Girls Make History At Bolivar Pro Tour
| press release | 12 March 2017 |
| Tweet | |
History has been created at the second round of the Rotax Pro Tour in Adelaide with not one, but two female racers taking victory in Rotax 125 Light and Junior Max for the first time ever.
No female has taken a win in the Rotax Pro Tour prior to Auckland’s Madeline Stewart winning the Rotax 125 Light Final this afternoon. It is the first time a female racer has taken a major national karting event win in Australia for over 10 years. This was backed up in the equivalent junior class by Rianna O’Meara-Hunt - also from New Zealand - who won by nearly two seconds.
Above: Quick Kiwis! Madeline Stewart (left) and Rianna O’Meara-Hunt were winners at Bolivar (pic - Coopers Photography)
Stewart’s victory came against 35 other competitors in the event this weekend at Bolivar Raceway. Her sister, Ashleigh Stewart also drove her Xero Accounting supported Tom Williamson Motorsport Kosmic chassis into eighth position.
“It is an unbelievable feeling, we’ve been working so hard for this for a long time that it is emotional, a great feeling,” said Stewart.
“We’ve been coming to Australia for a long time and love racing against this competition. The Tom Williamson Motorsport team have been so helpful to us that we can fly to Australia and everything is ready to go for us.”
Above: Madeline Stewart became the Rotax Pro Tour's first ever female final winner in the Rotax 125 Light class (pic - Coopers Photography)
“To be the first female racer to do this in this series and the first in such a long time to win a major karting event in Australia is a huge honour and gives me even more confidence heading to the next round to carry on the good run of form.”
Queenslander Troy Morrissey came home second and Victorian Cameron Longmore third.
Similarly, O’Meara-Hunt pushed hard for her victory having come from fourth on the grid having to work her way past Harrison Hoey and pole-sitter and early leader Jac Preston.
In DD2, Joshua Car took a thrilling victory in his CompKart chassis, leading home TWM Kosmic racer Cody Gillis. Car moved past Gillis and early race leader Joshua Fife before opening a short lead. Gillis had to work hard to push past team-mate Fife and then set about chasing down Car. He ranged up on the rear of Car, however the young New South Welshman had enough to hold on.
Above: CompKart's Joshua Car fought hard for the lead and then drove away to victory in DD2 (pic - Coopers Photography)
In DD2 Masters, Queenslander Scott Howard took victory after a spirited fight with Daniel Richert. The race was halted in its original stanza when a sudden downpour made conditions too dangerous to race. Officials red-flagged the race before continuing it at the end of the day.
Early race leader Troy Woolston had a technical issue and pulled out of the continuation opening it up for BirelART chassis shod Howard. Richert pushed hard and kept Howard honest throughout the course of the race, while Novocastrian, Mark Flood was less than a second behind in his Formula K kart. Whilst at one stage it looked as though Flood and Richert were closing down on Howard he responded and brought home the perfect pointscore for the weekend having started on pole for the Pre-Final.
Above: Pacific Kartsport Driver Scott Howard bounced back for a needed victory in DD2 Masters (pic - Coopers Photography)
In Rotax Heavy former V8 Utes Australian and New Zealand Champion, Kris Walton won the final in his Z-Corse supported Comp Kart. It was conducted in wet conditions and became an unexpectedly strung out affair. Lane Moore brought his Team CRG Australia entry home in second position, whilst Dylan Collett came home third in his Formula K kart after a race long battle with Mitchell Branson.
In the Junior Max Trophy class, Russell Mayo took the win over Ryley Watson and Amber Miller - completing a great day for the females of karting.
Above: James Wharton on the way to the Mini MAX win (pic - Coopers Photography)
In Mini Max, James Wharton took victory in his Shamick Racing CRG over Hugo Simpson and Bailey Hazard. Jack Westbury crossed the line first however was excluded from the meeting post event for a technical issue.
In Micro Max Kristian Janev took the win in extremely wet conditions comfortably over Jake Rutkowski and Bradley Majaman. Harry Arnett, who had been dominant throughout the weekend was forced to watch the action from the side of the track after his Shamick Racing machine wouldn’t fire at the start.
Above: Kristian Janev on his way to victory in the Micro Max Final (pic - Coopers Photography)
Thus brings to a close the second round of the Rotax Pro Tour - a history making day for the Series and for karting in Australia and New Zealand.
Full Results from today’s competition can be accessed HERE. The action from the Rotax Pro Tour now moves to Ipswich in Queensland over the weekend of May 5-7.