Motorsport Buzz Continues In Goulburn Valley

AKA press release

Last weekend it was the V8 Supercar drivers that provided the Goulburn Valley region with its Motorsport fix, this weekend it is Australia’s top kart racers who will take over the region to contest the Victorian Karting Championships.

Over 400 competitors will converge on the region as the stars of tomorrow take to the Hume International Raceway across the three-day Event, which kicks off with qualifying on Friday, to chase Championship glory.

It is events like this weekend’s that drivers such as Jamie Whincup, Mark Winterbottom, Garth Tander and Rick Kelly starred at during the late 1990s before going onto make their way towards stardom in the V8 Supercar Championship.

With karts racing within centimetres of each other at speeds in excess of 100 km/h it is no surprise to hear Whincup, the defending V8 Supercar Champion, say “some of the best races of my career were during my karting days.”

This year’s Championships, originally scheduled for February 13-15 but postponed due to the tragic bushfires that devastated the region, will be one of the largest karting meetings held in Australia during 2009.

With 15 categories across a variety of engine capacities, ages and weights the Championships will see people of all ages, both males and females, competing on the 1064-metre circuit.

One of the drivers to have travelled the furthest for the Championships is Cairns’ Chelsea Holman. The fast femme has been a strong performer in the Junior National Heavy class over the past few years and she enters this weekend high in confidence following a victory at a race meeting in Lismore, New South Wales last weekend.

Victorian drivers such as recently crowned National Champions David Sera and Matthew Wall along with Ryan Sanderson, Adam Hughes and Bart Price are all expected to figure prominently at this weekend’s Event.

Sanderson, who won the opening round of the Victorian All Stars Series recently, is aiming to break through for his second State Championship this weekend. He will be competing in the 100cc Clubman Light and 125cc Leopard Light categories.

“For the last few years I’ve played the bridesmaid to Dave (Sera) or his cousin James at major events across the country, I think I’ve finished second on five or six occasions, I’m hoping to be able to break this trend at the weekend,” said Sanderson.

“When I first started my career Jamie (Whincup) was the star of the show at Puckapunyal and everyone looked up to him. I’ve won a couple of major events at the track but never a State or National Championship, hopefully this year is my year.”

Qualifying for the Championships will begin on Friday followed by Heat Races on Saturday and the Championship Finals on Sunday.

The Hume International Raceway is one of the best in the country and is located eight kilometres from Seymour. In 2004 the venue played host to the National Championships and this weekend’s Event will act as a precursor to next year’s Nationals that will be contested at the venue.

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