Race report and photos by Deon vdl Photography.
The final round of the SASCS took place at Vereeniging Kart Circuit. The day turned out to be quite entertaining, with a few championships still on the line, and the riders brought their A-game. All in all, race day was excellent.
PW50.
Heat 1.
The youngsters were up first. #39 Ajay Venter took pole position.
Venter had a great start and entered turn one in the lead. It didn’t take long for him to start pulling away from the pack. #238 Liam Smith and #143 Tsebo Mafokate were neck and neck as they fought for second place. Venter crossed the line for the win, Smith came 2nd, and Mafokate took a close 3rd.
Heat 2.
Venter set a pace from the start that the other riders simply couldn’t match. Smith and Mafokate were at it again. Venter finished in 1st place, Smith took 2nd, with Mafokate following shortly in 3rd.
Heat 3.
The flag dropped for the final race. Venter was determined to finish his day with a clean sweep, and that’s exactly what he did, securing 1st overall. Smith took 2nd place, which also earned him the 2025 PW50 Championship, and Mafokate claimed another 3rd.
Overall Results.
1st #39 Ajay Venter
2nd #238 Liam Smith – 2025 PW50 Champion
3rd #143 Tsebo Mafokate
SM Junior 65cc & 85cc.
(combined report)
Heat 1.
#134 Joe Louw, on his 85cc machine, lined up in pole position.
Louw got the holeshot but couldn’t shake off the 65cc bikes. #26 Ethan de Freitas, #550 Marnitz Otten and #27 Kiros Taliotes were right behind him. De Freitas, Otten, and Taliotes were swapping positions throughout. A string of riders crossed the line less than a second apart, Louw took 1st, De Freitas 2nd, and Otten 3rd.
Heat 2.
The race was in full swing, with things heating up between Louw and De Freitas at the front. De Freitas was leading on lap five when he and Louw collided. De Freitas went down and the race was red-flagged. As the race was more than 75% complete, Louw was awarded the win, with De Freitas 2nd and Otten 3rd.
Heat 3.
Rain started to fall just before the final race. Louw was missing from the grid, as was De Freitas, who went for a quick check-up after his crash. The remaining riders took on the damp conditions. Otten was out in front, with Taliotes and #100 Tanner Oosthuizen battling for second. Otten took the win, Taliotes managed to claim 2nd, and Oosthuizen followed in 3rd.
Overall Results.
SM Junior 65cc.
1st #550 Marnitz Otten
2nd #27 Kiros Taliotes
3rd #26 Ethan de Freitas – 2025 SM Junior 65cc Champion
SM Junior 85cc.
1st #134 Joe Louw – 2025 SM Junior 85cc Champion
150cc Junior & 150cc Senior Cup
(combined report)
Heat 1.
The senior riders took the front row: #13 Ryan van Nieuwkerk on pole, with #22 Cayden Robert and #41 Jason van Breda alongside.
The Junior Cup Championship had already been decided in the previous round, with #110 Bohlale Mafokate taking the title. The Senior Championship, however, was still on the line, with only a few points separating Van Nieuwkerk and Robert. From the start, Van Nieuwkerk and Robert went at it tooth and nail. When the chequered flag came out, it was Van Nieuwkerk who claimed the win, Robert 2nd, and Van Breda 3rd.
Heat 2.
The second heat produced some epic racing, with riders battling throughout the field. Van Nieuwkerk was leading, with Robert running in second, but Van Breda made a daring move to overtake Robert. Van Nieuwkerk collected 1st place, Van Breda 2nd, and Robert 3rd.
Heat 3.
With more rain putting a damper on things, a few riders opted not to race the final heat.
On the first lap, Van Breda went down. He remounted and managed to limp to the finish. Van Nieuwkerk kept his composure, riding to 1st overall and the championship title. Robert finished 2nd, with his younger brother, #22 Blake Robert taking 3rd.
Overall Results.
150cc Junior Cup.
1st #40 Lorenzo de Ponte
2nd #22 Blake Robert
3rd #74 Tristan Andalaft
150cc Senior Cup.
1st #13 Ryan van Nieuwkerk – 2025 150cc Senior Champion
2nd #22 Cayden Robert
3rd #41 Jason van Breda
Clubmans 2.
Heat 1.
Pole position went to the youngest rider in the class, #83 Joe Louw, the teenager showing the adults a clean pair of heels. The flag dropped and the race was on. #469 Fritz Lebherz took the early lead, with #32 Raube Ferreira right behind. A few laps in, Louw claimed the lead. Louw crossed the line first but was handed a 10-second penalty for jumping the start, promoting Ferreira to 1st, Lebherz to 2nd, and Louw down to 3rd.
Heat 2.
A couple of battles unfolded, with Louw eventually taking the lead. He maintained a steady pace to take the win, followed by Ferreira in 2nd and Lebherz in 3rd.
Heat 3.
The Clubmans 2 class ended the year with a wet and rainy race, perfect entertainment as riders slid their way through the laps. Lebherz took the win, Ferreira finished 2nd (securing the championship), and #81 Mark Vermeulen claimed 3rd.
