Stephen raring to go as karting season kicks into gear

VETERAN motorsport star Michael Stephen is aiming to get more time behind the wheel for the second round of the National Karting Championships at the end of the month.

Despite having limited time for testing, Stephen took the overall win on the day when he competed in the opening round of the championships held in iDube Raceway, in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.

“We just need to get a bit more seat time, and to try a few more things with the engine in terms of tuning before the next round,” Stephen said.

Racing in the DD2 and DD2 Masters’ classes, Stephen went into battle against a field of 32 competitors and changing weather conditions last week as he powered to the line, taking the win in the day’s first race, while claiming second- and thirdplace finishes in the final two races of the day.

“We had very little time to prepare for the event, but I am really happy with the result – the car performed well,” Stephen said.

Now in his third year of racing in the premier class of the championships, Stephen said that judging by the field of competitors, karting was in a healthy state nationally.

“If you look at the field, it’s really competitive. There are world champions, European champions, South African champions and it’s always good to win against guys like that.”

Stephen said racing in a class filled with talented drivers always pushed him to go out and do his best.

“Obviously you want to beat the best, and going up against a competitive field just makes you want to go that little bit faster,” he said.

The tail end of April will be a busy time for Stephen as he and another PE driver, Sasol GTC championship partner Simon Moss, head out to Killarney in Cape Town for round two of the GTC championships before the pair go to Vereeniging for the second round of the karting championships.

The SARMC National Series is 18 years old and this year promises to be really exciting, based on the growth enjoyed last year.

The African Open will be at Zwartkops on July 1 before the third national event in Cape Town on August 11. The final round will be held at Zwartkops on September 23.

Apart from national bragging rights, other big prizes include invitations to all the winners to race in the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF) at the International Karting Circuit Paladino of Conde in Brazil from November 26 to December 1.

The unique Rotax World Final event has been hosted all over the world, including Malaysia, South Africa, Italy, North America, the Canary Islands, Puerto Rico, Portugal, UAE, Egypt, Spain and now in Brazil.

Regional Championship Racing is strong in the northern regions, KZN and Cape Town for most Rotax classes, while the Eastern Cape and Border have a strong and growing DD2 following.

As always, points from four designated regional events will be scored towards the SARMC series.