Centurion resident Luhan de Wet finished fifth in the final round of the South African Rotax MAX Challenge on Saturday following a challenging Micro MAX rookie season. Luhan, who finished less than five points off third in the national championship, ended his national campaign in fifth.

Luhan's journey in the South African Rotax MAX Challenge was a rollercoaster of emotions. Following two less-than-desired results in the first two national rounds, where he recorded a fourth as his best placing, Luhan bounced back to claim the overall victory and two wins at Formula-K Raceway. Heading into the final this weekend, Luhan had a slender mathematical chance of winning the championship but would also have to rely on the possible misfortune of other competitors. The unpredictability of the sport was evident as he would have to win all four heats, while others finished reasonably low in the results.

Despite facing setbacks during the weekend, the Xtreme Racing Team driver, Luhan, demonstrated remarkable resilience. His performance began with a seventh-place finish in the opening heat on Friday due to an incident in Turn 1 on the opening lap. Although he progressed to sixth place in Heats 2 and 3, he encountered challenges keeping pace with the leaders. However, his most commendable results materialised in the final heat on Saturday, where he secured a fourth-place finish, thus concluding his rookie season on a high note.

"Similar to my first season in karting, I gained valuable experience. This season, although we showed occasional strong performances, the inconsistency hurt any hopes of winning overall. You can't win a championship with that kind of inconsistency. Therefore, we will use this as a learning experience and approach the 2025 season with the clear goal of claiming the championship," said Luhan.

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