Adriaan Steyn, the 2023 National Bambino Champion, achieved third place overall at the recent national round of the South African Rotax MAX Challenge held at Zwartkops Kart Raceway, following three podium finishes in Micro MAX.
During Friday’s practice sessions, Adriaan consistently ranked in the top three of every timesheet. However, following qualifying, a nose-cone penalty caused Adriaan’s quickest lap to be deleted, resulting in him starting the opening heat in seventh place on the fourth row of the grid. Despite this setback, Adriaan exhibited great skill and would have had a higher starting position on the grid if not for the penalty.
In a challenging first race, Adriaan climbed several positions to finish third while setting the fastest lap, resulting in the Greensky-backed driver starting Heat 2 from pole position. He led out the 16-kart field from the pole through the first few turns before championship rival Matthew Shuttleworth passed him through Turn 5. While Matthew edged away, Adriaan kept a keen Michael O’Mahoney at bay. Adriaan would eventually open up a gap over Michael to cross the finish line in second.
The final heat saw Adriaan start third but lose a position at the start. Slotting into fourth, he followed the three ahead around the 1000m circuit before pouncing on Capetonian Liam Wharton. Unable to catch the two ahead, he took the chequered flag in third to cap off a solid performance.
“I’m very happy with my performance today,” said Adriaan. “We had a strong pace, and I was able to mix it with the front runners. But we still need a tenth or two to stay with the leader. Let’s see what we can find ahead of the next national.”
Adriaan will return on 25 May for Round 3 of the Northern Regions Rotax Kart Championships set for a return to Vereeniging.
Adriaan is backed by Q4 Fuel, Greensky, Parolin Racing South Africa and Sparco.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix
Picture Caption: Adriaan Steyn
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