Preview: Australian Superkart Championship

press release

The Australian Superkart Championship is just three weeks away now, with the 2010 season promising the best of seasons past and the excitement of the new and untested.

The Championship, which already boasts a near record number of pre-registrations, kicks off on Friday April 30 at Phillip Island.  The famous Victorian circuit returns to the championship after a year away.  "Phillip Island will be very interesting," said 2009 Australian Superkart champion Sam Zavaglia.  "While handling is not the most critical factor for the most part of the circuit, horsepower and reliability should play the biggest card."

Round 2 of the championship will be all new and, like the Phillip Island round, will take place on the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships calendar.  After over a decade away the Championship will return to Queensland and take place at the newly lengthened Morgan Park Raceway at Warwick on the Darling Downs from August 14 to 16. 

Morgan Park "is going to throw a spanner in the works for the 2010 championship," Zavaglia said.  "Being a new circuit there will be very little test data available and the circuit makes for mostly tight and twisty corners ... if the championship is going down to the wire, the tight circuit may just bring out some of the best and most exciting on track racing for the finale."  Zavaglia said he hopes to have one or two tests of the circuit himself before the national round.

A third event on the calendar is planned to bring back the non-Gearbox Nationals after the title did not take place in 2009.  That meeting is set for May 29-30 at Mallala Motor Sport Park in South Australia.

This championship season will have an international flavor with two World Superkart Champions making the trip to Phillip Island. 

Trevor Roberts, the 1995 champion from Northern Ireland, will race a Sam Zavaglia Racing Stockman-Yamaha.  Roberts is in great form, having won Race 2 of the European Superkart Championship two weeks ago at Silverstone in England.  Roberts "is fearsome and only races to win," said Zavaglia, "so he expects his equipment to be of that standard.  For that I am going to ensure his package is the best power package I can provide and most of all reliability to ensure his long journey is not made in vain." 

Poul Peterson, World Champion in 1985 and 1988 and constructor of PVP Karting, will be travelling from Denmark to Australia to race one of his own PVP designs.

Who is looking good this season?  Reigning champion Zavaglia said of the chief contenders to his throne, "Gary Pegararo should have more power and reliability as will both the Harpas's [brothers Ilya and Yianni] with updates from BRC ... Carlo [Chermaz] will have his new PVP/PVP equipment from Europe all sorted and proven fast while Warren McIlveen's equipment should also deliver a very competitive result for 2010.  Add to that, the SAFE outfit and a few others with upgrades over summer for the 250 twin category, it's looking very tough and exciting when Phillip Island comes round, in fact the most exciting build up I can ever remember to date in Australia."

Home