Sunny Conditions Add Light to Pro Tour Night
| press release | 23 June 2013 |
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The trademark sunny and warm conditions returned to finals day at round six of the 2013 Rotax Pro Tour at Ipswich’s Willowbank Raceway. A swarm of enthralling finals completed what was one of the best events hosted on the Pro Tour calendar since its inception.
A sharing of the wins in the two remaining heat races in DD2 Masters saw Geelong round winner Adam Hunter take victory in heat two. Tony Bregonje worked his way forward to second to make it a Tony Kart one-two finish with pole sitter Steven Ellery finishing third from Jose Ruiz and Scott Connole. As the battling continued into the final heat race, Victorian Daniel Richert was able to transfer his strong form from previous rounds into a heat race victory. Hamish Leighton gained a further four positions from his sixth place start on the grid to finish second behind Richert. Ellery held on for another third place finish from Adam Hunter and Tony Bregonje.
Above: Daniel Richert took the win in DD2 Masters
pic - Bill Bryant/Fletcher Photography
The strong form by Richert at the business end of the weekend was transferred into the pre-final as he secured another race win, and the fastest lap of the race with a 49.449. Richert held on for a comfortable win ahead of Hunter, Ellery, Leighton and Ruiz thus setting up an enthralling final under lights. Richert continued his performances into the final, with the longer 20 lap race seeing the Victorian take an early lead. A determined Hunter fought his way back toward the lead established by Richert, taking it to the line, finishing second to Richert by just 0.074sec. Hamish Leighton worked his way to third mid-race, and then set in to take a comfortable podium finish from Steve Ellery and Shane Karandrews.
“The racing was really close all weekend, there was never a dull moment and the competition was at its regular high, everything came together really well as a whole in the final,” Richert said.
Above: DD2 Masters Podium from (L – R) Adam Hunter 2nd, Daniel Richert 1st, Hamish Leighton 3rd
pic - Bill Bryant/Fletcher Photography
DD2 Masters – Top 10
1 - Daniel Richert
2 – Adam Hunter
3 – Hamish Leighton
4 – Steven Ellery
5 – Shane Karandrews
6 – Trevor Whitby
7 – Tony Prendergast
8 – Stephen Hampson
9 – Luke Turner
10 – Tony Bregonje
Brendan Nelson carried through his opening day form into the remaining two heat races by taking victory in Rotax Heavy. Rick Pringle improved on his performance from his opening heat finish in tenth to take second behind Nelson, with Troy Woolston in third, Michael Saller in fourth and Matthew Greenbury in fifth. Woolston improved on his position in the final heat, capitalising on his start from second to hold down the minor placing behind Nelson, with Saller finishing third ahead of Shay Mayes and Matthew Greenbury in fifth.
The opening lap of the Rotax Heavy pre-final saw red flag conditions with an incident at turn two, removing Paul Rodgers, Dale Corbett, Jarad Neinert and Joshua Willett from the race. All drivers involved were assessed and declared ok by the track medical staff and race officials.
Above: Toowoomba’s Matthew Greenbury drove to victory in Rotax Heavy
pic - Bill Bryant/Fletcher Photography
With the full restart, Nelson managed to lead away and set in for what appeared to be another successful run towards the final for the Queenslander. It was a battle for the top placing’s in the early stages of the race, though on lap nine, Nelson retired from the race with engine issues, allowing Pringle to pull away to a race victory from Saller, Woolston, Greenbury and Lane Moore. Local track knowledge worked in favour of Matthew Greenbury in the final as he drove away to a comfortable two second victory ahead of Rick Pringle. Brendan Nelson started from the rear of the grid and drove a stunning race on home soil to deliver a third place by race end, with Saller holding on for fourth and Mayes finishing fifth.
“It took a while to get everything going strong this weekend, our setup didn’t go our way early on but it seemed to come together nicely in the final,” Greenbury said.
