ROK NATIONAL ROUND 2 - RACE REPORT

This weekend the ROK cup hosted the second round of the MSA National series with their second national race of the season, hosted at Formula K circuit in Benoni. 

Formula-K Raceway is the latest & most advanced short circuit in South Africa and easily one of the most spectacular raceways in the world. Thousands of people will visit the circuit to experience race meetings, driving experiences and karting. The development of a skid pan, 4×4 off-road driving and corporate hospitality is in the planning stage. This will all be presented with the excitement, speed and glamour that only a race circuit can provide.

With the rule change made this year by MSA the pits were starting to fill up from early in the week and by Friday lots of testing and setup fine tuning had been completed in pits all over. The weather was cloudy and windy with hints of rain always present. When all was said and done on Friday, some classes had qualified and others were ready for the challenge of qualifying early Saturday morning.

Each class had one final testing session in the morning before OKJ and OK-N qualified, then race tyres were fitted, marshals were ready and the track was clear, time to race!

Cadet Class:

Qualifying:

Adriaan Steynsecured pole in the first qualification of the day with a time of 41.014 two tenths behind him was Luhan De Wet with a time of 41.276, and behind him was Ronald-Bhodi Venter with a time of 41.656, Kyle Bezuidenhout followed in fourth place and Lwashu Mathebula in fifth with a time of 43.632

In race 1 De Wet made a place on the start to go on to win the race, followed by Steyn and Venter on the remaining step of the podium. Bezuidenhout finished in fourth. Mathebula made a place on lap 8 to finish fifth followed by Reddy a lap down in 6^th.

In race 2, the top four started and finished in flying formation, De Wet, followed by Steyn, Venter and Bezuidenhout. Reddy finished in fifth, followed by Mathebula in sixth.

In the final cadet race of the day De Wet made it three for three as he came home in first. Steyn made a place on the start to finish in second. Venter finished in third, followed by Bezuidnhout who made a place on lap 2 in fourth, Reddy in fifth and Mathebula in sixth.

De Wet won the day with 105 points followed by Steyn in second on 96 points, and Venter on 90 points in third. In fourth was Bezuidenhout on 87 ahead of Reddy in fifth on 83 points and Mathebula in sixth on 82 points.  

Kid Rok Class

Qualifying:

Logan Billau (Tony Kart) qualified on pole with a time of 1:18.175 on his last lap of the qualifying session. Kayde Cornofsky (CRG) qualified in second, two tenths behind with a time of 1:18.426 also pulling it out on the last lap of the session. Taking the third spot was Noah Cronje (Tony Kart) 3 tenths behind second place. Alanzo Dias (CRG) qualified fourth with a time of 1:19.466 followed by Dylan Bezuidenhout (Ricciardo) with a time of 1:20.198, and Diago Antunes (Parolin) with a time of 1:20.350. Just 9 hundredths of a second behind him was Bophelo Molathegi (Kart Republic) with a time of 1:20.444 followed by Zac Boshoff (Exprit) with a time of 1:21.079 and Omolemo Mfana (Parolin) with a time of 1:24.054.

In the first race, Cornofsky lost some places at the start, but was back in second before the end of the first lap and managed to get into the front by Lap 4 to go on to win the race. Cronje secured the second step of the podium, with Billau taking the final step in third. Van Staden finished in fourth followed by Dias, Bezuidenhout, Antunes, Boshoff, Molathegi and Mfana respectively. Unfortunately, a power issues interrupted timing and so the race two grid was to be based on the above order of the end of race 1.

Race 2 Cornofskyled from start to finish, followed by Billau who made a place on the start and Cronje in third. Van Staden finished in fourth followed by Boshoff who started eight and made a place on lap 3, 4 and 5. Molatlhegi who received a 5 second nose cone infringement finished in fifth, followed by Bezuidenhout and Dias, who also received a 5 second nose cone infringement. Mafana was next followed by Antunes who was unlucky to not make the last two laps. 

Race 3 was underway, Cornofsky,who lost a place on the start was quick to get it back to go on to win his third race of the day as well as the fastest lap with a time of 1:18.469. Billau who briefly lost second place to Cronje in lap 5 but got it back on the next lap and went on to take second place ahead of Cronje in third. Van Staden finished fourth followed by Antunes and Boshoff just six hundredths behind in seventh. Bezuidenhout finished in seventh ahead of Dias and Molthlegi respectively. Mfana was a DNS.

Cornofsktywon the day with a clean sweep of 105 points. Billau finished on the second step of the podium for the day with 94 points and Cronje on the last step, just two points behind on 92. In fourth was Van Staden followed by Boshoff. Behind them, separated by just one point was Bezuidenhout, Dias and Antunes. Molathegi finished in ninth followed by Mafana.

