by Russell Innes, IKC (pics – Russell Innes / Grant Grinter & Pace Images)
The Champions have been crowned after the running of a hugely successful Onsite Rental Group Queensland Kart Championships on the weekend.
Ipswich Kart Club and Karting Queensland put on an amazing race meeting and the calibre of driving by the competitors was sensational.
Isaac McNeill and Kel Goesch were the big winners with 2 Blue Plates each. Oliver Armitt, Dominic Penman, Cooper Folley and Jack Szewczuk each won their first Queensland State Championships while Jace Matthews, Brent Reading, Jack Munro and Harrison Hoey all added to their existing tally of Queensland Titles.
- full results are on speedhive HERE
- lots of photos by Pace Images – Friday HERE, Saturday HERE, Sunday HERE (includes podiums)
- more photos IKC Facebook – Friday HERE, Saturday HERE, Sunday HERE
- on-demand video from both days on the IKC YouTube channel HERE
In Cadet 9, Oliver Armitt and Oliver Williamson were the winners during the Heats, but Martin Hsieh, Beau Chambers, Lukas Loeskow, Riccardo Johnstone, Jarvis Hindle and Felix Sim were all extremely close behind in what was some sensational displays of driving from our youngest competitors. In the Final, Williamson led early before an unfortunate DNF and Armitt took the lead and he was able to comfortably gain a small but safe margin at the front of the field over the 16 laps to win by almost 2 seconds from the 2 TGR drivers Hsieh and Sim who had a race long battle for the minor placings, Hsieh just holding out Sim for 2nd.
Defending TAG Restricted Light Champion Jack Munro was never seriously threatened across the weekend, setting fastest time in Qualifying, winning all 3 Heats comfortably and again dominated the Final whilst his main competitors Jack Doessel, Thomas Williams, Dean Vellacott and Dale Zimmermann battled for the minors across the Heats. Doessel got the best of the race long battle with Williams in the Final, these two finishing 2nd and 3rd, but never threatening the dominance of Munro.
Isaac McNeill was another driver to dominate his class (KA3 Junior Heavy) all weekend. After setting the fastest time in Qualifying, he then won all 3 Heats, whilst Tyson McGill, Lochlan Hennock, Ky Burke, Samual March and Michael Janusz scrapped for the minor placings. In the Final McNeill got away to a great start and set about building a comfortable lead over Burke initially in 2nd, but March and Cooper Fysh were the big movers in the Final and would move forward and complete the podium.
Kel Goesch gave the indication from the 1st few laps of Heat 1 that he would be the man to beat in TAG Restricted Masters, quickly going to the lead and establishing a small but comfortable margin from Aaron Rabjones and Scott Gray. In Heat 2 he repeated the process for a comfortable win over Gray with Jumpei Morita 3rd. Goesch comfortably led all the way in Heat 3 to win from Rabjones and then Chris Board and Gav Whitmore who were both starting to figure out the track conditions and find some pace they had lacked earlier in the day. Goesch had been untouchable through the Heats, but it was expected he would be better challenged in the Final. Gray was the early leader before Goesch took over on lap 3 whilst Board and Whitmore followed. Whitmore was the one showing real pace and moved into 3rd on lap 6 and then 2nd on lap 8, but Goesch had got away to a small margin in front. For the next 10 laps Whitmore slowly reeled Goesch in to the point they started the last lap only meters apart and Whitmore made the move for the lead half way around the last lap and then defended to the line to take a very narrow win. It had been a magnificent race to watch, but unfortunately for Whitmore he had got a front fairing infringement early on and would therefore receive a 2 place penalty giving the win back to Goesch with Board 2nd and Whitmore therefore 3rd.
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Jack Webster, Kiahn Burt and Mika LeMasurier were the Heat winners in TAG Light with Jac Preston, Max Walton, Jace Matthews, Joshua Miller and Tyler Howard all amongst the placings. LeMasurier would start on pole ahead of Webster and Burt, but things changed really quick at the start with Burt pushed out of the way and dropping well back and then Walton and LeMasurier coming together and being eliminated. Webster then took the lead followed by Howard and Matthews. Matthews moved to 2nd on lap 3 from Howard and then Jack Wells and Miller following. Webster comfortably led at the halfway point from Matthews, Howard, Wells and Miller as the race had set into a comfortable pattern. Nothing changed until lap 16 when Howard dropped two spots and Miller moved up to 3rd. Webster now led by 1.5 seconds, comfortably from Matthews, these two well clear of Miller, Wells and Jordi Slater. Webster crossing the line after 20 laps with an almost 2 second margin from Matthews and Miller well behind in 3rd. Webster though was to receive a 10 second penalty for a driving infringement early in the race and Miller copped a front fairing infringement, so final results elevated Matthews to 1st from Webster 2nd and Wells 3rd.
