Marshall who also relied more on consistency, and another heat winner in Kent Swartz. Locals Jordon Wadeley and Keagan Beaumont were next home. Up at Zwartkops meanwhile Nielan Marx beat Roshaan Goodman two heats to one on an eight kart grid in spite of the day’s low key stature.

Jozi lass Emma Dowling won a heat on her way to toppling double race winner Sebastiano Human to take high school Junior Max honours at Killarney with Sebastien Blignaut, Caleb Odendaal, Caleb Moss and Ashaan Reddi closing off that competitive top six. Keenan du Plessis meanwhile beat  Matthew Shuttleworth and Durelle Goodman to the Zwartkops win.

Under-13 Mini Max enjoyed a monster weekend. With an incredible 22 karts on the Killarney grid, Liam Wharton took the day two races to one from Max Boshoff, with Ruhan Victor third from Retlotleng Thekiso, Jayden van der Merwe and Zac Boshoff. If 22 karts were not enough in the Cape, thirteen Mini Maxes still raced at Zwartkops, where Diego Antunes won from Rafael De Sousa, Ronaldo Koen and Rafael Da Silva. Great testament to not just kid karting, but also the future of South African racing in general.

Back in the Cape, Luhan de Wet took under-11 Micro Max two races to one over new face Logan Roehrig, Yaqeen Gamieldien, Slater Smith, Jake Steyn and Radhi Harris. Ronald Venter meantime telegraphed his 2025 intentions with a triple win over Raidyn Reddy, Russell Josephat and Aston Verheul at Zwartkops.

Talking new faces, Divaaj Govender marched to a Killarney baby Bambino triple over Aleena Doutie, Ashlyn Beaumont, Emelee Adriaans, Rofhiwa Ndwambi and Ryder Roehrig. Sebastien Shuttleworth and Alonzo de Oliveira reminded them that they are still around by sharing the Zwartkops wins ahead of Teresa Bettencourt and Zonkizizwe Holomisa, where a pleasing number of newcomers also raced for the first time.

“After an opening weekend like this, we are really expecting a great 2025 season of Rotax Max karting ahead,” Ed Murray concluded. “All the work that’s been done to attain engine parity has paid off and competitors seem to truly appreciate that. Now everyone just wants to race. Bring it on!”