Twenty 200 Opens at Super Series Round 1
| by Brad Mitchell | 15 April 2015 |
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2015 West Australian 200 Open Super Series
Round 1 Great Southern Kart Club April 11, 2015
The 2015 West Australian 200 Open Super Series kicked off last Saturday night at the Great Southern Kart Club in Wagin. Despite weather threatening to cancel the meeting the track maintenance team did an outstanding job to actually get the meeting underway and then complete the whole program.
Above: The impressive 20-kart field assembled for the opening round of the WA 200 Open Super Series
Twenty of the 200 Twins would arrive into the Wagin pit area which would mean full capacity twenty kart heat races which would provide elbows up racing.
Opening heat would result in a Luke Hughes win who survived ten laps with James Inglis right on his rear bumper with third going to Nathan Walton who was debuting a super quick Benson KT Twin.
Heat 2 saw Joel Ettridge demonstrate his speed with a win from row three but not before a red flag intervention for a Max Fowler flip on the run into the bus-stop. He was OK but the kart was a little worse for wear.
Above: Luke Hughes on the way to winning heat one
Chris Griffiths led all the way from pole in heat three with Joel Ettridge easily winning heat four but not before another red flag due to Luke Hughes who inverted the #67 Doors Doors Doors entry in turn two. Ettridge and Inglis put on a driving clinic in the A Dash with Ettridge just winning from Inglis, Hughes and John McDonnell.
Robb McDougall scooted away to a good win in the B-Dash from Craig McIntyre and Luke Morton.
Despite the hectic racing, a solid sixteen kart field would take the green flag to start the Final with Ettridge jumping out and extending it throughout the race with all eyes fixed on the battle between Nathan Walton and James Inglis for second. Little separated the pair over the entire ten laps with Inglis finally getting the job done. Ettridge would take a convincing win over Inglis, Walton, an impressive Joe Chalmers and a consistent Matt Morton. Rounding out the top ten was Hughes, Robb McDougall, McDonnell, Luke Morton and Mark Davis.
Above: The final winner and series points leader Joel Ettridge
When the points from the seven races were tallied it was Joel Ettridge who claimed the inaugural round win from James Inglis and Joe Chalmers with a narrow gap back to Nathan Walton and Luke Hughes. Full credit to the drivers on the fact that thirteen karts were still going at the conclusion of the Final.
The meeting proved a resounding success and couldn’t have been achieved without the series sponsors in WA Workshop Supplies, WA Bolts, Asteel Powdercoaters, Hearth House Mandurah & Guildford, Plus Fitness 24/7 Halls Head & Pinjarra and Revolution Racegear.
If we thought the opening round was good wait until round two when the series travels to the Dirt Trackers club in Perth to contest the prestigious Ken & Ces Ditchfield Memorial on the weekend of May 9 and 10. Quite a few of the local racers who missed the opening round will be in attendance along with an interstate invasion led by current Australian Champion Ben Brown.
Results.
Heat 1: 1. Luke Hughes, 2. James Inglis, 3. Nathan Walton.
Heat 2: 1. Joel Ettridge, 2. Chris Griffiths, 3. Nathan Richards.
Heat 3: 1. Chris Griffiths, 2. Nathan Walton, 3. James Inglis.
Heat 4: 1. Joel Ettridge, 2. Joe Chalmers, 3. Robb McDougall.
A Dash: 1. Joel Ettridge, 2. James Inglis, 3. Luke Hughes.
B Dash: 1. Robb McDougall, 2. Craig McIntyre, 3. Luke Morton.
Final: 1. Joel Ettridge, 2. James Inglis, 3. Nathan Walton, 4. Joe Chalmers, 5. Matt Morton, 6. Luke Hughes, 7. Robb McDougall, 8. John McDonnell, 9. Luke Morton, 10. Mark Davis, 11. Michael Butler, 12. Brock Zonca, 13. Craig McIntyre.
Plus Fitness 24/7 Best Presented Kart & Crew Award: #40 Chris Griffiths
Above: Runner-up James Inglis
Official Points after 1 of 4 Rounds.
1. 94pts Joel Ettridge
2. 76pts James Inglis
3. 70pts Joe Chalmers
4. 67pts Nathan Walton
5. 67pts Luke Hughes
6. 56pts Chris Griffiths
7. 55pts John McDonnell
8. 53pts Matt Morton
9. 44pts Robb McDougall
10. 34pts Luke Morton
11. 26pts Nathan Richards
12. 24pts Michael Butler
13. 23pts Craig McIntyre
14 23pts Luke Robertson
15 22pts Mark Davis
16 19pts Sally McDougall
17 17pts Jimmy Fleming
18 11pts Matt Bosveld
19 0pts Max Fowler
Above: Winner Joel Ettridge with James Inglis and Joe Chalmers
Above: A hooked up Nathan Richards
Above: Sally McDougall
Above: Heat one about to take the green
Above: Jimmy Fleming
Above: Twenty 200 Opens made for a spectactular sight
Above: The heat racing was intense!
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Above: Joe Chalmers (23) runs the high line around Matt Morton (96)
Above: Nathan Walton impressed in the twin KT Clubman
