Over 40s Titles At Coffs Harbour
| by Troy Brown | 20 June 2013 |
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The annual East Coast Over 40s Titles were run at Coffs Harbour on June 7 to 9.
- Full results on AKA CMS
Above: Video wrap from the weekend at Coffs
Tag 125 Heavy
Local Karter Scott Hargans and son of founding members flew back in for this event and was the baby of the meeting. He showed amazing speed and determination in qualifying and in the final taking an easy win. The first class to go out for the prefinal Sunday morning on a drying track brought everyone to the fence to spectate. Local knowledge and a State Champion Bradley Moody Pit crewing for Scott was an ominous sign for the other competitors. Steven Lowerson pieced together a nice weekend and slowly made his way to the front of the large class to take out second, closely followed by a large group of guys that put on some great racing to watch.
1 Scott HARGANS
2 Steve LOWERSON
3 Rodney CAPUANO
4 Brett STAPLES
5 David AVAKIAN
Above: You've got to be kidding... four bloody wide?! TaG Heavy, Brett Staples #4 running the wide line
pic - CHKC/Coopers
Tag Restricted Super Heavy
A tight struggle and a lot of fun was had by this class, Peter Sloan was able to come out with the win after the top 5 mixed up the results through qualifying and the racing, with less than a tenth separating them.
1 Peter SLOAN
2 David JONES
3 David ROBISON
4 Andrew FRASER
5 Martin GOLLEDGE
Clubman Heavy
David Waters showed some excellent speed to take this win, but was pushed hard by Paul Brackam that followed him home for a close second. An interesting start in the prefinal took out a few of the major contenders it was a big drive from the local Scott Hargans to start from grid 17 to finish 4th in this class.
1 David WATERS
2 Paul BRACKAM
3 Ian BRANSON
4 Scott HARGANS
5 Christopher SANDERSON
Above: Splash
pic - CHKC/Coopers
Tag Restricted Light
Martin Brien really wanted to make it back to back wins in this class, but wasn’t expecting the local Michael Booth to not only snatch poll but also the prefinal in a borrowed kart. Nothing in the times separated the two and it just come down to experience and being in the right spot at the right time. A determine Peter Nuske made a brilliant pass on Michael early in the final but Michael was able to fight back and regain the back of Martins Kart but that’s where they finished. Another local Craig Fuller was unlucky to have been involved in an accident mid-way through the final after getting up to 4th.
1 Martin BRIEN
2 Michael BOOTH
3 Peter NUSKE
4 Paul CRADDOCK
5 Stephen DONLEY
Senior National Super Heavy
Canberra starter Bruce Otter was going to be given a work out with entering 3 classes for the week end, but I think he really enjoyed winning this one, multiple passes by all the top placing’s throughout the weekend made the racing great to watch. An unlucky Phil Middleton after starting from the front row most the weekend experienced the Coffs bowling green wet grass and was unable to recover.
1 Bruce OTTER
2 Troy SHEAHEN
3 Thomas HEARN
4 Darren WILLIAMS
5 Phillip CURRAN
Above: TaG 125 Heavy winner Scott Hargens
pic - CHKC/Coopers
Tag 125 Super Heavy
The big boys were out to prove a point with some of the toughest racing for the weekend, maybe a little too tough with multiple nose cones coming off and a couple of people experiencing the Coffs prototype water traps. Eddie Ruiz did a good job of staying out of trouble but also showing superior speed to take the win
1 Eddie RUIZ
2 John KRAHENBRING
3 Andrew MCLEOD
4 Trevor HERRING
5 Warren HALL
Senior National Heavy
Another good showing of Yamaha J motors as a large field competed for this one. Paul Newman showed amazing early speed with poll but was eventually handed second with a great drive from Brian Sciberras. Anthony Borg was right in contention all weekend but was another to discover the Coffs slippery wet grass.
1 Brian SCIBERRAS
2 Paul NEWMAN
3 Terry SELWOOD
4 David DUNBAR
5 Warren HODDER
Above: More splash. A rim failure put Jonny Horsborough in the water trap, Snr Nat Super Heavy
pic - CHKC/Coopers
Clubman Super Heavy
Taking 2 wins from 3 classes Bruce Otter made this class his own, but Rodney Capuano never gave up and did an impressive job to finish second with his first visit to this meeting, maybe some insider knowledge from local president help his cause.
1 Bruce OTTER
2 Rodney CAPUANO
3 Phillip MIDDLETON
4 John SCHENA
5 David MURRAY
Clubman Light
This class was the closest finish for the weekend with the first 3 finishing nose to tail, Chris Riley had a hard time in qualifying but made David Waters and Mark Appleby work hard for their placing’s.
1 Mark APPLEBY
2 David WATERS
3 Chris RILEY
4 Ezio DAL-CIN
5 Stephen JACKA
Above: Open Performance, Bruce Otter (72) ahead of Anthony Grant (68) eventual winner Steve Martin (2 - a twin DD2) and Robert Harnas (60).
pic - CHKC/Coopers
Open Performance
The surprise packet for the meeting was the open performance, from twin DD2’s, twin Rotary, twin Clubman, Kz1 6speed, 4 strokes and DD2’s it was amazing to see the prefinal finish with all competitors within the main straight from each other. Tactics was playing a major roll with tyre conservation through the heats. Bruce Otter put in an amazing poll lap of 43.658 to be 7tenths in front of second. But the superior power of the twin dd2 and some skilful positioning of Steven Martin made for a great spectators final. Hearing the roar of a twin rotary valve kart brought a smile to a lot of the old school competitors and the large crowd of spectators as well
1 Steven MARTIN
2 Bruce OTTER
3 Stephen MOXON
4 Gordon WELLS
5 Robert HARNAS
Tag Restricted Heavy
The largest class of the meeting was always going to make for some great racing, with the eventual results going the same way as qualifying Phil Curran drove an amazing race to make it impossible for the other contenders. There was some tight hard racing but it was good to see the comradely in the class with smiles all round after every race.
1 Phillip CURRAN
2 Martin BRIEN
3 Phillip MIDDLETON
4 David STRICKLAND
5 Michael MICIC
Above: More action in TaG Heavy, David Avakian (79), David Fogarty (15), Rodney Capuano (31) and Jeffrey Tresidder (73)
pic - CHKC/Coopers
Senior National Light
Once again some very close racing from the J drivers, with very little difference in times it was a stay out of trouble class. Paul Newman did an impressive job to keep the other competitors behind but a deserved win by the end.
1 Paul NEWMAN
2 Brian SCIBERRAS
3 Geoffrey GOESCH
4 Terry SELWOOD
5 David DUNBAR
Tag 125 Light
Less than two hundredths of a second was to split the leaders of this class. But Laurie Fooks was able to put it together and lead home a close Mark Appleby.
1 Laurie FOOKS
2 Mark APPLEBY
3 Ian BRANSON
4 Brett LLEWELLYN
5 Steve LOWERSON
