Pegoraro & Hossack Duel For Superkart Championship Honours
press release
Gary Pegoraro has been racing gearbox Superkarts for several seasons now, and racing 250 National and International classes has come close several times to the elusive Australian championship status.
He's very experienced in non-gearbox classes, having won four titles in 100cc class a decade ago, and has experience as part of a crew having prepared karts for several Australian champions, most recently as part of Jason McIntyre's four year run of titles in the 250 National division.
At Phillip Island in May, Pegoraro (right) achieved a personal milestone, winning a round of the series in 250 International for the first time. Pegoraro holds a ten point advantage over fellow Victorian Anderson driver, Darren Hossack.
"We're trying not to re-invent the wheel," said Pegoraro. "But with some help from BRC Engines in Canada and their Australian distributor Dave Hepworth we've made some changes and had some gains on the dyno. We've got the preparations in hand, now it's just putting it into practice."
"We've got to learn the circuit, to get the kart setup and the gearbox selections right. I've been racing KZ2 shifter sprintkarts this season to sharpen up, to keep myself fit and firing."
Hossack (right) will bring his biggest weapons to Queensland. The Scott Ellis owned and run Safe Evolutions team will be debuting a new Anderson Maverick chassis at Morgan Park.
"We were meant to have it for Phillip Island." said Darren Hossack. "The Iceland volcano delayed the delivery so we ran the older kart and with a borrowed engine. Scott flew to New Zealand and brought the engine back as hand luggage, it was an expensive exercise."
"Speaking to Trevor Roberts (European Championship racer) at Phillip Island he was saying the new Anderson was better, so we fast tracked getting the new chassis this year."
The new engine, the latest from Ellis' Safe Evolutions team is ready for the trip north, the team having tested recently at Winton.
"The new engine is making the same sort of power. We were certainly as quick as anyone at Phillip Island. With the Sports Sedan we're knocking on the door of winning two titles in the same year for the second time."
Both Pegoraro and Hossack will find themselves unavoidably distracted throughout the weekend. Pegoraro is running a three kart team over the weekend. As well as his own 250 International kart he is also preparing the 250 National karts of class front runners Luke May (Marron Excavations Stockman MR2 Yamaha) and Wayne Sprostan (Wilsons Auto Services Anderson Maverick Yamaha). Darren Hossack will also be running the Audi A4-Chevrolet Sport Sedan as park of the Kerrick Sports Sedan National Series.
"Running the Sports Sedan I'll get more laps," said Hossack. "Because I've known the track I've been able to jump quickly from the kart to the car. It'll be harder learning both. I think the first session in both will indicate where we are."
It is a disadvantage that Warren McIlveen will not share. The man who has won a record seven Australian Championships across two classes has been dominant in recent years on the older 2.1 kilometre Morgan Park Raceway layout, having been a semi-regular at the Queensland circuit over the last five years, and has won Queensland biggest event the Pacific Superkart Challenge three times as well as the impressive statistic that the Mac's Marine Stockman MR2 Honda has recorded the fastest ever racing lap of any category of the old circuit. It gives the Tamworth based racer a heads up on his competition as he attempts to over come a fifteen point deficit to Pegoraro.
Other potential race winners come from many directions. Victorian racer Anton Stevens (www.artmotorsport.com.au PVP) was fast at Phillip Island, but unlucky. Reigning champion Sam Zavaglia (Sam Zavaglia Racing Stockman MR2 Yamaha) is another Pacific Superkart Challenge winner at Morgan Park and will be looking forward to putting a dismal last round performance behind him.
The Queensland teams, experienced with the venue, if not the new variation of the circuit will have an advantage as well. Jason Smith (Fuji Xerox Anderson Maverick FPE) was fast at Phillip Island on his 250 International debut in the ex-Carl Hulme European Championship car. The Jamieson family of father Chryss (Coach Design Anderson Maverick Honda) and son Russell (Coach Design Stockman MR2 Honda) have also been quick in recent racing as well as the East Coast Lubes/R&R Power Sports PVP-Honda of Steven Murray.
250 International points after Round 1: Gary Pegoraro 75, Darren Hossack 70, Trevor Roberts 64, Warren McIlveen 60, Anton Stevens 46, Ilya Harpas 41, Chryss Jamieson 39, Sam Zavaglia 35, Jason Smith 30, Mark Hanson 20 etc.
