Finals Day - Queensland Championships

AKA press release

• Karting Titles a success for Gympie region
• Greenbury Comes of age winning two State Championships
• Second-generation racer Macauley Jones wins maiden State Championship
• Melbourne’s David Sera goes from last to first for win in Rotax Light
• Pringle brothers finish one-two in Rotax Heavy

KARTING TITLES A SUCCESS FOR GYMPIE REGION
The Southern Cross Motorsports Queensland Karting Championships hosted by the Cooloola Coast Kart Club in Gympie were heralded as a huge success by karters from all across the country.

With 385 entries received across the 15 categories there were drivers, both boys and girls, of all ages in action throughout the weekend.

“The event was a huge success for everyone involved, a real credit to the Cooloola Coast Kart Club,” said Australian Karting Association (Qld) President Gavin Dicinoski.

Above: Part of the crowd lining the fences at Gympie
pic - photowagon.com.au

“It is exciting to have the Nation’s best come to a country town like Gympie to race, not only for the Kart Club but also for the economy in the region.

“Everywhere you went away from the track, whether it was a hotel for dinner, motel for a bed or the servo to get fuel, there was karters and their families everywhere.

“On the track the racing was sensational with the majority of Championships going down the wire.”

Some of the stars who won the Championships include Toowoomba’s Tyler Greenbury who took out two categories and finished fourth in another, Matthew Wall – who won a dramatic Clubman Heavy final, Ben Jurczak claimed the win in Formula JMA and Max Johnston who passed Chris Hays on the final turn to win Junior Clubman.

The next major event on the Australian Karting calendar is the second round of the Australian CIK Championships, run in conjunction with the Rotax Pro Tour, at the Raleigh circuit near Coffs Harbour on August 6-9.

GREENBURY DOUBLES UP AT STATE KARTING TITLES

Toowoomba’s Tyler Greenbury took on and defeated the best drivers in the country on his way to claiming a pair of wins at the Southern Cross Motorsports Queensland State Championships in Gympie over the weekend.

Competing in three categories, Clubman Light, Leopard Light and Rotax Light, the teenager was the star of the show during qualifying on Friday before continuing this form over the weekend.

Greenbury confirmed his ‘coming of age’ with a mature drive through the pack in the Championship Final of Clubman Light, an impressive win in Leopard Light and a fourth placing in Rotax Light.

Above: Toowoomba teenagaer Tyler Greenbury had an awsome state titles
pic - photowagon.com.au

After starting from 14th position on the grid in Clubman Light, due to an incident in the Pre-Final, Greenbury steered his Tony Kart towards the front of the pack and within five laps had found his way inside the top five.

By midway through the 16-lap journey Greenbury had joined the Arrow kart trio of David Sera, Bart Price and Scott McLaughlin at the front of the field and appeared set to pounce.

The leading quartet had an intense battle with Sera and Greenbury swapping the lead on several occasions. When Sera ran wide on the back section of the circuit while attempting to retake the lead it allowed Greenbury to gain the upper hand and open a four kart-length lead over Price.

As the race continued Greenbury showed superior speed to drive away with the win.

In Leopard Light Greenbury won the start, but fellow Toowoomba driver Brendan Nelson grabbed the lead for a few laps before the Aussie champ took the ascendancy back.

Greenbury then proceeded to drive away from the field, which was fairly spread out even in the early laps. Jason Hryniuk looked to be a challenger for Greenbury early but contact with John Grother saw his race end early at the final corner.

JONES WINS MAIDEN STATE CROWN
Second-generation racer Macauley Jones broke through for his maiden State Championship victory in the Southern Cross Motorsports Queensland Karting Championships in Gympie at the weekend.

Jones, the son of former V8 Supercar driver and current Team Owner Brad Jones, has run inside the top five at virtually every major meeting this season in the class. Today the Albury driver grabbed a debut blue plate ahead of Brock Plumb and Shannon Holley.

Jones led the majority of the final half of the race but he was rarely more than a kart-length ahead of Chris Farkas, Plumb and Shannon Holley. At one stage late in the race the top ten karts were nose-to-tail.

Above: Macauly Jones grabs his first state title victory
pic - photowagon.com.au

As the field crossed the line entering the final lap it was Plumb who was leading the way but Jones used all of his ever-growing experience to take over the front running with half a lap remaining and win the race to the flag.

