Kelly Grabs State Title At Monarto
press release
For Adelaide teenager Sam Kelly it was truly an inspirational victory, when he claimed the South Australian Sportsman Championship at the recent closed state Kart titles held at Monarto Raceway.
After a slow start to qualifying, where a spin in Q1 unfortunately ruined the session, Sam took the advice of experienced racer and mechanic for SK Motorsports Ben Vardon to merely put in some laps as a practice ahead of the heats. This effort was then transformed into being placed on 4th for the start of the opening race.
Vardon said after the meeting, “Sam has come quite along way in just 7 months and is developing very quickly as a driver, the feedback after every session is very detailed which helps with the development of the kart."
After a weekend that was seen as somewhat of a rollercoaster ride for Kelly, it wasn’t until the final on Sunday afternoon where his true determination shone through. Despite starting in 3rd, Sam dropped to 6th during the race. However, little did he or those around him know, but a Bradbury like effort was ahead of him. Witnessing a couple of karts spin in front of him gave Kelly the urge to press on, and this determination saw him eventually claim the lead and clinch the title.
Sam said following the win, “it feels awesome to win after only being in Karting for 7 months, the support and congratulations I got was amazing and made the win so much better.”
The win for Sam was made all the more important as he dedicated it to his Grandfather, "it was a great win to be able to share the win with my family and my grandpa, the wins for him and everything i do in my career is aswell. I’m sure he was looking down and hopefully i can race a ford for him,” added Kelly.
Sam now looks ahead to Round 4 of the Festival State Cup this weekend at the Barossa Go-Kart Club, stating “my goals are to finish top 3 in the Festival State Cup and then concentrate on making a successful move to Clubman Heavy.
I’d love to take my racing further but it depends on funds and my development at the moment. I’m happy with the way I’ve progressed and aim to continue to keep moving ahead and improving like I have.”
