dyton mupawaenda
Collin Matiza, Zimpapers Sports Hub
LAST Sunday, Kart Sport Club hosted the first round of their 2025 Club and ROK Cup Zimbabwe Championship at the National Sports Stadium Pole Position Kart circuit.
The club, now in its third year of existence, continues to highlight kart racing talent in Zimbabwe with an exciting race meeting that saw some new talent shining through and that bodes well for the future of the sport.
In a combined ROK Class, Devin Van de Linde (Tonykart) put in a dominant performance with an overall win for the day, with 2024 Kid ROK champion Elroy Shamu (Tonykart) securing 2nd place despite struggling with a poorly performing kart. Jayden Kerwin (Kosmic), in a welcome return, had some technical issues but still finished 3rd, closely followed by an unwell Rayyan Savania in 4th. Young Sheunesu Shambare (Praga) had a stunning day, winning the Kid Rok Class with Jake Edwards enjoying his first experience of the larger grids. With the impressive growth seen in the Rotax 125 Class for 2025, it was clear that spectators were going to see some frantic racing during the day, and they were not to be disappointed.
Class stalwart and 2024 Rotax club champion Zaydaan Savania (Riciardo) had his work cut out, facing a whole grid of hungry and ambitious drivers.
Seth Rukato (Kosmic), Eli Pilossof (TonyKart), and Tawana Shambare (Kosmic) were all determined to prove that they had the upper hand. However, it was to be class debutant Yaseen Savania (CRG) who was in a league of his own and shook the regulars with pole position in qualifying, followed by a clean sweep of wins for the day.
Pilossof followed up in 2nd place with an impressive performance and an ecstatic Zayaan Savania in 3rd place.
Class rookies Eshaan Savania (Praga) and Sam Edwards (CRG) filled out 4th and 5th, respectively, after three of the top runners experienced a non-finish each, which dropped them down the order.
The ProKart series, which was introduced at the beginning of 2024 to bridge the gap between the recreational and race karts, continues to be extremely popular.
With the world-class Sodi 390 karts, the racing proved to be extremely exciting and close. The equal performance of the karts placed a premium on drivers’ skill, and the resultant close racing has proved the success of the formula. 2024 championship winner, Moe Moosa, was once again the driver to beat with the overall win for the day, but he was closely chased by Calvin Mukandiona, who was only 8 points behind after four heats of racing.
Incoming Kart Sport Club chairman, Bobby Van De Linde, said, “The race meeting was a great success and provided superb racing. We continue to work hard on increasing the number of competitors, especially in the young classes, where we hope to find our future motorsport champions.”
Online Reporter