National karting returns to Gqeberha

After last having hosted a national karting event in April 2019, the Celso Scribante Racetrack in Victoria Drive is set for non-stop action as the Rok Cup Championship comes to town for its season-opening event today and tomorrow.

A lot of time and work have gone into the facilities over the last few weeks as the Algoa Kart and Motorcycle Club are set to once again welcome the best kart racers from around the country.

The largest class will be the highly competitive Mini Rok class that caters for youngsters from the age of eight to 13, with their karts being kitted out with 60cc two-stroke engines that have electric start.

A strong contingent of local youngsters will be in the mix in this class with the likes of Joshua and Jack Moore, Caleb Moss, Aashay Nagura, Sebastien Blignaut and East London superstar Caleb Odendaal all in with a very realistic chance of taking overall line honours.

Moss put in a scintillating performance in the opening round of the regional championship last weekend, taking all three heat wins on his home track, and will certainly be one of the favourites for overall honours this weekend.

In the Kid Rok class for 6- to 9-year-olds, local lad Dylan Bezuidenhout will be one of the guys to watch after having been involved in a ding-dong battle with Logan Billau last weekend where he emerged victorious, having put in a confidence-building mature drive in preparation for the national.

The other classes that will run on the day are the Cadets for 5- to 9-year-olds, OKJ for 11- to 15-year-olds, OKN for the 15-plus age group, KZ2 for 15-plus and the Invitational MSR4 Strokes.

Entrance to the event is free and spectators are urged to bring their braais along and set up at one of the many vantage points around the circuit.

There will also be a variety of food vendors and bar facilities available at the iconic track situated next to the Rover Motorcycle Circuit. Qualifying starts at 10am on Saturday, with the first race due to start at 11.17am.

● Follow the Motor Mouth Facebook page for more information.