Superkart Nats, Qual 1 Report

press release

The opening qualifying session of the www.artmotorsport.com.au Australian Superkart Championship has taken place at the Eastern Creek Raceway round of the Shannons National Motor Racing Championships with Warren McIlveen leading a very tight group at the front of the field.

McIlveen, driving the Soundy's Electrical/Mac's Marine Stockman-Honda recorded a 1:30.3992 to be fastest at the first session of the weekend. McIlveen though believes there is more to come in the handling while McIlveen experiments with tyre brands, setting the time on Dunlops.

Yianni Harpas is just three hundredths of a second slower at 1:30.4235 in the Internode/Metaplanners/Davtec supported Zip-BRC. The South Australian student though did say he only got one clean lap in before the kart dropped engine power, losing around 7 kilometres and hour down the long front straight. Series points leader Sam Zavaglia is just a single hundredth further away at 1:30.4336. Like McIlveen he too is experimental with tyres and finding balance hard to achieve. Reigning series champion Darren Hossack completes the remarkably close leading quartet, at 1:30.4667. Like his opponents Hossack finds himself chasing speed. The closeness of the four setting up a tantalising pole position battle for early this afternoon.

Gary Pegoraro in the leading RMR Superkarts Anderson-FPE is eight tenths behind Hossack and seized his engine during the session with only one quick lap recorded. A quick repair and time still to come. Shane Price is sixth fastetst havving had a water hose let go during the session. By contrast, Anton Stevens is pleased with his pace in the www.artmotorsport.com.au PVP to be sitting in seventh position heading into the second qualifying session.

Also pleased with progress is Stephen Castles, returning to form in the Top Torque Engines Stockman-Honda, turning around after a miserable weekend at Mallala. Colin McIntyre believes he has another second to find in the second of the RMR Superkarts Anderson-FPEs in ninth position after his engine problems yesterday with Kristian Stebbing in the Suburban Accounting Stockman-Honda.

Of those drivers embroiled in the championship fight, Ilya Harpas limped into 11th position with a broken gearbox, and he's looking for a big improvement in the second session.

In the 125cc division, Jeff Reed in the Telgrit Stockman-Honda took leads the field recording a 1:39.1559. After leaving Mallala some distance behind Steven Tamasi in the points Reed was very happy to be back on top this morning, especially after nipping the cylinder in his RS Honda engine yesterday. Tamasi, with his repaired engine qualified third fastest, although 1.3 seconds slower is running conservatively at this stage. Brad Stebbing, the 2008 125cc champ is second fastest in the Suburban Accounting Stockman-Yamaha, having cured the misfire that turned Mallala into a pointless exercise. John Pellicano and Mick Bakker are snapping at the front-runners heels.

The second qualifying session is about to begin at 1:00pm, to be followed at 3:00pm by the first race of the weekend.

Home