“It is just an amazing feeling to break through for my first state title,” said Macauley.

“Going into the last lap I really didn’t think I was going to be able to find a way back into the lead but I never gave up and found a way through.

“Dad has always tried to tell me not to get too nervous before a big race but I was pretty nervous before the start of today's race but the nerves soon went away when the green light went on.”

Plumb got the better of the rest to finish runner-up ahead of Holley, Farkas, who led on several occasions, and Nicholas Ellen.

Behind the lead pack, Australian Champion Darsey Kondopirakis was a notable DNF, involved in a crash at Turn 3 on the opening lap.

SERA COMES FROM THE BACK TO WIN ROTAX LIGHT
For the second weekend in a row Melbourne Arrow kart racer David Sera came from the back of the grid to claim a victory in the Rotax Light category, this weekend his win came in the Southern Cross Motorsports Queensland Championships at Gympie.

After claiming an amazing victory in the second event of the Rotax Pro Tour at Melbourne’s VACC Park last weekend Sera was confident entering this weekend’s Championships.

However, Sera had an engine drama in the Pre-Final, denying many what was shaping as a titanic battle between Sera and Queensland teenager Tyler Greenbury.

Above: David Sera on his way to another amazing win from the back of the field
pic - Cooper's Photography

But a frenetic final not only gave Sera the chance to roar through the pack and be in touch with the lead pack by mid-race, it also dropped Greenbury out of contention.

For Sera to have a chance, he needed someone other than Greenbury to lead the first lap to prevent the Toowoomba young gun from pulling away in the lead as Sera was still fighting through the pack.

That wish came true as Shae Davies and Jordie Lindstrom got the jump and led the way. As Davies made a move to take the lead inside Lindstrom on lap 3 at Turn 1 the pair touched, resulting in some big air for Davies.

Lindstrom held the lead, now defending from Greenbury, only for that pair to touch on the front straight two laps later. Both Tony Karts dropped towards the rear of the field, leaving David Whitmore and Damian Ward as the new lead pair.

Sera, now third, did not let his chance slip and was in the lead by lap nine, never headed once past Ward, while Whitmore dropped back with what appeared to be a loose spark plug lead.

“Starting from the back I knew it was going to be tough, however, I knew that I had some good speed in my Arrow kart and if I had a bit of luck go my way I would be in with a chance,” said Sera.

The win was Sera’s 35th at the State Championship level throughout his 14 year karting career.

Greenbury put on a charge of his own to recover to grab fourth, unable to catch Davies in third, with Andrew Gatland holding off Abbey Kellie for fifth.

PRINGLE BROTHERS CLAIM ONE-TWO IN ROTAX HEAVY
Melbourne brothers Jason and Rick Pringle finished one-two in the Southern Cross Motorsports Queensland Karting Championships in Gympie at the weekend.

The Essendon residents have been two of the top performers in the Rotax Heavy category throughout the year and it is the second State Championship in succession that the pair have filled the top two spots on the podium.

For the majority of the race Jason was engaged in a titanic battle with Bundaberg driver Kel Treseder for the majority of the journey, however, Brisbane’s William Yarwood was showed some great speed mid race to make it a three-way battle at the front.

Above: Jason Pringle races to the line to win Rotax Heavy ahead of his younger brother Rick

Yarwood relieved Treseder of second spot with two laps to go and it appeared as though the top three were almost set – until the final corner anyway. Treseder made an attempted move on the inside of Yarwood which resulted in the pair coming together and dropping out of the race.

The demise of Yarwood and Treseder allowed Rick Pringle, who was putting in some very impressive lap times late in the race, to finish in the runner-up spot behind his older sibling.

Luc Price crossed the line in third spot ahead of Lane Moore and Simon Meyer.

SOUTHERN CROSS MOTORSPORTS QUEENSLAND KARTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Cooloola Coast Kart Club, Gympie, QLD

Formula JMA

Results – Top Ten
1. Ben Jurczak
2. Jack Howard
3. Hayden Cooper
4. Max Johnstone
5. Christopher Hays
6. Luke Rochford
7. James Macken
8. Jaie Robson
9. Josh Hunter
10. Jorden Lloyd

Above: 2 weeks and 2 state title for Ben Jurczak
pic - Cooper's Photography

Race Notes:
All weekend Ben Jurczak was the class of the Formula JMA field at Gympie and the Queenslander made it back to back wins in the class after last week winning the final of Pro Tour II in Melbourne.

