The Toyota Gazoo Racing Junior Academy (TGRJA) made an emphatic statement at the 2025 Rotax African Open, held at the iconic Zwartkops Kart Raceway, with standout performances that underscored the depth and calibre of its driver development programme. From flawless wins to hard-fought recoveries, the weekend was a vivid showcase of talent across DD2, Senior MAX, Junior MAX and Mini MAX – culminating in a dominant overall victory for Jason Coetzee in DD2, earning him a prized ticket to the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF) in Bahrain.
DD2: Jason Coetzee Delivers a Masterclass
In DD2, Jason Coetzee proved untouchable. From the moment the weekend began, Coetzee set the tone with a storming pole position in Friday’s qualifying. He translated that early pace into near-total dominance, winning both Pre-Final 1 and Pre-Final 2 with metronomic consistency, barely relinquishing the lead at any point.
Come the 20-lap Final, Jason faced relentless pressure but remained unfazed. He controlled the race from the front, setting a steady, race-winning pace and holding off every challenge to cross the line first – completing a clean sweep of the event. With this win, Coetzee becomes one of the first South African karters to qualify for the 2025 RMCGF, where he will represent his country for the second time at the international showpiece in Bahrain.
Senior MAX: Swartz and Lenaerts Showcase Resilience
The Senior MAX field delivered intense battles throughout the weekend, and TGRJA’s pairing of Kent Swartz and Georgia Lenaerts held their own in impressive fashion.
Swartz was a frontrunner from the outset, missing out on pole by an agonising 0.016s. His fortunes took a temporary knock with a nose-cone penalty in Pre-Final 1, dropping him from 3rd to 8th, but he rebounded in style with a gritty second-place finish in Pre-Final 2. The final saw Kent back in the thick of it, applying pressure up front and ultimately claiming a solid runner-up result to round out a strong weekend.
Lenaerts, meanwhile, continued her steady upward trajectory. After finishing 7th in the opening Pre-Final, she stepped up her pace with a polished drive to 4th in the second, and followed that with a well-earned 6th in the final. Georgia’s consistency and racecraft were on full display – a testament to her growing stature within the class.
Together, Swartz and Lenaerts left Zwartkops with their heads high, having proven once again that they’re a formidable force in Senior MAX.
Junior MAX: Pacesetters Unlucky in the Final, but Speed Shines Through
Junior MAX saw two TGRJA drivers light up the timing screens – and while the final results didn’t quite reflect their true potential, both delivered racing that marked them as stars of the future.
Emma-Rose Dowling was in scintillating form early on. After grabbing a commanding pole in qualifying, she backed it up with a charging second place in Pre-Final 1 and an emphatic lights-to-flag win in Pre-Final 2. Heading into the final, she was tipped as the one to beat – but an unforced error under braking dropped her to the back of the field. Undeterred, she mounted a spirited comeback to finish 12th, salvaging valuable points and reaffirming her top-tier pace.
Teammate Tshepang Shisinwana, the reigning Mini MAX champion, flew somewhat under the radar in qualifying but came alive as the weekend unfolded. A superb drive in Pre-Final 2 saw him carve through the pack to finish second, even setting the race’s second-fastest lap. An unfortunate incident in the final scuppered his podium hopes, leaving him ninth – but his racecraft and composure in traffic did not go unnoticed.
Both drivers left Zwartkops with unfinished business – and plenty of promise – heading into the business end of the season.
Mini MAX: The Kaiyamo Brothers Gain Ground in Giant Field
In the fiercely contested Mini MAX category, which saw an enormous 35-kart grid descend on Zwartkops, TGRJA’s Namibian duo of Mandume and Nande Kaiyamo embraced their steepest challenge to date.
Nande showed early strength by breaking into the top 20 during qualifying – no small feat in such a talent-laden class. He maintained a clean and strategic approach across both Pre-Finals and secured a berth in the final, where he fought to a hard-earned 19th place after a chaotic race with multiple incidents.
Mandume faced a tougher path after a lower qualifying position but kept his head down and showed real tenacity in navigating his way up the order. A string of consistent finishes saw him complete the event just outside the top 25, valuable experience banked in a class that demands maturity and mental strength.
Though not in contention for top honours, the Kaiyamo brothers made tangible progress, demonstrating the developmental value of the TGRJA programme even in the most competitive fields.
Leadership in Focus: Poulter Reflects on African Open Success
Team Principal Leeroy Poulter, himself a former RMC Grand Finals winner, had high praise for his young charges after an intense weekend of racing:
“We saw some phenomenal performances this weekend. Jason was flawless, and it’s incredible to have one of our drivers already heading to Bahrain. Kent and Georgia both showed real grit in a tough Senior field, and while Emma and Tshepang didn’t get the results they deserved, their speed was undeniable. This is what the African Open is all about, high-pressure racing, and our team stepped up.”
Eyes Ahead: Championship Momentum Builds
With the African Open concluded, attention now shifts to the penultimate round of the South African Rotax MAX Challenge – set to return to Zwartkops in August. Armed with fresh data, bolstered confidence, and podium momentum, TGRJA’s rising stars will be focused on converting raw speed into national points and securing more tickets to the Grand Finals.
If the African Open is anything to go by, the Toyota Gazoo Racing Junior Academy remains one of South Africa’s foremost proving grounds for karting talent – and their story is only just beginning.
