Go-karting feast at championships

Go-kart racers were treated to a specially prepared race track at Tony Rust outside Windhoek, and the champions enjoyed their victory on stage under an arch and fireworks during the Namibian National Karting Championships recently.

Speaking to event sponsor and organiser Cecil Koortz, it was evident that racers were in for a Formula 1 experience during the fourth leg of the championships.

However, the highlight of the event was the preparation for the world championships later this year in Italy, where Cecil Koortz Junior will represent Namibia.

The proud father told Top Revs his nine-year-old son did very well and set his own personal best laps with 37, 37 and 36,6 seconds.

“For a father, this is a huge proud moment when you know your child is leading and he crosses the finishing line in first place. This victory boosted his confidence,” Koortz Snr said.

In the meantime, there are plenty of preparations, with the Cema Racing team headed to Cape Town in June.

Koortz Snr said the preparations for Italy are quite costly, and he invites potential sponsors to get involved since entry fees are approximately 7 500 euros (N$121 000), which does not include travel and accommodation.

Rok Cup, a go-kart company, aims to ensure all competitors race on equal terms, hence the rules are strict as cars, engines, tires and even mechanics are provided. This ensures that no participant has a technical advantage over fellow racers. However, this all comes at a price, he said.

Koortz Snr described the recent event as one for the books. It raised the bar and was made possible with the kind assistance of various sponsors such as Cema Racing, Jan Jonker Service Station, Van Wyk Petroleum, Gecko Car Hire, JWH Marketing, Standard Bank, Metelium, Pro navi Trading and Fly Namibia, he said.

The results were:
Maxterino: Joubert Espach
DD2 Masters: Mark Villinger
Micro Max: First – Nande Kaiyamo, second – Malan Coetzee and Jean Steytler in third place
Mini ROK: First – Koortz Jnr, second – Joane Kotze and Kirsten Koudelka third place
Senior Max: First – Kobus Reyneke, second – Kotze Darius and Allen Smith in third place
DD2: First – Ivan Vorster, second – Ezequiel Dos Santos and Zain Beuthin in third place
Bambino: First – Milko Botha, second Ned Hannam and Russel Josephat in third place
Mini Max: First – Paul Oosthuizen, second – Heinrich Roos and Jan-Hendrik Coetzee in thrid place.
The next event takes place on 3 June at the Tony Rust Raceway.