Toyota Gazoo Racing Junior Academy Shines at Midway Point of National Rotax Campaign
TOYOTA GAZOO RACING JUNIOR ACADEMY SHINES AT MIDWAY POINT OF NATIONAL ROTAX CAMPAIGN
Image supplied by Toyota South Africa
The Toyota Gazoo Racing Junior Academy (TGRJA) continued to impress as the 2025 MSA South African Rotax MAX Challenge (SARMC) reached its halfway mark at Vereeniging Kart Circuit this past weekend. With national titles and Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF) tickets up for grabs, the team's talented lineup once again delivered strong results across the classes.
Coetzee Extends DD2 Championship Lead
Jason Coetzee was once again the class of the DD2 field, maintaining his dominant form by winning all three heats at Vereeniging. His clinical performance saw him add another clean sweep to his record, making it five wins from six starts this season. With consistent speed and racecraft, Coetzee extended his points lead and firmly established himself as the title favourite heading into the second half of the season.
Senior MAX: Breakthrough for Swartz and Resilience from Lenaerts
Senior MAX produced some of the academy's most dramatic moments of the weekend. Kent Swartz, showing the form that saw him lead the Northern Regions Championship, converted pole position into a third-place finish in the opening heat. He then overcame a nose-cone penalty in Heat 2, which dropped him from a commanding victory to fifth, to clinch his first national heat win in the final race. Those results secured him third overall for the round, a massive boost in his national title aspirations.
Georgia Lenaerts had a tougher outing despite showing impressive pace early on. After securing seventh in Heat 1, her hopes in Heat 2 were dashed by an opening-lap incident that saw her fall down the order to 17th. Undeterred, Lenaerts bounced back with a determined drive to 10th in the final race, once again highlighting her fighting spirit.
Junior MAX: Highs and Lows for Dowling and Shisinwana
The Junior MAX division brought mixed fortunes. Emma-Rose Dowling and Tshepang Shisinwana qualified third and fourth, respectively, before finishing in those same positions in Heat 1, though a post-race penalty relegated Shisinwana to eighth. Dowling added a strong fourth-place finish in Heat 2 but was unfortunately sidelined early in the final race following an opening lap incident.
Shisinwana rebounded strongly after a challenging start. Improving from a sixth-place finish in Heat 2, he charged through to claim a well-earned third place in the final race, salvaging a podium finish to cap off a character-building weekend.
Mini MAX: Steady Progress for the Kaiyamo Twins
Namibian twins Nande and Mandume Kaiyamo showed continued growth in the fiercely competitive Mini MAX field, with both drivers making solid improvements throughout the weekend. Nande moved up from 14th in Heat 1 to an impressive ninth in Heat 2, before facing a more challenging final race to finish 13th. Mandume, meanwhile, followed up his 12th in the first heat with a top-10 finish in Heat 2 before being forced into early retirement after one lap in the final race.
Their progress underlines the academy's focus on long-term development and marks another critical step in adapting to South African national competition.
Team Principal Leeroy Poulter Reflects on Vereeniging Success
Summarising the team's efforts at Vereeniging, TGRJA Team Principal Leeroy Poulter praised the drivers' resilience and determination:
"The entire team showed great fighting spirit this weekend. Jason delivered another exceptional performance, and it was fantastic to see Kent claim his first national heat victory. Emma and Tshepang both demonstrated their potential in Junior MAX, while Nande and Mandume continue to make strides in Mini MAX. We're now perfectly positioned for a strong run into the final two rounds, and we'll keep pushing to deliver more wins and podiums."
The Toyota Gazoo Racing Junior Academy now turns its attention to the next challenge as the 2025 SARMC championship heads to iDube Raceway for Round 3. With the competition intensifying and championship standings tightening, every race becomes critical in the quest for national glory and RMCGF qualification.
