The final round of the 2023 Algoa Kart and Motorcycle Club Championship drew to a close in yet another rain-filled event at the Celso Scribante Circuit along Victoria Drive, with intermittent rain adding to the on-track action. Taking part in only his second 4-stroke event after having completed his National and international duties for the year, Caleb Moss proved to be in a league of his own as he dominated proceedings out on track, taking back-to-back victories in both of the 12-lap sprint races in the combined junior and ladies’ class. Wyatt Jonas and Stuart van Tonder finished in second and third places, respectively, in both heats, with Kimaya Moodley taking the overall win from Caydance Kugel in second and Morgan Griffiths in third in the ladies’ class.

Marco Scribante, Byron Teengs and Justin Walton on the DD2 podium
Collecting silverware. Marco Scribante, Byron Teengs and Justin Walton on the DD2 podium
Photo by Debbie Marais

In the Michael Stephen Racing 4-Stroke (MSR4) sprint races that were contested by 30 teams in total over the season, just 10 points separated the Northfield Engineering Team of Cameron Kelly and Kenzo Barnard and the S4 Intergration Team of Saleem Noorshib and Jacques Fourie going into this event. Kelly was without his regular partner Barnard, who, having just completed his matric final exams, was taking a well-deserved break along the Garden Route. Kelly opted to go the solo drive route and came out with a well-calculated game plan coupled with almost twenty years of karting experience. In race one, S4 Intergration got the better of the Northfield Team, finishing in second with the Auto Perfection taking the win, ensuring that the championship would be decided on the last sprint race.  The second sprint heat saw Northfield take the win, with Auto Perfection in second and S4 Intergration in third, giving the Northfield Engineering Team the championship victory.

In the two 1 Hour Endurance heats, Kelly put on a masterful show. Having always enjoyed racing in the rain, he put on a display of driving craft that elevated him to another level as he didn’t put a foot wrong in either heat while others were spinning off the circuit on virtually every lap. The Northfield kart took the first endurance race win by 2.4 seconds from Auto Perfection, with Gordon Ascaray finishing in third, and in the second race, Northfield won by 42 seconds, with Auto Perfection once again second and Gordon Ascaray third.

In the very quick DD2 Rotax Shifter class, Marco Scribante started the day with a slender lead in the championship over Byron Teengs. Jeandre Marais made a welcome return to karting after a hectic PoloCup campaign, regional saloon car, open-top and rally season. Unfortunately, he was involved in a first-corner incident in race one that left him with injured ribs as well as a bent steering column and damaged tie-rods. Yet, he soldiered on to finish in fourth place, with Byron Teengs winning, Marco Scribante in second, and Justin Walton in third. The results of races two and three were a carbon copy of race one, which enabled Teengs to take the top step of the championship podium and cap a good season, culminating in the Victor Ludorum award.

Club Championship Overall winners

Junior Class

  1. Wyatt Jonas
  2. Stuart van Tonder
  3. Jean Saayman

Ladies Class

  1. Morgan Griffiths
  2. Roxanne Bartle
  3. Kimaya Moodley

MSR4 Sprint races

  1. Northfield Engineering
  2. S4 Intergration
  3. Auto Perfection

MSR4 Endurance races

  1. Northfield Engineering
  2. S4 Intergration
  3. Auto Perfection

DD2 Shifter class

  1. Byron Teengs
  2. Marco Scribante
  3. Justin Walton

Special awards

Senior Victor Ludorum – Byron Teengs

Junior Victor Ludorum – Joshua Moore

Overall 4-Stroke Champions – Northfield Engineering

125 Gearbox Champion – Byron Teengs

Official of the Year – Michael Diener

Marshal of the Year – Nelubabalo Mzukwa

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