Former National Cadet Champion Luhan De Wet kept his regional championship hopes alive with a strong runner-up result on 22 June as the Centurion-based driver claimed a brace of Micro MAX podiums at the fourth round of the Northern regions Rotax Kart Championships at Zwartkops Kart Raceway.
Luhan arrived at the Pretoria circuit a few points adrift of championship leader Matthew Shuttleworth. Still, despite finishing behind, Luhan remains in the fight for regional championship honours, with the competition reaching its halfway mark. Starting from fourth for the opening heat, Luhan made up a position to cross the finish line in the third before a post-race penalty of five seconds dropped him to fourth.
Heat 2 saw a motivated Luhan lead the race for several laps as he scrapped with Matthew and later Adriaan Steyn. While he lost the race lead, he maintained a cool head to fend off the challenge for second and record his first of two runner-up finishes. The final heat was much of the same, with Luhan making up a position early to run behind the leader before taking the chequered flag in second and, at the same time, recording the fastest lap of the race.
“A satisfying result,” said Luhan. “We had some good pace towards the end of the day, something we lacked in qualifying. A better starting position might have made a little difference, although Matthew was quick today. So, hopefully, we’ll find a few tenths ahead of the national in a few weeks’ time. Thanks to everyone for the support.”
With the penultimate round of the South African Rotax MAX Challenge Kart Championships just around the corner, Luhan is gearing up for a thrilling return to the Formula-K Raceway, Benoni, on 5-6 July.
Luhan thanks De Wet Auto Service & Repair, Motorsport Fanatix and the Xtreme Racing team.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix
Picture Caption: Luhan De Wet
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