QLD Superkart Club Race Report, Morgan Park Raceway
By Caitlin Lane
The final round of the year took the QLD Superkart Club back to Morgan Park Raceway for their final hurrah for the year. This track produces some of the most exciting racing of the calendar and with 8 competitors for the season final we could look forward to drama at every turn and battles that make those of history look bland.
Qualifying:
Qualifying saw the club take to the track with a field of 8 karts, but with the track covered in dust it provided tricky conditions. The session saw #33 David Dyson in the Tag Heavy Class taking advantage of Tag Light competitor #16 Peter Nuske’s towing service. The #77 Arrow X1 of Ben Longland and the #45 Wildkart of Leighton Cook again battled each other for sheep stations with Leighton qualifying in front of Ben and #48 Paul Prineas made a string of steady improvements. Unfortunately, #4 of Jack Westbury had engine issues causing him to be off the pace. Not surprisingly the #89 Anderson Maverick of Tim Weier would set the pace crossing the line on Pole with #46 Doug Amiss qualifying in second and #33 David Dyson in 3rd overall.
Race 1:
The first race of the weekend was raced on dirty track due to the previous category flinging dust all over it. Times varied between the classes however, but they would not be a quick as we saw last round due the track having mixed conditions. The #89 Anderson Maverick of Tim Weier and #46 Doug Amiss got close to their lap records but were still a few tenths off. An action-packed battle took place between #16 Pete Nuske and #33 David Dyson with Pete eventually getting the job done. The #45 of Leighton Cook struggled for engine power due to a power valve being put in back to front and #77 Ben Longland got bogged down at the start losing momentum but gaining it back throughout the race to finish 6th overall. Unfortunately #4 Jack Westbury would continue to have Carby issues causing him to DNF. Tim Weier crossed the line in first with #46 Doug Amiss following closely behind and #16 Pete Nuske coming 3rd overall.
Race 2:
With the kart hitting the track for their second race of the weekend they again followed the Hyundai Excels and dealt with a dusty track. The race again saw plenty of action on track with #46 Doug Amiss in 125 National class having a big spin at turn 2 ruining his race completion streak at Morgan Park ending up with a DNF. The #16 of Pete Nuske proved to be too fast again for #33 David Dyson and #45 Leighton Cook providing an entertaining battle through the race. Tag Light competitor #77 Ben Longland would make a mistake early in the race which saw him give the weeds a clip at Gumtree and #4 Jack Westbury finally had a near-perfect run minus the little niggly engine issues. The #48 of Paul Prineas continued the stride towards improving his PB. Tim Weier again conquered the tricky track conditions to come out victorious and continue his streak for the year.
Race 3:
Heading into the last day of racing for the year there was a long wait as the categories before us had long races. Tag Heavy class competitor Ben Longland decided to bleed his brakes as he said that his brakes felt sluggish when braking and he hoped that this would improve his braking. The race saw 85cc gearbox competitor Jack Westbury again DNF with the engine issues that had plagued him all weekend. Much like the previous races the battle between the #16 Pete Nuske of Tag Light, #45 Leighton Cook and #33 David Dyson of the Tag Heavy Class would rage on with Nuske taking the victory. The #89 of Tim Weier continued its dominance coming across the line in P1 with #46 Doug Amiss in 125 National Class in P2 and #16 Pete Nuske in Tag Heavy coming in 3rd overall.
Race 4:
The final race of the year and the track under afternoon sunlight and dusty conditions made it slippery and low on grip. Jack Westbury, however made the best of the conditions in his 85cc to have a clean race and gain enough pace to put an end to Pete Nuskes dominance. The battle royal would again be intense between #16 Pete Nuske of Rotax Heavy with the added pressure from #45 Leighton Cook, #33 David Dyson and #4 Jack Westbury. With the battle raging between 4 out of the 8 competitors involved in the intense it left clear air for #89 Tim Weier to continue the dominance he had shown throughout the year. #46 Doug Amiss took P2 with #4 Jack Westbury taking P3 a good way to finish off his debut season in Superkarts. Everybody would finish off the year on high having a clean race looking forward to the Gala.
Despite only having 8 competitors for the final round of racing for the year the racing was far from boring. The on track inter-class battle would provide exciting entertainment for the spectators. Tim wrapped up the year on a high finishing the season with a dominant weekend. Morgan Park again provided a high octane weekend of racing giving a truly memorable conclusion to an action packed year of racing.