Pegoraro Slips into Provisional Pole

by Mark Jones

Gary Pegoraro took just three laps to set provisional pole position in the first of two qualifying session for the opening round of the Australian Superkart Championship at the Mallala Motor Sport Park round of the Shannons Motor Racing Championships.

On his second flying lap the 2008 Mallala round winner recorded a 1:07.1740 lap time, three tenths of a second head of New South Wales Stockman Superkarts pair of Warren McIlveen and Sam Zavaglia. An overnight engine change by Pegoraro's RMR Superkarts team has the Melbourne based engine builder in considerably happier frame of mind heading into the second qualifying session later today.
McIlveen (Mac's Marine/Soundy's Electrical Stockman-Honda) too is happy with progress after a mechanically fraught 2008 to be second fastest, just two hundredths ahead of Sam Zavaglia (Stockman Superkarts Stockman-honda).

Shane Price has overcome a lack of laps (whose only superkart laps recorded in Australia were in the wet yesterday afternoon) to be fourth fastest in the Safe Evolutions Anderson-Safe. Price's team mate reigning champ, Darren Hossack was four seconds off the pace with clutch slip problems which should be fixed before the second qualifying session.

Ilya Harpas (Internode/Davtec/Metaplanners Zip-BRC) was fifth fastest but was struggling with chassis set up as was sixth fastest Dan Ramerman who is still getting used to his mount for the weekend, a factory supported Stockman-Yamaha. Ilya Harpas brother Yiani Harpas is having mechanical problems and the crew were working on the engine between sessions.

Kristian Stebbing (Suburban Accounting Stockman-Honda) and Russell Jamieson (Coach Design Stockman-Honda) renew old rivalries from the 125cc championship battles in 2006 & 2007 to line up seventh and eighth fastest with Pegoraro's team mate Colin McIntyre (Marron Excavations/Wizzer Engines Anderson-FPE) and Stephen Castles (Top Torque Stockman-Honda) rounding out the fastest ten with a number of likely contenders hovering just outside with Rob Oakley in 11th and Darren Hossack in 14th. Anton Stevens (Dunlop/ART Motorsport PVP) unable to record a lap with a broken engine.

In the 125cc class Jeff Reed (Telgrit Stockman-Honda) overcame a piston failure yesterday to record provisional pole eight tenths of a second clear of Melbourne teenager Steven Tamasi (Domain Prestige Homes Stockman-Honda). Third fastest is class veteran Chryss Jamieson running the Coach Design Stockman-Honda his son Russell won the 125cc championship in 2006. John Pellicano, running the new Elise version of the Avoig bodywork is fourth fastest.

Home