Gauteng-based Luhan De Wet Dominated the Cadet class at the weekend when the Algoa Kart Club hosted the opening MSA National Karting Championship round at the Celso Scribante Raceway on 24-25 March.
While entries for the Cadet class were scanty, De Wet, the pre-event favourite, got on with the task by recording the fastest lap during every practice session on Friday, which he followed up with the quickest lap time during Qualifying on Saturday morning.
With De Wet expected to win every heat comfortably, the Louis Leipodlt student suffered an unexpected carburettor issue in the opening heat. While it caused him to stop a few times, he managed to continue and finish the race, albeit two laps behind. To prevent the same from happening again, the team made some changes ahead of the second heat. Heat 2 would go flawlessly with the De Wet Automotive Performance Service and Repairs-backed driver opening up a significant lead over the other two competitors, crossing the finish line more than 12 seconds ahead. His dominance would be repeated in the final heat, where he won by over 10 seconds to claim the overall victory on the day and a three-point lead in the championship.
“Very proud of Luhan and how he overcame the disappointment of the opening heat,” said Sharl De Wet, Luhan’s father. “Even though he had no chance of making up the gap to the front two, he pushed on, lapping quicker than the other two. It was an unfortunate setback, but we were able to rectify the issue and ensure Luhan be back for the remaining two heats where he showed his class. No one wants to race in a three-kart field, and I think more should be done to grow the Cadet class. Hopefully, with the Gauteng rounds, we’ll see more entries.”
De Wet thanks the De Wet Automotive Performance Service and Repairs, Duratec Batteries in Centurion, Alunite Pretoria and the team from NBR Racing. Round 2 of the national championship resumes on 26-27 May at the Formula-K Kart Circuit, Benoni. De Wet will, however, be back on the circuit on 15 April for Round 3 of the MSA Northern Regions Rotax Karting Championship.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix – Raymond Cornwell
Picture Caption: Luhan De Wet
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