McIlveen Wins Race 1 - Dunlop Australian Superkart Championship

from Mark Jones

The opening race of the Dunlop Australian Superkart Championship has seen seven time Australian Champion Warren McIlveen (Soundy's Tamworth Stockman-Honda) win a four kart battle for the lead leading home multiple international championship winner Trevor Roberts (Stockman Superkarts / Demon Tweeks / Nilfisk Stockman-Yamaha) by half a second at the end of five fierce laps.

Polesitter Gary Pegoraro (Dunlop / BRC Engines Anderson-BRC) won the start to lead the field towards turn 1 ahead of a fast starting Sam Zavaglia, Trevor Roberts with Yianni Harpas picking up five grid position taking Warren McIlveen on the outside of Southern Loop. Roberts quickly picked up Zavaglia on the second lap, then Pegoraro for the lead. After a tardy opening lap McIlveen recorded a 1:33.6 lap, three tenths faster than Pegoraro's pole position picking off Harpas and Zavaglia in the process with Pegoraro falling on the next lap. On lap three McIlveen took Roberts just before Lukey Heights. From there McIlveen and Roberts pulled a gap on the fight for third place which saw a charging Anton Stevens (artmotorsport.com.au PVP) fall half a kart length short of catching Pegoraro.

Darren Hossack overcame a failed ignition system in the Safe Evolutions Anderson in qualifying to climb into fifth place with Jason Smith (Fuji Xerox Anderson-FPE) recording his best ever Australian Championship performance, surprisingly many with the pace of the team's ex-Malcolm Crowe Anderson.

Yiani Harpas claimed seventh position in the Internode / Davtec Zip-BRC two position ahead of his brother Ilya, the team struggling for engine power with Coach Design Anderson-Honda racer Chryss Jamieson in between. Rod Prickett (Rockett Race Engines Anderson-Rotax) rounded out the top ten. Danish Superkarting legend Poul Petersen (Smash Solutions PVP) finished 14th.

In the 250 National division Martin Latta (Viper Racing Anderson-Honda) was untouchable racing away to win. Luke May, subbing for the absent Chris Jewell in the Velocity Management Anderson-KTM, just held off New Zealand racer Wayne Sprostan at the line. The result pushed aside a miserable weekend for Sprostan in the Wilsons Auto Services team. David Yuill overcome a poor start on the Aardvark Polishing Anderson to finish fourth.

Steven Tamasi gained two seconds on the 125 Gearbox field in the Domain Prestige Homes Stockman-Honda at the start of the race which his pursuers never recovered. Darren Dunn (Broadbent Compressor Services Topkart-Honda) got the better of Jeff Reed (Cycle City Stockman-Honda) for second position after an entertaining fight. Anthony Lappas finished fourth in his Stockman.

On Sunday the Dunlop Australian Superkart Championship will complete three races beginning with the first race of the day at 9:30am.

Driver Quotes:
First 250 International: Warren McIlveen (Soundy's Tamworth Stockman-Honda) "It was probably the best race I've had in my entire life. It was very hairy out there chasing three karts with the little bit of win making the karts dart around a lot. It was hard to pass at a couple of stages."

Second 250 International: Trevor Roberts (Stockman Superkarts Demon Tweeks / Nilfisk Stockman-Yamaha) "We lost a lot of time yesterday and the kart wasn't doing what I wanted it to do. But now I've got the got reasonably good and in the first part of the race I just pushed on pushed on, I had brand new tyres on. I wouldn't say they went off but coming into Lukey Heights, the sun
was in my face and I had a clear visor on and I couldn't see the track. The sun kept getting lower and lower with each lap and I was actually blind and I lost a lot of time with that but other than that I'm happy enough."

Third 250 International: Gary Pegoraro (Dunlop / BRC Engines Anderson-BRC): "It started out OK but dropped off as the race went on. We started to run quite hot water temperature and that's where our performance went. But we won't know until tomorrow's race."

250 National Pole Position: Martin Latta (Viper Racing Anderson-Honda) "The kart has been faultless. Big thanks to Ian Harrison from Viper Racing UK and the Dunlop tyres I couldn't have asked for anything better. It's taken nearly six months to organise the new kart and straight out of the box it has been quick and beautiful to drive. We hope we can find another half a second tomorrow."

125 Gearbox Pole Position: Steven Tamasi (Domain Prestige Homes Stockman-Honda) "Dad's been working really hard to get it to this stage. I was using the slipstream off the 250 Nationals at the
start to get a bit of an advantage, but in the end the kart was just so good."

Points after Race 1:
250 International
Warren McIlveen 20, Trevor Roberts 17, Gary Pegoraro 15, Anton Stevens 13, Darren Hossack 11, Jason Smith 10, Yiani Harpas 9, Chryss Jamieson 8, Ilya Harpas 7, Rod Prickett 6 etc

250 National
Martin Latta 20, Luke May 17, Wayne Sprostan 15, David Yuill 13, Brendan Ludeman 11 etc

125 Gearbox
Steven Tamasi 20, Darren Dunn 17, Jeff Reed 15, Anthony Lappas 13, Brad Stebbing 11 etc

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