De Wet Fights Back to Zwartkops Podium
Luhan de Wet produced two determined recovery drives to secure third overall in Mini MAX at Saturday’s fifth round of the 2026 Northern Regions Rotax Kart Championship at Zwartkops Kart Raceway. The OMP/Motorsport Fanatix™ ambassador qualified seventh before overcoming difficult starts in both completed heats to remain firmly in the fight at the front.
It was a weekend that demanded patience and racecraft from Luhan. Starting Heat 1 from seventh, he lost a position when the field got away but quickly began working his way forward. A strong recovery saw him climb through the order and eventually take the chequered flag in fourth position.
His second heat followed a similar pattern. This time starting from the front row, Luhan again lost ground during the opening exchanges and found himself needing to fight his way back towards the leaders. He responded with one of his strongest drives of the day, recovering to second place and finishing just 0.117 seconds behind the winner. He also recorded the fastest lap of the race, underlining the pace he had found.
The result placed Luhan on pole position for Heat 3, giving him an opportunity to challenge for the round victory. However, racing was called off after safety concerns emerged as sections of the track surface began breaking up.
With only the opening two heats counting, Luhan’s fourth and second-place finishes earned him third overall for the round.
The weekend also provided further valuable preparation on the BirelART package as Luhan continues building towards his Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals appearance in Portugal next month.
“Both starts made things difficult today, so I had to fight back in each race. I was happy with our pace, especially in Heat 2, and I think we had a good chance in the final race starting from pole. It was disappointing that we couldn’t race Heat 3, but safety has to come first. We’ll take the positives from today and keep working towards Portugal.”
The final round of the regional competition will see Luhan return to Zwatrkops on 31 October 2026.
