Lee, Zuj and Frost Take Home Clubman Cups

by Stuart Lee

The Launceston kart Club ran another very successful meeting on Saturday July 1st with the 2017 FT Guy Bodyworks Clubman Cup.

The Clubman Cup has being going for 21 years with many of Tasmania’s best drivers listed on the perpetual cup for  Junior Clubman (now KA3 Junior), Clubman Light (KA3 Senior Light) and Clubman Heavy (KA3 Senior Medium).

The 2017 Clubman Cup winners (L to R)  Nathan Zuj, Tate Frost & Alistair Lee

KA3 Junior looked to be a battle between Tate Frost and Lochie Dalton. Dalton won the cup in 2016 and was eager to go back-to-back, but Frost, the reigning Tasmanian Champion, was keen to add another top notch trophy to his cabinet. The heat racing was pretty close with the pair out front dicing for the win and in the end Frost was able to take the win after fending off a determined late race charge by Dalton that had the spectators on their feet for the last few laps. Third on the day went to Hobart’s Brock Lamont who had his first outing in KA3 and will be one to watch in the coming months.

KA3 Junior podium – Lochie Dalton, Tate Frost, Brock Lamont

In KA3 Senior Light, young Hobart hard charger Harry Ward stepped up with quick time ahead of the fancied Nathan Zuj and North West’s Keenan Slater third. In the heat races Ward and Zuj battled hard with Zuj claiming victory in all three ahead of Ward however the margin was tight with Shane Bray also improving in each race and it looked like the three would battle it out in the final. However, a first corner skirmish separated the field with Zuj jumping out to an early lead that he would not relinquish. Ward, who fell back to forth on the opening lap, regrouped and claimed second with Bray rounding out the podium.  This win was Clubman Cup number six for Zuj.

KA3 Senior Light podium – Harry Ward, Nathan Zuj, Shane Bray with LKC Vice President Garry Lee presenting the Cup

KA3 Senior Medium looked on paper as the toughest of the three to pick a winner. As always, Zane Wyatt would be in the hunt but he would face some good competition from Praga driver Steven Wrigley. Murray Dadson, who has been at the front of this class all year, was going to be in the mix alongside Kurtis Love who has been testing the waters in the Australian Kart Championship this year. The final driver that looked to have a chance of claiming a maiden Clubman Cup was local Alastair Lee.

From the outset it looked as though an upset was on the cards when Lee claimed the honours in qualifying with Wrigley and Dadson second and third respectively. On paper it would look as though Lee won the day easy winning all three heats and the final, but this was far from the truth with Wrigley, Dadson and Lee having a traffic battle with multiply lead changes throughout the heats. The final looked set to be a ripper but Wrigley over cooked the first corner allowing Lee to grab an early lead and like Zuj was never challenged for the win. Wrigley climbed back from fifth on the opening lap to score second with Dadson third, Love forth and Wyatt fifth.

KA3 Senior Medium podium – Steven Wrigley, Alistair Lee, Murray Dadson

The other major race on the day was the Phil Goss Memorial for the KA4 Masters. Phil was a respected member of the Launceston Kart Club and is remembered with the memorial race each year.

Local member and friend of Phil, Johnathan Males, had not won the memorial and was ultra-keen to win it this year with all drivers using the old Yamaha J engine. Males set the pace in qualifying and lead the opening 12 laps of the race until Freddy Cocca, who was setting the fastest laps on track, caught and passed Males and looked set to take victory. However, when the pair hit lapped traffic in the 20 lap race, Cocca got held up allowing Males back into the lead. Males held on to take victory ahead of Cocca and Scott Wrigley.

Phil Goss Memorial podium – Freddy Cocca, Johnathan Males, Scott Wrigley. Zane Wyatt presents the trophy on behalf of the Goss family

During the heat races a major accident occurred on the start straight which resulted in young Chad Gardner ending upside down with the kart still going on top of him. Also involved in the crash was Kyle Love who leapt from his kart and ran to the aid of the stricken Gardner and lifted the kart off him as parents and officials also ran to help. Well done Kyle great work

Results from other classes (full results are on CMS HERE):

Cadet 9
1st Maxwell Miller
2nd Cameron Jeffrey
3rd Kahley Luttrell



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Cadet 12
1st Toby Callow
2nd William Blair
3rd  Philip Cowles

KA4 Junior Light
1st Ethan Wyllie
2nd Logan Dixon
3rd Tyson Phegan

KA4 Senior Heavy
1st Phillip Isaac
2nd Phillip Dickenson

KA4 Masters
1st Johnathan Males
2nd Alfredo Cocca
3rd Malcolm Watson

KA4 Masters Heavy
1st Scott Wrigley
2nd Terry Pinfold

TAG Restricted Light
1st Paul McKenzie
2nd Justin Duncombe
3rd Justin Pennefather

TAG Restricted Medium
1st Daniel Hinds
2nd Troy Sheahen
3rd Benjamin Popowski

TAG 125 Light
1st Ryan Jenkins
2nd Alastair Lee
3rd Jade Waddington

TAG 125 Heavy
1st Troy Stone

KA3 Junior (Clubman Cup)
1st Tate Frost
2nd Lochie Dalton
3rd Brock Lamont

KA3 Senior Light (Clubman Cup)
1st Nathan Zuj
2nd Harry Ward
3rd Shane Bray

KA3 Senior Medium (Clubman Cup)
1st Alastair Lee
2nd Steven Wrigley
3rd Murray Dadson

Phil Goss Memorial
1st Johnathan Males
2nd Alfredo Cocca
3rd Scott Wrigley

Johnathan Males with the memorial trophy honouring his fallen friend Phil Goss

 



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