Formula-K Raceway delivered a weekend packed with close finishes, changing fortunes and several standout performances as Rounds 5 and 6 of the SA National ROK Karting Championship took place at the Benoni circuit.
The double-header also incorporated Rounds 4 and 5 of the Northern Regions ROK Karting Championship, with points scored across the weekend counting towards both the national and regional campaigns.
Some classes were decided by the narrowest of margins, while others saw the leading contenders take firm control. From pole position through all three heats, the battles at the front provided plenty of drama on both Saturday and Sunday.
ROUND 5 – SATURDAY
OK-N
Emma-Rose Dowling, attending her first ROK Cup event this season, got the weekend off to the perfect start by taking pole position ahead of Jack Moore and Chase Haskins.
Dowling led much of the opening heat, but Moore stayed within striking distance and made his move late in the race to take the win. Ashaan Reddi crossed the line third, just ahead of Haskins and Aidan Calitz.
Moore was back at the front in Heat 2, although Dowling never allowed him to relax. The pair remained closely matched throughout, with Moore holding on by a tenth. Haskins finished third to keep himself in the overall podium fight.
The final heat brought another tight contest between Moore and Dowling. Moore led for much of the race before Dowling found a way through during the closing stages. She then kept Moore behind to win, with Reddi completing the top three.
Two heat victories were enough to give Moore the Round 5 overall win bagging 102 points towards his championship. Dowling and Reddi completed the podium, with Haskins finishing fourth.
OK-J
Matao Mason arrived at Formula-K unbeaten in the championship and immediately showed why he has been the driver to beat this season. He secured pole position over Max Boshoff, while Declan Jurgens and Retlotleng Thekiso filled the second row.
Mason controlled the opening heat from start to finish, leading Boshoff and Jurgens home. Thekiso mounted a stronger challenge in Heat 2, but Mason again remained composed at the front and claimed his second victory of the day. Boshoff followed them across the line in third.
Thekiso made the strongest start in the final heat and led the opening laps, but Mason worked his way past and took control. He stayed ahead to complete another clean sweep, with Thekiso finishing less than a second behind and Logan Billau taking third. Mason collected another maximum, with Thekiso second overall on and Boshoff third.
Mini ROK
Mini ROK produced some of the closest racing of the day, beginning with an extremely tight qualifying session. Parker van der Molen took pole position by only 0.054 seconds over Riley van Staden, while Diego Berardone, Kayde Cornofsky, Maddox Mason and Zac Boshoff were all separated by less than three-tenths of a second.
Van Staden made the most of his front-row start in Heat 1, leading throughout to beat Cornofsky and Mason. The second heat was far less straightforward, with Mason, Van der Molen, Cornofsky and Boshoff all spending time at the front. After a lively contest, Mason emerged with the win ahead of Cornofsky and Van der Molen.
Van Staden returned to the head of the field in the final heat, but Boshoff remained firmly in contention. Just a tenth separated them at the chequered flag, while Van der Molen finished third.
With two victories, Van Staden secured the Round 5 overall win. Mason finished second, with Cornofsky third. Boshoff and Van der Molen were close behind fourth and fifth.
Cadet
Jaxon Holzapfel claimed the Cadet pole position ahead of Declan Berowsky and Christopher Grimmick.
Holzapfel led every lap of the first heat, but Berowsky kept the pressure on throughout and finished less than a tenth behind. Their battle continued in Heat 2, where the lead changed several times before Berowsky took the win. The pair once again traded places at the front in the final heat. Berowsky eventually regained the lead and held on to secure his second victory of the day. That was enough to earn Berowsky the overall Round 5 win ahead of Holzapfel. Grimmick completed the podium.
ROUND 6 – SUNDAY
OK-N
After narrowly missing out on pole a day earlier, Moore went fastest in Sunday qualifying ahead of Liam Pillay, Calitz and Reddi.
Moore controlled the opening heat until the race was stopped by a red flag after eight laps. The result was declared with Moore taking the win ahead of Haskins and Reddi. Moore was even more convincing in Heat 2, leading every lap on his way to a comfortable victory. Pillay finished second, while Haskins took third after post-race penalties had been applied.
Moore completed a faultless Sunday by leading the final heat from start to finish. Calitz produced a strong drive to claim second, with Pillay edging Haskins in the fight for third. A maximum points haul gave Moore his second overall win of the weekend. Pillay and Haskins finished level on points, with Calitz only two points further back.
OK-J
Jurgens took Sunday’s OK-J pole position, beating Boshoff by just 0.030 seconds. Aleksandar Praizovic qualified third, while Mason started from fifth.
Boshoff briefly led the opening heat, but Mason had already moved to the front by the second lap. Once there, he stayed ahead to win from Jurgens and Boshoff. Heat 2 featured several changes at the front. Jurgens led the opening laps before Praizovic moved ahead, only for Jurgens to regain the position. Mason then worked his way through during the second half of the race and took another victory. Thekiso finished second, with Jurgens third.
Mason controlled the final heat from start to finish, holding off Jurgens to complete another maximum-points round. Boshoff finished third. Mason won Round 6 with another maximum haul, followed by Jurgens and Boshoff. The result extended Mason’s remarkable unbeaten run to six national rounds and 18 consecutive heat victories.
Mini ROK
Cornofsky began Sunday from pole position after narrowly beating Boshoff and Van Staden in qualifying.
He converted pole into victory in the opening heat, but Van Staden remained close throughout and crossed the line only 0.082 seconds behind. Berardone completed the podium.
Cornofsky again featured at the front in Heat 2 and led much of the race on the circuit. Post-race penalties, however, changed the final order and promoted Mason to victory ahead of Boshoff and Berardone.
Mason and Boshoff then shared the lead during the final heat before Mason regained control in the closing stages. He took his second win of the day, finishing half a second ahead of Boshoff. Berardone completed a consistent Sunday with his third successive third-place finish.
Mason and Berardone ended the round tied on 90 points, with Mason taking the overall win on the tie-break. Van Staden was only one point behind in third, while Cornofsky and Boshoff completed a closely matched top five.
Cadet
Christopher Grimmick was the sole classified Cadet competitor on Sunday.
FORMULA-K REWARDS THE WEEKEND’S STANDOUT PERFORMERS
The Formula-K double-header also carried significant prizes. Riley van Staden walked away with R25 000 after an impressive weekend that included two heat victories and the Mini ROK Round 5 overall win.
Matao Mason remains unbeaten in this year’s championship after winning all 18 heats contested across the opening six rounds. His dominant weekend was rewarded with a R25 000 voucher towards a Ginetta test.
The full SA National ROK Karting Championship and Northern Regions ROK Karting Championship standings will be tallied once all the weekend’s results have been verified and officially confirmed.
Published by: Raymond Cornwell
Picture Caption: ROK Cup National at Formula K
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