Thrills, excitement, and adrenaline-pumping action were the order of the day at the recently concluded 2024 Round One Cape Town National. This iconic race, held on one of the countries most challenging tracks, brought together skilled competitors who battled it out, each with their heart on their sleeve and their mind in the race.
Cadets:
Despite the small grid for the cadet’s inaugural race, they put on a spectacular show, delighting the crowd with skilful overtakes and thrilling finish line pushes.skillful
Among the top performers of the day was Rhadi Harris, who managed to out-qualify his opponent, Caleb Rogers, by a razor-thin margin of 0.2. The first race saw Harris clinch the victory, with Khalpey and Rogers hot on his heels. However, Caleb Rogers retaliated in the second race, pushing back at Harris to grab the win. Harris had to settle for the second position, while Khalpey secured the third spot.
Despite an on-track tangle during the final heat, the racers quickly got back on track, with Harris finishing first, followed by Rogers and Khalpey. Caleb Rogers had the distinction of clocking the best racing lap for the day.
At the end of a closely contested event, Harris from Kito Kart emerged as the overall champion, taking the coveted P1. Rogers (Privateer) ended at P2, while Khalpey from team Levy took P3.
Kid Rok:
The qualifying round was a nail-biting affair that saw the drivers pushing their karts to the limit. Noah Cronje managed to put his kart on pole position with an impressive 0.064-second margin from his closest opponent, Riley Van Staden. Following them were Logan Billau, Logan Roehrig, Ronald Venter, Egor Grishin, and Drew Van Staden, all ready to fight it out on the track.
Race one was an 8-lap rollercoaster ride filled with intense competition. Riley Van Staden skilfully navigated the race and emerged as the winner, closely followed by Roehrig, Venter, Grishin, Cronje, D Van Staden, and Billau. Race two saw Logan Billau starting on pole position. But the real highlight of the race was Riley Van Staden, who managed to pull out all the stops and finish in P1. He was followed by his competitors Cronje, Roehrig, Venter, Grishin, D Van Staden, and Billau. The race was filled with close calls and daring overtakes, keeping spectators on their toes. The pole sitter for Race 3 was Noah Cronje. Cronje managed to keep his P1 position, finishing the last race in the top spot. He was closely followed by R Van Staden, Roehrig, Venter, Grishin, D Van Staden, and Billau. Cronje also put in the best lap of the day, only 0.087 seconds quicker than Roehrig, which showcases excellent driving precision.
After a day of thrilling races, the final standings saw Riley Van Staden (Riley Racing) as the overall winner. He was followed by P2 Noah Cronje (RPM), P3 Logan Roehrig (Kito Kart), P4 Ronald Venter (RPM), P5 Egor Grishin (Privateer), P6 Drew Van Staden (Drew Racing), and P7 Logan Billau (Logan Billau Racing). It was a day of intense competition and breathtaking action that set the bar high for the rest of the kart racing season.
Mini Rok:
The Mini Rok race, a thrilling go-karting competition for talented young drivers aged 8 to 13, was nothing short of excitement. The competitors showcased their skills, achieving speeds of over 100kmph while keeping their focus and battling for the wins. The event was a testament to the drivers’ abilities, with close racing from P1 to P9 showing just a 0.5 of a difference.
Our competitors for the day were a stunning assembly of young talent. Leading the pack as the pole man was M Mason, followed closely by Blignaut, M Boshoff, A Mason, Z Boshoff, Frade, Cornofsky, Jurgens, Nagura, Dias, Koorts, Victor, Antunes, Wharton, and Thapedi. Each of these racers brought their A-game to the event, making the competition fierce and the races thrilling. The first race saw M Mason retaining his pole position, followed by Blignaut, M Boshoff, Jurgens, Frade, Nagura, Dias, Victor, Cornofsky, A Mason, Antunes, Koorts, Wharton, and Thapedi. Blignaut, demonstrating his formidable skills, managed to clock the fastest lap in Race 1. This achievement made him the pole sitter for the next race, setting the stage for an exciting Race 2. Race 2 saw a switch-up in the lineup. Blignaut took the top spot. P2 went to A Mason, and P3 was secured by M Mason. They were followed by Jurgens, Frade, Dias, Nagura, Cornofsky, Z Boshoff, Koorts, Victor, Antunes, Wharton, and Thapedi. The competition was fierce, with the racers battling it out. The final race of the day, saw Blignaut once again taking the top step. He was closely followed by A Mason and M Mason. After them came Jurgens, Cornofsky, M Boshoff, Dias, Nagura, Antunes, Wharton, Z Boshoff, Frade, Koorts, and Victor. Unfortunately, Thapedi did not manage to start the last race, but the competition remained strong among the other racers. Blignaut, who had shown his prowess in the second and third races, also scooped the fastest lap for the day, just 0.053 from his closest opponent. The Mini Rok race was an impressive display of young talent, with close racing and exciting outcomes. Your overall top 5 was Blignaut (RKT) in P1, M Mason (RKT) P2, A Mason P3, Jurgens (Jurgens) P4 and Dias (Xtreme Racing).
