Girl Power At Monarto: Qualifying at Sth Australian Championships
AKA press release
Fast paced action during qualifying at Dunlop South Australian karting championships
These days more and more females are taking the challenge to the boys at their own game in the world of motorsport.
Above: A group of the girls who will be competing in this weekend's South Australian karting championships
pic - KartX/Carruthers
Led by American IndyCar star Danica Patrick and Australian Leanne Tander, the female brigade are continuing to make their presence felt on the race track.
At this weekend’s Dunlop South Australian karting championships at Monarto, just outside of Murray Bridge, there’s a group of eight girls who have traded their hair straighteners for steering wheels in a quest for motorsport glory.
Pasadena youngster Holly Marquis (right, KartX/Carruthers pic) is flying the female flag for the locals in this weekend’s event. The Junior Scotch College Year Six student has been racing for just over a year now and this weekend will be the biggest event that she has competed in.
“I’m a little bit nervous ahead of the weekend, it’s the first time that I’ve raced at a state championship but I’ll just be going out there and do the best I can,” said Marquis.
“When I put the helmet on it doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl, I just consider everyone on the track as another racer and want to be faster than them.”
While the championship victory is the ultimate goal for the weekend the 12 year-old says that the best thing about the sport is being able to go out and have run while meeting new people from all across the country.
Marquis may just be starting her karting career, Western Australian Deb Clark is a ten year veteran who competes in the Clubman Over 40s category.
For Clark, the sport isn’t about having career aspirations in the world of motorsport but more so having the opportunity to compete in a sport that can be enjoyed by the entire family.
“I’ve been racing for ten years now and during that time my husband and two kids have also raced, it’s been a great sport for all of us. It has certainly brought us together as a family,” said Clark, who hails from the mining town of Karratha.
“When I first started, for sure it was about beating the boys but now it’s all about being the best that I can be no matter who I’m racing against.”
Qualifying for the championships was contested today at the Monarto Karting Complex. Racing will continue tomorrow ahead of the championship finals on Sunday.
Above: Victorian Josh De Maio topped the times in Rotax Light
pic - KartX/Carruthers
Above: South Australian Ben Edwards qualified fastest in the Leopard Light category.
pic - KartX/Carruthers
More than 250 entries have been received for this weekend’s championships across a total of across 14 categories catering for a variety of ages, weights and engine capacities with competitors ranging in age from seven to well into their fifties.
2010 DUNLOP SOUTH AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Qualifying Results – Top Five
Midgets
1. Brock Kenny 52.098
2. Cooper Murray 52.127
3. Alexander Peroni 52.128
4. Thomas Hughes 52.215
5. Chase Wooley 52.219
Rookies
1. Tyler Morrison 50.897
2. Rhya Wooley 50.935
3. Reece Sidebottom 50.986
4. Zane Morse 50.989
5. Jaidyn Job 51.070
Junior National Light
1. Luke Marquis 49.807
2. Joseph Burton-Harris 49.825
3. Jake Spokes 49.864
4. Bradley Jenner 49.871
5. Jake Klein 49.976
Junior National Heavy
1. Jordan Nicolaou 50.558
2. Todd Hazelwood 50.586
3. Nicholas Rowe 50.811
4. Jake Spokes 50.843
5. Thomas Allen 50.847
Junior Clubman
1. Joseph Mawson 46.203
2. Simon Hodge 46.239
3. Todd Hazelwood 46.332
4. Bradley Weaire 46.408
5. Aidan Wright 46.410
Formula JMA
1. Joseph Mawson 45.041
2. Justin Francis 45.509
3. Matthew Smith 45.571
4. George Gutierrez 45.592
5. Anton De Pasquale 45.682
Clubman Light
1. Matthew Panella 46.328
2. Chris Hays 46.480
3. Cian Fothergill 46.490
4. Trent Grubel 46.582
5. Aaron Wilamowski 46.590
Clubman Heavy
1. Remo Luciani 47.171
2. Leigh Cocker 47.203
3. Shayne Piper 47.231
4. Leigh Nicolaou 47.249
5. Lee Mitchener 47.457
Clubman Super Heavy
1. Josh Brooker 48.201
2. Blake Mooney 48.251
3. Danny Errigo 48.424
4. Scott Simpson 48.500
5. Scott Ferguson 48.687
Clubman Over 40’s
1. Trevor Whitby 47.613
2. Michael Yeo 47.621
3. Stephen Blee 47.680
4. Simon Layne 47.782
5. Remo Luciani 47.943
Leopard Light
1. Ben Edwards 44.576
2. John Grother 44.686
3. Matthew McRae 44.705
4. Adam Marjoram 44.734
5. Royce Nott 44.735
Leopard Heavy
1. Lee Mitchener 45.475
2. Scott Taylor 45.483
3. Michael Griffiths 45.502
4. Paul Pittam 45.586
5. Tim Barnes 45.592
Rotax Light
1. Joshua De Maio 45.055
2. Adam Lindstrom 45.091
3. Dean Whittome 45.313
4. Macauley Jones 45.313
5. Luke Baldry 45.519
Rotax Heavy
1. Blake Mooney 45.832
2. Paul Rodgers 45.945
3. Rick Pringle 45.975
4. Daniel Tooby 46.189
5. Ross Miller 46.346
