Rookie Noah Cronje turned his weekend around after a disappointing practice day to finish fourth overall on race day after a nail-biting final heat saw him finish as runner-up. Competing in the penultimate round of the National ROK Cup Karting Championship at the Killarney International Raceway, Cronje, a Sparco brand ambassador supported by Easy Life Kitchens and Motul South Africa, qualified his Tony Kart in 5th on Saturday morning.
The eight-year-old Pretoria resident would battle for the final podium position in all three heats, with the more experienced front runners edging out an advantage on every lap. As a result, Cronje would finish the opening heat in fourth; while taking fifth in Heat 2, despite recording his quickest lap of the weekend. The highlight for Cronje, however, came in the final heat when he moved up into second position on the last lap to narrowly edge out one of the more favoured drivers over the line.
“It was the best feeling to pass the squabbling drivers on the last lap to move from fourth to second and take the chequered flag just ahead of Logan (Billau). Yesterday everything seemed to go wrong, and I left here quite despondent. But a new day dawned, and with it, some better luck, a good pace and strong results. Thank you, Easy Life Kitchens, Sparco and Motul South Africa for the support,” said Cronje.
While the final round of the national championship is scheduled for the Vereeniging Kart Circuit on September 23, Cronje returns to regional competition on September 2 at the same venue.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix
Picture Caption: Noah Cronje
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