Displaying the blue plate he earned for last week’s feat, Jurczak earned the rare honour of claiming two state championships on consecutive weekends.

Leading away from the pole, the Redspeed driver was never headed, pulling away to take the win by a sizeable margin.

The fight for second looked to be a five way battle in the early stages, but soon it became clear that Jack Howard and Hayden Cooper had the pace to pull away from the pack and after a few changes of position, Howard eventually drove away from his fellow Gold Coaster to grab second.

The final lap saw three different drivers hold fourth at different stages and after a rough and tumble final lap, it was Max Johnstone who pipped Chris Hays in a near dead heat, with Luke Rochford in sixth.

Senior National Light

Results – Top Ten
1. Scott Sorenson
2. Thomas Phillips
3. Ryan Reynolds
4. Terry Cobb
5. Matthew Waters
6. Jay Schrodter
7. James Whitley
8. Lydon Dodge
9. Blake Sciberras
10. Nathan Taylor

Race Notes:
Scott Sorenson got the jump from the outside of the front row ahead of Terry Cobb and pole sitter Thomas Phillips. It wasn’t long before Phillips found a way past Cobb and set his sights on closing in on race leader Sorenson.

Despite closing in midway through the race Phillips was unable to mount a serious challenge as Sorenson went on to claim the victory several kart-lengths ahead of Phillips.

The battle for third place was intense with dual National Champion Matthew Waters, Ryan Reynolds, Cobb and Jay Schrodter exchanging spots on regular occasions. In the end it was Reynolds who made the moves at the right time to claim the final spot on the podium ahead of Cobb, Waters and Schrodter.

An honoarable mention must also go to Blake Sciberras who drove from the back of the 23-kart field to claim ninth spot.

Rotax Light

Results - Top Ten
1. David Sera
2. Damien Ward
3. Shae Davies
4. Tyler Greenbury
5. Andrew Gatland
6. Abbiey Kellie
7. Brendan Beumont
8. Brodie Olsen
9. Jordie Lindstrom
10. Troy Bretherton

Race Notes:
Two weeks in a row – David Sera has come from last to first to win Rotax Light.

‘Deadly’ had an engine let go in his Pre-Final, denying many what was shaping as a titanic battle between Sera and Tyler Greenbury.

But a frenetic final not only gave Sera the chance to roar through the pack and be in touch with the lead pack by mid-race, it also dropped Greenbury out of contention.

For Sera to have a chance, he needed someone other than Greenbury to lead the first lap to prevent the Toowoomba young gun from pulling away in the lead as Sera was still fighting through the pack.

That wish came true as Shae Davies and Jordie Lindstrom got the jump and led the way. As Davies made a move to take the lead inside Lindstrom on lap 3 at Turn 1 the pair touched, resulting in some big air for Davies.

Lindstrom held the lead, now defending from Greenbury, only for that pair to touch on the front straight two laps later. Both Tony Karts dropped towards the rear of the field, leaving David Whitmore and Damian Ward as the new lead pair.

Sera, now third, did not let his chance slip and was in the lead by lap 9, never headed once past Ward, while Whitmore dropped back with what appeared to be a loose plug lead.

Greenbury put on a charge of his own to recover to grab fourth, unable to catch Davies in third, with Andrew Gatland holding off Abbey Kellie for fifth.

Rookies

Results – Top Ten
1. Nicholas Andrews
2. Dylan Higgins
3. Aaron Seton
4. Cameron Hill
5. Jordan Boys
6. Jake Klein
7. James Abela
8. Mitchell Griffin
9. Lachlan McHugh
10. James Golding

Race Notes:
The leading seven drivers in the Rookies were rarely separated by more than two kart-lengths throughout the duration of the 16-lap Championship Final.

The Top Kart pair of Cameron Hill and Dylan Higgins led for the majority of the race between them but were joined in the seven kart freight train by Nicholas Andrews, Joardan Boys, Aaron Seton, Jake Klein and James Abela.

