Spanish Adventure For Aussie Karters This Weekend

AKA press release

As Australia’s motorsport stars converge on the United Arab Emirates for this week’s round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series in Bahrain, six aspiring karters have headed to Spain for an adventure of their own.

The karting stars, from Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, will form two teams racing under the banner of the Remo Racing Australia Team to fly the Aussie flag in the IAME International Karting Challenge at the Alcañiz International Circuit in Spain this weekend.

Above: Adam Hughes will be racing in Spain this weekend
pic - photowagon.com.au

Australia’s contingent of drivers will be led by Australian karting stalwart Remo Luciani – who was instrumental during the formative years of current V8 Supercar Championship leader Jamie Whincup’s career – as they challenge 26 teams from 13 countries in the Event.

All teams will compete aboard identical FA Victory karts, designed by two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso, powered by a 125cc Leopard X30 engine in a pair of three-hour endurance races across the weekend around the Spanish circuit.

“The IAME International Challenge provides the opportunity for drivers to experience an overseas Event without the huge costs which is normally associated with it,” said Luciani, the Australian importer of the IAME kart engine.

Above: Grant Smith is one of several drivers from Victoria to be racing in the IAME International Challenge
pic - photowagon.com.au

“The drivers that have been selected for the 2008 challenge come from a variety of regions across the country and include some of the top level drivers who have regularly been front runners in Australian karting.

“Over the years I’ve seen a lot of talent come through the ranks of Australian karting and I’m proud to be able to offer a group of young karters the opportunity to race against drivers from all across the world on equal equipment. This is one Event where true talent and teamwork will shine brightly.”

Australia’s six-driver, two team, line-up consists of Ryan Sanderson (Gold Coast, Qld), Adam Hughes (Melbourne, Vic), Grant Smith (Melbourne, Vic), John Grother (Gladstone, Qld), Lee Mitchener (Melbourne, Vic) and Brett Fortanier (Adelaide, SA).

Sanderson has finished runner-up in the National and Queensland Championships in Leopard Light already in 2008 and Hughes has been a standout performer throughout Victoria.

Smith, a two-time Australian junior champion, was selected on the back of his impressive performances following his graduation into the senior ranks last year, during which he was the runner-up in the 2007 Victorian Toyota IAME Leopard Series.

Mitchener has competed for two years in a row at every Victorian Toyota IAME Leopard Series Round and the Leopard Final Shootout. The Victorian has been loyal and supportive to the Leopard class.

Grother and Fortanier won their respective state series’ during 2007. Grother secured the Queensland Championship at Rockhampton earlier this year while Fortanier will become the first South Australian driver to compete in an overseas karting event for many years.

Last year’s inaugural IAME International Challenge was won by a Canadian team with the Australian trio of Kevin Millard (Vic), Rick Pringle(Vic) and Michael Goss(WA) finishing fourth. Australia’s other team of David Sera, Kel Treseder and Ben Walter was classified 30th after being involved in a pair of incidents in each of the races.

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