Records crumble

Saturday 28 May saw the AVL Africa / Logisticor 250 Superkart Series head to the popular Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria for the third round of the 2011 season.

Qualifying

The weekend got off to a record breaking start when Veron Pappas (Rotax Anderson Kart) blitzed the existing lap record of 1:01.596 that he set at the first event of the year. He clocked an unbelievable time of 1:00.179 to claim pole position! Unfortunately lap records can only be recognised during the course of a race so he would have to try and repeat the same feat during the two races scheduled for the day.

Pappas re-wrote the record books at Zwartkops...

Sean Moore (Logisticor PVP Superkart) qualified in second position with a time of 1:01.532 which also would have beaten the existing lap record. Steven Levin (Hotdog PVP Superkart) made a welcome return to the series and claimed third position on the grid ahead of Eerik Horn (OTTR PVP Rotax). Team mates Andrew Greenslade (AVL Africa / Logisticor PVP Superkart) and Tyron Davis (AVL Africa PVP Superkart) would line up alongside each other on the third row while Steve Lavender (S.L.C Engineering BRC Anderson Kart) and Trevor Green (PVP Superkart) would fill up the fourth row of the grid. Vincenzo Cassilo (V-Tek Service Centre Rotax Superkart) qualified in a respectable ninth position.

Race 1

Pappas blasted off into the lead at the start of the first race, leaving Moore and the rest of the field to sort themselves out. Moore slotted into second position with Levin hot on his heels.

Levin’s challenge ended on the second lap when the accelerator cable on his kart broke, forcing him to retire to the pits. Davis blew his chances when he went off in the turn two hairpin on the second lap, losing out on a number of positions. Horn slotted into third position with Greenslade not too far behind him.

Things got heated on the fourth lap when a recovered Davis and Lavender touched coming onto the main straight as they fought for fifth position. Lavender benefitted from the incident and slotted into fifth ahead of Davis. A determined Davis then set about catching Lavender and regained the position on the last lap.

Pappas romped home to claim an unchallenged victory ahead of Moore with Horn holding Greenslade at bay to claim third position. What made Pappas’ victory all the more impressive was that he officially obliterated the Zwartkops lap record for the category for the second time this year with an incredible time of 1:00.341!

Race 2

The now popular reverse grid format for the second race saw Green in pole position with Lavender alongside him. The first lap saw the field jostling for track position but it was Levin who emerged in the lead after the first lap, closely followed by Horn and Greenslade. Pappas was already up to fifth position a lap later with Moore stuck to his coat tails. Moore blew his chances when he spun in the tight turn two hairpin, dropping down to the back of the field.

Horn’s race came to an end down the back straight on lap five when his motor cried enough. Pappas had worked himself up to second position in the mean time and then proceeded to grab the lead from Levin a lap later. Moore would retire to the pits on lap six with fuelling issues ending his race.

Greenslade had a solid drive in his new kart...

Greenslade was driving like a man possessed and slotted into second position ahead of Levin on lap six. An unlucky Green retired in spectacular fashion when his engine seized coming down the main straight, sending him spinning out in a cloud of tyre smoke.

Pappas took another easy victory with Levin pipping Greenslade across the line to take second position.

The fourth round of the AVL Africa / Logisticor 250 Superkart Championship will head down to Aldo Scribante Raceway in Port Elizabeth on 25 June.

Report & Photographs by: Greg Reilly