Tension Rises As Karters Eye Off CIK Prize
press release
Australia’s best kart racers have assembled for the final round of the 2011 CIK Stars of Karting Series presented by Castrol EDGE at Newcastle’s Mount Sugarloaf Raceway this weekend.
With the three Pro Championships – Pro Light (KF1), Pro Gearbox (KZ2) and Pro Junior (KF3) – set to go down to the wire the tension rose throughout today’s practice session as drivers searched to gain the upper hand on their competitors.
In the Pro Junior ranks, three drivers are in with a shot of placing their name alongside a number of Australian motorsport’s biggest names on the Jon Targett trophy awarded to the champion.
Reigning champion Pierce Lehane (Castle Hill, NSW) is leading the way by 27-points over fellow Sydneysider Joseph Mawson (Hinchenbrook, NSW). Perth’s Jake Klarich is one point further back.
The CRG driver was the fastest driver in four of the five Pro Junior sessions throughout the day to finish with the fastest time at the end of the today’s practice sessions.
“While there is a lot on the line, I’m trying not to think too much about the championship and simply treating the weekend as another race meeting,” said Lehane.
“I’ve had a good run today but it’s going to be very close across the weekend.”
In the Pro Light ranks today, it was defending champion Cian Fothergill (Gladstone, QLD) who set the pace as he chases his second consecutive James Courtney trophy.
With seven drivers within ten points of the championship lead in the chase for the John Pizarro trophy, teams are pulling out all stops to gain an advantage on their opposition.
Upstaging the championship contenders during today’s practice session was Queenslander (Sunshine Coast, QLD) Kyle Ensbey. The Top Kart pilot set the fastest time of the day, narrowly ahead of Macualey Jones (Albury, NSW) and David Sera (Narre Warren, Vic).
Along with the honour of being crowned champion in their respective category, the winning driver will also receive $10,000 for them to compete in an overseas CIK-FIA accredited event. *Conditions apply.
Also up for grabs this weekend is the Yamaha Challenge titles, where Lydon Dodge (Cairns, QLD) leads the way in the Clubman category and Stefan Stankovic (Padstow Heights, NSW) leads in the Junior National ranks.
An hour-long television package, focusing on this weekend’s championship decider, will be broadcast on SPEED (Foxtel 505) on November 3.
Qualifying and the heat races will be contested tomorrow ahead of the finals on Sunday. Admission is free for spectators.
The Mount Sugarloaf Karting circuit is located on the corner of George Booth Drive and Cameron Park Drive, Cameron Park (just west of Newcastle).
Above:
The three most prestigious trophies in Australian karting
pic - AF Images/Budd
2011 CIK Stars of Karting Series presented by Castrol EDGE
Round 5 of 5
Hosted by the North Shore Kart Club at Newcastle, NSW
RESULTS: Practice (Top Five Combined)
Pro Light (KF1)
1. Cian Fothergill 47.284
2. Jason Hryniuk 47.611
3. Adam Hughes 47.612
4. Aidan Wright 47.615
5. Matthew Waters 47.655
Pro Gearbox (KZ2)
1. Kyle Ensbey 47.640
2. Macauley Jones 47.676
3. David Sera 47.718
4. Matthew Wall 47.723
5. Jason Pringle 47.807
Pro Junior (KF3)
1. Pierce Lehane 48.250
2. Joseph Mawson 48.510
3. Jake Klarich 48.532
4. Jake Coleman 48.573
5. Brock Plumb 48.603
YAMAHA CHALLENGE
Clubman
1. Brett Robinson 50.789
2. Aaron Borg 50.876
3. Nathan Tigani 51.027
4. Brenton Simonds 51.045
5. Lydon Dodge 51.100
Junior National
1. Stefan Stankovic 55.474
2. James Duckworth 55.536
3. James Abela 55.852
4. Gus Flynn 55.958
5. Damon Schofield 55.956
