SATURDAY SAW AN ALL ACTION AFFAIR AS WPMC KARTERS TOOK TO THE KILLARNEY KART TRACK TO RESUME 2024 WP CHAMPIONSHIPS
After an extended wait thanks to the Cape’s wet and wild winter, WPMC Karting finally delivered Round 5 of the Western Province Regional Kart Championships this past weekend—and it was well worth it! Drivers and fans were buzzing with excitement as the action returned in full force. Cool conditions and a touch of rain added spice to the mix, but the near-perfect weather for horsepower had engines roaring and lap records tumbling. Every class saw a blistering pace as the racers pushed to the limit in Saturday’s epic showdown!
BAMBINO
Bambino kicked off in thrilling fashion as Radhi Harris wasted no time making a statement, securing pole position by just a tenth over his Championship rival Caleb Lingeveldt. The rest of the pack trailed by a full second, but that didn’t slow the action. Heat 1 turned into a nail-biter, with Harris and Lingeveldt locked in a fierce duel for the win. Harris edged it out by an astonishing three-thousandths of a second! Divaaj Govender claimed P3 after a tense battle with Lehan Fourie and Aleena Doutie.
Race 2 brought yet another epic showdown between 2024’s top Bambinos, with Harris once again snatching victory by a whisker, while Fourie celebrated a brilliant third and Ashlyn Beaumont crossed the line in fourth. Unfortunately for Govender and Doutie, they ended their race a lap early while running in P3 and P4.
The final race saw Lingeveldt come back strong, finally pipping Harris at the line—this time by four thousandths of a second! But Harris’ two wins earlier in the day sealed his overall victory, tightening up what is shaping up to be one of the closest Bambino title fights in years. Govender secured P3 on the overall podium, followed by Fourie, Doutie, Beaumont, and Emelee Adriaans in the standings for the day.
MICRO MAX
The action in Micro Max was as fierce as ever, with Ruhan Victor stealing the spotlight in qualifying by clocking a blistering 44.784—remarkably close to Senior Max times from not too long ago! The battles raged on in Race 1 as this tightly packed group of young talents went wheel to wheel. Victor narrowly edged out Championship leader Liam Wharton to take the win, with Michael O’Mahoney rounding out the top three.
Wharton hit back in Race 2, cruising to a comfortable victory over O’Mahoney as Jayden van der Merwe fended off Slater Smith and Yaqeen Gamieldien to take third. But the day wasn’t done delivering surprises. O’Mahoney dominated the final race in slippery conditions, securing a huge win as his Championship rival Wharton spun out early. Victor held off Smith for P2, earning himself the third spot on the overall podium for the day. O’Mahoney’s race win gave him the overall victory, with Wharton finishing P2, keeping their title battle red-hot.
Van der Merwe finished fourth overall, followed by Smith, Jake Steyn, and Gamieldien, while Qaanit Doutie and Mia Hermanus rounded off the results. A truly epic day of Micro Max racing!
MINI ROK
Logan Roehrig picked up right where he left off before the winter rains, putting his Mini Rok machine on pole in the morning qualifying and going on to dominate the day’s racing. Race 1 saw Roehrig take a commanding victory, while Jose Slamet fought tooth and nail to secure second place ahead of an impressive Radhi Harris in third.
Roehrig continued his reign in Race 2, once again crossing the line well ahead of Slamet, as the real battle unfolded behind them. Aadiv Singh, Ebrahim Khalpey, and Harris locked horns in a thrilling scrap for third, with Singh snatching the final podium spot by the slimmest of margins.
Race 3 brought more of the same with Roehrig and Slamet comfortably in P1 and P2. But it was Khalpey who stole the show in the race-long dogfight for third, edging out Singh and Harris by less than half a second. Roehrig’s trio of wins further solidified his Championship charge, while Slamet took a hard-earned second overall. Khalpey celebrated his first podium of the season in third, leaving Harris in fourth, followed by Singh and Zeph Hair.
