Sensational Finish for CRG at CIK Stars of Karting Finale
press release
The CRG Australia Racing Team had a sensational end to the CIK Stars of Karting Series with Pierce Lehane defending his Pro Junior KF3 title, Jason Pringle taking out the round in Pro Gearbox KZ2 not to mention a host of podium places in both the round and series.
Above: Pierce Lehane leads fellow CRG driver Jake Coleman during Final 2 at Newcastle
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Lehane got off to the perfect start at the final round of the series at the Newcastle Kart Club’s 1058 metre Mount Sugarloaf Raceway topping the time sheets in the opening qualifying session before backing it up with a solid lap in the Top Five Shootout to retain pole for the heat races.
From there Lehane took out all three heat victories before crossing the line second in both finals to secure the championship along with the Jon Targett perpetual trophy for the second year running. The young New south Wales driver becoming only the third person to achieve the feat following in the footsteps of IndyCar star Ryan Briscoe (1995/1996) and Kristian Lindbom (2003/2004).
“To put my name on the trophy two times in a row is something that I’ll never forget in my career, especially when you look at the caliber of drivers that have won this title over the years,” said Lehane.
“The racing has been really intense this year, even today when I knew that all I had to do was finish the second final and I was the champion again I felt some of that pressure.
“It was pretty close racing all weekend, the younger guys have really been stepping it up in the second half of the series and with a few of the older drivers moving into seniors next year I think they will really shine next year.”
CRG teammate Jake Coleman also put in a stellar performance to finish third for the round behind Lehane to secure fourth in the championship points.
Like Lehane,Treseder went fastest in both qualifying and the shootout to secure pole before a solid run through the heats earned him a front row start for final one.
Above: Kel Treseder secured second place in the KZ2 Pro Gearbox Championship with a podium result in Final 2.
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From there the Bundaberg driver who was leading the series points took a well-deserved victory however he was given a ten-second-penalty post race for a jumped start putting him well down the grid for final two and pretty much ending his hopes of securing the title.
A determined drive together fellow CRG teammate Jason Pringle in final two saw the dynamic duo dice their way through the pack to catch the leader before Pringle found his way into the lead with Treseder soon following suit to take second, greeting the chequers for a solid CRG one-two.
For Pringle, the win secured him the round victory while unfortunately for Treseder second for the round saw him finish runner up in the series by a mere six points, still a great effort in a quality field that saw over 45 competitors for the year.
Above: It was a CRG 1-2 in the Final of KZ2 Pro Gearbox with Jason Pringle #35 taking the win over team mate Kel Treseder #75
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“The CRG was handling perfect all weekend and we had great pace, it was just a shame I received the penalty for the jumped start as it cost me the championship,” said Treseder.
“In saying that second is still a very respectable result after five rounds and I really have to thank everyone that has supported me especially Chris Dell and his entire team at CRG along with Ray and Keryn Fulcher, my mechanic Simon Obst and of course my family.”
For Pringle the round victory was a very welcomed and deserved result after having great speed all year but narrowly missing out on a big result while it also ensured he took out third in the series finishing just one point behind Treseder.
“My CRG kart was fantastic this weekend, I have to say I couldn’t have done it without the help of Chris Dell and the new CRG team mechanic Mattia and of course my brother Rick and Dad,” said Pringle.
“It really gives me great confidence going into the series next year to know that we have the pace sorted for the finals, while we have been fast this year we have struggled to find a formula that stays strong in the last ten laps but we definitely got that sorted this weekend.”
“It’s always great to get a victory, this weekend we just put our best foot forward and were able to win the race but we pretty much knew the championship was out of our hands unless something major happened to both Tyler or Kel but I’m just happy to step forward like we did and can’t wait for next year.”
Above: Finishing second in the final round, defending champion Pierce Lehane retains his Pro Junior KF3 title along with the prestegious Jon Target Trophy
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Jason Hryniuk also saved his best result for the series until the final round, after showing good speed at the penultimate round at the same venue, Hryniuk went on this time to claim second in the Pro Light KF1 class.
While Lydon Dodge entered the final round on top of the Yamaha Clubman Challenge, it was fellow CRG driver Brett Robinson who claimed pole in qualifying before also claiming P1 for the Pre-final and the final.
Unfortunately that was where his winning run ended having to settle for second in the final race of the series while Dodge was unlucky not to secure the championship after late race contact with the with the eventual winner saw him forced to settle for second place.
