NORTHERN REGIONS ROUND 3 RACE REPORT

The third race of the MSA ROK Northern Regions season took place at Formula K in Benoni this weekend. Many competitors attended as this was the last race before the National which takes place on the same circuit on the 26^th-27^th of May.

The Formula K at 1640m about sea-level is the latest & most advanced short circuit in South Africa and easily one of the most spectacular raceways in the world. Thousands of people visit the circuit to experience race meetings, driving experiences and karting. This world class venue, consisting of various track configurations, can provide for a wide range of competitions and events such as this - the third race of the northern regions karting season. There was an extra element to the race, the track would be run in an Anti-Clockwise direction for the second time in a ROK race.

Many people attended Friday practice at the circuit, and several tests and setup adjustments took place in pit areas all around.

Cadet kicked off the first qualification of the ROK classes for the day.

Qualifying:

Luhan De Wet #27 qualified on poll with a time of 41.136, a clear second in front of Ronald Venter #50 who was in second with a 42.279, Adrian Steyn #11 was in third with a time just 8 hundredths behind second. Kyle Bezuidenhout #95 took the fourth fastest time followed by Alonzo De Oliveira #46 just 3 hundredths behind.

de Wet won the first race from start to finish, Steyn got past Venter on lap 1 to place second followed by Venter. Bezuidenhout was in fourth for the race followed by De Oliveira.  

De Wet won the second race leading from start to finish again, followed by Steyn, Venter, Bezuidenhout and De Olivieria in formation ‘flying’ and for the third race was similar although Venter.

Kid Rok Class

Kayde Cornofsky #17 (CRG) qualified on pole with a time of 1:18.402, followed by Logan Billau #68 (Tony Kart) with a time of 1:18.741 and Riley van Staden #18 (Formula-K) with a time of 1:19.426. In fourth was Alanzo Dias #16 (CRG) followed by Diegao Antunes #66 (Parolin) and Noah Cronje #24 (OTK). Dylan Bezuidenhout #27 (Ricciardo) took 7^th followed by Bophelo Molathegi #15 () and Omolemo Mfana #12 (Parolin).

Cornofsky won the first race with apparent ease, finishing 4 seconds ahead of Logan Billau and Riley van Staden, however van Staden received a 10 second penalty for a start infringement, promoting Cronje to third, who started in 6^th made a place on the start and another only to lose it again on lap 1 but then take two positions back on lap 2, and van Staden to fourth followed by Molatlhegi, Dias, Antunes and Bezuidenhout. Mfana unfortunately did not get going.

Cornofsky won the second race followed by Billau and Van Staden again. Cronje lost a place on the start but got it right back to finish fourth followed by Antunes and Dias making his place back on the 7^th lap. Bezuidenhout finished 7^th whilst bad luck struck Molathegi only managing 9 laps and Mfana 3.

Billau made a place on the start into the lead but then lost it on lap one only to regain again on lap 9 to win the third race from Cornofsky who received a 5s nose cone infringement, dropping him from second to third so Van Staden got the second step of the podium. Cronje made a place on the start to finish fourth followed by Antunes, Dias, Bezuidenhout, Molatlhegi, who received a nose cone penalty, and Mfana respectively.

Cornofskly won the day with 100 points, followed by Billau only 1 point behind in second and Van Staden in third on 91. They were followed by Cronje on 88 points, Antunes on 82 points, Dias on 81, Molatlhegi on 78, Bezuidenhout on 77 and Mfana on 64 points.

Mini Rok Class

Caleb Moss Senna #88 (CRG) qualified on pole with a time of 1:14.320, Jack Moore #31 was in second with a time of 1:14.599 (Lando Norris) followed by Maddox Mason #29 (CRG) with a time of 1:14.633. Mattao Mason #28 (CRG) was in third followed by Joshua Moore #17 (Lando Norris) and Aaron Mason #64 (Lando Norris). Tshepang Shisinwana #30 (CRG) qualified 7^th in front of Sebastian Blignaut #25 (CRG), Aashay Nagura #27 (Lando Norris) Taylin Patel #26 (Ricciardo), Declan Jurgens #63 (), Sebastian Ferriera #15 (Ricciardo), Manelisi Nkomo #16 (Lando Norris) who had his best time removed for a nose cone infringement. Durelle Goodman #47 (Exprit) qualified 14^th followed by MJ Thekiso #11 (Kart Republic), and Santiago Frade #61 (Kosmic).

Mason #29 made 2 places at the start to lead the race till lap 5 when he was passed by his brother Mason #28 he got the place back on lap 7 only to get taken on lap 8 and then get the lead back again on lap 9, good racing between the brothers to cross in first and second but Mason #29 received a start infringement and 3 second penalty which dropped him down to fourth. Mason #28 won the race followed by Moss #88 in second and with the fastest lap, and Blignaut who started eight in third. In fifth was Moore #31 who made up over five places followed by Shisinwana #30, Moore #17 (start infringement +3s penalty), Mason #64, Nagura #27, Nkomo #16, Goodman #47, Jurgens #63 Ferreira #15, Patel #26 (start infringement +10s), Thekiso #11, and Frade #61 respectively.

