Haskins Fights Back to Round 6 Podium at Formula-K

Chase Haskins continued his rapid development in the National ROK Karting Championship with a determined performance during the championship’s Rounds 5 and 6 double-header at Formula-K Raceway.

Returning to the OK-N grid after his recent Investchem MSA4 outing at Aldo Scribante, the 14-year-old Kokoro Racing Academy driver faced two demanding days of competition at the fast and technical Benoni circuit. Despite a difficult end to Saturday’s programme, Haskins responded strongly on Sunday to finish level on points for second overall in Round 6.

Still in his first full season of karting and circuit racing, Haskins once again demonstrated the pace and resilience that have marked his impressive rookie campaign.

Haskins began Saturday’s fifth national round by qualifying third. Starting Heat 1 from third, Haskins remained firmly involved in the battle for the final podium position. He slipped behind Ashaan Reddi during the early stages but stayed within striking distance throughout the 12-lap encounter to finish fourth.

Heat 2 delivered Haskins’ strongest result of the day. Starting fourth, he initially dropped to fifth before quickly recovering and moving back into the leading group. He progressed to third and maintained the position to the chequered flag, securing another national heat podium.

The final race began particularly well, with Haskins launching from third into second place on the opening lap. He remained directly behind race leader Jack Moore during the early stages and continued running inside the top three until his challenge began to unravel following a severely damaged kart. Slower lap times followed, and Haskins completed eight of the scheduled 12 laps before being classified fifth.

Despite the disappointing conclusion, that later revealed a broken chasis, his fourth, third and fifth-place results earned him fourth overall for Round 5.

Sunday presented an immediate challenge when Haskins, whose team had to replace his chassis, failed to record a qualifying time, leaving him fifth on the Heat 1 grid.

Rather than allowing the setback to define his day, Haskins produced one of his strongest drives of the weekend. He gained a position at the start and moved into third on the second lap, maintaining pressure on Reddi ahead until the race was stopped by a red flag after eight laps. A post-race penalty for Reddi promoted Haskins to second, giving him an important podium result from the back of the field.

Starting Heat 2 from third, Haskins moved into second during the opening stages and held the position on track for the remainder of the race. A five-second post-race penalty subsequently dropped him to third in the official classification, but his underlying pace remained encouraging. His final lap of 1:04.965 was his quickest of the weekend.

The third and final heat produced another closely contested battle. Haskins started fourth and moved ahead of Aidan Calitz for third on lap five. He held the podium position until the closing stages before Calitz regained the place.

With finishes of second, third and fourth, Haskins ended Round 6 level with Pillay for second overall. It was a strong response to Saturday’s disappointment and another valuable result in a season that has already seen the young rookie establish himself as a regular podium contender.

The Formula-K weekend underlined both Haskins’ growing speed and his ability to recover when circumstances go against him. With experience continuing to accumulate in both karting and single-seaters, his performance across the double-header represented another important step forward in his development.