The first round of the SA Rok Cup was a rollercoaster of ups and downs for Praga South Africa, who achieved success, but also had certain victory snatched away at the Vereeniging Kart Circuit on Saturday (16 March 2019).
Kid Rok:
It was all down to business in Kid Rok, with at least two Praga drivers on the podium in every race.
Luke Hill had a fantastic day, qualifying second and winning all three races. The youngster seems untouchable in the class at the moment, but it won’t be long before he faces some tough opposition, likely coming out of his own camp.
Reagile Mailula could be one such driver. He didn’t have a great qualifying session and started from 6th on the grid. After finishing 7th in the first race, he had some work to do. He then put in two incredible drives to finish 3rd in both remaining heats. This placed him on the podium in the overall standings.
Goran Gruben drove to an outstanding podium finish in race one, after qualifying down in 7th place. Unfortunately, the second race didn’t go according to plan and Goran retired two laps from the end. He was classified in 10th place. He was back on form in the final heat, crossing the line 2nd and giving Praga a one-two-three finish in the race.
Keagan Beaumont had a great qualifying session, putting his Praga onto the second row of the grid. He put in a solid performance to finish 6th in the first two races, but finished a lap down in the final heat of the day. He finished 8th overall.
Grayson van Zummeren had a good day and now has his first National under his belt. He qualified 11th and finished 12th, 7th and 10th in each race respectively. His results put him well in the top ten in the overall standings.
Tyler Repsold had his hands full with more than one mid-field tussle during the day. He made up two positions in the first race to finish 11th. He had a great second heat, claiming 8th spot and took 12th in the final heat. He ended the day 11th overall.
Mini Rok:
It was an emotional day for KC Ensor-Smith in Mini Rok. After qualifying 2nd, everything seemed on track for a podium finish. Unfortunately, KC was assisted off track in race one. This not only put an end to his race, but also meant he would have to start the next heat from 17th position. In an extra-ordinary comeback, KC worked his way through the field to finish 6th in the second race. He went on to win the final heat and ended the day 7th overall.
Luke Hill enjoyed some very competitive racing. He qualified 14th and finished 11th in the first race. He struggled with a mechanical issue towards the end of the second race, but managed to nurse his kart home in 13th. The final heat had to be the race of his career. He attacked the track with everything that he had to finish 7th in the very robust field. He finished 9th overall in the combined standings and won the under 10 division.
Ashton Repsold put in a consistent performance. He made up some ground in the first race, to cross the line in 15th position. He finished 16th in both remaining races and was classified 15th overall for the day.
OKJ:
It was a rollercoaster of a day for Jarrod Waberski. A technical glitch saw the young teen miss the qualifying session and being relegated to the back of the grid. He had an astounding first race, slicing his way through the field to take the flag in 4th. Jarrod finished 6th in heat two, after being pushed wide from third place on the final lap. He led the last race, but was again assisted off track and out of contention.
Aiden Hall was also on the receiving end of some overly robust driving. Two competitors touched going into the first corner of the first race. This led to one of them spinning, losing control and pushing a third competitor straight into Aiden, who was left with no-where to go but straight into the tyres. He did well to recover in the remaining races, finishing 11th and 10th respectively.
125 GP:
The new 125 GP entries of Jaco Nel and David Hollis had a bit of a baptism of fire as they tried to navigate the class and come to grips with the new karts. There is no doubt that they will soon be making waves in 125 GP.
