DPE Victorian Country Series, Round 3

The round was held back in May and various circumstances meant it didn’t get reported at the time – but now it has, so here it is!

by VCS

Round 3 Race Report: Wimmera Kart Racing Club

With a large turnout of 216 karters for the 2018 mid-season round, the Horsham paddock was extended into the neighbouring motorcross complex to accommodate the influx. The track was packed full of action and the paddock was packed tight for an exciting weekend of racing.

TAG Restricted Light

In his first VCS round in the senior restricted class, Alexander Grutteria would take pole by a tenth from a group of regular VCS front runners.

Heat 1 would see Alex drop down to 4^th on lap 1, while Andrew (#96) and Brock Rae (#19) made hay to maintain 2^nd and 3^rd. The #21 of Maximmo Torcasio was never headed once in the lead, taking the win by 1 second. Heat 2 was worse for our pole sitter, dropping to the rear of the field on lap 1. Brock Rae was chasing Andrew Rae for 1^st position, but would drop out of contention on lap 8 allowing the #94 of Joseph Clough to move through to second. Aaron Neilson (#86) moved forward all race, starting from 7^th, and finishing 3^rd. Benajmin Bizzari (#10) would flirt with 3^rd position twice during the race, but end up 0.6 secs behind 3^rd position.

After good luck in the heats, Joseph Clough was to slip from 2^nd to 5^th on lap 2. The leaders however were lapping 0.4 seconds faster and did not want to be re-caught. Todd Chambers made excellent work of the pack, starting from 9^th to bring home 3^rd. Andrew Rae was trailing Maximmo Torcasio for 9 laps until the move was made to claim 1^st position. Max would take 2^nd, and Andrew the win.

1^st Andrew Rae
2^nd Maximmo Torcasio
3^rd Todd Chambers

TAG 125 Heavy

Aaron Jackson (#2) had a great day out in TAG Heavy, claiming pole by 0.02 seconds from Scott King (#4). Three other drivers qualified within 0.1 of a second, making for a very close starting grid.

Scott would try for the lead on the first lap of heat 1, but Jackson got the better of lap 1 and maintained the position until the end of the heat
Daniel Richert (#90) and and Glenn Croxford (#97) would trade positions for 3^rd place, with Croxford coming out on top.

Several drivers were battling to keep tyre graining under control, as the left front is torched by Horsham’s 5 right hand corners. Aaron did not look to be suffering, and was comfortably the quickest kart on track in heat 2, winning by 3.2 seconds from Scott King. King was shadowed all the way by Richert, taking 2^nd by 0.1 seconds. The final was a closer affair, but still went Aaron’s way with a victory by 0.8 seconds from King. Richert would finish 3^rd, and Croxford 4^th.

1^st Aaron Jackson
2^nd Scott King
3^rd Daniel Richert

TAG 125 Light

The fastest karts at Horsham were churning out rapid low 23 second laps in qualifying. Connor Farr (#82) would take pole with a 23.164, pipping the #91 of Joshua Denton by just 0.075 seconds.

Race 1 would see the same positions maintained, as both drivers crosses the line 0.2 seconds apart. Joshua had to work his way back from 3^rd place after losing a position at the start, getting the better of Mark Domaschenz (#90), who would finish 3^rd. Farr would suffer some pain in heat 2, falling from the lead to the rear of the field, before climbing back to 11^th. Denton would take the win from Domenic Romeo (#12), while Domaschenz would lose 3^rd to Harley Benson (#15) on the second last lap.

In the final Romeo and Benson found a snake instead of a ladder, and slipped from 1^st and 3^rd to 6^th and 5^th on lap 1. Denton, Farr and Domaschenz marched on, with Denton holding the lead until a last lap drama that let Domaschenz and Farr slip past. Domaschenz would take the win from Farr by a handy 0.3 seconds, and Denton would retain 3^rd. Jordan Ford (#57) threaded his way nicely through the battles, finishing 4^th from 8^th on the grid.

1^st Mark Domaschenz
2^nd Connor Farr
3^rd Joshua Denton

KA3 Junior

A very close qualifying session saw just 0.003 of a second separate Hugo Simpson, Ethan Bray and Ryan Bettess. With margins like that Kobi Williams seemed a “distant” 4^th, but the gap to 1^st was still only 0.029 seconds.

