Summarize

Team South Africa returned to action with a vengeance after Wednesday’s storm washout as Qualifying and the opening Heats at the 26th Rotax Max ‘Olympics of Karting’ Grand Finals got underway in treacherous, ever-changing conditions in Portimão, Portugal on Thursday. 

Competing among over 400 national champions from more than 60 countries at a compressed Kartódromo Internacional do Algarve meeting where the Qualifying Heats now feed directly into Saturday’s Grand Finals, South Africa’s karters wasted no time scything forward as drying tarmac gave way to afternoon rain. Team South Africa’s historic electric E10 Mini debutants led the early charge on a drying circuit. Ruhan Victor stormed up 16 places from 21st on the grid to snatch a fighting fifth. 

Countryman Michael O’Mahoney produced an even bigger drive alongside him, slicing past 23 karts from 27th on the grid to take the chequered flag fourth on the road before a five-second nose-cone penalty dropped him to a still-impressive 15th. Namibian E10 brothers Mandume and Nande Kaiyamo qualified strongly in ninth and 13th before similar five-second fairing penalties left them 20th and 23rd.

Luhan de Wet kept the South African flag flying near the sharp end of under-13 Rotax Mini Max, qualifying seventh for his C-D heat before racing wheel-to-wheel in the lead group to come home eighth. Compatriot Luke du Toit backed him up well in qualifying to line up ninth right behind de Wet on row five, before slipping back to 24th on a tricky drying track. Under-11 Micro Max lad Alonzo de Oliveira also moved firmly forward, carving up 10 places from 34th on the grid to finish 24th in his opening six-lapper.

Jamie Smith delivered a standout senior performance as the rain returned for the two-speed Rotax DD2 heats, scything up 12 places from 26th on the grid — having already run inside the top 15 on the opening tour to bring it home a strong 14th in Heat A-B. Teammate Charl Visser matched that fighting spirit in Heat C-D, charging up 10 places from 34th to 24th in the wet. 

Regional neighbours Kian Fussell of Namibia and Gabriel Figueiredo of Mozambique both suffered qualifying technical exclusions, leaving Fussell to battle back from 36th to 34th after a slow opening lap in Heat A-B, while Figueiredo retired after four laps in Heat C-D. Over-32 DD2 Masters contender Justin Allison completed 10 wet laps to finish 30th from 28th on the grid.

High school Senior Max delivered heartbreak and grit in equal measure after Kian Spies starred in qualifying to line up third on row two for Heat C-D, only to retire after four wet laps. Teammate Keagan Beaumont suffered a cruel technical exclusion after clocking the second-fastest time on track in his qualifying group, before fighting up nine places from 36th and last on the grid to finish 27th. 

Earlier in under-15 Junior Max, Brodi Dowling battled a soaked Heat C-D to come home 22nd from 20th on the grid, while Ronaldo Koen qualified strongly in 13th and ran 12th early on before a fifth-lap delay dropped him to 33rd.

With Pre-Finals scrapped from the revised timetable, every single overtake, counts on Friday as the remaining Qualifying Heats decide the top 36 grids for Saturday’s Grand Finals. Micro Max, E10 and DD2 Masters wrap up their second and final heats on Friday, while Mini, Junior, Senior and DD2 contest two more heats apiece. 

Follow live timing and streaming at grandfinals.rotax-racing.com or on the Rotax Global App, and catch daily Team SA updates at www.kart.co.za