With no less than 20 lead changes during the race, without one touch between karts, the race was won on the final turn with the Tony Kart pilot of Andrews finding a way past Hill’s Top Kart to claim the win.

Higgins crossed the line in second place while Seton drove a very mature race to make the most of his opportunities to claim third place narrowly ahead of Hill.

Junior Clubman

Results – Top Ten
1. Max Johnston
2. Christopher Hays
3. Lucas Ward
4. Ben Jurczak
5. Mitchell Fry
6. Aaron Johnstone
7. Jack Wynack
8. Aiden Wright
9. Ricky Capo
10. Morgan Haber

Race Notes:
Just as was the case in this class last year at the Queensland Championships, Max Johnston and Chris Hays battled all the way to the final corner and the result was the same as well, with Johnston getting the win.

For the first nine laps the pair sized each other up, content to drive a smooth first half of the race with Hays in the lead. On lap nine Johnston made his move and from there the race was on, with Lucas Ward right behind the pair watching every move.

Swapping the lead corner after corner the pair made spectacular moves for the lead. When Johnston was able to hold the lead for the first half of the final lap it appeared he had Hays covered, but a smart move down the inside at Turn 5 gave the Vodafone Tony Kart the ascendancy.

But as Hays attempted to block down the inside into the final corner he drove in too deep, allowing Johnston to drag back up the inside of Hays and just get the win by a nose at the line, again with Ward right behind.

Ben Jurczak started from the rear after engine problems in the Pre-Final, driving past over 20 karts to finish fourth.

Clubman Light

Results – Top Ten
1. Tyler Greenbury
2. David Sera
3. Scott McLaughlin
4. Bart Price
5. Lydon Dodge
6. Ben Stewart
7. Jason Burns
8. Zeke Edwards
9. Matthew Waters
10. Scott Sorenson

Race Notes:
Tyler Greenbury confirmed his ‘coming of age’ with a mature drive through the pack in the Championship Final of Clubman Light.

After starting from 14th position on the grid, due to an incident in the Pre-Final, Greenbury steered his Tony Kart towards the front of the pack and within five laps had found his way inside the top five.

By midway through the 16-lap journey Greenbury had joined the Arrow kart trio of David Sera, Bart Price and Scott McLaughlin at the front of the field and was appeared set to pounce.

The leading quartet had an intense battle with Sera and Greenbury swapping the lead on several occasions. When Sera ran wide on the back section of the circuit while attempting to retake the lead it allowed Greenbury to gain the upper hand and open a four kart-length lead over Price.

As the race continued Greenbury showed superior speed to drive away with the win.

Sera crossed the line second closely followed by the Britek Scholarship driver of McLaughlin and Price.

CRG Driver Lydon Dodge got the better of a lengthy battle with Pacific Kartsport Arrow pilot Ben Stewart for the fifth spot.

Midgets - Under Appeal

Results – Top Ten
1. Cameron Butler
2. Jamie Grohman
3. Guilan Dichera
4. Reece Sidebottom
5. Jordan McGregor
6. Zachary Pattel
7. Tom Hughes
8. Brock Boley
9. Bryce Fullwood
10. Joshua Thomson

Race Notes:
The Midgets played for keeps in Gympie with a five-kart battle for the lead punctuated by a last corner pass for the win.

Victorian Champ Reece Sidebottom and local ace Cameron Butler led away and pulled a slight lead, but their persistent dicing allowed a chase pack of three, led by another local in Jamie Grohman, to close.

It was still Butler and Sidebottom who shared the bulk of the leading duties, culminating in a spectacular final lap. Sidebottom was passed by both Butler and Grohman into Turn 1, only to pass both karts down the inside at once entering Turn 3.

The Arrow driver looked to have it won, only for Butler to slot his Birel down the inside at the final corner. Sidebottom dropped to fifth as a result of the move, with Butler holding out Grohman by 0.059 seconds.

Clubman Heavy

Results – Top Ten
1. Matthew Wall
2. Justin Garioch
3. Kel Treseder
4. Lee Mitchener
5. Clinton Marcon
6. Brendan Nelson
7. Shay Mayes
8. Nathan Garioch
9. Zeke Edwards
10. James Greenwood

Race Notes:
Matthew Wall took the win in Clubman Heavy ahead of two well-credentialed Queenslanders in Justin Garioch and Kel Treseder.

