Having been a series for the past few years, for 2019, the Victorian Kart Championship returned to a one-off event, held last weekend by the Eastern Lions Kart Club at the Puckapunyal circuit. The championship also reverted to an ‘open’ competition, attracting top drivers from other states.
Valid argument can be made for and against each format, but there is no question the wow-factor returns when a state championship is decided by a single make-or-break final.
Event commentator Mitchell McLellan (MMS Commentating) reports below.
- full results are on Speedhive HERE
- Pace Images Saturday photos HERE
- Karting Victoria Saturday photos HERE
- Pace Images Sunday photos HERE
- Karting Victoria Sunday photos HERE
- Top-5 and podium pics HERE
Video highlights by Fast Pace Media
The Victorian Kart Championship Go Kart Titles took place with sunny skies on both days with some of the hottest paced exciting racing you had to see to believe. With the old one off one weekend championship style back and a final only counts format the racing was going to go down to the wire.
Cadet drivers James Anagnostiadis and current Australian champion Harry Arnett took the spoils in their respective classes. Anagnostiadis (Cadet 9), after qualifying fourth, didn’t have it all his own way in the heats. After getting the jump off the start in the final Anagnostiadis never looked back leading every lap and taking out his maiden state championship.
Arnett (Cadet 12) was another not to have it go his way in the heats having to do two drive backs through the field in the heats. Arnett was able to hit the front and take victory in emphatic fashion taking the win by nearly eight seconds in a dominant display.
In the KA3 Senior classes two brand new state champions were crowned in the form of Corey Herbertson in Senior Light and Taine Venables in Medium. Herbertson put his kart on pole but had a few dramas in the heats putting him outside the top ten for the final. Herbertson, in the drive of his life, charged through the field and made his way up to race leaders Emerson Harvey and Joel Macpherson. Herbertson was able to make his way through and take an unlikely victory.
After a poor qualifying, Venables hadn’t won a race all weekend, which had been dominated during the heat racing by NSW’s Matthew Waters. Waters lead majority of the final until lap 18 when Venables made a championship defining move. Venables was able to hold on in another thriller to take his maiden state championship.
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In KA4 Junior Light and KA3 Junior, Hugh Barter was looking to claim his maiden double championship. In KA4 Junior Light it was a race long twenty lap final between Barter and NSW ace Cody Maynes-Rutty. After many positional changes in a close final Barter was able to take victory his first state championship in the junior ranks.
In KA3 Junior it was a hot pace final with Matt Hillyer leading away. Nicholas Sacco soon got to the front and had Hugh Barter and Bailey Collins going in chase of the race leader out in front of the field. With three to go there was an unfortunate roll over for one of the karters forcing the race to be declared and giving Sacco his maiden state championship on debut in the KA3 Junior class.
Jaiden Pope and Adam Lindstrom took out the two premier light classes in the senior ranks in X30 Light and TaG Light respectively.
Pope had been in the battle with Matthew Beninca and Bradley Jenner throughout the weekend. He was in a race long battle with Jenner in the final with Pope being able to cling on in a thrilling finish between the two drivers.
Lindstrom was another driver who had his battles with local driver Nikolaj Thomas, Brodie Whitmore and Elly Morrow. Lindstrom led the majority of the final with Whitmore and Morrow making it a three-kart battle late before the two of them come together ruling them out of contention. Lindstrom was able to take victory and add another state title to his resume.
TaG 125 Heavy and Vic Combined Masters were both two horse races in their finals – Paul Rodgers and Rick Pringle in TaG Heavy, and Glenn Riddell and Phil Smith in Vic Combined Masters.
Rodgers and Pringle shared heat wins and Pringle looked to be in good shape to take out the final leading throughout the races. Rodgers fought tooth and nail and was able to take the lead back and the win to become Victorian champion.
Riddell didn’t have an ideal Saturday with Smith and Mark Appleby sharing the heat wins. Sunday come around and Riddell didn’t look back taking victory and his second state title at the Eastern Lions Kart Club Circuit.
KA4 Junior Heavy was one of the finals of the day with Toby Waghorn, who had been undefeated for the weekend, in a three-way battle for the championship with SA State Cup winner Josh D’Ambrosio and Johnny Hill. Waghorn was able to open a slight margin mid race before D’Ambrosio and Hill were able to work their way back into the race. In a grandstand finish Wagorn was able to hang on and take his maiden VIC championship and state title in a thriller.
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