MINI MAX
Max Boshoff arrived at Saturday’s Round 5 looking to continue his reign of dominance this season, but things didn’t quite go to plan in qualifying. Zach McAuley delivered a sensational lap to snatch pole position, edging out Boshoff by a mere four-hundredths of a second. However, McAuley couldn’t maintain that pace in Race 1, as Boshoff surged back to his winning ways, cruising to an easy victory. McAuley managed to hold onto second after a fierce battle with Zac Hindley, who claimed third, while Michael Danks and Zac Boshoff rounded out the top five.
Boshoff was unstoppable in Race 2, taking his second win of the day as Ruan Lewis emerged in P2 after a thrilling fight across the grid, with Danks securing third. In the final race, Boshoff completed his hat-trick with yet another victory, Danks solidifying P2, and Lewis locking in third.
Despite missing out on pole, Boshoff’s clean sweep of wins strengthened his grip on the Championship standings, taking overall P1 for the day. Danks earned a well-deserved second overall, while Hindley secured the final podium spot. McAuley’s qualifying brilliance landed him P4, followed by Lewis, Hugo Aggett, and Andrew Retter, as Zac Boshoff and Zion Hair rounded off the results.
OKJ
OKJ delivered an electrifying mix of seasoned racers and rising stars at this past weekend’s Round 5 of the WPMC Karting Regional, and the competition was fierce from the start. Onwabile Mcinga set the tone early, snatching pole position with Manelisi Nkomo and Rayan Karriem hot on his heels—only a tenth of a second between them! Mcinga converted that pole into a Race 1 victory, holding off Nkomo, while Karriem secured a solid third place.
Race 2 was nothing short of bizarre, with Nkomo being the only driver to cross the finish line, evoking shades of Hamilton’s solo grid moment in Hungary! Nevertheless, it was a victory for a jubilant Nkomo. Mcinga struck back in Race 3, reclaiming the top spot with Karriem in second, and Tony Daly impressing with a podium finish in third.
Despite scoring zero points in the second race, Mcinga’s blistering pace secured him the overall win for the day, with Karriem taking second, and Nkomo finishing third. Raffaele Musso followed in fourth, ahead of Daly and Tristan Botha, rounding out a dramatic day of OKJ action.
JUNIOR MAX
Rotax Junior Max picked up right where it left off with a grid packed full of talented young racers, all incredibly closely matched. Championship leader Keagan Beaumont wasted no time asserting his dominance, snatching pole position in a razor-thin qualifying session. He then went on to put in a stellar Race 1 performance, holding off the hard-charging William Marshall to take the win, with Sebastiano Human securing third.
Race 2 brought a heated showdown between Beaumont and Marshall as they locked horns for the win, while Human dropped down the order early on. This time, it was Marshall who came out on top, with Beaumont settling for P2 and Human clawing back to third, narrowly edging out title contender Jordan Wadeley.
Marshall wasn’t done yet—he stormed to a second victory in Race 3, fending off the Beaumont brothers. Aiden Beaumont delivered one of his finest drives in Junior Max to date, taking a well-earned P3 right behind his older brother.
Marshall’s double wins were enough to secure the overall victory for the day, while Keagan Beaumont’s consistency earned him a strong P2, giving his championship hopes a solid boost. Human rounded out the podium in third. Wadeley, hoping for more, finished fourth ahead of Anwill April, Aiden Beaumont, a struggling Nicholas Lennox, and Matthew Carter.
This class is known for its fierce competition, and with the top seven drivers all having claimed a top-three spot in a race this season, expect the battles to get even spicier as we head into the latter part of the championship!
SENIOR MAX
Charl Visser came into Round 5 hungry to reclaim his winning form, and he got off to a flying start in Rotax Senior Max. Visser snatched pole position by a mere tenth of a second over last round’s victor, Luca Wehrli, setting the tone for an intense day of racing.
Race 1 did not disappoint, with fans treated to a thrilling contest as Jude Stuart put up a fierce fight. Stuart challenged Visser for the lead several times, even grabbing it momentarily, before Visser expertly fought back to take a narrow victory. Wehrli followed closely in third, keeping the pressure on the front two.
The action stayed just as tight in Heat 2, but Visser’s experience shone through as he held Wehrli at bay to secure his second win of the day. Stuart settled into a solitary third, having made some solid moves early in the race but unable to close the gap to the leaders.
