Challenging Weekend, But Team Maintains Standings

press release

Team5150R enjoyed further success at the fourth round of the 2009 Queensland ProKart Endurance Championships despite a number of setbacks and technical challenges.

After finishing 3rd at what was effectively their ‘home’ race meeting, the team headed to the 4th round of the Queensland ProKart series optimistic of another strong result.

In Round 3 of the Queensland series, ‘home’ to Team5150R as it was held at the circuit of team sponsors South Burnett Kart Hire in Nanango, 2 hours north-west of Brisbane, the team demonstrated sensational form in qualifying on pole and led all but the last hour of the 6 hour event.

In what was the first day-night race of the ProKart season, Team5150R ultimately finished in 3rd place after a pit-lane infringement during refuelling saw them  serve a drive-thru penalty; ultimately finishing 22 seconds behind the winning entry from Adrenalin Rush Karting.

This result and testing pace prior to the event meant Team5150R headed to Round 4 of the Queensland Series at Willowbank Raceway confident of another strong result.

This confidence was further boosted by the news that multiple karting champion Matthew Brabham would join the team for their assault on the 4th round of the Queensland Championship, held at Ipswich’s Willowbank Raceway last weekend.

Above: Matthew Brabham at the wheel of the #51 kart

With the #50 kart qualifying 3rd, the team started the race and despite initially challenging for and maintaining 2nd position early in the event, settled into 3rd and maintained that position throughout the first half of the race.

Despite brake failure in qualifying which saw the #51 kart unable to post a qualifying lap, the team was running strongly in the top half of the field until further brake system difficulties necessitated a lengthy trip to pitlane for repairs.

Despite the challenges presented by these failures, the team worked to enact repairs and rejoined the race in an effort to maximise their finishing position and retain as many championship points as possible.

The nature of endurance racing is such that despite their early challenges and the lengthy pitstop that ensued, Team5150R continued to climb the leaderboard once they’d rejoined the race.

Above: Anthony Goulding finding the limit of Kart #50

Despite a chain breaking in the last 45 minutes of the 9-hour race, Team5150R finished a credible 14th and retained their 2nd place in “B” division of the Queensland series.

With both Team5150R karts in the Top 10 of the Queensland Series, the team remains focused on securing a strong result in the next round at Raleigh, on the central coast of New South Wales in Round 5 of the Queensland series which is also combined with Round 2 of the ProKart Australian Endurance Kart Championship.

With both karts placed in the Top 10 of the Queensland series and well within reach of the leaders in the National Championship, the team is exerting every effort in their preparation for the race at Raleigh, which is the premiere event of the ProKart series – a 24 hour race at Raleigh International Raceway – where a strong result should find both karts back in the Top 5 of both the Queensland and National Championships.

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