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Collin Matiza
YESTERDAY marked the long-awaited opening day of this year’s ROK Cup Super-Final being hosted at the famous South Garda kart circuit in Italy.
The event, one of the most prestigious and important of the international karting season, will see competitors witnessing a unique event, which annually gathers a staggering 400 ROK competitors from 40 countries all over the world.
With packed entry lists and seven titles on offer in the different classes, the racing promises to be exciting and intense.
Zimbabwe’s young representative, Seth Rukato (11 years), who won the 2024 ROK Cup Zimbabwe championship, has already completed three days of demanding testing, practice, and training under well-known kart champion Zac Dufty and has given a good account of himself with some very encouraging lap times.
The ROK Super Final represents the most significant challenge of his short-karting career, which is incredibly less than three years old, as he takes on some of the top talents from right around the globe.
“I’m so excited! Competing on the international stage is a dream come true. The track is very fast with high grip and I hope I can show my skills. I’m going to soak it all in and ensure it’s a memorable experience,” Rukato said.
Today the hard work kicks off with official practice and the start of the qualifying heats ahead of Saturday’s pre-finals and finals.
Competitors are scored on their finishing positions in the heats, which then decides who progresses to the pre-finals and then ultimately the Super Final.
This results in very competitive and close racing as high-scoring positions are crucial to progress. With up to six sessions a day, the next three days will test Rukato’s skills and endurance to the limit.
“Compared to club-level racing, where young kart racers start their career, the Super Finals are a different world and the professionalism of the teams is striking,” said Zac Dufty.
“Seth is very fortunate to be racing out of the CRG Holland stable, one of the top teams in Europe, and will enjoy the very best support possible.
“This team is the exact team that F1 World Champion Max Verstappen raced with when he won the World Karting Championship in 2023.”
ROK Cup Zimbabwe promoter, Kevin Dufty, was enthusiastic about having another young driver competing at the ROK Super final.
“It’s an incredible amount of hard work, both from a technical and logistical point of view to get a competitor to the world finals.
“Fortunately, our many years of experience racing in South Africa and our relationship with ROK Cup Africa, RKT Racing, and CRG Holland means we can provide world-class support and facilities to our ROK competitors which is crucial on their first steps onto the international stage,” Kevin Dufty said.
“Our dream of developing our world-class kart venue at the National Sports Stadium in Harare to boost kart racing in Zimbabwe is producing strong results.
“In the past two years, we’ve had our drivers competing at the ROK Superfinals, the inaugural FIA African Karting Cup in South Africa, the African Open, and the South African women in motorsport event.
“While these achievements are fantastic, we also work closely together with Kart Sports Club to provide a fun and friendly environment to allow parents to enjoy their child’s kart racing,” Kevin Dufty added.
Online Reporter