Online Reporter
Collin Matiza
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Pole Position Kart circuit at the National Sports Stadium once again echoed to the exciting sounds of high-performance racing last Sunday for the sixth round of the Kart Sport Club Championship.
It was also the final round of the ROK Cup Zimbabwe Championship.
Expectations were high for fast lap times as the reverse configuration was used for only the third time this year and the large crowd of spectators were not to be disappointed
True to form, in the Mini ROK Class, Devin Van de Linde (Tony kart) and Blessing Shamu (Kosmic kart) were the first out of the starting blocks showing their clear intentions for the day with some blistering times that were close to the lap record.
While Shamu posted a new lap record during qualifying, it was Van de Linde who went on to take the overall win for the day with Shamu in the runner-up position.
As always, the mid pack proved the depth of competition this season with Jayden Kerwin taking 3rd place with rookies Daniel Sadiqi an impressive 4th on 86 points, Oliver Broadway 5th on 82 points and Wade Gleig 6th on 80 points. Unfortunately, a much-improved Englebert Mudzimba had a technical disqualification which dropped him down to 7th place and race one winner Rayyan Savania experienced technical issues finishing in 8th.
Van de Linde had an unassailable championship lead heading into the last ROK round and was crowned ROK Cup Zimbabwe Mini ROK champion after a season of consistently strong performances.
For his efforts he heads off to Italy in mid-October to represent Zimbabwe at the prestigious ROK World Super Finals, becoming only the fourth Zimbabwean to do so.
The international competition attracts over 400 competitors from 40 countries.
In the Kid ROK Class for drivers from 6 – 9 years old, young rookie Ragnar Mudzimba shook up the form table with three races wins and posted a new lap record in the process.
The young driver is in his first kart season and is a talent to watch for the future.
Sheunesu Shambare, who has had a fantastic year winning a total of 14 races, came home a solid second place and retained the top step in the Kid ROK championship with young Jake Edwards coming through in 3rd place.
ROK Cup Zimbabwe promoter, Kevin Dufty said: “The ROK Class consistently showcases the development of Zimbabwe’s next wave of karting talent with these young drivers taking their first steps on their motorsport journey.”
