daniel chigunwe
Collin Matiza
Zimpapers Sports Hub
LAST year, was the second year that Kart Sport Club raced a full season — and it was bigger and better than their very successful first year!
With an average of 25 drivers taking part over four classes in each of the eight race days hosted during the year, Kart Sport Club is the most active karting club in Zimbabwe.
Their home track at the National Sports Stadium in Harare has seen several developments over the years that have been welcomed by drivers, technical support staff, mechanics, and spectators alike and provides a world-class venue for local kart racers.
Vice Chairman Bobby van de Linde was quick to praise the drivers.
“Our drivers have grown in confidence, race craft, and pure speed!’ he enthused. We have seen each driver and their mechanic — most often “Dad”! — improve reliability and set up, meaning that racing has been closer and more exciting with each race day.
“In addition, we have seen our competitor’s race not only regionally, but globally. We are excited for what the 2025 season will bring,” he added.
The year saw eight rounds of Kart Sport Club Championship hosted, which also ran concurrently with the ROK Cup Zimbabwe championship.
The youngest class is for 6- to 9-year-olds and is known as Kid ROK. These drivers use karts powered by a restricted 60cc engine and can reach speeds of up to 60kph.
Elroy Shamu produced a late charge in the year and secured the title in a very close fight with Zack Staples.
Youngsters Rayyan Savania and Sheunesu Shambare followed closely, with newcomer to the karting scene Jake Edwards doing well in his first year in the sport.
The 8–13-year-old Mini ROK class also races 60cc karts, but the engines are unregulated, meaning that they can reach sustained speeds of over 75kph.
This class was the largest class and never disappointed with the most exciting racing seen during the year.
Seth Rukato and Yaseen Savania maintained a year-long tussle with eventual championship winner Seth, heading off in the middle of October to Italy to compete in the ROK Cup Global World Final.
Accompanied by his father, Seth engaged the services of Zac Dufty as his mechanic and coach.
Dufty has had experience of this championship both as a competitor in 2013 and 2014, as well as a coach/mechanic for Zimbabwe’s 2023 ROK Cup qualifier, TK Mapiro.
The pairing spent 10 days in Italy enjoying the high-level competition, with Seth making it through to the B final for an experience of a life-time
In the super-fast Rotax 125 class, where the karts are reaching a top speed in excess of 90kph, Zaydaan Savania proved that you not only need speed but also consistency to win a championship.
He ended the season with a narrow championship lead of 23 points, which was achieved by making sure he still scored points on the difficult days rather than a non-finish.
Other competitors learned that starting and finishing each race can often be the better strategy when you have a championship to chase.
The Pro-Kart series, which was introduced by Pole Position Karts in 2024 to bridge the gap between rental karts and race karts, produced great racing from a packed grid.
With the 390cc karts very evenly matched in terms of performance, it all came down to driver skill and experience.
Once again, Moe Moosa showed his class with dominant wins in both the Summer and Winter championships.
ROK Cup Zimbabwe promoter and track proprietor Kevin Dufty said, “We had a fantastic year of kart racing in 2024 with so many achievements that we can be proud of. With new venue developments, track layouts, and great grids, amongst many other plans, 2025 will be our best year yet.”
Online Reporter
