Alonzo de Oliveira concluded his South African Rotax MAX Challenge season on a thrilling note, clinching the overall spoils at the fiercely competitive final round at Zwartkops Kart Raceway on Saturday. Regrettably, the Johannesburg driver's outstanding performance was just shy of the mark, and he was crowned the 2024 National Bambino Vice Champion.

An off-podium finish at the Killarney opening round and an improved Zwartkops performance in Round 2 saw Alonzo claim his first of several podiums. Round 3 would, however, see the seven-year-old of Portuguese descent clinch his maiden victory at Formula-K Raceway and head into the final round with a chance at the title.

After qualifying in second on Friday afternoon, Alonzo lost out at the start of the opening heat, dropping down the order before making his way back up the field to finish sixth. Starting from second in Saturday's second heat, Alonzo would bounce back to take victory before sharing the points with season rival Sebastian Shuttleworth, with the two in a dead heat for the win. Despite another win in the day's final heat, Alonzo would miss out on the title by 5 points.

"We came so close," said Alonzo. "I did my best today, and that's all I could have done. Thank you to my team, my family and my amazing sponsors for their support this season. Congratulations also to Radhi (Harris) on winning the title. We still have a regional championship to win and my focus will be on that going forward."

Round 7 of the Northern Regions Rotax Kart Championships will head to Benoni's Formula-K Kart Raceway on 12 October.