Mini Rok Class

Qualifying:

The packed Mini Rok class is always a competitive class that gives the spectators a lot to watch, and this race meeting was no different. Caleb Moss (CRG) secured pole with a time of 1:13.756, three tenths behind him was Sebastiano Human (Tony Kart) in second and two tenths behind him in third was Josh Moore (Lando Norris). Mattao Mason (CRG) qualified fourth with a time of 1:14.367, followed by Jack Moore (Lando Norris) with a time of 1:14.421. Sebastian Blignaut (CRG) set a time of 1:14.503, followed by Madox Mason (CRG) with a 1:14.532 and just eight one thousand of a second behind him was Thsepang Shisinwana with a time of 1:14.540. Durelle Goodman (Exprit) qualified 9^th with a time of 1:14.839, followed by Max Boshoff (Exprit) just three tenths behind on 1:14.870 and Aashay Nagura with a time of 1:15.049. Rafael De Sousa (Parolin) was only 8 thousands behind with a 1:15.057, behind him Mj Thekiso (Kart Republic) just 3 tenths behind with a time of 1:15.087, another one tenth behind was Aaron Mason (Lando Norris) with a 1:15.097. Manelisi Nkomo (Lando Norris) qualified in 15^th with a 1:15.156, only half a second separated the next four places; Sebastian Ferreira (Ricciardo) with a 1:15.276, Declan Jurgens (Praga) with a 1:15.542, Ronaldo Koen with a 1:15.732, Ewan Venter with a 1:15.813. Kayo Cera (Tony Kart) only did 4 laps in the qualifying session and secured a time of 1:16.304, followed by Santiago Frade (Kosmic) with a 1:17.435.

In Race 1, Moss lost a place at the start but had it back by the end of lap 1 and went on to lead all the rest of the race and take the top step of the podium. Mason was next on the track 1.9 seconds behind, after starting fourth he lost five positions on the start to be 9^th by the end of lap 1, but by lap 3 was back up to fourth and into third on lap 6, and second on lap 7 to finish on the second step. Josh Moore who started third dropped down to fourth in the race, made a place back on lap 8 to secure the last step of the podium. Shisnwana who started 8^th was up to fourth by lap 3 but then dropped down and had to do some more overtaking in order to finish fourth. Just one tenth behind him was Blignaut who made up two places on lap 8 to finish fifth. He was followed by Jack Moore in sixth, and Human who had a tough last couple of laps to finish in seventh. This leading pack was followed, 10 seconds down the road by Ferreira, Mason, Thekiso, Jurgens, Boshoff who finished eight on the track but received a 5 second nose cone infringement, Nagura, De Sousa, and Patel who finished 10^th but received a 5 second nose cone infringement, respectively. Just five one thousands of a second behind was Koen, followed by Venter who also received a 5 second nose cone infringement, Cera, Frade, Mason and Nkomo.  

Race 2 saw Mason lead from start to finish to win the race. Behind him was Moss four seconds down the road in second, with Moore another four seconds behind, who started the race in fifth made places in lap 1 and lap 4. Moore finished behind Blignaut who crossed the line in third but a ten second driving safety penalty relegated him to 11^th. Mason who started 9^th made two places on lap 3 and another two on lap 9 to finish in fifth just ahead of Moore. Shisinwana finished in 6^th, in 7^th was Human who received a 5 second nose cone infringement, two tenths behind him was Boshoff, followed by Patel, and Ferreira just five hundredths behind. Mason finished in twelfth followed by de Sousa, Thekiso, Koen, Nkomo and Jurgens, both with a 5 second nose cone infringement, Frade, Nagura and Cera respectively. Venter was unlucky to not make it past lap one and to collect a 5 second nose cone infringement. Goodman was ruled out on a technical infringement after he finished seventh on the track.

The final race in Mini Rok was eventful with competitors keen to make some positions and score some points on the cooling track. Goodman won the race on the track but unfortunately was disqualified for a technical infringement. This gave second place Mason on the track the win, his second of the day. He was followed by Moss just a tenth behind in second, Moss secured the fastest lap of the race and a new record for FK with a fastest time of 1:13.664 and Human just eight tenths behind. Moore finished in fourth followed by Mason, Shisinwana, Nkomo, Boshoff who received a nose cone infringement, Ferreira, Mason, Jurgens; Patel, Thekiso, De Sousa all three with nose cone infringements, Venter, Cera, Koen, Frade, Blignaut with a nose cone infringement, Nagura and Moore who only managed 6 laps before a technical issue ruled him out the rest of the race.

Mason won the day with 102 points, followed by Moss on 99 and Moore on 84, Shisinwana was only a point behind in fourth and one more point behind him was Human in fifth. Moore in sixth was followed by, Ferreira, Boshoff, Mason, Mason, Blignaut, Patel, Thekiso, Jurgens, De Sousa, Nkomo, Koen, Nagura, Cera, Frade, Venter and Goodman. Well done to all the drivers of a packed gird with some close and competitive racing.

