Coertze vows to come back stronger
Despite getting pipped at the post, Gqeberha kart racer Joshua Coertze took away a lot of positives as the curtain came down on the Rok Cup ZA national karting championships recently.
Heading into the final weekend with a chance to claim the title, a day of drama unfolded on the track as Coertze ended in fourth spot overall.
That secured him third place in the championship standings with 312 points.
The eventual KZ2 champion was determined in the heat of round four of the championship at the Vereeniging Kart Club last Saturday, with the 2019 Sasol GTC champion, Volkswagen Motorsport’s Keagan Masters (316), winning by a single point over Fabienne Lanz (315).
Coertze said it had been a topsy-turvy season.
“It was a great experience racing the top guys in the KZ2 class this year,” he said.
“It is always a great learning experience for me and it keeps me competitive.
“My season had a lot of ifs and buts and things ultimately came down to a winner-takes-all shootout in the final race.”
Coertze took fourth place in the opening race of the final round and bettered that with a third place in the second race.
Tracking Masters for most of race three, the 16-year-old could only take the title if Masters failed to complete the race.
“I had been chasing Masters for much of the race and kept closing the gap on him.
“As I caught up to him, I was right on the back of his bumper when his engine seized, which caused a kind of handbrake effect.
“That left me with nowhere to go and I hit the back of him, which resulted in me getting a bumper penalty,” he said.
His third place in the final heat was not enough to secure the title.
“It happened in a very fast corner where there was little chance of me getting on the brakes in time.
“Had his engine seized anywhere else on the track, I could possibly have won that race and the championship, but that happens in sport and I am over it now.
“It’s time to look forward.” The young RKT Racing driver, who is a multiple national champion and has had international experience, racing in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy in 2019, said the close finish would spur him on to come back even stronger.
“Obviously, getting so close to the championship and having it end the way it did was not great.
“However, I think it has made me even hungrier,” Coertze said.
“Masters is a top-class driver.
“He has raced on the main circuit and has won championships, so he is a really good driver.
“Others, like Fabienne Lanz and Roman de Beer, were also incredibly competitive this year and any of the top five drivers had a chance to take the championship heading into the final round.”