What Rotax Max Challenge South African National Round 2 Report
Where Formula K Raceway, Benoni , Gauteng
When Saturday 30 April 2023
Community South Africa National
Formula K delivers splendid Rotax Max SA National action
The second round Rotax Max South African Karting Nationals delivered spectacular, close, and hard fought racing and the off controversy at the Formula K Raceway at Benoni in Gauteng on Saturday. Several drivers continued their march towards National titles, while others re-ignited their title chases and some had days to forget in their efforts to make the SA team for the Rotax Max International ‘Olympics of Karting’ later in the year.
Multiple champion Bradley Liebenberg continued his march to another Rotax Max DD2 title with a two-race to one win over Sebastian Boyd and Nicolaos Vostanis after second race winner Kian Grottis was one of several drivers to be excluded underweight in the final. Liebenberg took the opening race win from Grottis and Boyd, before Grottis beat Liebenberg and Boyd to race 2. Liebenberg was back on top from Boyd and Vostanis in the final. Behind them, Masters duo Kyle Lawrence and Eugene Brittz were fourth and fifth and as Lawrence took two masters wins to Brittz one. Wayland Wyman ended sixth overall from Justus Beulker, Grottis, and Masters third and fourth men, Mark Villinger and Grant Veenstra.
Senior Max was all about KC Ensor-Smith, who delivered a dominant grand slam of pole position, three race wins and three fastest laps too, off a monster 22 kart grid. He had to fight Muhammad Wally and Olerato Sekudu off early in race 1 before making off to a comfortable win from Sekudu Goodman and Ethen Stier. Sekudu and Stier however took nosecone penalties to hand second and third to Goodman and Ethan Bostander. Sekudu and Goodman were second and third in heat 2 as former champions Charl Visser Troy Snyman fought back onto the final podium after tough days at the office. Overall, Smith won from Sekudu, Bostander, Goodman, Wally, Stier, Matthew Wadeley and Mikel Bezuidenhout.
High school Junior Max delivered three different winners. Opening race victor Wian Boshoff took the overall spoils. He edged heat 2 winner Kent Swartz and Jonno Wilson, who took the final. Boshoff made best of a hard fought opening race to beat Swartz and an opportunistic Mauro Da Luz before Swartz got ahead early to take an easy race 2 win from Boshoff and Wilson. Wilson then overcame a wild first few laps to take the final from Amani Kinyua and Boshoff. So Boshoff took the day from Swartz, Wilson, the consistent William Marshall, Kinyua, Da Luz, Georgia Lenaerts, and Jordon Wadeley.
Under-13 Mini Max was all about Caleb Odendaal, who still had to work for his hat trick of wins on the day. He got ahead early in the opening race but had to had fight pole kid Keagan Beaumont, Kegan Martin, Reggie Mailula and Taylin Patel off later the heat, but Mailula lost the place to a technical issue. Odendaal got ahead after a handful of laps of race 2 as he left Martin to fight Patel off for second. Odendaal completed the clean sweep from a resurgent Mailula, Martin and Beaumont in the final, to take the day from Martin, Beaumont, and Patel. Emma Dowling ended fifth from Franco Gibhard, Jesse Swart and Franco Bensch.
Brodi Dowling emerged the winner of a tough under-11 Micro Max encounter. Rafael Da Silva led most of the opening race before pole lad De Souza got by on penultimate and then Dowling passed them both to win on the final tour. Dowling got ahead early in race 2 to win from Se Sousa, who dropped to tenth on a nose cone penalty and hand second to Da Silva. Da Silva then took the final from Dowling and Da Sousa, as Dowling took the day from Da Silva and Da Souza. Johan Nolte was fourth all day long, ahead of Ronaldo Koen, who picked up a couple of podiums, Cristian Verheul, Matthew Shuttleworth and Mandume Kaiyamo.
Luhan de Wet took two baby Bambino wins to one over Adriaan Steyn to take the day by all of a point after third on the day, Luke du Toit also beat de Wet to second in heat 2. Sebastien Shuttleworth held Caleb Rogers off for fourth, with Aston Verheul, Lwashu Mathebula and Ronald Bodhi Venter next up after a rough final race that saw wholesale driver conduct warnings handed out, albeit without much change to the results.
Round 3 of four MSA Rotax Max Nationals goes down right in the middle of winter
at Killarney in Cape Town Saturday 1 July, but not before a bout of Gauteng, Cape and KZN regional races around the country.
Issued on behalf of Rotax Max Challenge
Photography by: Motorsport Fanatix
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