New Winners At Pro Tour
| press release | 23 March 2015 |
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The second round of the Rotax Pro Tour at Dubbo’s Lincoln County Raceway presented six brand new winners out of the seven classes in Sunday’s 22 lap Finals. With the hunt for the NSW State Championship plate and also the race for a seat at the World Finals at stake, the focus on the Series Points is already receiving a heightened interest early in the season.
Above: Pro Tour Dubbo Winners (L to R) Zane Morse (Junior Max), Jason Pringle (DD2), Scott Howard (DD2 Masters), Nicholas Andrews (Rotax Light), Chris Farkas (Rotax Heavy), Reece Cohen (Junior Max Trophy Class) and Bayley Douglas (Mini Max – front)
pic - Coopers Photography
BirelART driver Scott Howard bounced back from his second place finish in heat three to secure the win in the pre-final for DD2 Masters. After finishing as high as third during the heat races, Daniel Richert made a concerted charge to secure second behind Howard with Jason Hryniuk taking third. Ryan Rannard recovered from a DNF in heat two to move forward and secure fourth with Klinton Hancey taking fifth and Tony Bregonje joining Hancey on the third row for the final, finishing sixth.
Scott Howard took advantage of an impressive start in the DD2 Masters final to take the lead from the outset, which is where he would remain through to the end. Howard’s nearest challenger, Daniel Richert moved clear of Ryan Rannard who would go on to finish third, with the result handing Howard his first ever overall round in the Pro Tour. Richert took second with Rannard third while Adam Hunter fought back through the field to finish fourth ahead of Klinton Hancey who completed the top five podium.
Above: BirelART driver Scott Howard battled fiercely throughout the weekend to claim overall victory in DD2 Masters
pic - Coopers Photography
After a trio of third place finishes throughout the heat races across Friday and Saturday, Chris Farkas made a strong stand in the pre-final for Rotax Heavy, securing the win ahead of Regan Payne, who had taken victory in all three heats until Sunday. Christopher Board stepped up after finishing outside the top five in the heats to secure third ahead of heat race pole sitter Clem O’Mara who took fourth from Ryan O’Sullivan and Craig Stauner.
A breakaway performance by Tony Kart driver Chris Farkas in the Rotax Heavy final saw the Queenslander go on to take his first ever round in in the Pro Tour. Farkas broke clear of Regan Payne who had shown dominance in the category across the weekend to eventually claim the win by 1.5 seconds over Payne while Christopher Board finished a comfortable third, a dice right to the line for the final two podium places between Clem O’Mara and Ryan O’Sullivan kept on-lookers guessing, with Lane Moore settling for sixth after starting from the rear of the field.
Above: Tony Kart’s Chris Farkas pulled away to a comfortable victory in Rotax Heavy
pic - Coopers Photography
The dominance of Brad Jenner throughout the heat races in Rotax Light continued into heat three as he took another victory, securing a clean sweep of wins, delivering him pole position for the pre-final. Daniel Rochford’s win in heat three for his group helped to ensure he would join Jenner on the front row, while Queensland’s Nicholas Andrews took second in heat three, combined with his win heat two, placing him in third alongside Pierce Lehane on the second row for the 18 lap race.
Tony Kart driver Nathan Tigani continued his consistent form to take third in heat three, placing him in fifth for the pre-final alongside Praga driver Jordan Boys.
In a mirror of his performance from Pro Tour Melbourne, Brad Jenner continued to take charge of the Rotax Light field in the pre-final, taking the win ahead of fellow Victorian Daniel Rochford. Jordan Boys continued to show a clean set of heels, finishing third ahead of Nicholas Andrews, with the teenage pair to set start from the second row in the final. Karting World team mates Cody Gillis and Nathan Tigani maintained their impressive start to the weekend, finishing fifth and sixth, setting up a starting position on the third row for the final.
A display of driving that was nothing short of dominant was the best way to describe Nicholas Andrews’ first ever round win in Rotax Light at the Pro Tour. The Queenslander looked settled in his BirelART Kart as he claimed the win by three seconds over Brad Jenner with Daniel Rochford finishing a further 1.4 seconds behind in third. Nathan Tigani managed to continue the pace of the front runners to secure fourth while Kosmic driver Jack Richardson secured his first ever Pro Tour podium, finishing fifth with Cody Gillis sixth following a mixed weekend that saw him battle through the field during the races.
Above: Nicholas Andrews' (7) first Rotax Light victory at Pro Tour was a dominant one
pic - Coopers Photography
Victorian Jason Pringle returned to his trademark DD2 form, claiming victory in his CRG Kart in heat three, placing him on pole for the pre-final. The battle between Pringle and Jordan Boys continued into the third heat, while fellow Victorian Troy Woolston became prominent, securing second behind Pringle with Boys settling for third ahead of a hard charging Kyle Ensbey with Chris Bregonje securing fifth in just his third National level meeting in DD2.
Another prominent battle between Jason Pringle and Jordan Boys was enacted in the pre-final for DD2 with the pair battling for the lead throughout the early stages of the race. A stuck throttle for Boys through the fastest section of the Lincoln County Raceway saw the Albury driver record a DNF, forcing him to start the final from the rear of the field. Lee Mitchener subsequently moved through to second which is where he would remain, finishing ahead of Troy Woolston and Lucas Ward who recorded his best finish of the weekend in fourth. Chris Bregonje and Ryan Kennedy finished fifth and sixth, setting up a third row start for the final.
