Cape Town youngster Reese Koorzen quite literally dominated the Western Province Junior Max class in a debut season that will go down in the record books.
AMONGST THE GREATS
Many a young talent has passed through the WPMC Karting Section over the years, most of whom have gone on to represent their country at karting World Finals and in some cases even rubbed shoulders with the very best drives in the world be it in single-seaters, saloon cars or sports car.
Most of these professional drivers at some point in their early careers competed in a Junior karting category and more often than not, took some time to hone their skills and climb to the top of the Junior karting ladder.
In the case of Reese Koorzen, he threw most of that out the window as he embarked on an incredible debut Junior Max season, winning no less than 22 out of the 24 races he entered in 2022. You would need to dig rather deep to find out when last a feat of such proportions was achieved.
A TALENT TO BEHOLD
Reese is an incredibly talented young racing driver. He may not have competed in a full National campaign this past season, but one tends to feel that if he had, we would probably be watching him do battle at a World Final this week.
Reese sewed up the Western Province Junior Max title some time back, but we are more interested in what 2023 holds for this young superstar with the anticipation of a full National season.
Rather than hearing it from us, we decided to get hold of a man who knows what he is talking about in Mark Williams. Mark has played an important role in Reese’s career and knows a thing or two when it comes to spotting talent from a young age.
FROM THE HORSES MOUTH
MARK WILLIAMS – GMP PERFORMANCE
As Reese’s coach, engine builder and tuner, at the beginning of 2022, I recommended to Mark Koorzen that he consider moving Reese up to Junior Max from Mini Max. As Reese had only just missed winning the 2020 SA Championship in Micro Max by 1 point, Mark was keen to keep him in another year to have another go at it and was a little reluctant but I convinced him to at least consider it. My primary motivation was that Reese performs better when out of his comfort zone. Since the majority of his local competition in Cape Town was moving up, I told his dad that Reese would not have enough competition to keep him focused on Mini Max. He decided to accept my recommendation and duly entered Reese into the Junior Category for 2022. Reese shocked everyone except me. I knew he would be fast, and he was proper fast! Reese took the challenge to the very experienced and accomplished Snr Max field in Cape Town in his Junior Max, and was taking pole positions and wins in his stride. Reese is a unique young man in that he requires pressure to perform at his best. I am impressed with him as a driver and honoured to have been a part of his incredible success.
We have to agree with Mark Williams there.
Reese truly is a special talent and one can only wait in anticipation for what 2023 and beyond holds for this youngster. With the right backing and support, he truly could one day be a household name on the international racing scene. You heard it here first.