South African ROTAX Max Champions crowned by Steve Wicks
07.10.2008
The final national kart championships were decided at
an incident packed South African Rotax Max Challenge Final
at Zwartkops near Pretoria on Sunday. This well subscribed
event not only determines national champions but also
the six drivers who will enjoy well sponsored drives at
the 9th ROTAX Max Grand Final. This prestigious event
which has been held on five continents takes place at
the end on November at La Conca, near the southern tip
of Italy.
Max Challenge
| 
Kevin
De Wit booked his spot to the Grand Finals by winning
all four heats |
Kevin de Wit overcame a taxing year to emerge as the
Max Challenge champion but it was the way he did that
impressed the rest of the paddock. His task was made a
bit easier when Duke Ridgway and Ritchie Napier tangled,
but he had the pace, the maturity and the consistency
to win all four races on the day and book his place at
the Grand Finals in Italy.
Runner-up on the day was fellow CRG pilot Bjorn Ganz,
but it was Birel’s Mathew Hodges who ended as championship
runner-up after finishing the day in third place. Hodges
deserved ‘A’ for effort after racing in the
Engen VW Cup event on the Saturday and starting both pre-finals
from the back of the grid.
James Ryan (CRG) had a good day to take fourth from similarly
mounted Caleb Williams and Birel pilot Rory Atkinson.
Junior Max
| 
Axcill
Jeffries didn't have it all his own way! |
Axcill Jefferies (Castrol Toyota/Birel) won the Junior
Max title after a hard fought afternoon as Naomi Schiff
(TonyKart) and Shau Mafuna (CRG) showed great pace to
grab the limelight on the day as they posted their best
ever results.
Mafuna and Schiff both claimed wins while Jefferies,
last year’s Mini-Max champion, used every ounce
of talent he could muster in order to grab second place
and hang on to bag enough points to emerge as champion
as Schiff won the day ahead of Jefferies to end as runner-up
in the points table.
Third for the day was Jason Georgiou (TonyKart) as 2008
Junior Rok champion Sam Tingle (Sodi) was fourth with
Mafuna (CRG) only fifth after a poor result in one of
the pre-finals and Mathew Swanepoel (CRG) rounded off
the top six.
ROTAX DD2
| 
Even
though Odendaal had some bad luck he did enough
to qualify for the Grand Finals |
After a superb showing at the last Rotax European Championship
round Ian Young won the day for Birel but it was CRG’s
KZN driver Ralph Odendaal’s day. He was only fifth
on the day but still scooped the championship. Although
he was only placed fourth on the day, Justin Allison ended
the season as championship runner-up.
Marc Murray made a rare appearance in the class and after
winning two races, brought his CRG home in second place
ahead of DD2 Masters winner George dos Ramos.
Nicholas Verheul (CRG) put in a good drive to bag sixth
place behind Allison and Odendaal.
Mini Max
| 
Kelvin
vd Linde Makes it 5 National Champions in one family!
|
There was no stopping Kelvin van der Linde (CRG) as he
won both pre-finals and both finals to take the day and
become the fifth member of the vd Linde family to claim
a national championship.
Roman de Beer (Seef TonyKart) put in a good drive finish
second on the day and second in the points log while Bevan
Williams (CRG) overcame a huge accident on Saturday to
take third on the day ahead of Capetonian Aston Hare (Head2Head
Birel) who ended third in the championship race.
Fellow Capetonian Luke Herring (CRG) was fifth as Ryan
Frost claimed sixth in his Birel.
60cc GP Junior
| 
Michael
Taylor |
There was a controversial end to the closely fought GP
Junior event when Michael Taylor and Sheldon vd Linde
clashed in the final leaving Taylor to win the day ahead
of Nathan Parkins and the recovered vd Linde.
Fourth was Clinton Bezuidenhout as Shayur Harpal and
Julian vd Watt (son of VW Motorsport boss Andre) completed
the top six.
The Cadet event was won convincingly by Liam Pienaar
from Riccardo dos Santos and Carl de Wit.
| 
Stephen
Taylor |
Max 175
Stephen Taylor (PCR) and Allan Bow (Birel) each took
a win in the finals but it was Taylor who clinched the
championship by winning the day while Cyril Atkinson (Birel)
came through to tend the year as championship runner up
after ending the day in fifth place.
Third on the day was Brad Hall (PCR) ahead of Ingo Meyer
(Birel), Atkinson and Corrie Liebenberg (PCR).
|
