Building Tomorrow’s Champions: Toyota Gazoo Racing Junior Academy Reflects on Stellar 2025 Campaign
BUILDING TOMORROW’S CHAMPIONS: TOYOTA GAZOO RACING JUNIOR ACADEMY REFLECTS ON STELLAR 2025 CAMPAIGN
The Toyota Gazoo Racing Junior Academy (TGRJA) wrapped up its 2025 South African Rotax MAX Challenge (SARMC) campaign in emphatic style at Zwartkops Kart Raceway this past weekend. With national titles and tickets to the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF) on the line, the academy's drivers delivered performances that underlined their growth and strength throughout the season.
DD2: Double for Coetzee
The DD2 class remains the flagship of the Rotax brand and is the only gearbox-driven class competing nationally. It is also a stepping stone that sees competitors transition to other forms of racing. While the 2025 fields were not as large as in previous years, the competition remained challenging, and this season lived up to that expectation.
Jason Coetzee, the academy's sole DD2 driver, was virtually untouchable throughout the season and needed only a few podium finishes to claim the title. Already crowned African Open Champion earlier in the year, the Capetonian added the 2025 DD2 National Championship to his résumé, cementing his status as the standout gearbox driver in the country.
For both Coetzee and the academy, this result represents a milestone. Not only does it showcase the calibre of talent within the academy program, but it also reinforces the academy’s commitment to shaping champions capable of competing on the world stage. Coetzee will spearhead Team South Africa and will represent the nation at the RMCGF in Bahrain later this year.
Senior MAX: Swartz On Top, Lenaerts Fights Through Adversity
Senior MAX once again delivered a thrilling spectacle. For the academy, both Kent Swartz and Georgia Lenaerts showcased their determination to end their national campaigns on a strong note.
From the outset, Swartz showed his pace this weekend by grabbing pole position in qualifying with a blistering lap. He backed this up with a fighting fourth place in the opening heat before storming to a superb victory in Heat 2. Heat 3 produced another memorable moment as Swartz engaged in a fierce battle before coming out on top for his second win of the weekend. He closed the event with a competitive fourth place in Heat 4, securing the overall victory for the round.
Although not in mathematical contention for the national crown, Swartz’s performance underlined his progress throughout the 2025 national season. His racecraft, speed, and consistency confirm his standing as one of the top Senior MAX drivers in the country, which earned him a third-place finish in the championship.
Teammate Georgia Lenaerts endured a testing finale but remained composed under pressure. A penalty hampered her result in Heat 1, but she bounced back with an impressive sixth-place finish in Heat 2. Heat 3 proved more challenging with further penalties, but Lenaerts fought hard in the midfield pack, displaying the grit that has characterised her season. Unfortunately, her weekend ended with a retirement in the final heat, denying her a stronger overall placing.
Despite the setbacks, Lenaerts concludes her campaign in sixth position, gaining valuable experience while consistently battling within a fiercely competitive grid. Her growth over the course of the season is an encouraging sign for the academy, as she continues to adapt and refine her skills at the highest level.
For TGRJA, Senior MAX represented one of the toughest challenges of the year. While the national title was out of reach, both Swartz and Lenaerts left Zwartkops with performances that underscore the academy’s mission: developing drivers capable of competing with South Africa’s best.
Junior MAX: Dowling Ends Season with Victory, Shisinwana Shows Pace
Junior MAX produced some of the fiercest battles of the season, and the academy’s pair of Emma-Rose Dowling and Tshepang Shisinwana were right in the thick of it. Both drivers showcased their abilities against one of the deepest fields of the championship.
Dowling capped off her national campaign in brilliant style, taking a race victory in Heat 3 and adding two runner-up finishes along the way. She was a consistent frontrunner all weekend, qualifying sixth before charging through the field to fight at the sharp end. With points tallied, she secured the overall round victory, a statement result that confirmed her as one of the standout Junior MAX drivers in South Africa and a top female competitor.
Her second-place finish in the national championship standings underscores just how competitive she has been throughout the season. For the academy, Dowling’s success marks a significant step in her development and further validates TGRJA’s mission of nurturing future stars.
For Tshepang Shisinwana, the Zwartkops finale was a tough challenge. Despite a non-finish in Heat 1, he rebounded strongly to finish seventh in Heat 2, claimed a hard-earned fifth in Heat 3, and set the fastest lap of the weekend in Heat 4.
Although penalties and setbacks limited his points haul, Shisinwana ended the day 10th overall. Importantly, he concluded the season sixth in the national championship standings, a result that highlights his consistency across a brutal campaign and the promise he carries heading into 2026.
With Dowling’s round victory and Shisinwana’s flashes of performance, TGRJA once again proved its strength in Junior MAX. The academy’s commitment to developing talent is evident, and both drivers leave the 2025 national season with results that cement their place among South Africa’s most exciting young karters.
Mini MAX: Kaiyamo Twins Continue to Develop, Finish in Top 13
Namibian brothers Nande and Mandume Kaiyamo concluded their first full national season with determined drives that underscore their progress in 2025. Nande showed composure in a field stacked with South Africa’s best. Across the final’s four heats, he strung together consistent results with a best of sixth, ultimately finishing an impressive 10th overall on the day. That performance was enough to secure 12th in the final national standings, a commendable result given the high level of competition and his relative inexperience at South Africa’s premier kart circuits.
Mandume faced a tougher run, with setbacks in the heats preventing him from matching his brother’s results. He nevertheless showed flashes of pace, recording valuable finishes that placed him 16th overall in the Zwartkops finale and 13th in the national championship. Each race added to his growing bank of experience, sharpening his racecraft for future seasons.
Unlike many of their rivals, the Kaiyamo twins reside in Namibia. Every national event required extensive travel, which not only tested their stamina but also posed significant challenges in balancing their racing ambitions with schooling commitments. Despite these obstacles, the brothers and their family have remained committed to competing at the highest level, a testament to their passion for motorsport and determination to succeed.
For TGRJA, the Kaiyamo brothers embody the academy’s mission to expand opportunities beyond South Africa’s borders. Their grit and progress in Mini MAX prove that, with the right support, talent can flourish even against the most formidable odds.
Team Principal’s Perspective:
Reflecting on the 2025 SARMC season, TGRJA Team Principal Leeroy Poulter expressed immense pride in his drivers and the program’s continued success in shaping young talent:
“This season has been one of our most rewarding yet. Across every class we competed in, the academy drivers showed growth, resilience, and, most importantly, a fighting spirit that reflects what this program is all about. From Jason clinching both the African Open and National DD2 titles, to Emma’s brilliant Junior MAX performance and vice-championship, to the continued progress of Kent, Georgia, Tshepang, and the Kaiyamo twins, each one of them has taken a step forward in their journey."
“Our program is designed to provide these young drivers not only with the equipment and support to compete at the highest levels, but also with the environment in which to learn what it takes to become champions of tomorrow. For some, that meant winning titles; for others, it meant learning to bounce back from adversity and proving they belonged at the national level."
“We know motorsport is not only about today, it’s about building for the future. This academy is well-suited to do precisely that. It gives young drivers the platform, the guidance, and the opportunities to develop into professional athletes capable of competing against the best in South Africa, Africa and, ultimately, the world.”
