AKRA’s next target meeting is its 2019 Easter Sprint Kart National Championships to be held at the Orange kart track in NSW.
“It was 30 years ago that Orange held a National Championship at Easter and it attracted the biggest number of entries of all Easter Nats” said AKRA’s Troy Boldy. “To go back to Orange in 2019 will be so cool.”
“Back in 1989 there were over 100 entries in Clubman Light alone and a lot of future talent on display. A young James Courtney in Rookies, SA driver Russell Ingall in 200cc driving a 130cc which he blew the tripe out of in the final. Toowoomba’s John McCleverty was racing Class Australia who later founded the very successful Azzurro Kart and the Baron’s Greg Smith who won International Light (the premier class at the time) from DPE founder Drew Price and Sonic Motor Racing’s Michael Ritter. These three guys alone have nurtured some of Australia’s greatest drivers in the last 20 years.
“To go back to Orange next Easter racing old school classes of Yamaha Js and Clubmans, both Junior and Senior, plus TaG Restricted, 4-Stroke, International Light and Heavy (ie:F100/Formula 100) and Opens is going to be amazing. (I’m) Looking forward to seeing and hearing an Open or Twin Kart scream around Orange again.”
“Thanks to KA, a second hand Yamaha J and Clubman engine can be bought at fairly low prices now, so getting a kart ready for the Easter Nats will be cost effective and that’s what AKRA has always been about – Fun and Affordable Karting for Grass Roots Karters”.
It’s been almost 3 years since the Australian Kart Racers’ Alliance (AKRA) was formed by Boldy. It started as a private venture of Boldy’s, initially established to resurrect his corporate karting business. But things have moved beyond that goal and AKRA now acts on behalf of other clubs like a ‘governing body’.
First to join and follow suit was Toowoomba Kart Club after two of their long standing members Ralph Van Doorn and John McCleverty were banned from KA (10 & 15 years respectively). Since Toowoomba broke away from KA and have gone solo their entries at race meetings have increased from a low of 30 entries under KA, to over 100 entries per meeting now. And the extra dollars made by the club has allowed the club to construct new buildings at their track.
Mackay Kart Club then followed and more recently Kartsport SA has aligned itself with AKRA. In only their 2nd meeting in South Australia, Kartsport SA attracted 75 entries which was the biggest meeting in the state so far this year.
Ian Williams from Kartsport SA said it was the best thing that has happened to Karting in SA for many many years – “SA Karters are coming back and we had a lot of fun and happy times over the last two meetings. We operate to a back-to-basics formula of fun and affordable racing.”