OK-J Class

Next on track was the OK-J class. Mohammed Moerat (Kart Republic) qualified pole with a 1:06.663. a tenth behind was Dhivyen Naidoo (Kart Republic) in second and one thousands behind him in third was Wian Boshoff (OTK) with a 1:06.867. Sebastian Dias (Kart Republic) was only four thousands behind with a 1:06.915 followed by Ntyiso Mabunda (Kart Republic) fresh from the FIA academy with a time of 1:07.123, William Marshal (Tony Kart) qualified 6^th with a time of 1:07.186, followed by Caleb Odendaal (Parolin) with a 1:07.391, followed by Christopher Tait (Tony Kart) with a 1:07.484, followed by Luke Hill with a time of 1:07.594, followed by Mahlori Mabunda (Kart Republic) in tenth with a time of 1:07.652. The top ten all finishing within less than a second, a testament to the pool engines prepared by Derick Irving Racing. In eleventh was Gianna Pascoal (Exprit) with a 1:08.027, Anesu Maphumula (Kart Republic) in twelfth with a 1:08.432, followed by Ndzalo Khoza (Parolin) with a 1:08.460, followed by Jesse Swart with a 1:08.536, followed by Caleb Cupdio (Kart Republic) with a 1:10.042. Kinyau Amani did not manage to start quali and Keegan Beaumont was excluded form the session for being underweight.

Naidoo got past Moerat on Lap 9 to take the victory in race 1, followed by Moerat in second and Dias in third. Mabunda who started fifth got as high as second but lost a place in each of the last two laps to finish fourth, followed by Boshoff in fifth just 7 hundredths behind. Kinyua finished in sixth followed by, Mabunda, Marshal, Pascoal, Hill, Maphumulo, Khoza with a nose cone infringement, Cupido, Swart with a nose cone infringement, Beaumont, and Tait. Odendaal unfortunately did not start the race.  

In race 2 Boshoff got past Dias on lap 9 to go on to win the race with Dias in second and Mabunda, who started sixth made a position on laps 2,3,4 and 6 to finish in third. Kinyua finished fourth followed by Mabunda, Odendaal, Khoza with a nose cone infringement, Maphumulo, Moerat relegated to 9^th received a 5-place penalty for ‘edging into a competitor’ in the race. In 10,11 and 12 was Hill, Pascoal, Tait all three with 5 second nose cone infringements, followed by Naidoo and Beaumont and then Swart in 15^th who also had a nose cone infringement. Marshal and Cupido did not manage to finish the race.

Race 3 also had a lot of action with a red flag for an incident on lap 3. The conditions were getting cooler, and drivers were all fighting hard for the final points of the day. Dias won the race after starting third and getting to the front before the race was red flagged. Two laps after the restart he was back in front, followed by Boshoff, Naidoo on the remaining steps of the podium. Marshal finished in fourth with the fastest lap of the race, followed by Hill, Moerat, Odendaal, Kinyua and Mabunda who has a 5 second nose cone infringement, Beaumont, Cupido, Tait, Khoza with a 5 second nose cone infringement, and Maphumulo. Pascoal, Mabunda and Swart did not make it past the lap 3 incident.

Dias won the day with consistency and pace on 97 points, followed by Boshoff on 95 and Naidoo on 85 points. Moerat and Mabunda both on 83 points followed in sixth by Kinyua, Hill and Mabunda. Marshal and Khoza in 9^th and 10^th both on 67 points, followed by Maphumulo, Pascoal, Beaumont, Tait, Cupido, Odendaal and Swart.

 OK-N CLASS

The OK-N class is a new class introduced by the FIA to simplify karting and increase exposure. Read more about it here.

Troy Snyman(Exprit) qualified in pole with a time of 1:06.158. Just four hundredths of a second behind him in second was Niko Zafiris (Tony Kart) with a time of 1:06.200. Mikel Bezuidenhout(Tony Kart) qualified in third with a time of 1:06.394. In fourth was Nel Juandre (Kosmic) with a 1:06.810, in fifth Nicolas Vostanis with a 1:06.996. Just 8 tenths separating the field.

In Race 1 Snymanled from start to finish to take the victory, followed by Zafris who took fastest lap of the race, and Bezuidenhout. Vostanis placed fourth and Nel had to retire with a pre-existing injury, that would rule him out for the rest of the day, with only two laps remaining.     

In Race 2 Snyman who ran second for the first five laps got past Zafiris on lap 6 to go on win the race. Zafiris finished in second place just 2 tenths behind. Vostanis also managed a pass on lap 6 and took the last step of the podium, followed by Bezuidenhout in fourth.

Snyman made it three for three as he took home a clean sweep of victories for each of the three races. The rest of the grid finished in the same order as the starting grid, with Zafiris in second, grabbing the fastest lap consolation prize, Vostanisin third, and Bezuidenhout in fourth.

Snyman took the win of the day and the second National win of an OK-N class in South Africa. Zafiris came in second with 96 points, followed by Vostanis on 89 points in third and Bezuidenhout in fourth with 88 points Nel finished fifth with 28 points only having managed one race in the day.

As always we extend a huge thank you to the marshals and officials who ran the racing efficiently and safely to ensure fair competition to all. A big thank you to the FK circuit for hosting the ROK cup, the track looked immaculate with green grass and fresh kerbs! And finally to the mechanics and pit crew that make it all possible. A special thank you extends to Jackie Schreiber for all her hard work, dedication and passion that she has poured into the ROK events this year, this National was no exception and it shows on and off track.