Rotax Heavy – Top 10
1 – Matthew Greenbury
2 – Rick Pringle
3 – Brendan Nelson
4 – Michael Saller
5 – Shay Mayes
6 – Lane Moore
7 – Simon Hunter (NZ)
8 – Troy Woolston
9 – Rylee Walton
10 – Scott Howard
Above: Rotax Heavy Podium from (L – R) Rick Pringle 2nd, Matthew Greenbury 1st, Brendan Nelson 3rd
pic - Bill Bryant/Fletcher Photography
Matthew Byrne continued his strong Friday form into the second heat of the weekend by taking another victory in the Sodi Junior Max Trophy Class. Starting from 11th, Zane Goddard managed to again work his way through the field to finish second ahead of Kyle Angel, with Glen Ormerod in fourth and Stephanie Stones in fifth. After starting from pole in all three heat races, Chris Bregonje was able to secure his first heat race victory of the weekend by the final ten lap dash.
Above: William Brown leads Matthew Byrne and Zane Goddard, Junior MAX Trophy class
pic - Bill Bryant/Fletcher Photography
Recovering from his eighth place finish in heat two, William Brown finished second ahead of Byrne, Stones and Ormerod. After starting on the front row in the longer pre-final race, William Brown was able to secure the lead and maintain his position across the 14 laps. Zane Goddard held on for second, just seven tenths of a second behind Brown, with the race’s Polesitter Matthew Byrne finishing third from Ormerod and Bregonje. William Brown continued his strong trend into the final by taking victory over his fellow statesman, Zane Goddard. Matthew Byrne made it a mirror of the pre-final by finishing third, with Glen Ormerod in fourth and Kyle Angel in fifth.
“It means a lot to get a win at my home track, it was great racing all weekend and I’m really looking forward to the next round in Gympie,” Brown said.
Above: Junior Max Trophy Class Podium (L to R)
Glen Ormerod 4th, Zane Goddard 2nd, William Brown 1st, Matthew Byrne 3rd, Kyle Angel 5th
pic - Bill Bryant/Fletcher Photography
Sodi Junior Max Trophy Class – Top 10
1 – William Brown
2 – Zane Goddard
3 – Matthew Byrne
4 – Glen Ormerod
5 – Kyle Angel
6 – Stephanie Stones
7 – Timothy Colombrita
8 – Chris Bregonje
9 – Melissa Whitmore
10 – Jye Hopkins
Pierce Lehane was able to continue his clean sweep of success in Ipswich, after being absent from the Geelong event due to EuroMax commitments, Lehane converted his victory in heat one to a string of wins into the evening, setting the benchmark in the competitive category. Daniel Kinsman finished second behind Lehane in the second heat from Cian Fothergill, Andrew Carey and Daniel Rochford who backed up from his DNF in heat one. Toowoomba local Tyler Greenbury worked his way back into the fray in heat three after finishing 16th in the second race to score second behind Lehane, with Fothergill taking another third place ahead of Kinsman and Brad Jenner.
Above: Pierce Lehane was able to snare a clean sweep in Rotax Light
pic - Bill Bryant/Fletcher Photography
The winning feeling continued for Pierce Lehane into the two finals in Rotax Light, as the Sydney driver stunned the field, securing the pre-final over Tyler Greenbury, with Daniel Kinsman holding on for third from Fothergill and Rochford. Lehane appeared unstoppable under lights into the final as he continued to transfer his form by taking the win again over Greenbury, as Gladstone based former National Champion; Cian Fothergill fought his way through to complete the podium. Daniel Rochford made it a Monaco Karts double to finish fourth with Daniel Connor in fifth.
“It was a great weekend, the Kart worked well in all conditions and proved to be a really convincing win,” Lehane said.
Above: Rotax Light Podium (L to R) Tyler Greenbury 2nd, Pierce Lehane 1st, Cian Fothergill 3rd
pic - Bill Bryant/Fletcher Photography
Rotax Light
1 – Pierce Lehane
2 – Tyler Greenbury
3 – Cian Fothergill
4 – Daniel Rochford
5 – Daniel Connor (NZ)
6 – Brad Jenner
7 – Andrew Carey
8 – Troy Morrissey
9 – Daniel Kinsman (NZ)
10 – Chris Farkas
Gold Coast driver Mitchell Griffin showed home track knowledge to take the win in the second heat in Junior Max to kick off their day’s events. In his final event in Junior Karting, Griffin led home Lachlan McHugh, with Mitchell Maddren finishing third ahead of Bryce Fullwood and Joseph Burton-Harris. Burton-Harris was able to score back crucial points in the lead up to the finals by taking the win in the third heat; the result fundamentally assisted him in starting on pole position for the pre-final. Callum Walker gained crucial speed in the business end of the weekend to finish second from Nicholas Andrews, Aaron Seton and Bryce Fullwood.
