Johannesburg teenager Mikel Bezuidenhout finally got the monkey off his back when he claimed his maiden Senior MAX victory this weekend. Competing in Round 2 of the Northern Regions Rotax Kart Championships in Vereeniging, Mikel finished second overall.
Qualifying in a solid second position on Saturday morning, the Investchem Formula 1600 rookie crossed the finish line in third following an unplanned trip to the grass on lap 3. Only a fraction of a second off the quickest lap, Mikel started Heat 2 from second, where he would go on to finish. After breaching a technical regulation, the winner was disqualified, and Mikel recorded his first since starting in karting two years ago.
The final heat, however, was incident-filled, with Mikel losing out. A coming together on the opening lap saw a red flag stoppage before the race restarted. While Mikel recovered from the first incident to take up his position on the grid again, he was forced to retire following a second accident.
“It was a positive weekend despite the final heat result. I had a good pace throughout and could consistently compete for the podium. Getting my first win feels great, although I’d like to win it on merit next time. It’s a good feeling to have going into the next national. Thanks to the team for all the hard work,” said Mikel.
Mikel will focus on the next race at Idube Raceway, which will host the second national round of the South African Rotax MAX Challenge on 3-4 May.
Mikel thanks the support of MTN Cosmo-Net, NBR Racing and Vivo Mobile South Africa.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix
Picture Caption: Mikel Bezuidenhout
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