The final race saw another nail-biter, with Stuart leading initially before heartbreakingly dropping out with five laps to go. Visser once again showed his racing smarts, working his way to the front and fending off Wehrli and Cole Hewetson to cross the line first. Less than a second separated the top three at the flag, proving just how closely matched this field is.
It was a masterclass from Visser, who walked away with maximum points and tightened his grip on the championship. Wehrli took a well-deserved P2 overall, with Stuart, despite his Race 3 misfortune, holding onto third. Hewetson’s strong P3 finish in the final heat was enough to edge out Ethan Deacon and Julius Schwager for fourth overall.
Storm Lanfear, Gabriele Gazzilli, and Mikaeel Moola followed next, while Joshua Smit had the pace but was left frustrated after a day where results didn’t reflect his potential.
DD2 & DD2 MASTERS
In the Premier Rotax DD2 Class, Sebastian Boyd claimed a commanding pole position over his rival Joseph Oelz, while Conor Hughes edged out Jared Jordan to take the DD2 Masters pole. The battle continued fiercely into Race 1, where Boyd led from the start, fending off Oelz as they pulled away from Matthew Wadeley in third. Boyd showcased his skill, maintaining a cool demeanor to secure the win over Oelz, who followed closely behind.
In the Masters category, Jordan made a decisive move to pull ahead of Hughes for the win, with Neville Chapman rounding out the top three. However, the race took a dramatic turn when Boyd’s kart ended up upside down at the 180s after a clash with Oelz, leading to a red flag. It was a tough break for Boyd, but an ecstatic Wadeley seized the opportunity to claim his first Premier class victory, with Boyd and Oelz finishing in second and third, respectively. Jordan secured another comfortable win in Masters, with Hughes and Chapman finishing second and third.
The final race of the day was a high-octane affair, with Oelz and Boyd battling intensely for the win. Oelz narrowly edged out Boyd, with Wadeley taking a solid third. In Masters, Hughes bounced back to clinch the win over Jordan, intensifying the title race, while Chapman took his third P3 of the day.
Overall, Boyd topped the podium with Oelz and Wadeley in second and third, respectively. Ethan Stier followed, with a welcome return for Rafe Taylor. Jordan took the Masters victory, with Hughes in second and Chapman celebrating his third-place finish. Niel Lambrechts and Johan Hamman completed the Masters results.
WP CLUBMANS
Zimvo Majova claimed a well-earned pole position in the Clubmans Gold Class, with Christopher Flack taking the top spot in Silver. Polo Cup rookie Kyle Visser made his mark with a stellar Race 1 win, finishing ahead of class Chairman Sean Le Riche, while lady racer Gabi Lanfear held off Andre Le Riche for a solid third place. In Silver, Flack enjoyed a comfortable victory.
Race 2 saw Andre Le Riche drive like a man possessed, clinching a dramatic win ahead of his father, Sean, marking a Le Riche 1-2 finish. Lanfear once again secured third after another impressive drive. In Silver, Jade Smith outpaced Flack to take the win.
Visser crossed the line first in Race 3 but was hit with a Clubmans Breakout penalty of 5 seconds, handing the victory to Andre Le Riche, with Sean Le Riche and Reece Ward rounding out the podium. Flack wrapped up his day with a second win in Silver, claiming the top spot overall. Smith and Jason McArthur completed the Silver podium.
In the Gold Class, the Le Riche family celebrated a 1-2 finish with Andre on top, followed by Sean, and Lanfear in third. Visser and Ward took fourth and fifth, with Ghaniem Slamet, pole sitter Majova, and Charlie Millar rounding out the results.
CONCLUSION
What a day to remember! WPMC Karting Section delivered an unforgettable Round 5 Regional event, with packed entry lists showcasing a mix of seasoned pros, rising stars, and newcomers across all classes. The level of talent on display was nothing short of spectacular, and with Round 6 just around the corner, the excitement is already building. As we head into the critical phase of the season, the stakes are higher than ever. Don’t miss out—see you all at Round 6 on 14 September!
PUBLISHED ON BEHALF OF WPMC KARTING BY RACEBOOK MEDIA