Country Series Final

by Andrew Hayes, AHR Media

The DPE Victorian Country Series grand finale at the Ballarat Kart Club has proven to be a great success, with 202 entrants taking to 675 metre Haddon Park Raceway over the two days of competition.

As has been the story of the full series, drivers and crews battled the elements with many classes encountering a range of different conditions throughout the weekend.

Most classes were still in the balance leading into the final round, and several class’s point scores were settled in the finals on Sunday.

The Ballarat club hosted the event well and did their utmost to make the weekend an enjoyable one; and to raise the stakes some truly unique trophies were up for grabs for the podium places on Sunday.

• Class-by-class reports & results below
• scroll to the bottom for photo gallery and series points
• full results on speedhive HERE
• more photos on Pace Images’ Facebook – Saturday HERE, Sunday HERE

KA3 JUNIOR (10 Entries)

KA3 Junior was first up on track and was as evenly matched as ever. The first pole position of the weekend was taken by Ethan Brown, his time of 30.551 adding to his pole from Hamilton. Series combatants Bronson Boult and Jaxon Johnstone filled second and third, ahead of Will Harper and Portland Winner Ethan Bray. Pole to eighth separated by just three tenths of a second.

The opening corner of the opening heat would see drama, as front row starters Brown and Boult, along with Harper and Jake Santalucia ended up parked in the woodchips after a frenzied start. Johnstone was the main benefactor as he cruised to a comfortable win in tricky conditions. A wildcard addition to the field, Zack Thompson moved from ninth to second to prove his credentials. Bray crossed the line in third, but was relegated to fifth post-race, promoting Riley Jabke and Sam Gibson to third and fourth.

FASTEST LAP: Zack Thompson 31.994

Heat two had all the non-finishers from the opening stanza back in the game, but again it was Johnstone who excelled to win, his weekend looking promising after being quick in all conditions. Boult worked his way back to the front to clinch second, ahead of a consistent Thompson. Harper and Brown rounded out the top five, Brown going faster than his qualifying time to snare the fastest lap.

FASTEST LAP: Ethan Brown 30.464

Johnstone banked more crucial points in the rain effected third heat, taking another win in conditions that have served him well all year. Thompson was out on lap one with an errant wheel, whilst Boult’s woes continued as he dropped well down the field to seventh. Bray and Santalucia stepped up to the plate in the conditions to finish second and third, Gibson and Brown.

FASTEST LAP: Jake Santalucia 36.433

The series hung in the balance as the final rolled out in good conditions, and once again it was Johnstone who made the early running. On lap four Thompson moved to the lead, with Jabke and Boult, who had charged from seventh going with him. From there Boult methodically moved to the lead, and by lap nine he was on his way to a convincing second consecutive round win. Thompson continued to impress on his way to second, whilst Johnstone got the better of Jabke on the final lap to finish third. Rounding out the top five was again was the pole man Brown.

FASTEST LAP: Bronson Boult 30.582

1^st Bronson Boult (MGKC), 2^nd Zack Thompson (GOUL), 3^rd Jaxon Johnstone (WBOOL)

SERIES RESULT

1^st Jaxon Johnstone (WBOOL), 2^nd Bronson Boult (MGKC), 3^rd Ethan Brown (GKCV), 4^th Isaac Woodhouse (GKCV), 5^th Ethan Bray (GKCV)

VICTORIAN COMBINED MASTERS (17 Entries)

Phil Smith has been the man to beat all year long in the hotly contested Masters class, and again set the benchmark in qualifying (31.330) to lead all comers. In fact only three drivers have won a Masters round this year, Ash Mitchell and Peter Gigis being the other two, and they were next in the order in second and third. Matt Crane and Phil Stradbrook also looked swift in fourth and fifth.

Mitchell jumped Smith at the start of the opening heat and looked to be on his way to opening his account for the weekend, but after also having to overcome Gigis in the middle of the race, Smith snatched the win from Mitchell on the final circulation. The top three, including Gigis in third, was covered by just a second at the flag. Crane and Stradbrook retained their position of the best of the rest, to round out the top five.

