Preview: Vic Country Series Final Round
| from Andrew Hayes | 14 October 2013 |
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Wimmera Kart Club will this weekend play host to the sixth and final round of the 2013 Austrans Victorian Country Series at its Dooen Raceway facility.
Although the Horsham track is the shortest in the series at 518m, it is one of the busiest and is sure to test drivers mentally and physically. Two potentially hot days of racing at this little bullring could make or break some competitors.
The club have completed their preparations, including some facility improvements, and are ready to put on a great event to finish the series.
Two drivers hoping to squeeze out a bit of home track advantage will be Brayden ‘Buddy’ Souter and Leon ‘Bucket’ Forrest, both pushing to improve their already strong position in series standings.
Above: Brayden ‘Buddy’ Souter will be making his final start in the Rookie class this weekend before moving to Junior National Light in 2014
For Rookies competitor and student, Buddy, it’s a chance to fight for third position in the series and maybe even press for second. The pocket rocket started out his karting career in 2008 and has made steady gains since, rising to fourth in the 2012 standings in the Rookie class. With an impending move to Junior National Light, he will be hoping to secure a good result this weekend and carry that success into the junior classes. His motorsport hero is Craig Lowndes, and he enjoys racing with Warrnambool’s Jay Coul, his most respected driver. Buddy loves karting, and everything about it, and describes his home track as full on and warns that there’s no time to relax. He says the close and competitive racing has been the highlight of his year.
Forrest is another with plenty at stake this weekend, with the point score in over forties tightening in recent rounds. With leader Craig Jelbart in striking distance, he can attack but needs to be careful, as Ron Taylor in third is closer to him than he is to Jelbart. The 46 year old Wimmera Bearings proprietor is no stranger to pressure cooker environments, as a 3 time Victorian Closed Champion and multiple series winner, and this should hold him in good stead this weekend. That said, he credits his travelling crew for keeping him on a short leash.
Above: Leon 'Bucket' Forrest ahead of series leader Craig Jelbart
The friendships made, and the ability to shake hands after a hard but fair race is what keeps bringing the veteran back year after year. He says the Horsham track is great for spectators as you can see the full circuit, but being so short, drivers need to be on their game from the time they go out the gate. He also speaks positively about improvements made at the circuit in recent years, including the cover on the out grid and looks forward to the future track extensions.
Competitors are reminded to enter on CMS by Wednesday night for class formation and program. The random tyre draw for this round will be replaced by a special series draw at presentations on Sunday, for those competitors who’ve done each round.
Racing will commence at 1:30pm on Saturday, and with more than 100 entries expected, it looks set to be a fitting end to a great series!
The Austrans Victorian Country Series is proudly brought to you by major partner Austrans Container Services, and associate sponsors, Remo Racing, Yes Optus Warrnambool-Portland-Hamilton, All Star Graphics, Shamick Racing and Yamaha Australia.
- Canteen available - Saturday: 9.30am-5.00pm, and Sunday: 7.00am-4.00pm
FREE ENTRY FOR SPECTATORS