OK-J:
In the heart of Cape Town, the OK-J class competition witnessed a thrilling showdown with 14 competitors vying for the top spot on a challenging 1000m track. The race was grueling, the wind was stiff, and the competition was fierce, but the racers were ready and eager for the challenge.
The race was divided into three parts, each presenting its own set of unique challenges and opportunities. In Race 1, 14 competitors were ready to take on the track. Jack Moore, a seasoned racer, put in a time of 40.591 with just 10 minutes on the clock, which secured him a pole start. Dias, Beaumont, Koorzen, Mason, Marshall, Pascoal, Chiwara, Human, Nkomo, Praizovic, Kinyua, Swart, and Cupido followed suit, each displaying their racing prowess on the track. Race 1 ended with Koorzen emerging victorious, securing the P1 spot followed by Moore, Beaumont, Dias, Human, and others. Unfortunately, Mason and Pascoal had to retire.
The thrill didn’t end there. Race 2 took an unexpected turn when Koorzen, who had led for most of the race, incurred an infringement that saw him classified as a non-participant. Jack Moore seized this opportunity and took the P1 spot, followed by Dias, Mason, and Beaumont. Unfortunately, the race was not kind to Marshall, Kinyua, Cupido, and Praizovic who had to retire early. The final race, Race 3, was a testament to the resilience and determination of the competitors. Koorzen made a strong comeback, taking the win and securing the P1 spot, followed closely by Moore and Kinyua. Despite the challenges faced in the previous races, these drivers proved their mettle on the track.
At the end of the day, the overall race win went to Jack Moore from Xtreme, followed by Sebastian Dias from Kart Republic Africa and Keagan Beaumont from Strive Racing. The rest of the pack, including Human (Stier Racing/Willoughby&Co), Chiwara (Plus Minus Racing), Kinyua (National Motorsport Mzasi), Swart (Worr Motorsport), Nkomo (Plus Minus Racing), Mason (RKT), Koorzen (Worr Motorsport), Pascoal (Worr Motorsport), Cupido (Kart Republic Africa), Marshall (RPM) and Praizovic (RPM), showcased commendable performances. Jack Moore also took the honour of making the best lap of the day, with Koorzen right behind him with just a 0.056 difference. This goes to show that in the world of kart racing, every second counts, and the slightest edge can make a world of difference.
OK-N:
Newcomer to the OKN field, Wian Boshoff, but certainly not a stranger to the world of Kart Racing, managed to scoop pole position over the reigning OKN AKC Champion, Muhammad Wally. Not far behind, Cole Heweston took the third position in his Praga followed by Joshua Moore in his Lando, securing the fourth place. The line-up was further adorned by the presence of the Mozambique competitor Lagson Leao then Van Der Walt, Rademeyer, Ngwenya, Gerasis, and a participant from Namibia, Van Dyk.
The first race was filled with exciting passes and intense fights into the notorious 180. Despite the competition, Wally managed to keep his cool, pushing on to take the win for Race 1, and setting the fastest lap with a time of 40.604. Boshoff secured the second position, with the third place nabbed by Leao. They were closely followed by Moore, Van Der Walt, Ngwenya, Bezuidenhout, Rademeyer, Gerasis, Scrimgeour, and Van Dyk. The second race saw Wally maintaining his lead, taking another win, followed by Bezuidehout in second position and Rademeyer in third.
However, the third race was interrupted due to an on-track incident involving Hewetson. The incident brought the racing to a halt, but after the brief pause, we saw an impressive drive from Hewetson. He managed to secure the fourth position, a testament to a never-give-up attitude. Nevertheless, the Race 3 winner was Muhammad Wally, making it a clean sweep with three out of three wins. He was followed by Boshoff and then Bezuidenhout.
The best lap for the day was set by Boshoff, who was just 0.042 seconds ahead of Wally, and closely followed by Hewetson. The overall winner for the day was Wally, with Bezuidenhout (NBR Karting) and Leao (Kart Republic Africa) taking the second and third positions, respectively. They were followed by Rademeyer (Kart Republic Africa), Boshoff, Moore (Xtreme Racing/Fleet Dynamics), Van Der Walt (Worr Motorsport), Ngwenya(Walker Racing Academy), Scrimgeour , Gerasis (Squadra Corsa), Van Dyk (Cema Racing), and Hewetson (Stier Racing).
We would like to extend our hearty congratulations to every competitor who took part in this event. Their spirit, determination, and skill have made this race a truly memorable one. And a big shout out to all our Marshalls and Officials who withstand all the weather elements to be there for these competitors.
The 2024 Round One Cape Town National has set the bar high for future races. With such close competition and thrilling action, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for these talented drivers. The roar of the engines, the screech of the tires, and the thrilling duels on the track are sure to echo in the hearts of the spectators for a long time. Here’s to more adrenaline-pumping races in the future!
We will see you at the next Regional Round on the 6 April 24.
Results are provisional until ratified! E&OE Apply.
Published by: Cindy van der Laan
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