Local karter ranked third in Italy at worlds
Boksburg karting revelation Kashen Naicker (15) ascended from his Junior Rok racing class to the more elite DD2 class, following an impressive outing at the World Rok Finals, in Italy, between October 22 and 25.
Naicker was ranked third in the world, out of 96 drivers, following his three qualifying races.
Italian duo Ciconini Dominico and Jean Luyet were ranked first and second, respectively.
Naicker finished sixth in his first qualifying race and plunged to 16th in his second outing, before redeeming himself with a top three finish in his third race, claiming a bronze medal position.
In the ultimate race, however, the St Dunstan’s College student was denied a finish to the race after being driven over by an opponent, leaving his kart with a wrecked axle and steering rods.
“I’m happy with my results from Italy,” said Naicker.
“Being ranked third makes me competitive with the rest of the world. The next class (DD2) is very competitive; I’ll be racing with top guns who are ex-SA champions.
“Going into the tournament, I wanted to finish in the top 10, I never expected to qualify third.
”I now move to the DD2 class, it’s a kart with gears and I cannot wait.“
“This [outing in Italy] was made possible by the Roos Karting Team; the owner himself, Ettiene Roos, is an ex-world champion and team Ward Racing which manages me in Europe.
Naicker is scheduled to be back in action again on Saturday, December 6, at the Vereeniging Karting Track in his new class. – @SabeloBoksburg
