Local stars set to take on the best at karting nationals
Gqeberha karting enthusiasts are in for a treat this weekend when the third round of the SA National ROK Cup Championship takes place at the Celso Scribante Circuit at Algoa Kart Club on Victoria Drive.
Leading the charge of the local stars is Jack Moore, who is the current championship leader in the OKJ class.
He recently returned from representing SA at the FIA Karting Academy Trophy Series in Valencia, Spain, where he finished in 14th place overall.
He will relish the benefit of the home-track advantage and will want to capitalise on this and try to extend his lead in the championship standings.
Joining Moore in the OKJ class is the ever-consistent Aashay Nagura, who finds himself in eighth place in the championship after having missed the opening round.
A newcomer to national karting, 16-year-old Wyatt Jonas is in third place in the fiercely competitive OK-N class and will certainly be one to watch after having joined forces with the NBR Karting Team under the mentorship of Neil Basilio.
Joshua Moore returns from VW Rookie Cup duties to join in the OK-N action and is in seventh place overall after having missed the opening round due to a clash of dates in his busy schedule.
Moore is just one point off the lead in the VW Rookie Cup Championship after another strong performance at Zwartkops last weekend.
Another Bay resident and rising star is nine-year-old Egor Grishin, who seems destined for bigger and better things, competing in the hard-fought Mini Rok U10 class where mere milliseconds often separate the entire field of future stars.
Grishin is in seventh place in the national standings that has just 28 points separating the top seven contenders.
With Friday being just a practice and set-up day, the racing action starts with qualifying at 10am on Saturday, and the first race is scheduled for 12pm, where the five competing classes will have three heats each.
Upcoming events:
June 27-28: ROK Karting Nationals at Algoa Kart Club
June 28: Rover Motorcycle Club Navigational Enduro round 3; Dirt Oval racing at Border Stockcar Track in East London
July 5: Algoa Motorsport Club — Main Circuit racing round 4; Dirt Oval Racing at Victory Raceway, club championship round 6
July 18: National Extreme Festival, East London Grand Prix Circuit
July 19: Dirt Oval racing at PEOTR, Club Championship round 6
July 24-26: Algoa National Rally in Kariega & Longmore Forest
July 26: Rhino Night Relay Enduro at Rover Motorcycle Club
July 27: British Classics Show Day at EP Veteran Car Club.
The Herald
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
13 hours ago
- The Herald
Local stars set to take on the best at karting nationals
Gqeberha karting enthusiasts are in for a treat this weekend when the third round of the SA National ROK Cup Championship takes place at the Celso Scribante Circuit at Algoa Kart Club on Victoria Drive. Leading the charge of the local stars is Jack Moore, who is the current championship leader in the OKJ class. He recently returned from representing SA at the FIA Karting Academy Trophy Series in Valencia, Spain, where he finished in 14th place overall. He will relish the benefit of the home-track advantage and will want to capitalise on this and try to extend his lead in the championship standings. Joining Moore in the OKJ class is the ever-consistent Aashay Nagura, who finds himself in eighth place in the championship after having missed the opening round. A newcomer to national karting, 16-year-old Wyatt Jonas is in third place in the fiercely competitive OK-N class and will certainly be one to watch after having joined forces with the NBR Karting Team under the mentorship of Neil Basilio. Joshua Moore returns from VW Rookie Cup duties to join in the OK-N action and is in seventh place overall after having missed the opening round due to a clash of dates in his busy schedule. Moore is just one point off the lead in the VW Rookie Cup Championship after another strong performance at Zwartkops last weekend. Another Bay resident and rising star is nine-year-old Egor Grishin, who seems destined for bigger and better things, competing in the hard-fought Mini Rok U10 class where mere milliseconds often separate the entire field of future stars. Grishin is in seventh place in the national standings that has just 28 points separating the top seven contenders. With Friday being just a practice and set-up day, the racing action starts with qualifying at 10am on Saturday, and the first race is scheduled for 12pm, where the five competing classes will have three heats each. Upcoming events: June 27-28: ROK Karting Nationals at Algoa Kart Club June 28: Rover Motorcycle Club Navigational Enduro round 3; Dirt Oval racing at Border Stockcar Track in East London July 5: Algoa Motorsport Club — Main Circuit racing round 4; Dirt Oval Racing at Victory Raceway, club championship round 6 July 18: National Extreme Festival, East London Grand Prix Circuit July 19: Dirt Oval racing at PEOTR, Club Championship round 6 July 24-26: Algoa National Rally in Kariega & Longmore Forest July 26: Rhino Night Relay Enduro at Rover Motorcycle Club July 27: British Classics Show Day at EP Veteran Car Club. The Herald
