Horsepower Racing Triumph in ‘Eastern Creek 9 Hour’
press release
The # 777 Horsepower Racing team took out the winning spoils at Eastern Creek International Karting Raceway over the weekend in the ‘Eastern Creek 9 Hour’ that was the opening rounds of the 2011 Track Safety supported ProKart Australia National and New South Wales Endurance Kart Championships.
The competitors had to battle with a range of mixed weather conditions and it certainly created plenty of challenges, but at the fall of the chequered flag it was the # 777 Horsepower Racing team that emerged on top.
Above: Covered in mud and track grime, the winning 777 Horsepower Racing machine makes it's way towards the win.
The winner was only decided in the closing stages after the # 777 Horsepower Racing team moved by long-time leaders the # 3 KW Racing team in what was a fantastic battle and it kicked off 2011 in the best possible fashion for the Cyclo Automotive Chemicals supported team.
“We had a bit of luck on our side, but the reliability of our kart and the constant hard work of our team were the keys to our success,” commented Nathan Peick from the # 777 Horsepower Racing team. “Our team decided to start the race on slick tyres in the wet, however it didn’t work in our favour, so after an hour we had to pit and swap tyres. After the three hour mark we had to replace one of our mufflers and that cost us some extra time in pit lane, but we managed to have dream run throughout the morning through to the finish and we were rewarded with victory.”
The newly formed # 3 KW Racing team showed that they’re going to be strong contenders this year in both the National and NSW Championships. Although they were deeply disappointed to miss out on making a victorious start to the year, second place was where they finished and it’s certainly given them a good foundation to work from for the remainder of the year.
Above: 2nd placed KW Racing team
Another team that had a bit of luck on their side was the # 21 Walkos Racing team. After they had not qualified due to suffering a broken wheel nut at the beginning of the session and they therefore had to start from the back of the 32 team strong grid, Walkos Racing were another team that took the gamble and remained on slick tyres for the entire race. Apart from losing quite a lot of time in the pits, they also suffered had a chain jump off, but they had also suffered a broken muffler when they had worked their way up to third in what was a strong recovering from the earlier broken chain drama. The second half of the race brought some much needed fortune to Walkos Racing and they were able to charge their way back through the field once again and in the closing laps moved one spot shy of the podium in fourth place. Walkos Racing managed to fight their way onto the podium when they moved into third place over the # 66 Team Kaos only a handful of laps from the finish.
Behind the podium finishes, which consisted of winners # 777 Horsepower Racing, second placed # 3 KW Racing and third placed # 21 Walkos Racing, were # 66 Team Kaos and another new team in # 18 Team Raleigh in fourth and fifth place respectively.
Above: Walkos Racing had a black & gold JPS style livery - not that you can really see it!
One of the front running Queensland based outfits, # 50 Team 5150R, made their debut with a brand-new, never been tested, Endurance Kart for the event and despite the struggles, which included a tyre gamble with slicks that didn’t pay off, they managed to fight their way through to finish inside the Top 10 in eighth place. This was a result that the team was pleased with considering the circumstances and it certainly fills them with added confidence for the future.
The next events on the 2011 calendar for ProKart Australia include; the opening round of the Queensland Championship on Saturday, March 5 at Ipswich Kart Track, along with the second round of the NSW Championship on Sunday, March 12 at Fairbairn Park Raceway (Canberra, A.C.T), and the second round of the National Championship on Sunday, June 12 for the ’Ipswich 24 Hour’ event at the Ipswich Kart Track.
A complete rundown of the ‘Eastern Creek 9 Hour’ results can be found at www.mylaps.com
For further information about the ‘Eastern Creek 9 Hour’ or ProKart Australia visit: prokart.racertv.com.au
