South African Karters Shine at COTFA Finale
Five South African karters brought their 2026 British Champions of the Future Academy involvement to a close at Whilton Mill this past weekend, with Noah Cronje, Zac Boshoff, Rofhiwa Ndwambi, Max Boshoff and Emma-Rose Dowling flying the national flag in the fourth and final round of the British COTFA campaign.
The 21–23 August season finale featured two separate race days, with fresh qualifying, heats and finals on Saturday and Sunday. Cronje, Zac Boshoff and Ndwambi competed in Mini 60, Max Boshoff represented South Africa in OK-N Junior, while Dowling completed her season in OK-N Senior.
For Cronje, the weekend produced contrasting fortunes before ultimately ending with a place on the championship podium.
Saturday proved challenging for the South African Mini 60 contender. Cronje qualified sixth and followed that with sixth place in the opening heat, but his day became more difficult as the racing progressed. He was eventually classified 12th in the opening final.
Sunday produced a considerably stronger showing. Cronje qualified fifth before working his way into contention through the heats. The official combined heat classification placed him alongside Bodhi Batch at the head of the order, with Batch securing pole on countback and Cronje earning a front-row starting position for the final.
Cronje converted that position into fourth place in the final race of his British season. More importantly, his results across the four-round campaign were enough to secure third overall in the Mini 60 championship. The result capped a season in which Cronje progressed into a regular front-runner and claimed a final victory at Larkhall during the penultimate round.
Zac Boshoff and Rofhiwa Ndwambi also lined up in the highly competitive Mini 60 field, with Whilton Mill marking a first British COTFA appearance for both South Africans. Their participation added valuable international experience against drivers familiar with the British circuits and the COTFA arrive-and-drive format.
While Cronje was completing a full-season championship campaign, the Whilton Mill outing offered Boshoff and Ndwambi an opportunity to experience the series first-hand and gain race mileage on one of Britain's established karting circuits.
In OK-N Junior, Max Boshoff emerged as one of South Africa's standout performers during Saturday's programme.
Boshoff immediately showed his pace in qualifying, missing provisional pole to Sukhmani Khera by just 0.057 seconds. He remained among the leading group through the heats and secured a front-row starting position for the Saturday final.
The South African went on to feature prominently in the final and secured a podium result, providing another strong international performance in his first season competing in the larger OK-style machinery. Boshoff's pace against an established British and international Junior field was particularly encouraging as he continues his transition from the Mini categories.
Emma-Rose Dowling completed the South African contingent in OK-N Senior and arrived at Whilton Mill with a championship podium firmly within reach.
Dowling again demonstrated her ability to move forward through the field during Saturday's racing, with the official COTFA recap describing the South African as the standout mover through qualifying. She remained in the top-five battle during a competitive Senior programme as she worked to protect her championship position.
Her consistency throughout the final weekend proved enough to secure third overall in the 2026 British COTFA OK-N Senior championship. Dowling had entered the finale third in the standings and successfully maintained her position to conclude the four-round campaign on the championship podium.
The result was a fitting conclusion to a season in which Dowling competed as part of the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive initiative, gaining significant experience against British and international opposition across Silverstone, PF International, Larkhall and Whilton Mill.
With Cronje and Dowling both leaving Britain with third place in their respective championships, Max Boshoff adding a Whilton Mill podium, and Zac Boshoff and Ndwambi gaining their first taste of British COTFA competition, the season finale provided another encouraging weekend for South African karting on the international stage.