The Herald
13 hours ago
- The Herald
Leading SA athletes set sights on Nelson Mandela Bay Half Marathon
A strong contingent of SA's leading professional road runners is set to compete in the 11th edition of the Nelson Mandela Bay Half Marathon at Pollok Beach on Saturday (7am). The 21.1km road race has also attracted some leading runners from the rest of the continent. Glenrose Xaba, who won the Durban SPAR Grand Prix 10km race at the weekend, is back and will be looking for a podium finish on Saturday. In 2024, the 30-year-old Boxer Athletics Club runner was only two seconds shy of finishing in the top three and settled for fourth place after crossing the finish line in one hour, 13 minutes and 40 seconds. Ethiopians Diniya Kedir Abaraya and Selam Fente Gebre, who finished second and third in the 10km in Durban, will be in the starting line-up for the women's race on Saturday. In the 2024 women's race, Ethiopia's Tadu Nare dominated as she led from the gun to win in 1:12:01, ahead of compatriot Abaraya (1:12:31), who finished as the first junior. Lesotho's Blandina Makatisi was third in 1:13:39, while Xaba, in fourth overall (1:13:42), finished as the first South African. This time round, the 19-year-old Nedbank Running Club athlete will look to be the first female to cross the finish line. SA's Cacisolle Sosibo, who finished in fifth place in the women's race in 2024, has also confirmed her participation. Hollywood Athletics Club will bring a competitive group of athletes to the event, including Olympians Stephen Mokoka and Neheng Khatala, and talented 23-year-old Tayla Kavanagh. Mokoka, who has made four Olympic appearances and holds the 50km ultra-marathon world record and three Cape Town Marathon titles, is among those who will be chasing the title this weekend. The 40-year-old last won the NMB Half Marathon in 2019. In 2020, he was beaten by compatriot Precious Mashele, who made way for Lesotho's Namakoe Nkhasi in 2021. In 2023, Gqeberha runner Thabang Mosiako crossed the finish line first to make sure the title remained in the Bay. In 2024, three-time Olympian Elroy Gelant, 37, who won the first edition of the NMB Half-Marathon in 2014, crossed the finish line in one hour, three minutes and 54 seconds for his second title. The 2022 champion, Namakoe Nkhasi, took second place in 1:04:04, and Mashele was third in 1:04:05 for Central Gauteng Athletics. Other top runners such as 2022 NMB Half Marathon winner Melikhaya Frans of Gqeberha, brothers Daniel and Simon Paulus (Namibia), and South Africans Puseletso Mofokeng and Dino Nako will be among the entries in a powerful men's line-up. Kenya's Rodgers Kipchirchir Murei and Saibi Chebet of Uganda confirmed their participation in May. The 11th edition of the popular race will see the addition of a 5km distance, with the aim of attracting more development athletes. Race organisers have exceeded their target of 2,000 entries. The race starts in Marine Drive at Pollok Beach and includes a loop through Nelson Mandela University. The cut-off time is three hours and 30 minutes. The Herald
The Herald
18 hours ago
- The Herald
More than 70,000 RAF claims filed by young South Africans in 5 years
Young people are more vulnerable on the roads with 43.5% of personal claims submitted to the Road Accident Fund (RAF) in the past five years from individuals aged 15-35. The number of claims submitted by individuals in this age group totalled 70,743. Claimants under 15 years filed 15,227 claims. RAF head of corporate communications McIntosh Polela said the high number of young people injured and killed on the roads was 'deeply troubling'. 'Human error is a major factor, and South Africans, especially the youth, must reflect on their behaviour and make better choices,' he said. Polela said longer winter nights increase the risk of accidents, emphasising the need for vigilance. According to the fund, road accidents are a leading cause of death for young people, contributing to about 41% of all road fatalities, averaging 4,620 deaths annually. It said young people are often injured or killed as pedestrians (38%) or passengers (35%). About 24,098 young people in the 15—34 age group were killed on South African roads from 2019 to 2023. TimesLIVE