Ryan Bettess (#13) would get the jump in heat 1, leaving the #1 of Hugo Simpson to chase for 2^nd and finish 0.1 behind the leader. Ethan Bray (#31) had a heat to forget, slipping backwards through the pack to finish 8^th. Kobi Williams (#94) and Kai Upiter (#73) were the bets of the rest taking 3^rd and 4^th place.

The start played a big part in the finishing positions for heat 2, jumbling the lead group. Ryan Bettess would stay out in front, while Kobi Williams and Ryan Morgan would leapfrog Hugo Simpson and Kair Upiter for 2^nd and 3^rd. Hugo would finish in 4^th closely followed by the #10 of Oliver McNaught.

Ryan Bettess has another smooth run in the final, which was not what was expected from the super close qualifying times of the front runners. Kobi Williams had to work hard for 2^nd, falling back to 4^th on lap 1 before besting Hugo Simpson and Kai Upiter in on track battles. Kai Upiter was in the running for 2^nd for 11 laps before falling to 5^th just a few laps from home. Hugo Simpson would win his battle with Ryan Morgan on the last lap to claim the final podium place.

1^st Ryan Bettess
2^nd Kobi Williams
3^rd Hugo Simpson

Cadet 9

Some bad luck in qualifying saw 3 drivers not post a time. The #86 of Rock Han has no such drama, and would claim a convincing pole with a 26.786 second lap time.

Rusty Ponting (#21) and Jensen Marold (#31) both started from the back of the grid because of a qualifying issue, and they both made their way forward in style. Rusty would be in 2^nd place by lap 9, and Jensen would be in 4^th place by lap 11. Rock Han would take the win from Rusty and the flying P Plater of Lochlan Farrell (#33). Rock would hold station in heat 2, finished 0.3 ahead of Rusty the Rocket.
Lochlan Farrell would again pick up 3^rd while Marold was demoted to 4^th.

The final saw Rock take the victory from Ponting, with Jensen Marold would finish 3^rd and claim fastest lap with a 26.639. Lochlan The Flying P Plater’s fortunes did not continue in the final, suffering a DNS after running as high as 3^rd.

1^st Rock Han
2^nd Rusty Ponting
3^rd Jensen Marold

Victorian Combined Masters

Ron Taylor and Leon Forrest decided to set identical times of 24.951, but Phil Smith decided to better them both and post a time of 24.931.
Ian Branson was also in the mix, just 0.052 behind pole position.

Phil Smith (#4) was out in front until lap 7, but a hard charging Ian Branson (#66) was on his tail gaining rapidly. Branson would take the lead and move off to a 1.7 second victory. Ron Taylor (#92) would beat Leon Forrest (#11) home to 3^rd. Smith went backwards in heat 2, dropping to 6^th after starting from pole.

Branson capitalised to take the win, and Ron Taylor took 2^nd. Andrew Stubbs (#55) kept a clean nose to grab 3^rd, followed by Matthew Crane (#97) who made his way up the field from 8^th.

Phil Smith came out on top in the final, assuming the lead on lap 1 and maintaining it until the flag. But a penalty would mean his win was not awarded, and Ron Taylor would be the beneficiary of 1^st place. Branson would claim 2^nd, with Leon Forrest 3^rd.

1^st Ron Taylor
2^nd Ian Branson
3^rd Leon Forrest

TAG 125 Restricted Heavy

A smallish field of heavies would be led to the grid by the #6 of Brett Jenkin. Jenkin would fend off Andrew Harvey (#51) in heat 1, taking the win by 0.16 seconds.

Race 2 was an almost identical margin between Jenkin and Harvey at the flag, followed by the #55 of Cameron Austen in 3^rd.. Andrew Harvey would give his all, with a second best lap time in the final, but he would be beaten to the flag by the faultless Jenkin. Peter Sloan (#23) managed to grab the final podium position from Cameron Austen on the last lap of the Wimmera bull ring.

1^st Brett Jenkin
2^nd Andrew Harvey
3^rd Cameron Austen

TAG 125 Restricted Medium

There are some very good drivers trying, but its very hard to get on top of the #2 Billy Westerveld kart. Beau Humphrey (#28) , Ash Mitchell (#5) and Alex Baker (#19) would all be less than 1 tenth away from pole, but the Westerveld machine would take it with a 24.790.

