Superkart Nationals - Phillip Island Paddock Gossip

from Mark Jones

A bumper entry of 47 Superkarts, travelling from five states and including three international entries have arrived at Phillip Island for the opening round of the Dunlop Australian Superkart Championship at the third round of the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships. It is the largest field of Superkarts assembled for a national championship round since 2007.

The first day of the meeting has been remarkably trouble-free for the Superkarts, with everyone tuning for the beginning of qualifying, everyone that is except for Sam Zavaglia. The reigning champion spent the day working on tuning the kart of his guest, Trevor Roberts. The team struggled initially to find a set-up that works for both Roberts and the Stockman chassis, Zavaglia's '09 Championship winning kart.

"We tried to set the SZR / Demon Tweeks Stockman up like an Anderson, but it just didn't work," said Zavaglia. Zavaglia is itching to be out on the track himself. For his part Roberts is plainly enjoying himself. Sam Zavaglia Racing's third kart, the 125 raced this weekend by Stephen Castles also spent a lot of time on the sidelines.

Across the garage Warren McIlveen is flying. After two lean years the most decorated racer in Australian Superkarting is right back on the pace today. The smile and the quiet confidence and the rumours of the Soundy's Tamworth Stockman approaching lap record pace, gives one visions of a crocodile, just waiting for the dorian timers to be switched on.

Set-up across from the sparkling Dunlop Motorsport marquee local front runners Gary Pegoraro in the Dunlop / BRC Engines Anderson and Darren Hossack in the Safe Evolutions Anderson are working down to their times, sorting through the usual opening day niggles. Hossack though is forecasting plenty to come, he has not raced his Anderson since the '09 Championship wrapped.

"I know where we're at right now," said Hossack. "We've still got a lot of potential pace to come considering we're a team that only races twice a year."

Amongst the flood of Queensland teams, returning European Championship series racer Carlo Chermaz is struggling with handling with his European Championship spec Buildersmile Construction PVP, although has plenty of power in a straight line. Chermaz is also fresh from hospital after his latest arm operation from a work site injury three years ago and reporting the most comfortable his elbow has been in all that time. Sharing the same garage Danish legend Poul Petersen damaged a cylinder in early running in the Smash Solutions PVP but was running strongly again in the afternoon, while Jason Smith in his fresh from Europe Fuji Zerox / Zahl 1 Kartin Anderson-FPE was searching for taller gears to get down the long straight. It's Smith's first drive of Phillip Island and the kart has only raced previously at Morgan Park and some test laps at Lakeside.

The South Australian crews are also working through some problems. There was feverish activity in the four kart Zip-BDH garage with a lot of tuning work underway on the two Harpas brothers Internode / Davtec Zip Eagles.

"We've been trying things out looking for impovements to the karts," said Illy Harpas. "But we've ended up going backwards. Mark Hanson's Phoenix Dental Laboratory Zip is really quick with a normal set-up so we're going to revert to that."

In the 250 Nationals Martin Latta looks impressively quick in his Viper Racing / Safe Evolutions Anderson, quickly getting down to his times from recent club days. 2009 season top pointscorer Matthew Palmer is likewise running cleanly in the newly expanded two kart Seaford Truck Refinishers team. The third international entry, New Zealander Wayne Sprostan is also setting good times in the Wilsons Auto Services / Wizzer Engines Stockman, although team mate Luke May, running a single cylinder Superkart in the Velocity Management Zip for the first time missed the midday session but was back for the third session.

Reigning 125 champ Steven Tamasi has been running strongly in the Domain Prestige Homes Stockman all day only to strike trouble after the session concluded with the engine failing to fire after the final session. Main championship rival in the Suburban Accounting Stockman Brad Stebbing is running smoothly. Most of the 125 field had very little to report although Brian Wild in the Wild 1 Racing Stockman missed the third session unable to start the kart. The kart was cured before they locked the gates on Friday night.

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