Rookie Haskins Fights Back to Sixth in MSA4 Round 3

Chase Haskins continued his impressive rise in South African single-seater racing this past weekend, finishing sixth overall in Round 3 of the Investchem MSA4 Championship at Zwartkops Raceway.

Racing out of the Kokoro Racing Academy stable, the Johannesburg teenager once again underlined just how quickly he is adapting to main circuit racing. Having only made his circuit racing debut less than three months ago, Haskins continues to compete against rivals with far more seat time and experience. Yet, as one of the youngest drivers on the grid, he handled himself with the maturity and focus of a seasoned campaigner.

Friday’s three practice sessions were used to dial in the car for the tight, technical 2.4km Zwartkops Raceway, a circuit Haskins had never raced on before. Despite the challenge, he quickly got up to speed and delivered a strong qualifying performance on Saturday. In an extremely close session, Haskins ended just 0.140 seconds off pole position, but such was the competitiveness of the Investchem MSA4 field that it was only enough for a third-row start for the opening race.

Unfortunately, his Race 1 launch was compromised when a clutch issue delayed his getaway from the line. Haskins lost three positions in the opening phase, but quickly settled into the race and kept pressure on the drivers ahead. With overtaking proving difficult around the tight Zwartkops layout, he was unable to make significant inroads and crossed the line in eighth place.

Race 2 presented a similar early challenge, with the clutch issue again hampering his start and dropping him to 10th. From there, Chase produced a determined fightback, showing patience, confidence and race craft beyond his limited experience. Over the ten-lap race, he recovered four positions to finish sixth, capping off a solid weekend and securing sixth overall for the round.

“It was a bit frustrating because the clutch issue affected both starts, and that immediately put us on the back foot,” said Haskins. “The pace was definitely there, especially in qualifying, where we were so close to pole, but around Zwartkops it is not easy to recover once you lose track position. I just focused on staying calm, putting pressure on where I could, and making up as much ground as possible in Race 2. Overall, there are still a lot of positives to take from the weekend, and every time I get in the car I am learning more.”

For Chase, the result marks another important step in his rookie campaign. Against a field of more experienced competitors, he continues to show that he is not only adapting quickly to the demands of MSA4 racing, but also steadily closing the gap to the front runners.

With each outing, the Kokoro Racing Academy driver is gaining valuable experience, building confidence and proving that his rapid progression is no coincidence.