Double Win for Nelson At Supercheap Round
press release
The 18yo Inox Lubricants supported Kart driver, Brendan Nelson took a major double win in Mackay at the Supercheap Auto Kart Series Round 2 last weekend when he won both the Pro Clubman and the Leopard Heavy feature classes outright.
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The Gold Coast teenager took a near perfect sweep of the event with 3 wins from 3 in one class; and 2 wins and a 2nd placing in his 3 races for the other class over the weekend.
“Although we qualified 2nd in Leopard Heavy, our qualifying wasn’t that good on Saturday. We’d decided to try something different and it set us back a bit”, said the young Griffith University Sports Management Student. “This weekend is really a shakedown for the State Open Championships that will be held here in July. We obviously wanted to win the Supercheap Auto Kart Series Round, but we were also keen to make the best of this trip north for our State Title preparations. Luckily we were able to turn things around pretty quick last night and put a much better Leopard package together for today’s racing”.
Nelson was so decisively quick in fact, that he took an amazing 6.87 seconds win in Race 1 with his Kosmic Leopard Heavy 125cc water-cooled Kart. He then followed that up with a 13 seconds win in Race 2 and another 11 seconds win over his nearest rival in Race 3. The three race wins ensuring that he stood atop the rostrum as the overall Round winner in the class and that he also collected a maximum haul of Series Points on the weekend.
“After some disappointing results beyond our control in Toowoomba’s Round 1 event, it was important to us, that we reaffirmed our place in the Supercheap Auto Kart Series with our Leopard Heavy Kart”, said Team Manager, Craig Doyle. “Although we’re keen supporters of Karting and the Series, we’re here to achieve good exposure for our Team Partners by winning races and getting to the top of that Series Points Table. This is great step in that direction.”
The 34 Pro Clubman Kart field at Mackay was a far more competitive proposition for Nelson and he knew that he was up against some of Queensland’s best in the 100cc air cooled Yamaha class. In “hot form” drivers like Vodaphone’s Chris Hays, Tracksa’s Cian Fothergill, Mackay’s Garioch brothers, DIY Pool Fencing’s Matt Goddard and Nelson’s own Harrington Doyle team mate, James Greenwood, were all ready to step up on to the podium this weekend.
So tough was the competition, that Nelson who finished 2nd only the week before on the CIK Stars of Karting Podium in Clubman, qualified 3rd.
Race 1 was always going to be a cracker as 32 of Queensland’s most talented Clubman drivers took to the extended concrete track at Mackay. The racing was intense throughout and Nelson only pipped Chris Hays by 0.01 seconds for the win. Both drivers had returned to the Pit Lane unsure as to who had actually won and it was only by determining the computer recorded transponder logs some 4 minutes later, that Nelson was announced the winner over Team Vodaphone’s, Chris Hays.
Not to be left out of the picture in Race 2, Cian Fothergill made his way to the front early and Brendan Nelson followed him home to greet the chequered flag in 2nd a kart length behind.
The third race in Pro Clubman was another thrilling event with 32 Karts taking the Mackay Starter’s flag. Nelson quickly jumped to a 5 Kart length margin early in the race and wasn’t going to be challenged again. Central Queensland’s Fothergill followed Nelson home 1.66 seconds in arrears to take 2nd place, with a host of action in the fight for the minor placings behind.
Nelson now takes a well deserved rest this weekend, before potentially lining up in Clubman Heavy class for Round 1 of the new 2010 Southern Star Series (formerly the 5 Track “Harrington Doyle Gladiator Series”) at Cooloola Kart Club’s Gympie Gold Raceway, on 29th - 30th May, 2010.