Elation and Heartbreak: SARMC Finale Delivers a Classic
The 2025 South African Rotax MAX Challenge (SARMC) season drew to a thrilling close on 30 August at Zwartkops Kart Raceway, Pretoria. Competitors from across the country, joined by drivers from Namibia, Mozambique, and Kenya, came together for a decisive four-heat showdown. Each heat presented a unique set of challenges, testing the drivers' skills and endurance. With national titles and entries to the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF) in Bahrain on the line, the stage was set for a dramatic conclusion to an already unforgettable season.
In the Bambino class, the sport’s youngest talents delivered racing as intense as any on the programme. Qualifying went to Yerhu Malabie, but it was Alonzo de Oliveira who rose to the occasion when it mattered most. After taking a narrow victory in the second heat and two further runner-up finishes, he sealed the overall round win. Consistency across the season crowned him the 2025 National Bambino Champion, adding to his African Open title and making history as the first driver to hold both titles in the same season.
The rivalry between Adriaan Steyn and Luhan de Wet defined the Micro MAX battle. Steyn, who claimed the African Open a few weeks earlier, struck first with pole position and a dominant win in the opening heat, adding another in Heat 2 with the fastest lap of the weekend. Yet it was De Wet who carried the advantage of a season’s worth of victories into Zwartkops. His performance over the final weekend saw him add another overall round victory to his season, which was more than enough to clinch the national crown, his second in karting, and secure his ticket to Bahrain.
The Mini MAX field, arguably the most fiercely contested, offered a championship fight that encapsulated the drama of the weekend. African Open winner Ronaldo Koen dominated the round by setting the early pace with a brilliant pole lap before winning the opening, third and final heat, resisting pressure from championship rival Brodi Dowling, newly crowned Mini ROK champion, Max Boshoff, and an in-form Declan Jurgens. The intense competition in this class kept the audience on the edge of their seats throughout the weekend. But it was Dowling, last year’s vice champion, who struck back in Heat 2, narrowly beating Jurgens in a tense finish. Over the four heats, Dowling’s consistency shone through, and he finally achieved the breakthrough that had eluded him in previous seasons. His efforts secured the 2025 Mini MAX National Championship, with Jurgens, Boshoff, and Koen all emerging as standout performers in one of the most competitive classes seen in years.
Junior MAX produced a finale worthy of its billing as the most unpredictable category, with four different drivers taking wins. Pole position, however, belonged to Caleb Moss, who converted it into victory. Emma Dowling and Reagile Mailula pushed him to the limit, rounding out the podium. Sebastiano Human claimed a well-deserved Heat 2 win, while Moss salvaged fourth. Dowling took the third heat, while 2025 OK-Junior Champion Jack Moore clinched the final heat. When the points were tallied, Moss emerged as champion, adding his name to the list of Eastern Cape drivers who have emerged as champions and gone on to represent South Africa internationally. Dowling’s raw speed and multiple fastest laps confirmed her as one of the standout drivers of the weekend, while Human and Moore further underlined the depth of talent in the class.
The Senior MAX grid featured the most experienced drivers and some of the most assertive racing of the weekend. Former Junior MAX Champion, Kent Swartz, set the pace in qualifying, but it was multiple karting champion Muhammad Wally who converted his front-row start into a commanding Heat 1 victory. Gianna Pascoal and Charl Visser chased him home, with Swartz forced to settle for fourth. The second heat produced a shuffle at the sharp end as former Senior MAX Champion, Visser, and Swartz engaged in a fierce duel, with Jonno Wilson briefly leading before Swartz reclaimed the top spot to win both Heats 2 and 3. Visser won the final heat, and consistent performances throughout all heats and the season gave him a decisive advantage. The Capetonian secured yet another national championship title and will return to the RMCGF after competing in the 2024 event.
If Senior MAX was about consistency, DD2 was about domination. Jason Coetzee was untouchable all season and needed nothing more than a few podium finishes to claim the title. Already crowned African Open Champion earlier in the season, the Capetonian added the 2025 DD2 National Championship to his résumé. The fight for second in the championship, however, intensified with the runner-up earning the RMCGF ticket. Despite his dominant display in the final round, winning all four heats, Jamie Smith was unable to make a significant impression on the championship standings, as he saw former DD2 Champion Sebastian Boyd earn yet another RMCGF entry.
Cristiano Morgado, a five-time RMCGF winner, secured another entry to the RMCGF by claiming the DD2 Masters title this past weekend.
As the dust settled at Zwartkops, six new champions were crowned. Each earned not only the prestige of a national title but also the honour of representing South Africa at the "Olympics of Karting" in Bahrain in late November.
The 2025 SARMC season will be remembered for its over 500 entries across the season, international participation, intensity, depth of talent, and unforgettable racing. For the champions, it marks the beginning of an even greater challenge on the global stage. For everyone else, it is the closing of a chapter in what was one of the most competitive national karting seasons in recent memory.
