The fourth and final round of the SA Rotax Max Challenge 2011, South Africa's biggest karting series, takes place at the Zwartkops Raceway outside Pretoria on October 1 and 2.

And with the winning drivers in each of the Rotax categories securing a birth in the World finals in Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates on November 23-27, the battles for supremacy are going to be stupendous.

Less than one point separates the protagonists at the top of the points table in the country's fastest kart class, the Rotax DD2 gearbox class. Gauteng's Eugene Britz and KZN's Luca Canderle are locked in battle for that all important slot in the World Finals in late November, an opportunity that has been traditionally put to excellent use by South African karters in the

11 global events that have been run so far.

It was way back in 2000 that Gavin Cronje became the first South African to win a world karting championship, and several South Africans have followed in his tyre tracks since then.

The latest is Caleb Williams, who won the (non gearbox) Max Challenge World finals last year, and currently this talented Gauteng driver is in third place in the DD2 championships, with many fans expecting him to pull a rabbit out the hat and book his seat to World Finals for the third year in a row.

Shau Mafuna lies fourth behind these three drivers and if anyone hits trouble in the series of races that make up the final round at Zwartkops, Mafuna could well find himself in a handy position.

Other drivers in with a chance – on paper at least – are Nicholas Verheul, the extremely quick woman driver Fabienne Lanz, and former World Max Challenge champion Christiano Morgado. This last-mentioned driver from KZN could really upset the apple cart (should that read " apple- kart"?) as he was a late entry to this year's title race but is definitely a potential winner on the first weekend of October.

In Senior Max Challenge, Arnold Neveling is a former Euro Champion, who leads the 2011 points table, but just one point ahead of Chad van Beurden. In fact Van Beurden has been the form man in the past couple of events, and the tussle between these two will be fascinating. In third spot is Ryan Frost, always a threat at Zwartkops, and like the two championship leaders, also hails from Gauteng. KZN's Mathew Swanepoel battled to find consistancy at his "home round" at the Idube Raceway in August, but, like fifth-placed Mitchel Licen, also from KZN, he'll be a threat for overall honours. Chad MacIver from Gauteng currently lies sixth, but still within striking distance if the top runners hit trouble, and speed-wise he could well spring a surprise.

In Junior Max, there have been some torrid races between championship leader Aston Hare (Gauteng) and Luke Herring from Cape Town. Hare leads the championship by just six points from Cape Town's Eugene Denyssen, and betting men might well place their money on Eugene, as in recent races he has been the model of speed and consistancy. Herring lies third just a point adrift of Denyssen, while in fourth spot, and some 30 points adrift of the title chase leader is Chad Daniel (WP). Julian van der Watt and Shayur Harpal make up the top six contenders.

In the Maxterino class for drivers 13-years-old and younger, few punters would bet against KZN's Clinton Bezyidenhout from taking the 2011 title. However, one youngster out to prove everyone wrong is Gauteng's Daygin Prescott, who has shown that when he is on form he has the speed to win. Chayse Augustus from KZN and Nicholas Thompson from WP are right in there with the top runners, as is the petite female driver, Neha Harpal, who has surprised everyone with her speed and aggression in 2011. Rounding out the top six runners in this highly competitive feeder-class for the Rotax series is Henry Bam from Cape Town.

The winning driver in the DD2, Senior Max Challenge and Junior Max Challenge classes will go on to represent South Africa in the World Finals in Al Ain on November 23-27. Rotax, the Austrian engine manufacturer who sponsors this amazing series, provides brand new engines and chassis for each of the 262 drivers competing in this year's event, with the latest reports stating that some 62 countries will be represented. The Rotax World Finals is far and away the biggest karting event in the world and globally over 60 000 Rotax engines have been sold to competitors since 1999.