2011 Bundaberg Marineland Enduro
from Robin Petersen
The Bundaberg Marineland Enduro was run and won last weekend, August 27-28. It was a bit different in that we ran a 1 hour enduro for Midgets and Rookies on the Saturday afternoon and Sunday consisted of a top 10 shoot out for both juniors and Seniors.
Also to add to the challenge there were a few extra rules. Each kart was restricted to a 3 litre fuel tank so that there would be a forced number of pit stops. Also all tyres were marked on the inner wall. All tyres had to be turned on the rim so that the markings were on the outer wall at the end of the race. When this was completed was left up to each individual team. Each team was restricted to 2 pit crew and 2 drivers.
Above: Pace kart with flashing lights picks up the race leader during one of the caution periods
Heavy rain on the Saturday night added to the challenge in the shoot outs and it added the desired “extra pressure” to put it together in a 1 lap dash. One of the big names to fall victim to the greasy conditions was John Grother who slid wide on turn 7 dropping him to 10th on the start line up.
While numbers were a bit disappointing in the Midget/Rookies and Junior races, the senior field had 18 teams entered including some of Australia’s best drivers.
The Midgets and Rookie enduro was conducted over 1 hour duration after qualifying. Bundaberg local Joseph Black was a clear winner on the day with a total of 74 laps, 2 laps ahead of 2nd placed Leyton Ey on 72 laps. It was great to see the fathers stressing as their performance in the pits determined the finishing positions on the track. Compulsory tyre changes and fuel stops made for plenty of pressure.
The Rookie enduro was won by James Litzow ahead of Jacob Zunker. By the end of the race, James Litzow had built a commanding lead of 10 laps to be on 73 laps ahead of Jacob Zunker on 62 laps. James got a bit excited and passed another kart between when the pace kart pulled off and the start/ finish line and incurred a 10 lap penalty. Once the penalty was applied he still came in 1st, but only by less than a second.
Above: Kel Treseder getting his hands dirty during a pitstop
The 2 ½ hour Junior Enduro started at 9.30am and unexpectedly, there was not a single Pace Kart required during an incident free race. After 2 ½ hours of racing the winners were Bundy local Troy Loeskow teamed with Toowoomba’s Scott Hynes having completed 212 laps. Second place was taken out by Cooloola’s Brody Chardon and Mackay’s Roland Legge.
The much awaited 2 ½ hour Senior Enduro, kicked off at 12.30pm. 18 teams lined up in single file for the rolling start and the start was incident free with a smooth run for the 1st half an hour. A 3 litre maximum tank size meant that fuel stops were going to play an important role in the end result. Most teams got between 32 to 45 laps from a tank of fuel. The fact that we there were Rotax, Yamaha, Leopard RL’s, Leopard X30’s and Fireballs which all delivered different fuel consumption and different performance. Once the pit stops started the best way of keeping track of where each team was at was through the WiFi connection to the live feed to the CMS system.
Big names, like former V8 Supercar driver Alan Gurr, made the trek and was suitably impressed with the event. Alan is keen to run again next year as were most of the teams who ran the 2011 event. Other “name drivers” to compete were Kel Treseder, John Grother, Matt Greenbury and Cian Fothergill.
Above: Eventual race winner Andrew Pearson (#31) leads Paul Vuichoud (#16)
After the first half hour of the event, there were a number of pace kart interventions which came about mainly through mechanical failure. One of the first to suffer mechanical issues was former V8 supercar pilot, Alan Gurr whose Rotax suffered a failed balance gear. The pace kart was released and picked up the lead kart. Most teams took the opportunity to pit and refuel. This scenario was repeated a number of times as the wear and tear took its toll.
However after 2 ½ hours of racing it was local pairing of Andrew Pearson and Clinton Marcon who finished on 221 laps ahead of Kel Treseder and Simon Obst on 217 laps and John Grother and Brenton Simmonds on 216 laps.
The feedback on the event has been all positive and planning is underway to make it an annual event that is around for many years to come.
Above: John Grother leaving his pit bay after a pitstop