Mason #28 won the second race, making a place on the start to lead the whole race except for lap 6 when Moss #88 briefly got in front. In second was Moore #31 who made up eight places, followed by Moss #88 on the final step of the podium. It was close racing all the way down the field with fourth place Blignaut #25 just 1 hundredth behind, followed by Shisinwana #30 just 1 tenth behind him. Mason #29 finished 6^th followed by Moore #17, Nagura #27, Mason #64, Goodman #47, Patel #15, Nkomo #16, Ferreira #15, Frade #61 and Thekiso #11. Jurgens #63 finished 12^th on the track but was excluded for being underweight.

Mason #28 was again the winner in race three followed by Moss #88 and Mason #29 on the remaining steps of the podium. Shisinwana #30 was in fourth followed by Blignaut #25, Goodman #47, Moore #17, Nagura #27, Mason #64 and Patel #26 in tenth. Moore #31 and Nkomo #16 were eleventh and twelfth both with nose cone infringement (+5s) followed by Jurgens #63, Ferreira #15, Thekiso #11 and Frade #61.

Mason #28 won the day with 105 points, in second was Moss #88 with 94 points and the third step of the podium was Blignaut #25 with 87 points. The rest of the results were as follows Mason #29 with 86 points, Shisinwana with 84, Moore #31 with 82, Moore #17 with 78, Nagura #27 Mason #64, Goodman #47, Nkomo #16, Patel #26, Ferreira #15, Thekiso #11, Frade #61, and Jurgens #63 respectively.

OKJ CLASS

Mahlori Madunda #26 (Kart Republic) qualified pole with a time of 1:06.46, followed by Sebastian Dias #25 (Kart Republic) and Wian Boshoff #37 (OTK). Dhiveyen Naido #98 (Kart Republic) qualified in fourth followed by Amani Kinyua #45 (Lando Norris) just six thousand of a second behind! Next was Mohamed Moerat #27 (Kart Republic), Luke Hill #57 (RS), Torben Roos #75 (Ricciardo), Ndzalo Khoza #82 (Parolin), Kegan Martin #93 (CRG), Christoper Tait #43 (OTK) just one hundredth behind, Anesu #33 (Kart Republic) and Caleb Cupido #11 (Kart Republic) respectively.

The first race had a lot of action, Mabunda #23 took the win followed by Nadioo #98, with the fastest lap of the race, and making a place on the start, Dias #25. Kinyua #45 finished fourth followed by Hill #57, Kohoza #82 and just one hundredth behind was Tait #43 in seventh. The final positions respectively, all with 5 second nose cone penalties were Anesu #33, Cupido #11, Moerat #27. Unfortunately, Roos #75, Martin #93 and Boshoff #37 did not finish the first lap of the race.

Naidoo #98 won the second race, with Mabunda #23 on the second step and Dias #25 just behind. In fourth was Kinyua #45 followed by; Tait #43, Boshoff #37, Roos #75, Hill #57, Khoza #82, Martin #93. The final three places all had a 5 second nose penalty: Moerat #27, Anesu #12 and Cupido #11.

The third race had Naidoo #98 winning again with Dias #25 in second and just 3 hundredths behind him was Mabunda #23 in third. Kinyua #45 in fourth was followed by Boshoff #37, Roos #75, Moerat #27, Tait #43, Kohoza #82, Hill #57 (5s nose cone infringement), Martin #93, Anesu #33 and Cupido #11. The race in the middle of the pack was the one to watch as with multiple overtakes from start to finish.

Naidoo #98 won the day with 102 points followed by Mabunda #23 with 97 and Dias #23 with 92 points making up the podium places. The rest of the field as follows; Kinyua #45, Tait #43, Hill #57, Khoza #82, Roos #75, Moerat #27, Anesu #33, Cupido #11, Martin #93, and Boshoff #37. The OKJ proving again to be one of the leading classes of karting in South Africa and all eyes now onto the National in two weeks with pool engines.

OKN Class

This race the OK-N class qualified and raced as their own class.

In Qualifying Niko Zafiris #70 (Tony Kart) qualified out in front with a time of 1:06.319 followed by Nicolas Vostanis #24 (Lando Norris) with a time of 1:06.984 and Kian Spies #229 with a time of 1:07.441. The rest of the grid respectively was Mikel Bezuidenhout #69 (Tony Kart), Rudi Schussler #127 (Kosmic) and Juandre Nel #17 (Kosmic).

Zafiris #70 lost a place off the start but had made it back by lap 2 to go on and win race 1 followed by Vostanis #24, and Spies #229. Bezuidenhout who finished third on the track had a 5 second nose cone infringement to relegate him to fourth followed by Nel # 17 and Schussler #127.

Vostanis #24 won the second race followed by Bezuidenhout #69 and Schussler #127. Nel #17 finished fourth with Zafiris #70 out on lap 2 and Spies #229 out of the day with kart/engine issues.

Zafiris #70 won the third race, followed by Vostanis #24 and Bezuidenhout #69 in third just 8 tenths behind. Nel #17 finished fourth followed by Schussler #127.

Vostanis won the day with 99 points followed by Zafiris #70 in second with 94 points and Bezuidenhout #69 in third with 91 points. Nel finished the day fourth with 86 points with Schussler just one point behind. Spies who only managed one race finished sixth with 30 points.

Through much of the thrilling and action-packed racing, spectators were on the edge of their seats. It will be interesting to see how the results of these races impact the rest of the season. In two weeks, the second ROK national of the season will take place, so ideally all the dust has settled, and everyone is prepared to race. Of course, a sincere thank you goes out to everyone who participated, including the official who arranged the event, the marshals who made sure everyone was safe, and the timekeeper.