Stoner Gets The Karting Bug

AKA press release

Australian MotoGP star Casey Stoner swapped his handlebars for a steering wheel when he climbed aboard a racing kart at Australia’s newest kart track near Murray Bridge in South Australia on Thursday.

Stoner, the 2007 MotoGP World Champion, adapted to the characteristics of the Australian-made Monaco kart, which was powered by a 125cc Leopard engine, quickly around the 1020-metre circuit.

pic - copyright Ash Budd, Kart Racing Magazine / photowagon.com.au

“I’ve been really happy with the Monaco Kart and Leopard engine package, I’ve tested it once before and for me it is a heck of a lot of fun, it’s easy to drive and extremely reliable,” said Stoner.

“We’d fill it up with fuel and it goes and goes and goes which allows me to concentrate on my driving rather than worrying about the tuning and all the other things.

“I did a handful of laps in a kart when I was about ten years old but since then I haven’t been in a real racing kart, only some four stroke hire karts which are a long way from the real deal.”

Above: Stoner was totally hands on. Here he does a wheel alignment with a Sniper laser system
pic - copyright Ash Budd, Kart Racing Magazine / photowagon.com.au

The 23 year-old was tutored throughout the day by Australian karting icon Remo Luciani, who was suitably impressed by Stoner’s ability to transfer the knowledge of his two-wheeled machines into a kart.

“Even though today was a relaxed fun day for Casey he was amazingly methodical and thorough in his feedback regarding set up changes and how the kart works,” said Luciani, who has won six Australian and 48 State Championships during his 25-year karting career.

“There wasn’t a session that he didn’t ask for something to be altered so he could feel what affect the change made to the characteristics of the kart.

Stoner expects that now he has caught the karting bug that he won’t be a stranger to kart circuits around the world in the future.

“It is very nice to go around with Remo and set the kart up and learn everything these karts can do,” said Stoner.

“Remo has been the greatest help imaginable, he has been willing to travel hours to come and spend the day setting this kart up for me and help me out to test and really introduce me to this scene that I’ve been wanting to get involved in for a while.

“Remo’s definitely been the guy to keep interested and has taught me everything that I know at the moment (about karting).

“Karting wise I’m planning to maybe do some racing in the future to hone my skills on four wheels and see how we go.”

Stoner’s focus will now turn towards regaining the World MotoGP Championship with pre-season testing being held at Sepang in Malaysia next week.

“I’ve been training very hard and people don’t realise you really do need to put in a heck of a lot of effort into fitness for all forms of racing, it is certainly very tough on the world series and you have always got to be on top of your game,” said Stoner.

The opening round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship will be held in Qatar on April 12.

The next major Event on the Australian Karting Calendar is the Victorian Open Sprint Kart Championships to be held at the Hume International Raceway in Puckapunyal on February 13-15.

AUSTRALIAN KARTING ASSOCIATION EVENTS IN FEBRUARY

NEW SOUTH WALES
1 Come and Try Day Forbes
1 Lismore
1 Sapphire
8 Practice/OLT's/Come and Try Day NSW Speedway
8 Orange
8 Club Championship-Round 1 Port Macquarie
15 Coffs Harbour
15 Dubbo
15 Sydney Kart Racing Club
15 Club Day Wagga
21/22 Southern Zone Round 1 Canberra
21/22 Combined Districts
21 Come and Try Day Central Coast Speedway
21 Inter Club Challenge Tamworth
22 Practice Day Central Coast Speedway
22 Round 1 NSW Speedway
28/Mar 1 PSC Round 1 Newcastle
28 Manning Valley

QUEENSLAND
1 Gold Coast
1 Fraser
1 Towers
7 Gladstone
7-8 Tech School Southern Zone
8 Anniversary Meet Rockhampton
8 Cooloola Coast
8 Warwick
14 Club Champs Rd 1 Townsville
14-15 Tech School Central Zone
15 Toowoomba
21 Mt Isa
21 Mackay
21-22 Tech School Northern Zone
22 Mack Trucks Challenge Bundaberg
23 Gold Coast
28 Townsville

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
1 Twilight Meeting Mt Gambier
1 Open Meeting Southern
14 Rod Gardner/Doug Liddle Barossa
21 February meeting Broken Hill
28 Junior Showdown Mt Gambier

TASMANIA
1 Young Guns LKC
22 Graffiti Busters Club Titles Rnd 1 – State Closed Titles STKC

VICTORIA
7 Officials training – Bendigo
8 Officials training – Melbourne
13/14/15 Victorian Open Championships Eastern Lions
21/22 Australian Masters Games Geelong/VKA
22 Closed Club Day (optional) (All Clubs)

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
14/15 Clubrun Weekend
21 Western Cup Series Round 1 Bunbury
28/Mar 1 South Eastern Zone Series Round 1 Albany

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