Aussies Continue To Star In Europe
| AKA media | 29 May 2013 |
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For the third week in succession, an Australian driver will be in action in Europe this weekend with Joseph Mawson (HInchinbrook, NSW) contesting the final round of the WSK Euro Series at Genk in Belgium.
Mawson, who is this year based full-time in Italy competing for the Top Kart factory team, is one of 63 drivers who will be lining up in the highly-competitive KF category at the event.
Above: Joseph Mawson will be racing in Belgium this weekend
pic - KSP
After showing glimpses of his true potential in his most recent outing at Sarno in Italy last month, Mawson is hoping for some luck on his side this weekend.
“At the last round I really felt that a top ten was a reality and top five was a possibility if things went my way. I showed the best speed that I have since the start of the year and mixed it with guys who have won the KF European and World Championships across the weekend, so that felt pretty good,” said Mawson.
Mawson’s fellow Australian Motor Sport Foundation-backed driver Pierce Lehane (Castle Hill, NSW) contested round two of the Rotax Max Euro Challenge at the 7 Laghi (Casteletto) circuit in Italy last weekend.
Above: Pierce Lehane lined up with the Dan Holland Racing team in Italy last weekend
pic - Racebox
Lining up with the Dan Holland Racing team in an FA Kart, Lehane qualified second fastest in the Senior Rotax category. Despite encountering some electrical issues in the heat races, he maintained his position inside the top ten throughout the weekend.
Lehane ran as high as fourth in the final before eventually crossing the line seventh. Brit Harry Webb won the round ahead of CRG Factory Driver Max Verstappen and Englishman Ed Brand.
“Qualifying second, just 0.036 off pole which was definitely the highlight of my weekend. During the heat races, which were held in the rain, we had electrical problems that we didn’t solve until the final heat where I finished third,” said Lehane.
“After a tough race in the pre-final I finished sixth and was confident entering the final. In the early laps I made my way into fourth but started to have some issues with my front brakes and wasn’t able to brake as deep. As a result I got pushed wide once again to eighth where I had a battle with Charlie Eastwood before I was able to clear off and start catching the front runners, but I ran out of laps to close the gap they had opened up.
“There were many positives from the weekend with my speed being fast enough to run inside the top three, just need more luck in the race. If I can just not get caught up in incidents, a podium result will be just around the corner I’m sure of it!”
The weekend prior, it was Chris Hays (Gold Coast, QLD) and Jason Faint’s (Gladstone, QLD) time to shine in Europe with the pair lining up on the grid in the opening round of the CIK-FIA European KZ2 Championships at Wackersdorf in Germany.
Above: Chris Hays behind the wheel during the CIK-FIA European KZ2 Championships in Germany
pic - KSP
Hays crossed the line 15th in the final while Faint was involved in a first lap incident in his pre-final ending his run. There were a total of 97 drivers who were in attendance.
“It’s great to see Australian drivers once again making their mark on the world stage in our sport,” said Australian Karting Association National President Craig Denton.
“Never before have we seen so many Australians regularly competing overseas, it’s great to see and is something the entire karting community should be very proud of.”
