Summarize

It was a landslide victory for Western Province when local drivers dominated the opening round of the 2026 South African National Rotax Max Challenge at Cape Town’s Killarney Kart Track on Saturday. Six Cape drivers won each of the day’s six Rotax classes as the home heroes stamped authority across the board. 

Pole man Charl Michael Visser rattled off a hat trick of wins to take 25 kW direct drive two-speed Rotax DD2 honours on his National debut in the class. Visser took the day from fellow Cape racer Matthew Wadeley and Durban lad Shrien Naidoo. Upcountry karter Dusan Radojevic followed from Namibian Nikita Thieme and Gauteng driver Jamie Smith. 

Three more locals, Ethan Stier, Storm Lanfear and Tony Auby’s days were spoiled by technical exclusions, but another Cape Town driver, Jared Michael Jordan won two of the over-31s DD2 Masters heats to Bloemfontein man Justin Allison’s one to take the day. Cape-based KZN driver Jonathan Pieterse and locals Conor Hughes and Michael Jordan followed them home.

A most significant grid of 25 karts lined up in 22 kW top chain drive Rotax Senior Max, where two second places and a win were enough to see another Western Province lad Sebastiano Human make it a clean sweep of senior class wins for home drivers. Eastern Cape lad Caleb Moss won the other two races after an opening heat sixth, to end second for the day from WP driver Keagan Beaumont, KZN lad Travis Mingay and Josi karters Kian Spies and Spice Mailula. 

Three different drivers won the three 17 kW high school Rotax Junior Max heats, but it was Aleks Praizovic who kept the Cape silverware coming in with the middle race win, a second and a third. Consistent Jozi driver Kiyaan Reddi ended second for the day amid the writhing 22-kart Junior pack from upcountry compatriots, third heat winner Rafael da Souza, Ronaldo Koen, opening race winner Brodi Dowling and Declan Jurgens. 

Moving on to the primary school action, Capetonian Liam Wharton made it five Cape wins out of five with a two race to one 10 kW Rotax Mini Max victory. He beat compatriot Logan Roehrig, Jozi interloper Luke du Toit and three more Killarney home racers, Yaqeen Gamieldien, Michael O’Mahoney, and Ruhan Victor on another monster 24-kart grid.

Slater Smith went on to conclude a six-class Western Cape clean sweep as he beat fellow WP kid Radhi Harris two races to one in 6 kilowatt under-11 Rotax Micro Max. Two more Cape locals, Lehan Fourie and Caleb Lingeveldt rubbed it in with a Mini Max top four from Jozi visitors Alonzo de Oliveira and Rofhiwa Ndwambi.

The only race a Cape driver did not win was in 2 kilowatt 5 to 9-year old nursery school of karting Bambino, where there were actually no Cape entries. The action was none the less brilliant with three different heat winners. Heat 2 winner Zaid Panday did enough to take the day from the consistent Tiyani Malabie, first heat winner Yerhu Malabie, and Zonkizizwe Holomisa, Tyler Stanyer and Siyanda Nkwanyana. Ndlovu Melokuhle then bounced back from a second race exclusion to win the final race of the day. 

“Congratulations to our Cape Town karters on an utterly dominant performance across the board in the Rotax classes at their Killarney home National,” Rotax South Africa supremo Ed Murray concludes. “It is not often that we can remember such provincial domination. The WPMC Kart Club can be proud of this momentous achievement. Now we look forward to seeing how the other regions react at their home Nationals!

“It was also a very good day overall for Rotax Max karting in South Africa. The biggest field in what must be decades, delivered incredible action across the board. Our ethos of fair racing and a level playing field with the chance to compete internationally has kept the Rotax Max Challenge the most relevant and most popular karting category in Africa and we look forward to keeping that momentum rolling strong into the future.”

The South African Rotax Max Challenge heads to KwaZulu Natal for its second of four National rounds at the Dube kart track near Camperdown on Saturday 25 April. Each 2026 Rotax Max National Champion, as well as the winners of July’s wildcard Rotax Max African Open, qualifies for the ‘Olympics of Karting’ Rotax Max Grand Finals in Portimão, Portugal in November 2026. Learn more and follow Rotax Max Challenge South Africa at www.kart.co.za