Summarize

Seven South Africans have qualified to race in the 25th Rotax Max ‘Olympics of Karting’ 2025 Grand Finals in Bahrain on Saturday following the crunching Pre Final day on Friday 5 December. DD2 drivers Sebastian Boyd and Jason Coetzee, DD2 Master Jonathan Pieterse, Senior man Muhammad Wally, Mini Max stars Brodi Dowling and Ronaldo Koen and Micro Max driver Luhan de Wet all did enough in their respective Pre Finals to earn a slot on the Final grids.

DD2 drivers, Capetonians Sebastian Boyd and Jason Coetzee had it all to do in the Pre Finals. Boyd sat on the cusp starting 17th with only the top eighteen from each Pre Final progressing to Saturday’s Final, with Coetzee needing to make up places from 23rd on the grid. Both drivers delivered however,  as Boyd made up nine places to end eighth and Coetzee rose thirteen positions to finish ninth and seize his Final slot. Expect Boyd to start 25th and Coetzee 32ndth in the DD2 Grand Final. Cape DD2 Master man Jono Pieterse climbed six places in his Pre Final and starts his Final in 26th.

Under-13 Rotax Mini Max lads Brodi Dowling and Ronaldo Koen, both from Benoni, qualified safely on Wednesday and Thursday to start ninth and fifteenth looking for clean races to qualify. That they did, as Brodi rose to sixth and Ronaldo to eleventh in their Pre Final, to see Dowling 16th and Koen 27th  on Saturday’s Rotax Mini Max Grand Final. And Jozi under-11 Luhan de Wet lined up tenth for his Pre Micro Max Final and made a few places up before becoming embroiled in the action to drop well back. He recovered splendidly and starts his Final in 18th.

 

Rotax Senior Max drivers, Jozi driver Muhammad Wally started his Pre Final eleventh and Capetonian Charl Michael Visser 24th. Wally ran sixth early on, but with fifteen karts split by a second, trouble was inevitable and he dropped down. He fought a down on power engine back to 19th to scrape into the Final in 33rd position. Visser too started well but dropped well back in the rough and tumble. He fought back to 22nd, which was not enough to progress.

South Africa’s high school Rotax Junior Max lads East London driver Caleb Odendaal and Gqeberha lad Caleb Moss endured tough weeks, but Odendaal benefited a rash of penalties ahead of him to end up 16th in his Pre Final and Moss was ultimately 23rd, but neither driver progressed. Mozambican driver Cristian Bouche put in a storming drive in the thick of his DD2 Pre Final to come home 21st, while Namibian Kian Fussell ended 29th in his race. Like the rest of Rotax Max Team South Africa, both return home far richer for the experience.

Team South Africa’s 2024 South African and African Open champions earned their seats by delivering best results through the past year of local Rotax Max Challenge racing. Saturday’s Final action starts around 10 am with live streaming and timing and all you need to know about Rotax Max karting in South Africa at  www.kart.co.za