FASTEST LAP: Phil Smith 31.490

Smith went lights to flag in heat two, strengthening his already welded on grip on top spot in the series. Mitchell and Gigis staged an enthralling battle in the front half of the race, changing positions repeatedly, before a move on the penultimate lap saw Mitchell lock into second and Gigis slip to fifth. Mitchell got to the back of Smith to harass him in the later stages, getting mega drive off the final turn, only to come up three thousands of second short. Greg Ord made every post a winner to move from seventh to third, but unquestionably the drive of the race belonged to Vern Kranz, charging from fourteenth to fourth.

FASTEST LAP: Peter Gigis 31.637

A wet track greeted drivers for the third heat, held on Sunday morning. No surprises that Smith was still the man to beat, taking a calculated win in the wet conditions. Mitchell held down second for the majority of the journey, but was overhauled by wet weather specialist Andrew Stubbs in the closing stages and had to settle for third. Local hero John Page finally got in his groove to move up to fourth, dragging Leon Forrest with him, Forrest rounding out the top five.

FASTEST LAP: Phil Smith 36.884

The final race of the masters’ 2019 VCS was a cracker, with the top three of Smith, Mitchell and Gigis putting on a spectacular performance. Smith led early and looked to have the measure of his rivals, but the action started to sizzle mid race as Mitchell took over the lead, shortly before Gigis took over the front running. Smith worked his way ahead of Mitchell with four laps remaining and proceeded to throw everything at Gigis, who aggressively defended the lead. At the drop of the chequer it was Gigis taking the win, ahead of Smith and Mitchell in a classic. Forrest and Stubbs lead home a five kart freight train for fourth and fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Phil Smith (31.505)

1^st Peter Gigis (OAK), 2^nd Phil Smith (GKCV), 3^rd Ash Mitchell (WIMM)

SERIES RESULT

1^st Phil Smith (GKCV), 2^nd Ash Mitchell (WIMM), 3^rd Leon Forrest (WIMM), 4^th Peter Gigis (OAK), 5^th Matt Crane (HAM)

TAG LIGHT (14 Entries)

Tag Light had good numbers after being a strong class throughout the season, and leading into the Ballarat round, five different drivers had won the proceeding five rounds. The Horsham round winner, James Sera showed his class to grab the Ballarat pole with a time of 30.082. Making it a Sera 1-2 just like Horsham, Curt Sera pipped Nathan Williams for second. Nothing in it between Jordan Rae and Will Carroll in fourth and fifth either.

James Sera opened his account in commanding fashion to register a lights to flag win in the opening heat. Behind James though, the battle from second to sixth raged for the entire eleven laps. At the flag Rae had made his way to second, having battled hard with Carroll in third. Curt Sera had dropped as low as sixth before rebounding to fourth, finishing ahead of local cult figure Luke Fong.

FASTEST LAP: James Sera 30.168

Heat two was very much a carbon copy of the first heat, as James Sera paced the field from the front to record his second win of the day. Rae, Carroll and Curt Sera maintained their positions, Rae locked into second for the duration. Despite a charge from Fong, Carroll and Curt resumed their starting positions in third and fourth, whilst Connor Farr slipped by Fong in the closing stages to grab a top five result.

FASTEST LAP: James Sera 30.137

Wet conditions slowed things down in heat three, yet the man at the head of the queue in the early stages was still James Sera. By mid race though, Rae made his move for the lead, a lead that he held for the remainder of the race. James shadowed him to finish in second, ahead of Carroll who had breathing space in front and behind. SA’s Ryan Morgan had looked pacey all weekend, and delivered his best result of fourth, ahead of Curt Sera.

FASTEST LAP: James Sera 36.189

The final would decide the 2019 series champ, and not being in contention for that meant James Sera could focus solely on grabbing a second consecutive round win. In doing so, he became the first driver in the class to win multiple rounds in 2019. Rae was again at the pointy end, running in second place, until a speedy Williams eventually got by, relegating Rae to third. Curt Sera also continued his strong form to just miss the podium in fourth, ahead of an improving Morgan in fifth.

