Praga can boast success at the third round of the Northern Regions Rotax Max Championship, where the team took a one-two finish in Micro Max, at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday 4 May 2019.
Bambino:
The Bambino class has experienced a huge increase in numbers and the racing was very close. Troy van der Laan qualified on the second row of the grid and finished the first race just outside the podium positions. A small mistake in the second race saw Troy running wide into turn one and losing positions. He ended the race 5th. The third race was a tough one, with Troy embroiled in a three kart tussle. He crossed the line 4th and ended the day 5th overall.
Mattao Mason had an enjoyable day and achieved some consistent results. He qualified 7th and maintained this position to the flag. He took another 7th place finish in race two and ended the final race in 6th. His results placed him 7th in the overall results.
Micro Max:
Qualifying didn’t go exactly as planned for Mohammed Moerat, who only managed to set the 3rd fastest lap time. He had a great start to the first race though and quickly found himself in the lead. Mohammed kept his cool and won the race. Race two was a nail-biting affair with four karts challenging for the win. Again, Mohammed crossed the line in 1st place. Intense is the only word that can be used to describe the final heat as a six kart train jostled for the lead. This time, Mohammed was beaten to the punch and finished 2nd. After the race, the winner received a nose cone penalty, which gave Mohammed the race win and 1st overall for the day. His win tally is now 9 from 9.
Erich Heystek wasn’t particularly quick in qualifying and started the first race from 7th position. With some crafty racing, Erich made up three places to finish 4th. He took a fantastic 2nd place finish in race two and 4th in the final heat. Erich’s solid performance gave him silver in the overall standings and secured a one-two finish for Praga.
Kyle Beukes was in the thick of the action all day. He qualified 5th and held this position in the first race. Kyle was in the middle of a four kart battle in the second race and claimed 5th in the results. He took another 5th place finish in the final heat, leaving him 7th overall for the round.
Caleb Cotterell also had his hands full in the particularly frenetic class. After qualifying 9th, Caleb gained two places to end the first heat in 7th. He took 8th in race two and 7th in the final heat. This gave him 9th in the overall standings for the day.
Mini Max:
Taya van der Laan is definitely making a name for herself in Mini Max. She qualified 5th and had a relatively calm first race to end 5th. Calm was out of the window in race two, however, as Taya challenged and took 4th place. Unfortunately, she received a 5 second nose cone penalty after the race and was dropped to 8th in the results. The third race was filled with drama. The field started their warm up lap, but Taya wasn’t there. She managed to get on track during the second warm up lap, but was forced to start at the back of the field. Perhaps it was adrenaline, perhaps sheer determination, but Taya nailed the start, launching herself into fourth place in the first corner. She fought tooth and nail and took the flag in an incredible 3rd position. 5th overall for the day really isn’t a true indication of her performance.
Junior Max:
Godfrey Malumane was consistent in Junior Max. He qualified 8th and finished the first race in 7th place. Godfrey took 8th in race two and was having a particularly good third heat, but pushing himself to the limit resulted in a small off track excursion. He eventually took 8th in both the race and overall results.
Senior Max:
Dane van Heerde had a battle royale in Senior Max. Starting on the front row of the grid, Dane had a good start, only to be swamped into turn one. He managed to escape unscathed in 3rd position, but it was 12 laps of hard racing. Race two was much of the same, but again Dane managed to hold off the competition to take a podium finish. Another 3rd place in the final heat gave Dane a very hard earned podium in the final results.
Grant Mason made his Northern Regions debut and used the event to find his feet. He qualified 8th and finished 8th in all three races. Now that he survived the first event without any major issue, he will begin to gain confidence and push for pace.
DD2:
Carlo Olivier achieved a good set of results in DD2. A good qualifying session placed Carlo 7th on the grid. He lost a bit of ground in race one, dropping to 9th. He more than made up for this in race two, when he took a very credible 5th place finish. 8th in the final heat, gave Carlo 8th overall for the day.
Ian Allnutt enjoyed some good racing. He qualified just outside the top ten and finished 12th in the first race. He took 10th in race two and 12th in the final heat and overall standings.
Issued by: Motorsport Marketing Services