Jason Hryniuk led the opening lap of the final, but engine problems as his CRG came on the front straight at the end of the first lap slowed his kart, seeing him drop to the back of the field and eventually retire two laps later.

Treseder and Wall inherited the lead, as Garioch came back through the order after starting from eighth place.

At Turn 3 on the final lap, Treseder and Wall slowed as both drove down low to the inside of the track as they battled for the lead spot. Wall had more pace out of the corner and the move allowed Garioch to catch the pair and pass Treseder at the next corner.

Wall had enough of a gap to hold the lead from the charging Garioch to the last corner, narrowly holding the lead in a drag race to the line.

Junior National Heavy

Results - Top Ten
1. Macauley Jones
2. Brock Plumb
3. Shannon Holley
4. Chris Farkas
5. Nicholas Ellen
6. Luke Baldry
7. Daniel Oosthuizen
8. Aaron Johnstone
9. Ethan O’Farrell
10. Joshua Crossingha

Race Notes:
It another tight race, Macauley Jones took a well-deserved first state championship with the win in Junior National Heavy at Gympie.

Having run in the top five at virtually every major meeting this season in the class, the Albury driver grabbed a debut blue plate ahead of Brock Plumb and Shannon Holley.

Jones led the majority of the final half of the race but he was rarely more than a kart-length ahead of Chris Farkas, Plumb and Shannon Holley. At one stage late in the race the top ten karts were nose-to-tail.

As the field crossed the line entering the final lap it was Plumb who was leading the way but Jones used all of his ever-growing experience to take over the front running with half a lap remaining and win the race to the flag.

Plumb got the better of the rest to finish runner-up ahead of Holley, Farkas, who led on several occasions, and Nicholas Ellen.

Behind the lead pack, Aussie No 1 Darsey Kondopirakis was a notable DNF, involved in a crash at Turn 3 on the opening lap.

Leopard Light

Results - Top ten
1. Tyler Greenbury
2. John Grother
3. Phillip King
4. Cian Fothergill
5. Justin Garioch
6. Brendan Nelson
7. Ryan Wlodzinski
8. Fergus Symes
9. Kyle Ensbey
10. Adam Mercer

Above: Greenbury leads at the start of Leopard Light
pic - photowagon.com.au

Race Notes:
Tyler Greenbury grabbed his second state title for the weekend with a commanding win in Leopard Light at Gympie.

Greenbury won the start, but fellow Toowoomba driver Brendan Nelson grabbed the lead for a few laps before the Aussie champ took the ascendancy back.

Greenbury then proceeded to drive away from the field, which was fairly spread out even in the early laps. Jason Hryniuk looked to be a challenger for Greenbury early but contact with John Grother saw his race end early at the final corner.

Phillip King was another to threaten, but his speed was not enough to reel in Greenbury and the Dubbo driver was eventually passed for second by Grother.

Rotax Heavy

Results – Top Ten
1. Jason Pringle
2. Rick Pringle
3. Luc Price
4. Lane Moore
5. Simon Meyer
6. Trent Moore
7. Andrew Torville
8. Joshua Feenstra
9. Christopher Board
10. Ben McKinlay

Race Notes:
Pro Karting CRG driver Jason Pringle took the win ahead of a dramatic final corner finish in the Rotax Heavy Championship Final.

For the majority of the race Pringle was engaged in a titanic battle with Bundaberg driver Kel Treseder for the majority of the journey, however, Arrow pilot William Yarwood was showed some great speed mid race to make it a three-way battle at the front.

Yarwood relieved Treseder of second spot with two laps to go and it appeared as though the top three were almost set – until the final corner anyway. Treseder made an attempted move on the inside of Yawrood which resulted in the pair coming together and dropping out of the race.

The demise of Yarwood and Treseder allowed Rick Pringle, who was putting in some very impressive lap times late in the race, to finish in the runner-up spot. Luc Price crossed the line in third spot ahead of Lane Moore and Simon Meyer.

