Cape Town’s Killarney International Raceway was the scene for the penultimate round of the South African Rotax MAX Challenge (SARMC) Kart Championship that saw Gauteng driver Luhan de Wet finish third overall at the weekend.
Heading into Round 3 of the national competition, De Wet held a slight advantage in the Bambino championship over on-track nemesis Adriaan Steyn. That lead was subsequently reduced after De Wet finished as runner-up in the opening heat, followed by two third-position finishes. Unable to match the pace of Cape Town’s Michael O’Maloney, De Wet, now in his second season of karting, crossed the finish line in second ahead of Steyn. Heats 2 and 3, however, would see Steyn move up the order to record two wins ahead of O’Maloney and De Wet, with the latter unable to match the lap times of his competitors. While the Louis Leipoldt student remains at the front of the championship, his lead is significantly less heading into the final round.
“It wasn’t an easy weekend for us. While I could not match the pace of Michael (O’Maloney) and Adriaan (Steyn) at times, I tried my best to stay within a few seconds of the leaders should they make a mistake. It was challenging, to be honest. Michael was unstoppable in Heat 1 with Adriaan, and I left without answers. Heats 2 and 3 saw Adriaan get ahead, and despite trying my best, I couldn’t catch Michael in second. While it’s somewhat frustrating not to be able to challenge for the win, I am aware that we are building a championship over a season, and any points will always be valuable. It seems the championship will be decided at the final round in August,” said De Wet.
While Round 4 of the SARMC Kart Championships is scheduled for 25-26 August, De Wet will again compete in the regional ROK championship at Zwartkops Kart Raceway this weekend.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix
Picture Caption: Luhan De Wet
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