Superkart Sets New Track Record at Broadford

A new record has been set around Broadford Raceway, again flaunting the speed and talent of Superkarts in Australia.

Tim Clarke has shown how quick his two-cylinder Rotax/Anderson can go at Round 6 of the Victorian Superkart Club Championship, beating the existing record by 0.2 of a second with a 56.138 – the fastest any vehicle has lapped the venue.

Mixed conditions proved tricky for the day, with cold temperatures, sun and showers displaying talent and close racing in all categories.

Dunlop Junior Max Challenge

The Dunlop Junior Max Challenge was the trickiest of all races to bet on a winner, but Lucas Quattrochi showed how well his sprint circuit experience counted. James Strah and Hayley Thompson mounted challenges on Quattrochi all day, Thompson the only one able to get a Race win away from him in the wet Final.

Quattrochi took a half a lap lead early in the final race with a mistake free run as it showered, leaving the Juniors on slicks on the icy wet track. Hayley Thompson’s comeback was impressive enough though, charging ahead in the final laps to win and leave a huge smile on the familys face. Finn White and Kobe Veld Battled in 4th and 5th in all the races as Whites ill handling kart kept him on kart cleaning duties, but his consistency rewarded him with 3rd place for the day. Veld isn’t far from being in podium contention with a stellar drive in the wet conditions. We can’t wait to see what these young drivers have for us in the upcoming rounds of the Dunlop Junior Max Challenge at Phillip Island.

1. Lucas Quattrochi
2. Hayley Thomson
3. Finn White

125cc Gearbox Open

Interstate drivers Lee Vella and Blake Purdie had the Victorians on their toes, making the 125’s some of the most action-packed racing for the meeting.

Nick Schembri Qualified pole from Marc Hugelshofer by a commanding .5 of a second, but after some great pace early on in the session, championship contender Brad Tremain retired with cylinder damage, putting him on the sidelines for the rest of the day.

Race 1 saw the closest of battles with Hugelshofer proving there’s nothing wrong with his Short circuit TonyKart chassis, taking his maiden win from Lee Vella and Gary Pegoraro. Nick Schembri was dicing hard and slowly pushing his way forward after a tame start, but an error had him off the track in the wet grass and out of contention with a DNF.

A quieter race in Race 2 showed Schembri back up front with some dicing again. Blake Purdie was back challenging for the lead after a slower race 1 but it was Vella who came out on top ahead of Hugelshofer, making the 5 way fight up front spectacular to watch.

Race 3 was a confusing affair with a shower of hail before the race, wet enough for wet tyres, dry enough for slicks to stay in touch. Hugelshofer was an early retirement with a broken chain, while Purdie took an early lead from Schembri on wet tyres. Schembri eventually got by Purdie who was hustling around with fuel pump gremlins but maintained his 2nd place standing ahead of Vella on slicks. Schembri’s win bought him back into podium contention for the round.

The Final was again a battle of the brave, half the field on slicks and the other wets, this time slicks was the better option. Vella got a small break with Schembri in pursuit, but Vella’s pace too strong for the field to keep up. Hugelshofer again snuck his way forward, making the most of Purdie’s mechanical dramas making it a battle for second place. Schembri did all he could to hang on to Hugelshofer until the very last corner, getting a run down the hill to the finish line for second. Gary Pegoraro rounded out the top 5 to get some valuable points and push him onto the podium.

Overall Vella Took the days honours with Purdie in 2nd and Pegoraro 3rd with Hugelshofer. Schembri’s mistake dropped him down the order but still allowed him to gain points in his quest for the Club Championship.

1. Lee Vella
2. Blake Purdie
3. Gary Pegoraro
   = Marc Hugelshofer

250cc International

The stunning speed of the Twin Cylinder 250’s were on display and showed aspiring drivers how to manhandle them around a more technical track. Tim Clarke dropped the Lap Record with blistering speed over Jamie Macdonald in Race 1, as he did in Race 2 with a 12 second lead by the finish line.