FASTEST LAP: James Sera 30.361

1^st James Sera (OAK), 2^nd Nathan Williams (GEEL), 3^rd Jordan Rae (PORT)

SERIES RESULT

1^st Jordan Rae (PORT), 2^nd Curt Sera (GIPP), 3^rd Nathan Williams (GEEL), 4^th James Sera (OAK), 5^th Will Carroll (WBOOL), 5^th

KA4 JUNIOR HEAVY (22 Entries)

KA4 Junior Heavy boasted one of the most condensed point’s tallies leading into Ballarat, and not by chance the usual suspects were lurking at the front of the field. Hamilton winner Johnny Hill laid down the marker in qualifying (32.007) to just pip a much improved Zach Findlay. Two blue plates next on the charts, with Josh D’Ambrosio just ahead of Toby Waghorn. Rounding out the top five was Riley Jabke.

Hill made the most of the heat one start to lead the early stages, whilst the start wasn’t so kind to Findlay as he fell to fifth position. But from there Findlay picked off his competitors to move into the lead by mid race, a sensational performance given he sat outside the top 20 in points entering the round. Hill banked solid points to open his challenge for the series win, whilst D’Ambrosio battled early with Waghorn before getting the better of that duel for third. Zach Thompson also overhauled Waghorn on the final circulation for fourth.

FASTEST LAP: Johnny Hill (31.814)

Findlay’s time at the front came to an abrupt end at the opening corner of the second heat, failing to log a lap after his break out performance in the opening race. Hill was also out of business on the opening lap. D’Ambrosio made the most of the demise of the front row to lead the early running before Waghorn took the lead mid race. D’Ambrosio would have to settle for third, as Thompson moved into second and briefly the lead in an entertaining battle with Waghorn. Waghorn got to the stripe first, to lead home Thompson and D’Ambrosio. Max Fahey assumed fourth early in the race and held it to the end. Braden Clark rolled in fifth but received a post-race penalty, dropping him to seventh and elevating the improving Maximus Chudasko to fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Josh D’Ambrosio 32.105

Like most of the other classes on the day, heat three was run in wet conditions. D’Ambrosio again jumped to the lead at the start, but by lap three Thompson had moved to the lead and went on to record a commanding three second win. D’Ambrosio home in second ahead of the recovering Findlay and Clark. A hard charging Liam Pollard put in the drive of the race to move from fourteenth to fifth.  Two contenders out early with mechanical defects, Jabke with a rear bar and Hill with a chain guard.

FASTEST LAP: Zack Thompson 37.155

Thompson had proven to be a real wildcard, just like in KA3 Junior, and he threatened to upset the establishment with a speedy start to the final. Waghorn stepped up to the plate about two thirds race distance to challenge, and took the lead for several laps before Thompson made the decisive move on the final lap. Waghorn home in second ahead of Hill, who had executed 16 brilliant laps to move from fourteenth to third, just ahead of D’Ambrosio. Fahey rounded out the top five in his last VCS race as a junior.

FASTEST LAP: Johnny Hill 32.056

1^st Zack Thompson (GOUL), 2^nd Toby Waghorn (ELKC), 3^rd Johnny Hill (GKCV)

SERIES RESULT

1st Josh D’Ambrosio (OAK), 2^nd Toby Waghorn (ELKC), 3^rd Johnny Hill (GKCV), 4^th Max Fahey (SWEST), 5^th Seth Burton (WBOOL)

VIC COMBINED LIGHT (30 Entries)

Vic Combined Light was oversubscribed for the Ballarat circuit and therefore was forced into two groups for qualifying and four groups for the heat races. Whilst most of the opening group of qualifying went faster, Steven Malkin bucked the trend and stuck the 22 kart on pole position! (30.967). Last start winner Mitch Sutej put himself on the front row, ahead of series returnee Gerry Westerveld. Lachies, Swayn and Hill rounded out the top five in a super competitive field.

