De Oliveira Battles His Way to Formula-K Micro MAX Podium

Alonzo de Oliveira continued to show why he is one of South Africa’s brightest young karting talents after fighting his way to third overall in Round 2 of the 2026 Northern Regions Rotax MAX Kart Championship at Formula-K Raceway in Benoni this past weekend.

The young OMP/Motorsport Fanatix ambassador and Stretto Racing driver arrived at the fast and demanding Gauteng circuit full of confidence and immediately showed he had the pace to run at the front in the hotly contested Micro MAX category. Alonzo produced an excellent qualifying performance to secure second on the grid, missing out on pole position by just 0.071 seconds.

Starting from the front row in Heat 1, Alonzo settled into a strong rhythm and remained firmly in the fight throughout the race. Despite the pressure from behind and the intense pace at the front, he delivered a calm and mature drive to finish second and secure an important early podium finish for the day.

The second heat proved far more challenging. Starting further back in the pack, Alonzo found himself caught up in several close battles around the tight Formula-K circuit. While it made life difficult for the young driver, he kept his composure and continued fighting all the way to the chequered flag to finish sixth.

Heat 3 followed a similar pattern, with Alonzo once again needing to work hard from deeper in the field. Refusing to give up, he pushed throughout the final race and brought the kart home in sixth position after another determined drive.

His consistency across all three heats was enough to secure third overall for the weekend, narrowly missing out on second place in the overall standings.

“It was a difficult but really fun weekend,” said Alonzo. “The racing in Micro MAX is super close and you have to fight for every position. I’m happy we could finish on the podium again and score good points for the championship. Thank you to my team and all my sponsors for always supporting me.”

Still adapting to the highly competitive Micro MAX category after stepping up from Bambino, Alonzo continues to impress with his pace, racecraft and maturity well beyond his years.

Alonzo is proudly supported by OMP Racing, Amigos Portugueses, S.Y. Wholesale Butchery, Hercules Foods, HPP and Motorsport Fanatix™.