Junior National Light

Results – Top Ten
1. Liam Morey
2. Bradley Jenner
3. Brock Plumb
4. Joseph Mawson
5. James Foster
6. Sam Lumsden
7. James Hughes
8. Jake Coleman
9. Sean Butcher
10. Jorden Dickens

Race Notes:
Victorian Liam Morey broke through for the victory in the Junior National Light Final leading home his CC Racing team-mate Bradley Jenner and Queenslander Brock Plumb.

The CC pair ran one-two for the majority of the 16-lap journey, however, with a handful of laps remaining Plumb and New South Wales driver Joseph Mawson closed in on the tail of the leading duo to make it a four-way battle at the front.

While Plumb and Jenner diced for the runner-up spot it allowed Morey to open a slender buffer which he held to the chequered flag.

Jenner crossed the line narrowly ahead of Plumb and Mawson.

After running as high as third early in the race James Foster finished fifth in his Pacific Kartsport Arrow.

Senior National Heavy

Results – Top Ten
1. Corey Lean
2. Hayden Stephensen
3. Adam Pisula
4. Robert Thornburn
5. Terry Cobb
6. Nicholas Fabrio
7. Peter O’Neill
8. Iain Thornton
9. Bevan Garioch
10. Jay Schrodter

Race Notes:
New South Wales driver Corey Lean grabbed the lead from the start and appeared to have a handy buffer during the opening laps of the Senior National Heavy Final.

However, the charging eight kart freight-train including Bevan Garioch, Nicholas Fabrio, Terry Cobb and Pre-Final non-finisher Adam Pisula closed in on the rear bumper of Lean’s Arrow kart with ten laps remaining.

Lean was the leader for the majority of the race, however, both Garioch and Stephensen had a crack at the front of the pack during various points of the closing stages.

With two laps remaining Lean regain the lead and despite some heavy pressure from Stephensen over the closing stages held on for a narrow victory.

Pisula held on for third ahead of Robert Thornburn. After a mid race incident dropped him to near the rear of the field Garioch recovered to be running fourth with two laps remaining but his race ended in the hay bales on the final turn.

Leopard Heavy

Results – Top Ten
1. Kel Tresder
2. Matt Greenbury
3. Nathan Mills
4. Hayden Stephensen
5. Benjamin Dunley
6. John Rowley
7. Elle Brydon
8. Scott Elms
9. Billy Raynmont
10. Chris Armstrong

Race Notes:
The Final of the Leopard Heavy category was a battler between the ‘Current and the Former’ with reigning National Champ Kel Treseder going head-to-head with the 2007 Champion Matt Greenbury.

The Toowoomba Tony Kart pilot grabbed the lead from the green light but was shadowed by Tresder throughout the opening half of the race as pole-sitter Daniel Stein fell back into the clutches of the chasing pack.

As the leading duo cleared out from the field it was the North Queensland pair of Nathan Mills and Hayden Stephensen battled for third an fourth.

Treseder took over the front running with two laps to go and when Greenbury ran wide coming onto the main straight entering the final lap it allowed the National Champion some breathing space and to take the win.

Greenbury finished second ahead of Mills and Stephensen.

Stein was a noteable DNF succumbing to a mechanical issue while running in fifth place mid race.

Clubman Super Heavy

Results – Top Ten
1. Scott Simpson
2. Ben McKinlay
3. Benjamin Dunley
4. Thomas Janusz
5. Glen Stallbaum
6. Mark Muscat
7. Nathan Coleman
8. Ian Wogandt
9. Mark Hilder
10. Craig Minett

Race Notes:
Over the past few years the Clubman Super Heavy Final has been a battle between Scott Simpson, Ben McKinlay and Ryan Fulcher. With no Fulcher this weekend one would be comfortable in assuming the OTK Racing pair would dominate the proceedings, however, this was far from what happened.

Simpson and McKinlay were joined at the front of the pack by Mackay’s Mark Muscat and Gold Coast’s Benjamin Dunley in a tight tussle for the lead.

Muscat took over the front running on more than one occasion by passing both Simpson and McKinlay in one foul swoop at the end of the main straight.

Simpson’s shot at victory looked just about over with one and a half laps remaining when he ran wide after coming together with Muscat exiting turn two, however, when McKinlay made a move for the front two corners later it allowed Simpson to close back in.

From that point on Simpson wasn’t challenged to take the win ahead of McKinlay, Dunley and Thomas Janusz.

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