2006 SA National Karting Championship
Round 4 - Zwartkops, Gauteng - 29/30 Sept, 1 Oct

Day of Reckoning

Some will leave the Bridgestone/Zwartkops track after the final round of the Engen Superkart National Championships as champions while others will rue missed opportunities or wonder where it all went wrong. Then there are those who will simply say they did their best and enjoyed the season.

It is a day of reckoning and each class promises to be entertaining, especially as drivers in the Rotax and Rok powered classes are racing to qualify for world finals.  Not only is there the final round of the national championships on Saturday, but Sunday (01 October) sees the final rounds of the SA Rotax Max Challenge (SARMC) series for the new DD2 class as well as the Max 175, Mini-Max and GP Junior classes.  

Of the Rotax powered classes, the Max Challenge has been the most popular this season and the almost oversubscribed grids have resulted in spectacular racing.

Adding to the pressure is the fact that the top three drivers in the Max Challenge and Junior Max classes will qualify for the Rotax Grand Finals to be held in Portugal in November.  

hird placed Brandon Auby (Birel) has the pace to rattle the front-runners, but is in danger of losing his place to Durban beauty Jamie-Lee Rossiter (Birel/Engen Extreme). She’s quick and handed Stephen his only defeat of the year at the last round in Idube.  

Aston Hare (Harvard Empowerment) enjoys a comfortable lead in the 60cc GP Junior class where engines and chassis are identical, but the squabble for the other podium placings is bound to be exciting. 2005 champion Mitchell Licen (Escourt Mica) has a slight chance of hanging onto the title and is well ahead of third placed Jordan Williams who is chased by Dewald Brummer, Nicholas Surguladze and Haig Smuts.

In the 50cc Cadet class Clayton Herbst (Villieria Motor Clinic) has had little opposition so far this year and on home ground is determined to claim the title with an unbeaten score. Liam Pienaar (PTA Noord Toyota) holds second and has a comfortable gap over Michael Potgieter.  

Officially opened in January 2003 for Rotax World Finals, the Bridgestone Zwartkops circuit is regarded as the finest karting facility in the country and features a challenging circuit complete with a unique flyover and tunnel.

The 2006 National Engen SupaKart Championships were decided in sweltering heat at the Zwartkops/Bridgestone circuit near Pretoria on Saturday.

Despite the conditions, there was a large crowd and action packed, close combat racing kept them on the edge of their seats.

Local hero, Clayton Herbst made history as he claimed the 50cc Cadette championship and ended the season unbeaten with 12 wins from 12 starts. 

Bedfordview ace Aston Hare drove a cautious race in the second of three heats to make sure of the 60cc GP Junior title as KZN’s outgoing champion Mitchell Licen took the overall win for the day. 

Driving for the Engen Extreme team, Simon Moss dominated the Junior Rok category winning all three races ahead of TonyKart driver Kyle Mitchell to claim the championship. Teammate Michael Stephen won two of the three Rok Cup races to make it two titles for the team managed by former Touring Car champion Terry Moss.

Caleb Williams (Red Bull/PCR) proved that he’s one of the fittest drivers around as he raced two classes and went home with the Rotax Mini-Max title having stylishly won all three races on the day.

The Rotax Junior Rok trophy went home with Trent Williams (Sportstar/PCR) after a thrilling tussle with Kevin de Witt (Magnum Paving/CRG) and the hard working Caleb Williams, but it was the smooth driving lady racer Tasmin Pepper (Pepson/Birel) who was runner-up for the day.

Durbanite Ralph Odendaal (PCR) held onto his Rotax Max Challenge crown by finishing second overall for the day behind fellow PCR driver Arnold Neveling.