The pre-final for Junior Max proved to be just a preview for the exciting race that the category would deliver for the remainder of the meeting. Starting from third, Mitchell Griffin was able to take a hard fought out victory over a determined Joseph Burton-Harris, ensuring the pair would start from the front row for the final. An enthralling battle to the line saw Callum Walker snare third over Nicholas Andrews in fourth, with Bryce Fullwood finishing fifth.
Griffin grabbed the lead early on in the final and looked ominous to be on the way towards his first ever round victory in the Rotax Pro Tour, though mechanical dramas interrupted his charge towards success. In a finish that had to be seen to be believed, Nicholas Andrews grabbed the lead on the final lap after countless changes in the closing stages of the race to take the win, just one tenth ahead of Callum Walker in second, with Geelong round winner Jordan Boys completing the podium. James Abela and Aaron Seton came through to complete the top five.
“The final lap was amazing, it was a great race to be part of and it’s amazing to get the win at the Pro Tour, I couldn’t have asked for more this weekend,” Andrews said.
Above: Junior Max Podium (L to R) Callum Walker 2nd, Nicholas Andrews 1st, Jordan Boys 3rd
pic - Bill Bryant/Fletcher Photography
Junior Max
1 – Nicholas Andrews
2 – Callum Walker
3 – Jordan Boys
4 – James Abela
5 – Aaron Seton
6 – Joseph Burton-Harris
7 – Mitchell Griffin
8 – Bryce Fullwood
9 – Jake Klein
10 – Liam McLellan
After his fourth place finish in the opening heat, Victorian Jason Pringle looked to be at his best in the second and third heat races for DD2 as he took the win, backing up from his numerous successes in past rounds. The battle was on behind Pringle as reigning National DD2 Champion Lucas Ward finished second from Troy Bretherton, Michael Stewart and Brendan Nelson. The front runners again showed strongly in the final heat race, though the second and third positions were reversed by the fall of the chequered flag as Bretherton drove to second behind Jason Pringle, with Ward in third from Stewart and Nelson.
Above: Lucas Ward was convincing in his win in DD2
pic - Bill Bryant/Fletcher Photography
Jason Pringle continued his run into the 14 lap pre-final by taking the win and setting up another pole position for the final, though the Jason Richards Cup winner didn’t have it all his own way as Troy Bretherton took the fastest lap of the race with a 48.493 on lap nine. Pringle took the win by six tenths over Lucas Ward, with Bretherton in third from Brendan Nelson and Clem O’Mara. With determination in his sights, Lucas Ward skipped away to an early lead in the 20 lap final and appeared unphased by the action occurring behind him across the journey. As Ward cleared away from the field, pole sitter Jason Pringle was shuffled back to fifth and Bretherton slotted in for second for the early stages of the race. A hard charging Michael Stewart who scored the fastest lap of the race with 48.375 on lap nine secured the pass on Bretherton and set out to hunt down Ward. The lead that he had established from the outset was enough for the Gold Coast teenager to take the win by a second over Stewart, with Bretherton completing the podium ahead of Clem O’Mara and Jason Pringle.
“We worked hard on the setup after the pre-final to work out what we needed and the team did a superb job to get the Kart into a winning position, it was awesome to grab the win,” Ward said.
Above: DD2 Podium (L to r) Michael Stewart 2nd, Lucas Ward 1st, Troy Bretherton 3rd
pic - Bill Bryant/Fletcher Photography
DD2 – Top 10
1 – Lucas Ward
2 – Michael Stewart
3 – Troy Bretherton
4 – Clem O’Mara
5 – Jason Pringle
6 – Brendan Nelson
7 – Thomas MacDonald
8 – Mark Flood
9 – Glenn Croxford
10 – Travis Millar
- Full results from Ipswich on AKA CMS
Round seven and the final round of the 2013 Rotax Pro Tour will take place at the Cooloola Kart Club, Gympie, Queensland from July 12-14.
