This weekend the Angas Go Kart Club is set to host the ninth annual running of the prestigious Gold Cup race which will this year see a bumper field of some of the country’s best KT Twin drivers battle it out for supremacy and with it the $800 winners cheque.
The action will be wheel-to-wheel with spectators set to catch some of the greatest racing seen at the venue as the exciting twin 100cc Yamaha KT engined beasts tear up the near 400 metre dirt track.
The event started out as a 100cc Open event back in 2010 and was won by now Sprintcar racer and fast femme Lisa Walker and she returned a year later to back up her victory. The following two years also saw back-to-back victories for Lightning Karts owner Mark Burford followed by a win for Angas member David Carruthers in 2014 in what was the final year of the 100cc Open engine in the Gold Cup.
2015 saw the move to the KT 100 engine with Brown Racing Karts (BRK) driver Rhys Hackett taking the honours followed by Jake Kervers in 2016. Last year the 125cc water cooled engine was used and saw a bumper field not to mention a little controversy with Joel Heinrich being crowned the eventual winner with this year set to see the debut of the twin engined monsters as the draw card for the event.
Current Australia number two in the class Daniel Wenske is from the Morgan club but is no stranger to success at the Strathalbyn venue and will be aiming to race his way to the top step of the podium and with it take his share of over $2000 in prize money up for grabs including $50 on offer for each of the four 10-lap heat winners.
“The Gold Cup is always a good event, it’s been running for a few years now and while I’ve always got up the front and amongst it all I haven’t been able to win it so absolutely it is an important race for me to win,” Wenske stated.
“It’s great fun racing the twin at any track but it’s definitely good now that they have lengthened the straight at Angas so we can actually really get them cranked up and race hard but the longer straight with the tight turns also makes it a bit harder to gear for but we will see what we can do,” the BRK driver continued.
“I enjoy the Angas track, hopefully the racing line gets nice and wide so we can pass but the weather will decide that however you also need a lot of luck on the day,” he concluded.
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Making the Journey all the way over from Western Australia will be current WA KT Twin Champion Joel Ettridge who will be on a high fresh from his third place at the recent Northern Territory Titles in Alice Springs.
From the Great Southern club also driving a BRK, Ettridge is also the current South Australian and Northern Territory Champion in the single engine KT Medium category and is excited to tackle not only the tough competition but also the Angas track.
“I’m really looking forward to coming over to take on some of Australia’s best, I haven’t actually competed in the Gold Cup before but I’ve heard plenty about the race but I’m really looking forward to seeing what it’s all about,” said Ettridge
Meadows driver Chris Ferguson will be on a high after taking the KT Twin class win aboard his MMS Kart at the recent Angas Club Points meeting just two weeks ago and will be hoping to keep both the money and the winner’s trophy local.
“It would be so good to win it, it would be great to come out on top. This race meeting is good for Strathalbyn and also the go kart club so I’m really looking forward to it,” Ferguson said.
Gavin Earl (BRK) is another driver in form from the Angas Go Kart Club which has been hosting kart races for over fifty years and he will also be vying to etch his name on the Gold Cup winners list and add another piece to the puzzle in the ever growing history books.
Current South Australian Champion Jordan Rayner will be another expected to feature prominently in his new Benson twin while fellow Lucindale driver Benjamin Bull (Lightning Kart) will also be flying the flag for the South-East club.
With at least nine different clubs being represented, Joseph Caruso (Lightning) from the Adelaide Dirt Kart Club will be another to watch in the battle between racers from as far as Loxton, Tatiara, Renmark and Kadina on the Yorke Peninsula.
Located at 96 Nine Mile Road in Strathalbyn, the action is set to kick off at 10AM with the heats, a 10-lap pre-final to set the starting positions for the top eight drivers and the all-important winner takes all 15-lap final in the afternoon. There will also be a full card of support categories racing catering from little tackers as young as five right through to over 65 so come out and enjoy the action along with the full canteen and bar facilities available.
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