A huge 53 kart field contested Cadet 12 and after setting the fastest lap in Qualifying, Cooper Folley looked like the driver to beat with 2 Heat wins and a 2nd, only beaten in one Heat by Mason Lucchitti. Other Heat winners were Jack Larsen, Zander Watts and Michael Quintiliani. Folley started from pole in the Final from Quintiliani, Watts and Lucchitti and led early from Lucchitti and Watts. Lucchitti fell back on lap 5 with Quintiliani going to 2nd place with Watts still in 3rd, Folley enjoying some clear air out front with a small but comfortable lead. Lucchitti soon moved back to 2nd by lap 10 but Folley was almost a second clear. The margin was rapidly reduced though and by lap 14, 2 to go, Lucchitti was back to the tail of Folley, with Watts 2 seconds behind. Lucchitti tried everything over the final 2 laps and briefly got in front on the last lap but Folley was cool under pressure and went to the line with a very narrow margin from Lucchitti and Watts.
Bailey Sagaidak and Harrison Hoey had some great battles in the Heats of DD2. Hoey though was gradually dialling his kart in for some great speed and got away to a great start in the Final and quickly established a decent gap at the front whilst Sagaidak had to get past Troy Bretherton for 2nd. Hoey though was very comfortable in front and cruised to a 3.5 second win over Sagaidak and Bretherton and added yet another Queensland Kart Championship to his already extensive list of State Championships.
KA3 Junior Light was the biggest field for the Championships with 57 starters. After setting fast time in Qualifying Jack Szewczuk was upstaged by Annabel Kennedy in Heat 1 (A v’s D) with Henry Stratford finishing 3rd. Last years champions Jye Flynn led home Ryan Reid and Isaac McNeil in Heat 1 (B v’s C) Szewczuk and Flynn were the Heat 2 winners with Patrick Buckley, Reid, Kennedy and Lochlan Hennock filling the placings. A brief rain shower hit the facility just before the 3rd Round Heats and the A v’s B Group had pretty well everyone switch to wets. Szewczuk was the winner from Buckley and Flynn, but the next group out had a mixture of drivers on wets and slicks on what was a rapidly drying track. Basilo Micale mastered it all best to win from Lana Flack and Reid. Szewczuk would lead the field away in the Final with Flyn, McNeill and Kennedy close behind. He quickly built a small but comfortable 1.5 second lead from Flynn with McNeill another second further back. By the half way point on lap 9, Szewczuk still held a comfortable margin from Flynn with McNeill holding 3rd but coming under pressure from Kennedy who then got by on lap 11. Flynn started gaining on Szewczuk by lap 13 and took the lead as they completed lap 14 and they ran nose to tail for the next few laps. As they started the Final lap Flynn had the narrowest of leads from Szewczuk and Kennedy now only half a second behind as the two leaders battled, but Szewczuk was able to find a way past Flynn at Turn 2 and retake the lead and get a small gap and enough to win the Final, Flynn 2nd and Kennedy 3rd.
Racing was very close at the front during the Heats of TAG Restricted Medium with Kel Goesch just holding out Zac King and Josh Herne in Heat 1, Goesch again winning Heat 2 narrowly from Herne and then King, with Herne breaking through for the Heat 3 win from Goesch and King. In the 20 lap Final Herne got the best of the start and led Goesch, Sam Missen, Ben Lillis and Trent Harders. The front 2 ran nose to tail for the first half of the race, edging away from Missen in 3rd. By lap 15 Herne had edged away to almost a second lead from Goesch and it was looking like a fairytale result for the guy who 12 months ago had a major accident and didn’t look like he would ever race again. On the 2nd last lap however Herne got baulked badly whilst lapping a tailender and Goesch swooped and took the lead and held on over the last lap to secure his 2nd Blue Plate for the day.
Brent Reading set a blistering time in Qualifying to put himself on Pole in TAG Heavy and apart from a challenge in Heat 2 from Harrison Hoey he was dominant all weekend, winning all 3 Heats and no-one came close to him in the Final winning by over 5 seconds from Hoey and Kip Foster in 3rd.
The CXR team completely dominated KA3 Senior, Declan Matthews winning Heat 1 from brother Jace and then Dominic Penman. Penman won Heat 2 from Declan Matthews and Jace Matthews and Declan Matthews would win Heat 3 from Penman and Jace Matthews. Declan Matthews led the early laps in the Final before Penman took the lead on lap 6. By this stage the 3 CXR drivers were already getting a small gap on the rest of the field led by Keegan Fraser. By mid race distance Penman had built a small and comfortable lead from Jace Matthews now in 2nd. Over the next 10 laps Jace Matthews would edge slowly closer to Penman and would follow him across the line after 20 laps for a very close finish, but Penman always looked comfortable. Declan Matthews completed the podium for the CXR team.
Isaac McNeill was very strong in the 1st 2 Heats of KA2 Junior, winning comfortably from fastest qualifier Liam Carr on both occasions. Jack Steere, Ayrton Dalmaso, Oceane Colangelo and Ky Burke amongst the group also fighting over the minor placings. McNeill again dominated Heat 3 with Steere 2nd and Samuel March coming forward to show some pace into 3rd. In the Final March got a great start to lead McNeill and Burke. McNeill soon resumed his dominance though and took the lead and immediately setup a 2 second lead over March by lap 11 of 20. Burke gained some ground on March, close to the end but had to settle for 3rd place. Upon completion of post race technical inspection though, March was excluded, elevating Burke to 2nd behind McNeill, with Dalmaso up to 3rd.
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