Namibian karter Russell Josephat made a strong statement in his Micro Max debut in the Namibian National Championship Leg 1 opening, held at Tony Rust Racetrack on Saturday.
Stepping up from the Bambino class, where he competed in 2024 and became the Bambino Champion, Russell showcased his aptitude against a competitive field, securing a hat-trick of podiums to claim first place overall on the day.
Russel set the tone early in the event with an impressive qualifying session, securing first place on the grid. He showed class and pure talent in the first heat, holding his ground against fierce competition to cross the line in first place. Building on his strong start, the eight-year-old stepped up his performance in heat 2, engaging in a thrilling battle to secure a hard-earned first place finish. The day’s final heat saw yet another intense contest, with Russell again proving his consistency by leading a first place up until the sixth lap where it was red flagged due to an accident on the track.
His collective efforts across the three races earned him a well-deserved overall podium, a remarkable achievement in his first race at this level.
Russell’s performance at Tony Rust marks the beginning of an exciting 2025 campaign, during which he will compete in the South African Rotax Max Challenge and Northern Regions Kart Championships in South Africa. His debut in Micro Max has undoubtedly signalled his potential as a rising star in the karting scene, and he will be looking to build on this momentum in the coming rounds.
Reacting to the win on Saturday, his mentor and trainer JP Josephat said he was happy with the way he performed, adding that it took a lot of practice, to achieve such a remarkable performance.
“I am happy with his performance, he showed he is different and destined for greater heights. This is just our beginning, but we have made a huge statement already achieving all these on our debut.”
I think our previous performance in South Africa gave us a huge advantage, we didn’t do well there but seems like we gained so much experience which gave us an upper hand, he added.
-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na