information supplied by: Stuart Johnston 08 August 2012
 
THIS WEEKEND, ROUND THREE OF THE  SA ROTAX MAX CHALLENGE 2012 AND THE SECOND ROTAX AFRICAN OPEN KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP AT IDUBE, KZN
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The combined third-round of the SA Rotax Max Challenge National Karting Championship and the second running of the African Open Karting Championship at Idube Raceway, KZN, has drawn a massive entry.
 
No less than 32 entries have been received for the Rotax DD2 Gearbox class, one of the fastest kart racing classes in the country at present.
“We are absolutely overawed. This is the biggest karting entry we’ve had for years,” said Rotax series founder Ed Murray. “The 32-entry field for DD2 is amazing, and we have 18 entries for Junior Max, 15 entries for Senior Max and a heart-warming 17 entries for Maxterino, the junior division which nurtures tomorrow’s motorsport stars.
 
“This emphasises the fact that the Rotax series is by far the most important karting championship in the country,” enthused Murray
“The African Open  race is really taking on the spirit of the continent, and we see it growing to the point where we’ll be attracting entries from even further north,” said Jennifer Verheul, one of the South African representatives of Rotax Max Challenge in South Africa.
 
Initially, plans were well advanced to host this year’s event in Mozambique, but these were thwarted because suitable dates clashed with some major events being held in Mozambique, causing hotel accommodation problems.
 
The African Open  thus reverted again to the tight, demanding Idube circuit, an hour’s drive outside Durban, and this year’s race will again be held on the Sunday, after the Third Round of the South African Rotax Max Challenge National Karting Championship  (2012).
 
 The SA Championship  event  starts tomorrow with practice ( August 9),  then more  practice and qualifying continuing on Friday and the SA Championship Round Three event decided with the finals this coming Saturday (August 10) at Idube.
 
“The visiting drivers will no doubt take advantage of being able to practice with the South African Rotax Max Challenge competitors on Thursday and Friday, and also enter the race. They will not score any Championship Points in Round Three of our series, but the experience will prove invaluable”, said Verheul
 
Indeed, last year’s visitors were notably quicker at the end of the weekend, and this year’s African Open could see them vying for top-10 positions with our vastly more experienced drivers, who can draw on a heritage and know-how in the sport that has been in place since the late 1950s, when karting first started in this country.
 
One of the major draw-cards of the Africa Open is that the winners in four categories gain an invitation to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, effectively the world championship for a karting series that is far and away the most popular in the world.
 
The winners of Junior Max (for drivers aged between 13-16), Senior Max (15-plus years), DD2 Grabox (15-plus years) and DD2 Masters (32 years and older) will each win an entry to the Finals.
 
They will join the winners of these categories in our South African Rotax Max Challenge National Karting Championship series, which also gain entries to the event, held at the end of November at the awesome new R100-million karting circuit on the Algarve, in Portugal. This is the most spectacular event on the world karting calendar, as it draws 260 invited entries from 60 countries.
 
Last year, Durban driver Cristiano Morgado entered the DD2 Masters category of the Rotax African Open after little prior preparation, after a long layoff from competitive karting. He ended up winning the African Open DD2 category, gained his place in the 2011 Grand Final held in the UAE, and went on to become the World Champion!
 
The Second Rotax African Open event is organised by the KZN Kart Club under the dedicated and no-nonsense direction of Gordon Swanepoel. Interested parties can contact him for more information on 082 372 1222, or 033 345 7522, ior via e-mail ongordons@wandata.com

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MASSIVE ENTRY FOR ROTAX KARTING CHAMPS THIS WEEKEND.jpg (1kB)