Heat one (AvD) was a first in many cases, as the format devised specifically for the VCS final round was put into practice for the first time.  Swayn won the battle of the Lachie’s, to lead home Hill in this one. Third belonged to junior graduate Harrison Campbell, who held off a couple of wily veterans in Derrick Rodgers and the pole man Malkin.

FASTEST LAP: Steven Malkin 30.978

Westerveld made the most of his front row start to lead heat one (CvD) for the majority of the wet race. Sutej had to work his way back to the front after dropping to fourth at the start, and took the lead and the win away from Westerveld on lap nine. Jono McKean also slipped by Westerveld late to claim second place. Todd Chambers home in fourth ahead of Andrew Sotiropoulos.

FASTEST LAP: Mitch Sutej 41.302

Rebounding from his opening heat, Westerveld took an all the way win in heat two (AvC). Hill and Malkin were contenders in this heat until things unravelled on lap eight, allowing McKean and Chambers to capitalise on top three finishes. Rodgers continued to put himself in the picture, finishing ahead of Hill, who rolled in fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Gerry Westerveld 31.037

Sutej was again impressive as he took a sizeable eight second win in heat two (BvD). The race for second intensified in the last four laps as drivers jostled for position, Campbell getting the better of Dave Menzel on the last lap to lock into second and third. Bill West had his best run of the series on his home track to finish fourth, ahead of Sotiropoulos.

FASTEST LAP: Mitch Sutej 31.124

Sutej was starting to put some sort of weekend together, starting Sunday with a win in heat three (AvB). But this one was a real challenge, as conditions weren’t good and he had immense pressure from Rodgers, who rocketed from seventh to second by lap two. Alex Ryan was solid in third, ahead of Hill and Sotiropoulos.

FASTEST LAP: Derrick Rodgers 35.585

Brushing aside a tough run in his last heat, Swayn was a lights to chequer winner in heat three (CvD). McKean, Westerveld and Chambers were all prominent and finished in that order. Portland Winner Ross Stubbs had his best result of the weekend in fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Gerry Westerveld 35.580

The final was set to be a treat as we finally got to throw all the contenders onto the track at once for the first time for the weekend. The top 24 karts started the final, Sutej and Westerveld leading the field away. Westerveld grabbed the lead at the half way mark, before an incident between the two leaders saw Westerveld drop to sixth place. Sutej went on to cap an excellent weekend, taking consecutive round wins. McKean looked on for second, but had to settle for third after a last gasp move from Rodgers for second. Hill finished fourth after running as low as eighth, ahead of Westerveld who salvaged fifth place.

FASTEST LAP: Mitch Sutej 30.902

1^st Mitch Sutej (GEEL), 2^nd Derrick Rodgers (HAM), 3^rd Jono McKean (WBOOL)

SERIES RESULT

1^st Jono McKean (WBOOL), 2^nd Andrew Sotiropoulos (OAK), 3^rd Ross Stubbs (GIPP), 4^th Steven Malkin (PORT), 5^th Lachie Swayn (WBOOL)

KA3 SENIOR LIGHT (18 Entries)

Not for the first time in 2019, it was Joel MacPherson who topped the time sheets in KA3 Senior Light qualifying. His time of 30.416 was less than a tenth ahead of the National Champion Jack Bell, with less than two tenths separating the top five. Jobe Stewart signalled his intent in third, ahead of local star Jordan Malcolm in fourth, and Ryan Bettess in fifth.

Tricky conditions greeted drivers for heat one action, with the pole sitter MacPherson dropping down the field quickly to eventually finish tenth. After Bell led early, it was Stewart who took the lead and the comfortable three second win. Bell slid down to seventh as Bettess and Emerson Harvey moved forward to snare second and third. Warrnambool winner Nathan Williams held off Malcolm for fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Matthew Nietz 32.910

Stewart was again pacey in heat two, leading the opening part of the race. But on lap five, drizzle set in, and Stewart was the first to encounter it and ran very wide around turn one, he was lucky to continue. Bettess grabbed the lead momentarily, before the undeniable Bell took over and added to his tally of wins for the series. Bettess was gallant in second, whilst Hamish Allan ran well in the conditions for third. Harvey and the recovering Stewart rounded out the top five.

