Zwartkops Kart Raceway hosted the final round of the South African Rotax MAX Challenge this past weekend, where Mikel Bezuidenhout's performance deserved better results. Competing in the national Senior MAX field for the last time in 2024, Mikel finished outside the top ten despite putting in his best performance of the season.

After qualifying fifth out of 19 drivers, Mikel finished sixth in Friday's opening heat to set the tone for an outstanding finish to his 2024 national campaign. Saturday, however, started disappointingly for Mikel, who was deemed underweight at the scales and thus disqualified from the Heat 2 result after an outstanding drive to cross the finish line in third.

Having to start at the back of the grid for Heat 3, Mikel faced a significant challenge. However, he rose to the occasion, making up ten spots on the opening lap. Engaged in a battle for the mid-pack places, he ran wide and dropped several places. Undeterred, he fought back again and took the chequered flag in 12th. The skirmish, however, cost him a further 5 seconds to his time for a Nose-Cone Infringement Penalty (NCIP).

The final heat would see the Johannesburg driver start in ninth and make up a position over the fifteen-lap race before another NCIP saw him penalised and classified eighth in the results. Mikel finished eighth in the national Senior MAX championship.

Reflecting on the race, Mikel's sportsmanship shone through. "It was certainly disappointing from a results point of view," he said. "We had a really good pace and were able to fight behind the podium battle consistently, I believe. A few grams robbed me of my first national podium and then of course nose cone penalties certainly didn't help. It's such a fierce class and it feels good to know that we can mix it with those up front."

While Mikel's national season has ended, he will return for the penultimate round of the Northern Regions Rotax Kart Championships scheduled for 12 October at Formula-K Raceway.

Mikel thanks MTN Cosmo-Net, Vivo Mobile South Africa and NBR Racing.