Overall Results.
1st #32 Raube Ferreira – 2025 Clubmans 2 Champion
2nd #469 Fritz Lebherz
3rd #81 Mark Vermeulen
SM Junior 50cc.
Heat 1.
Coming into the final round, #27 Kiros Taliotes and #550 Marnitz Otten were separated by just five championship points.
All eyes were on the two title contenders, but when the race began, #17 Liam Bronkhorst came out swinging. He got the holeshot and never looked back. Taliotes and Otten could only battle for second. Bronkhorst took the win, Taliotes 2nd, and Otten 3rd.
Heat 2.
Bronkhorst did it again, pulling away while the others tried to chase him down. Otten ran in second until the final lap when Taliotes executed a brilliant overtake. Bronkhorst grabbed 1st, Taliotes stole 2nd, and Otten followed in 3rd.
Heat 3.
With a wet track, the spectators were on their feet, things were about to get interesting. Bronkhorst led, with #4 James Nijmeijer in pursuit. Otten was pulling away from Taliotes, but was it too late? Bronkhorst took 1st overall for the day, Nijmeijer came through in 2nd, and Otten in 3rd. Taliotes finished 4th, earning enough points to secure the championship.
Overall Results.
1st #17 Liam Bronkhorst
2nd #27 Kiros Taliotes – 2025 SM Junior 50cc Champion
3rd #550 Marnitz Otten
Girls Development Cup & Clubmans 1.
(combined report)
Heat 1.
Two-time Girls Champion #1 Jessica Oosthuizen, who had already secured the title in round 7, once again found herself on pole position.
Oosthuizen had a strong start and gradually pulled away from the pack. #52 Macayla Smit had #43 Naledi Ntwari closing in on her. Oosthuizen took a comfortable win, Smit just managed to hold 2nd, with Ntwari right behind in 3rd.
Heat 2.
Another dominant performance from the champ, Oosthuizen powered her way to another win. Ntwari had a tough time keeping up with Smit. Smit grabbed 2nd, with Ntwari finishing 3rd.
Heat 3.
For the final race, only three riders lined up and had some fun in the wet conditions. Oosthuizen claimed her third win of the day, Ntwari took 2nd, and #39 Ajay Venter 3rd.
The Clubmans 1 Championship was won by #134 Joe Louw.
Overall Results.
Girls Development Cup.
1st #1 Jessica Oosthuizen – 2025 Girls Development Cup Champion
2nd #43 Naledi Ntwari
3rd #35 Macayla Smit
Clubmans 1.
1st #39 Ajay Venter
2nd #43 Daniel Rees
SM1, SM1S, SM2 & SM Masters.
(combined report)
Heat 1.
#1 Aston Nesbitt outperformed the rest in qualifying and took pole position.
A huge roar filled the air as the race got underway, with all riders storming into turn one. It was a clean start. There were a few close calls as everyone pushed hard. Nesbitt led, with #13 Tyler Morgan keeping him under pressure. Nesbitt came through in 1st, closely followed by Morgan in 2nd and #30 Ruben Weterman in 3rd.
Heat 2.
Once again, Nesbitt exited turn one in the lead. Weterman had his hands full with #33 Mitch Mortimer, who kept attacking. Things got intense between them, Mortimer attempted a dive-bomb on the inside, but Weterman shut the door just in time. Nesbitt crossed the line for the win, Morgan collected 2nd, and Weterman 3rd.
Heat 3.
The final race had barely started when the Weterman, Mortimer rivalry reignited, keeping fans entertained. Several riders thrilled the crowd, #31 Luan Weterman, #98 Arno Erasmus, and the three-way battle between #41 Wian Erasmus, #88 Frank Engelbrecht, and #43 Quinton van Wyk. The flag came out and Nesbitt took his third win, sealing his championship glory. Morgan claimed 2nd, with Ruben Weterman in 3rd.
The SM1S Championship had already been secured by #13 Ryan van Nieuwkerk in the penultimate round.
Overall Results.
SM1.
1st #1 Aston Nesbitt – 2025 SM1 Champion
2nd #33 Mitch Mortimer
3rd #98 Arno Erasmus
SM1S.
1st #13 Tyler Morgan
2nd #30 Ruben Weterman
3rd #31 Luan Weterman
SM2.
1st #41 Wian Erasmus – 2025 SM2 & SM Grand Masters Champion
2nd #707 Treavin Linder
3rd #88 Frank Engelbrecht
SM Masters.
1st #134 Michael Louw – 2025 SM Masters Champion
2nd #43 Quinton van Wyk
What an excellent race year! The 2025 season certainly didn’t disappoint, and now we look forward to the 2026 season. If you or your children are interested in starting racing, the SASCS is the perfect place to begin. It’s a development series that has seen many young riders grow, move up to bigger bikes, and even represent South Africa in the Red Bull Rookies.
Until we meet again, take care and stay safe.
