Full throttle ahead for young Van der Merwe
THE 2017 Border Karting racing season got off to a great start recently with members igniting their racing fuel.
The world-renowned East London Grand Prix Circuit situated on the West Bank is home to Border Karting, and was brought to life this week.
The Border Karting executive committee is very pleased with the steady growth in membership and welcomed the Van Zummeren family, as well as the Heideman family from Queenstown, to their club, with a number of new members finalising their documentation and acquiring racing karts ready to complete in round two of the club championship.
“Our driver development programme is also gaining traction with new sign-ups for 2017. Karting is where young, aspiring racing drivers learn their skill should they wish to follow a career in motorsport or just have fun,” Border Karting Club chairman Garth Flusk said.
The kart drivers did not disappoint the sizeable crowd.
“Our 2016 club champions were all out on circuit to defend their titles and secure valuable points during the early stages of the championship,” Flusk said.
Podium positions went to:
Cadets 50cc: 1st Jordan van der Merwe, 2nd Heath Vallance, 3rd Redd Scholtz.
The young Van der Merwe is a very brave driver, completing two separate classes on the same day.
“Talking to his proud dad, Pierre, after the last heat, he mentioned Jordan completed approximately 100 laps in total for the day,” Flusk said.
Junior 60cc: 1st Kaylim Padayachee, 2nd Jordan van der Merwe, 3rd Jordan Dorning, 4th Daniel van Zummeren in his debut race.
This class has seen a huge increase in competitors and promises to deliver good racing for the rest of the season. Sebastian Smith was away on cricket duty for his school, but will be a force to be reckoned with on his return in round two of the championship.
Clubman’s Class A, B, C
Class A: 1st Jared de Kock proofed once again his consistency and good temperament.
Class B: 1st Cherne Marais, 2nd Melindre Marais.
Both Marais girls comes from a racing family and watching them race was very exciting.
Class C: 1st Kyle Heideman, in his debut race, well done.
Rotax DD2: 1st Shaun Gradwell, 2nd Richard Clarke, 3rd Craig Borges
This was undoubtedly the most exciting races to watch with karts reaching speeds in excess of 112km/h. The battle for the podium was fierce but Gradwell showed that his skill and calm temperament was what is needed to win races.
“Border Karting are proud to have three lady racing drivers in the fold with Shannon Jackson competing at the highest level. Shannon finished third in the Northern Regions Championship and sixth nationally, and is the second-fastest lady in the country,” Flusk said.
Join Border Karting on March 18 for round two of the karting action for this season.