A return to the trademark form of Jason Pringle in the DD2 final saw the Victorian take a comfortable victory by 4.4 seconds as he gradually extended his lead across the 22 lap race. The battle for the remaining podium places would go down to the wire with the experience of Troy Woolston showing through as he took second ahead of 2014 Team Australia driver Ryan Kennedy in third and Lee Mitchener in fourth while Gold Coast’s Joshua Crossingham’s fifth place finish would help to see the first time the ‘Ricciardo Kart’ would take a podium finish at the Rotax Pro Tour.
Above: Victorian Jason Pringle returned to the top step of the podium in DD2
pic - Coopers Photography
On the back of his ongoing success throughout qualifying and Saturday’s first two heat races, Luke Pink suffered a setback in heat three for Mini Max that would see him fall through the field, eventually claiming eighth. Jaiden Pope would go on to take the win ahead of Melbourne round winner Nathan Williams with Kai Allen making it a trio of third place finishes for the heat races. Bayley Douglas continued his top five weekend form, securing fourth, with Gabriel Gasperak in fifth and Austin Wells in sixth.
A fierce battle within the front runners in the early stages of the Mini Max pre-final saw heat race pole sitter Luke Pink suffer a DNF after making contact with the tyre wall approaching the final corners of the circuit. Jaiden Pope went on to secure the victory, though a post-race officials hearing would have Pope excluded from the event, subsequently handing Bayley Douglas the victory, placing him on pole position for the final. Austin Wells returned to his charging form to secure second on the revised results ahead of Nathan Williams and Kai Allen in third and fourth with Gabriel Gasperak finishing fifth and Callum Bishop recovering from two DNF’s in the first two heat races of the weekend to take sixth.
Following his victory in the pre-final, Praga driver Bayley Douglas carried a wealth of momentum into the Mini Max final as he secured victory after 18 laps of close racing that saw Melbourne round winner Nathan Williams finish second and boost his points tally. Kai Allen’s consistency throughout the two day’s of racing saw the Victorian finish third with Callum Bishop continuing his charge back to form securing fourth from Gabriel Gasperak in fifth.
Above: Queensland’s Bayley Douglas took a strong win in the second event for Mini Max in Australia
pic - Coopers Photography
The mixture of heat race winners in the Junior Max Trophy Class continued into heat three as Jace Matthews came out on top, helping to boost his standings, giving him a second row start for the pre-final. Continued fast lap times for Taylor Hazard helped to take second behind Matthews, likewise with Lewis Hodgson who had his share of quickest lap times to finish third from Tyler Howard who start pole for the pre-final, while Travis Lichtenberger finished fifth.
On the back of his victory in heat two on Saturday, West Australian Aaron Love again affirmed his position in the Junior Max Trophy Class, taking the win in the pre-final ahead of Zac Crichton who recovered after suffering a 16th place finish in heat three. Lewis Hodgson matched his heat three result taking third while Reece Cohen bounced back from a DNF in heat three to finish fourth with Tyler Howard in fifth and Joshua Smith in sixth.
It would be a New South Wales lockout of the first two finishing positions in the Junior Max Trophy Class final as Reece Cohen improved further from his initial podium in Melbourne in January to secure victory, finishing ahead of Zac Crichton who capped off an impressive weekend of results. West Australian Aaron Love shared the race lead throughout the 18 lap event before settling for third ahead of Lewis Hodgson while Victorian Joshua Smith completed the top five podium, representing a mix of states in the one make class.
Above: After his podium in Melbourne, Reece Cohen (94) improved further to claim the win in the Junior Max Trophy Class in Dubbo
pic - Coopers Photography
Canberra’s Zane Morse remained the driver to beat in Junior Max into heat three, making it a clean sweep of wins, ensuring he would start on pole position for the 18 lap race and the first where the groups would be merged into one. Toowoomba’s Cameron Shields continued his impressive Dubbo form to take second in his heat, giving him a second row start alongside Thomas Hughes, while Reece Sidebottom’s first heat one would see him join Morse on the front row. Alec Morse and Hunter McElrea would form the third row after the pair had not slipped outside the top five in all three heat races.
The continued upward trend of results for Zane Morse throughout the weekend saw the Tony Kart driver take the win in the Junior Max pre-final in a capacity field of 40 karts. Morse finished ahead of the experience Reece Sidebottom who continued to show competitive form on the back of his podium at Todd Road. Joshua Car’s outright pace on-board his RK Kart helped him move through to claim third, finishing ahead of Alec Morse in fourth while Thomas Hughes and Cameron Shields would ensure it was a Tony Kart lockout of the third row for the start of the final.
A mixed start to the Junior Max final for many of the weekend’s front runners would create an intriguing string of opening laps with Zane Morse again breaking away to an early lead, though he fought hard for his position, the reigning Australian Champion would go on to claim victory and boost his standings in the Rotax rankings. The fierce battle and multiple changes in position maintained interest in the dice for second with Joshua Fife eventually getting clear by 0.5 seconds, with Birel Kartsport Australia driver Hunter McElrea finishing third, taking his first ever Pro Tour podium. New Zealand’s Dylan Drysdale continued his impressive start to the Australian season, finishing fourth ahead of Thomas Hughes in fifth with Timothy Colombrita taking sixth.
Round 3 of 2015 Rotax Pro Tour takes place at Albury/Wodonga, VIC from 1-3 May.
Above: Reigning Australian Junior Max Champion Zane Morse took a hard fought win in a capacity Junior Max field
pic - Coopers Photography