Westerveld and Humphrey had the pace in heat 1, finishing a clear 1^st and 2^nd a little ahead of Ash Mitchell in 3^rd. Kade Gibson (#20) was the best of the remaining pack, finishing 4^th 4 seconds back. Beau Humphrey made the decisive move at the heat 2 start, taking the lead into the first corner and holding off Westerveld to the flag. The #19 of Alex Baker would fight back from a rough heat 1 to claim 3^rd place 0.2 seconds ahead of Ash Mitchell. Kade Gibson (#20) would pip Jake Gibson (#21) to the flag for 5^th position, crossing the line 0.2 seconds ahead.

Westerveld made amends in the final, getting the jump at the start and forcing Humphrey to play follow the leader. Ash Mitchell capitalised on some home track knowledge, bring home a strong 3^rd position, ahead of Alex Baker and Kade Gibson.

1^st Billy Westerveld
2^nd Beau Humphrey
3^rd Ashley Mitchell

KA4 Junior Light

Jobe Stewart (#30) would take the pole position crown as a sign of speed to come in the final. KA4 Junior Light has been one of the most entertaining classes of 2018, with great battles throughout the field.

Heat 1 would see the #15 of Christian Cowie shadowed to the line by Stewart, with Nicholas Sacco (#80) in 3^rd. Hugo Simpson would drop out of 3^rd place and recover to 10^th from the rear of the field.

Race 2 would see a great dice for the lead between Cowie and Stewart, before a late drama that saw Sacco jump both of them to 1st. Cowie would recover to 2^nd, but Stewart was down to 4^th after getting picked off by Nerinda Beard in the aftermath. Cooper Johnstone (#67) and Hugo Simpson (#7) following closely behind in 5^th and 6^th.

Cowie would start the final from pole, but was picked off by Stewart on Lap 5 , then Sacco and Cooper Johnstone on lap 11. A fighting finish would wrestle the final podium position from Johnstone back to Cowie. Jobe made ground early to move up to 2^nd, before taking the race lead from Sacco that he would not relinquish. The midfield battle was intense, with many changes of position between Beard, Simpson and Jaxon Johnstone.

1^st Jobe Stewart
2^nd Nicholas Sacco
3^rd Christian Cowie

KA3 Senior Light

#31 Jaxson Cox was the polesitter in KA3 Senior Light, with a time of 24.026. Nicholas Trebilcock (#86) and Nathan Williams (#95) were “oh so close” with gaps of 0.025 and 0.035 respectively.

Jaxson would be the clear winner in heat 1, staying out of trouble in the lead while Trebilock was dumped to the rear of the field from 2^nd. Bryce Woollard made the most of the start to from 7^th to 3^rd, but Corey Herbetson would take that spot from him late in the race.

Cox displayed a clean set of heels again in race 2, while Corey Herbertson continued to move forward taking 2^nd place. Nathan Williams would finish 3^rd, with a gap before the #64 of Joel McPherson.

Corey’s upwards trend would continue in the final. After a start that dropped him back to 3^rd, he would grab 2^nd on lap 1 and take 1^st place on lap 4. Nathan Williams would have to fight hard with Woollard and Herbertson , before catching Cox on the last lap for 2^nd. Cox would keep the final podium position after leading 24 of the 40 laps for the day. McPherson would take 4^th with the fastest lap of the final

1^st Corey Herbertson
2^nd Nathan Williams
3^rd Jaxson Cox

KA3 Senior Medium

Was anyone going to stop Remo Luciani on home turf? Chris Thomas (#7) was up fight, laying down the gauntlet with a 24.38 second pole lap. Luciani qualified in p2, with the #13 of Aaron Jackson just 0.075 behind.

Both Thomas and Jackson took turns at the lead in heat 1, but they were out foxed by Luciani who would take the heat win. Thomas would shadow Luciani to the line, finishing 0.088 behind. Heat 2 was a more straightforward affair, with Remo out in front, Chris second, and Aaron 3^rd and Peter Gigis 4^th

The final was the same result for the top 3, with Luciani taking the win by 0.2 seconds from Thomas. Mitchell Branson would take 4^th chasing the tail of Aaron Jackson in 3^rd.

