IPKarting Australia - Pro Tour Round 3 Race Wrap
| team press release | 12 May 2017 |
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Photo Credits- Coopers Photography, Kev Davies Sports Photography, Ian Ward.
On the back of a positive test weekend the team were excited to see the results that our home round would yield.
From the outset, a number of drivers set the pace aboard their Praga chassis.
Above: Hugh Barter, 1st in Mini MAX
In Mini Max it was a top 4 lock out for the Aussie spec Praga Piccolo chassis. This chassis keeps going from strength to strength with more entries at each round. Round 3 saw a total 6 entries. With some great performances throughout the weekend it was Hugh Barter (CC Racing) & Jack Westbury (G-Force Karting) that would go on to deliver a 1-2 for Praga.
Above: Jack Westbury, 2nd in Mini MAX
In only his second Rotax event Carter Mobbs improved out of sight and we look forward to big things from the little driver come the next round.
Above: Carter Mobbs, Mini MAX
Praga driver Connor Roberts made his Pro Tour debut competing in the Junior Max Trophy class. Connor didn’t disappoint putting in a massive weekend of driving to bring it home in second position. Unfortunately due to a questionable post-race decision Connor was handed a 10 second penalty which pushed him back to 5th position.
Above: Connor Roberts, Jmax Trophy
Junior Max saw 3 drivers representing the Praga brand. All three drivers put in a stella effort all weekend.
Ryan Wood qualifying second by just .059 of a second went on to put in super strong performances through the heats, winning heat 3 and looking set to repeat in the prefinal. In a gut-wrenching turn of events Ryan fouled a plug in the roll up laps meaning he would start 24th for the final. In what was arguably the best drive of the weekend Ryan pulled out all stops showing the true pace of his Praga Dragon EVO chassis driving through to finish in 8th position. Due to post race hearings Ryan was officially classed as finishing 7th for this round.
Above: Ryan Wood, Junior MAX
Bayley Douglas battled all weekend qualifying a little further back than he deserved. Hats off to Bayley though he didn’t give up and kept up the good fight through the heats and the final.
Above: Bailey Douglas, Junior MAX
Jaden Ransley qualified inside the top 10 putting his Praga Dragon in 8th spot. Throughout the heats, Jaden was caught up in some tough battles resulting in a starting position of 13th for the final. Come the final Jaden put in his best drive of the weekend shooting through the field to lock in 7th position. Again, due to post race hearings Jaden was officially classed as finishing 6th for this round.
Above: Jaden Ransley, Junior MAX
In Rotax Light Ben Jurczak show why he is one to watch in the coming rounds. Ben and the crew worked super hard all weekend qualifying in 10th and moving into the top 5 during the heats. Unfortunately, Ben was caught up in the hassle of the final and would go on to finish a respectable 10th in the most competitive class on the tour.
Mathew Mc Neil (Full Tilt Motorsport) & Glenn Croxford (Ultimate Karting) battled it out in Rotax Heavy having not tested nor seen the track before they both made solid improvements over the weekend.
Above: Ben Jurczak, Rotax Light
DD2 saw James Foster make the switch to Praga and from the outset he was impressed. With limited testing and a super competitive field of drivers, James went on to finish the final just outside the top 10 in 12th. James and his crew are really looking forward to conducting a number of test days in the lead up to round 4 at Coffs Harbour.
Above: James Foster, DD2
A strong line-up of Praga Karts rolled out in DD2 Masters. Even without any prior testing, Danny Richert (Ultimate Karting) was immediately the man to beat going on to take pole position in the Top 5 shootout. After a few challenges throughout the weekend Danny still managed to lock in a respectable 4th position in the final.
Above: Danny Richert, DD2 Masters
Danny Wright (Full Tilt Motorsport) having not tested put in a stellar drive to finish 5th in the final. Local lad Ben Lillis didn’t have luck on his side this weekend but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Unfortunately, Ben suffered a DNF in the final finishing 15th. Trevor Whitby (Full Tilt Motorsport) & Luke Mc Pherson (Ultimate Karting) pushed hard all weekend finishing 11th & 13th respectively.
Above: Ben Lillis, DD2 Masters
Thank you also to our loyal Praga locals for turning up to support our drivers on the weekend. It was great to see you all.
IPKarting Australia’s next big event is AKC Round 3 at Monarto SA. See you there!