Race 3 threw a spanner in the works, Macdonald negotiated the tricky wet conditions brilliantly, winning comfortably over Clarke as he tried to level the scores. It was later discovered Clarke had an engine lock up and spin, a sign of further mechanical dramas to come in the day

Heading into the final, it was do or die for both drivers and again the track was damp. Macdonald took the lead in the beginning, Tim biding his time as the track slowly dried. After a few laps of pushing to pass Macdonald, Clarke got by and tried to take off, only slightly edging away. Just when everyone thought he had the weekend tied up, his old Rotax let him down with a bottom end failure finishing his race prematurely, handing Macdonald a cruise to the finish line and honours for the day.

Looking ahead it will be great to see both these drivers topping the charts at the upcoming National Festival of Superkarts at Phillip Island in Mid-August, with a larger field anticipated for the fast-flowing track.

1. Jamie MacDonald
2. Tim Clarke
3. Raff Pironti

125cc Stock Honda

Shane Varley has made it his weekend to remember taking his Maiden Round Win. Heading into the event National Champion Jeff Duckworth was the favourite, and showed supreme pace as he narrowly took Pole position over Varley. Duckworth took Race 1 win with Varley sussing out his rival, 3rd place getter Jarrod Lethborg making his long-awaited comeback to racing after a lengthy break off track.

Race 2 in the dry gave Varley his first win of the day after Duckworth’s sprocket dramatically sheered from the axle and left him on the sidelines, while Lethborg, Tom Roe and James Elliott kept each other honest in 3rd and 4th.

A soaking wet Race 3 had drivers scrambling to get their wet tyres on and Varley showed his wet skills to take a staggering 36 second win from Duckworth, Tom Roe again sneaking up into podium contention with a 3rd place and valuable points.

The most exciting race of the day for Stock Honda was the Final, the mixed conditions again had all drivers gambling on what tyres to run. Duckworth this time looked as if he had made the right choice skipping away on wet tyres to a comfortable lead, but Varley didn’t give up on his slicks as the track slowly dried leaving a narrow line of opportunity to sneak back up. The final 3 laps were dramatic as Varley’s slicks heated up and he chased down the 10 second lead, everyone on the edge of the fences waiting to see if he could make it.. Duckworth defended bravely but he couldn’t hold off the charge from Varley with as little as 4 turns to go. Varley took the win thrillingly with Lethborg rounding out the top 3 and taking 2nd outright for the day. Tom Roe was stoked to step into 3rd after Duckworth’s misfortune and loss of points earlier in the day while Elliot rounded out the Top 5 after negotiating new changes to his chassis’.

1. Shane Varley
2. Jarrod Lethborg
3. Tom Roe

Non-Gearbox Light

As anticipated, Russ Occhipinti’s comeback to Non-Gearbox racing was outstanding, but was challenged heavily by Sanuja Perera each race in wet and dry conditions. The competition was dense all weekend with South Australian drivers making their way across, but not quite able to steal the spotlight from the locals. Patrick Ross and Hayden Veld showed excellent pace all day but were unlucky to take a win in each of the races. The unlucky story of the day was Jai Azzopardi, in wet conditions carving up the field each race – Unfortunately being caught up in mid-pack tangles and causing him to DNF.

Occhipinti took out the day with a clean sweep in all races but Perera’s haul of points should prop him further up the order in the absence of reigning champion Schembri. The confidence of Perera, as well as Veld and Ross will prove for some amazingly close racing in the upcoming National Title at the Festival in Phillip Island.

1. Russ Occhipinti
2. Sanuja Perera
3. Hayden Veld

Non-Gearbox Heavy

Colin McIntyre was the class of the field around Broadford, not allowing any chance for his competitors to get up front. Rod Clarke made early attempts at the lead in most races but couldn’t hold pace, eventually losing out in his 2nd place battle with Jeremy Crust all weekend from a slipping clutch in the Final. The wet conditions in the end allowed for some enticing battles between Warren Thompson and Brendan Kloot in their bid for the podium points, with Thompson getting the upper hand, although finishing their weekend in a fight for 4th place overall.

1. Colin McIntyre
2. Jeremy Crust
3. Rod Clarke

The Next Victorian Superkart Club Race is the National Festival of Superkarts @ Phillip Island – August 17th/18th – hosting the Stock Honda and Non-Gearbox National Titles as well as showcasing the most Superkarts you’ll see at one event this year.