1^st Remo Luciani
2^nd Chris Thomas
3^rd Aaron Jackson

Cadet 12

Another huge turnout of Cadet 12s saw the class split using the A v B v C system. Matthew Domaschenz (#92) would take pole, but only by 0.065 from Sam Whiteford (#15), Thomas Schmidt (#36) and Fraser Carr (#76).

Race 1 would see groups A and C, and 3 of front runners were Matthew Domaschenz, Thomas Schmidt and Fraser Carr would go to battle.
Domaschenz took the lead from lap 1, and would be closed followed home by Thomas Schmidt in 2^nd. Fraser Carr was in 2^nd until a DNF on lap 4. James Lodge (#39) was the mover of the heat, moving from 7^th to 3^rd. His big move was matched James Ceveri (#21), who climbed all the way from 12^th to 5^th. Parker Scott (#23) would stay clean to finish 4^th.

Race 2 involved groups B v C. Sam Whiteford (#15) would lead early on, before Thomas Schmidt took the lead on lap 6. Brocklan Parker (#7) cruised from 4^th to 2^nd, while behind him regular front runner Jesse Lacey plunged from 5^th to the rear of the field. He would make his way back to 14^th in a field of 22.

Race 3 involved groups A v B. Domaschenz took off into the sunset and was never troubled for the win. Whiteford and Carr would battle for positions 2 and 3, with Carr being the eventual victor. Brocklan Parker battle with Tyce Hodge (#85) for 4^th. Lacey would go backwards again, but not by as much as race 2 and he would finish 7^th from 5^th on the grid.

Final A (1 – 24)

The big Cadet field was set for a showdown, and the final got underway in the last of the dry conditions for the day. The Cadets took to the track on slick tyres, and the drizzle set in on lap 2. Matthew Domaschenz took it all in his stride, riding out the slippery laps before returning to semi-normal lap times by the end of the race.

VCS photographer Ben Roehlen found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when some karters on slick tyres started to push harder. Jessie Lacey’s kart understeered straight off the circuit, knocking down the tyres that Ben was standing behind, and knocking him off his feet. As a result a red flag ended the race prematurely, and fortunately Ben was ok.

Brocklan Parker (#7) and Thomas Schmidt (#36) demonstrated their prowess in the conditions, crossing the line 2^nd and 3^rd. Schmidt would suffer a post race penalty, awarding the 3^rd position to Isaac Woodhouse.

1^st Matthew Domaschenz
2^nd Brocklan Parker
3^rd Isaac Woodhouse

Final B (24 – 33)

The B final competitors had the advantage of being on the right tyres for the start, and would not experience as much drama as the A final. Jenson Ristevski (#58) would take the win, followed closely by Nathan Emmins (#18). Brock Fewins (#67) taking 3^rd ahead of Ethan Cornwill (#12)

1^st Jenson Ristevski
2^nd Nathan Emmins
3^rd Brock Fewins

KA4 Junior Heavy

The #5 of Joel Johnson was the pacesetter for KA4 Junior Heavy. Heat 1 would see the #28 of Zaiden Barry climb to 1^st position before an incident on lap 5 sent him to the rear of the field. Johnson would take back his 1^st place position for the win, followed by Aiden Solomon (#33) and Kyle Belton (#29).

Heat 2 also went to Johnson, but it was the #95 of Daniel Hookway moving up the grid to take 2^nd from 5^th on the grid. Zaiden would begin his fightback , finishing 7^th from 17^th on the grid.

The start of the final would cost Johnson and Solomon dearly, both being relegated to the rear of the field. Daniel Hookway would make hay and take 1^st position, while Zaiden Barry moved in to 2^nd position from 8^th. Keean Ferguson (#48) would claim the final podium position.

1^st Daniel Hookway
2^nd Zaiden Barry
3^rd Keean Ferguson

Prize winners

DPE Kart Stars of the day

Cadets: Lochlan Farrell
Junior: Daniel Hookway
Senior: Ron Taylor

Each picked up a DID chain as a bonus for their great drive

Bridgestone Tyre Winners

Cadet: Charlie Evans
KA4 Junior: Cooper Johnstone

Each picked up a brand new set of Bridgestone tyres just for tuning up and racing thanks to Vortex Engines, Bridgestone Karting Australia and the Paul Feeney Group

Dunlop Kartsport