Johannesburg - Nine South African kart racers have qualified for the 2014 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, and will head off to Spain at the end of the month to compete against 288 other karting champions from over 60 countries.
The South African team will compete in four categories: Junior Max for drivers between 13 and 16 years old, Senior Max for 15 years and older, DD2 Gearbox for 15 years and older, and DD2 Masters for drivers 32 years and older.
The meeting is set to be held at the brand new Kartodromo Lucas Guerrero Chiva, 30km west of Valencia on November 25 when a series of gruelling practice, qualifying and pre-final races will culminate in the four final races in each class on November 29.
Heading up the SA bunch is Durban-based DD2 Masters racer Cristiano Morgado who has no less than four Grand Final titles to his name already. He will line up alongside two other Masters racers in Erwin Sterne and Richard van Heerden.
Fifteen-year old Bradley Liebenberg will contest the DD2 Gearbox class, while Cape Town’s Luke Herring together with Eugene Denyssen will challenge in Senior Max. Jordan Sheratt and Kohen Bam will represent SA in Junior Max. Son of SA rally ace Jan, Benjamin Habig will race in the DD2 category.
South Africa has a proud heritage to live up to at what’s regarded as the World Championship of karting. At the very first Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals held in Puerto Rico in 2000, South Africa’s Gavin Cronje was crowned the world champion, and since then no less than 12 World Rotax titles have been won by South Africans. Current SA rally stars Leeroy Poulter and Gavin’s brother Mark Cronje both have world title trophies on their shelves.
On arrival all drivers will be kitted with brand-new engines, chassis, tyres, fuel, oil, tools and a kart trolley with which to contend the four-day World Championship.
Doing well in the Championship is down to driver skill and chassis set-up knowledge, as well as staying out of trouble in the packed qualifying heats that count towards a place in the final.
Visit www.kart.co.za for info and to find a link to watch the races via live video streaming.
Star Motoring