Goddard Joins Team Australia Via Rotax Nationals Podium
| press release | 11 September 2014 |
| Tweet | |
Gold Coast’s Zane Goddard has finished second at the 2014 Rotax Nationals at the Ipswich International Kart track, subsequently propelling him into being the youngest of three drivers in the Junior Max class as part of Team Australia for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Valencia, Spain in November.
The 2014 Rotax Nationals were on home soil for Zane and would be the ultimate determinant as to whether he would gain enough rankings points in the close battle to join Team Australia. After qualifying third overall with a 48.725 in the oversubscribed Junior Max class of almost 60 entrants, Zane took second in the first two heat races before finishing third in heat three.
Above: Zane racing at Ipswich. He will be the youngest driver in Team Australia at the 2014 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Valencia, Spain
pic - Coopers Photography
In Saturday afternoon’s 16 lap pre-final, Goddard finished second out of 44 karts, placing him on the front row for the all-important final on Saturday night. In a battle for the lead that had to be seen to be believed, Zane had his share of the race lead throughout the 20 lap event before battling to the finish line, crossing in second by just 0.1 seconds.
“We started our weekend really well, qualifying third outright in such a big field. I was happy to take some good consistent results in the heat races and to finish second in the pre-final and be starting on the front row for the final was a huge achievement. The battle for the lead in the final was intense, anyone in the top five could have won but I was satisfied to come away with second considering how heavy the competition was,” Goddard said.
Zane’s Rotax Nationals result handed him his first ever appearance at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals and the 14-year old will subsequently be the youngest driver in the team making the trip to Spain. With a number of drivers in Team Australia having competed on the World stage on more than one occasion, Goddard will be looking to gain some mentoring from them throughout the week long event.
“I can’t wait to get to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Spain in November, it is an incredible achievement for me after such a long season of racing. It really went down to the wire in the points and if it wasn’t for finishing where I did in the final, it may have been a different story.”
“To be the youngest driver in the team is another great achievement, I’ll definitely be speaking with some of my fellow team members in the other classes about what to expect at such a big event and how best to prepare myself for the racing,” Goddard added.
After seven rounds of the Rotax Pro Tour in addition to the Rotax Nationals, Zane admits his results wouldn’t have been possible without the extensive support team and pit crews around him, ensuring he is able to compete at his best on every occasion.
“I can’t thank my firstly my mechanic, Chris Schofield enough for his hard work, coaching and mentoring throughout the whole year. The G-Force Racing crew have also been amazing all year and have really helped me to achieve this great result to make it to the World Finals. I have to put my head down now and do my best representing my country against the best young drivers in the World,” Goddard concluded.
The 2014 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals take place in Valencia, Spain from November 25-29.