FASTEST LAP: Ryan Bettess 31.261

Tyre choice became a major factor for heat three, as the field sat divided on the grid. History will say that wets was the right choice, however it made for a long eleven laps for those on slicks, including Bell. Macpherson parked on the chips, turn one lap one. No such problems for Stewart as he took a lights to flag win, despite intense pressure from the energised Malcolm. Harvey continued to build towards a good result with third, finishing ahead of Winston Smith and Matthew Nietz.

FASTEST LAP: Winston Smith 34.957

The local hope, Malcolm made the perfect start and sat at the head of the queue for the opening four laps, before a move from Stewart relieved him of the lead. Stewart took his turn to pace the field, before Bell took over proceedings. Further down the field, MacPherson started to light up the timing as his kart came on at a rapid rate. He was fifth on lap ten and from there he put on one of the performances of the series to charge to victory! Having started eleventh, it was a huge win, and his first of the 2019 VCS. Bell would be forced to stand in his shadow, the roles reversed on this occasion. Stewart banked another strong result in third, ahead of the consistent pair of Bettess and Harvey in fourth and fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Joel MacPherson 30.272

1^st Joel MacPherson (OAK), 2^nd Jack Bell (OAK), 3^rd Jobe Stewart (PORT)

SERIES RESULT

1st Jack Bell (OAK), 2^nd Jobe Stewart (PORT), 3^rd Joel MacPherson (OAK), 4^th Nathan Williams (GEEL), 5^th Nicholas Ryan (WBOOL)

KA3 SENIOR MEDIUM (13 Entries)

The increased depth of talent in KA3 Senior Medium has made the 2019 series an enthralling battle, with no less than five round winners in the proceeding five rounds. Horsham winner Taine Venables continued to use his momentum to take pole position (30.930). Remo Luciani held off Daniel Hookway for second, Scott King and Todd Chambers rounding out the top five.

Venables continued to go from strength to strength as he eased away to win by just over two seconds in heat one. Luciani, Hookway, King and Mitch Mackay staged an enthralling battle for the minors, Mackay having missed half of qualifying and ending up at the back end of the top ten. Hookway prevailed over Luciani for second at the flag, King holding off Mackay for fourth.

FASTEST LAP: Taine Venables

Not for the first time for the day, tyre choice was critical for heat two, and unfortunately a late change back to slicks forced Venables to start from the rear of the grid. The doors opened for Luciani and Hookway, and neither needed an invitation. Luciani upstaged his younger competitor, leaving Hookway to settle for second. King was very much in contention but took the chequered in third, ahead of Chris Thomas and a rebounding Venables.

FASTEST LAP: Taine Venables 31.488

A new day arrived at Ballarat, however the same changing and unpredictable weather conditions hung around. Many drivers were tossing up the safety of wets or to take a gamble on slicks for heat three. Most of the front runners opted for wets. You didn’t have to wait long for the action as an incident at turn one took out Venables, Luciani and King. Venables was subsequently DQ’d for his part. Thomas led the first circulation, before being shuffled to second by Hookway on the second lap. Mackay was on slicks and as the race wore on, he got faster and faster. In the end it came down to a drag race to the flag, and the slick shod kart of Mackay got the better of Hookway for the win. Chambers, Ryan Cook and Thomas all had breathing space as they filled the top five.

FASTEST LAP: Peter Gigis 33.162

The scene was set for a thrilling final, and nobody left disappointed. Luciani led the opening two laps, before he was overtaken by two of the young tyros in Mackay and Venables. From there the two youngsters staged a battle that went the full distance, exchanging places numerous times. Mackay made it stick on lap thirteen and held sway from there, despite the blowtorch being applied by Venables. Luciani rounded out the podium in third. Hookway was home in fourth, only half a second from the lead, whilst Chambers finished well in fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Todd Chambers 31.006

1^st Mitch Mackay (SWEST), 2^nd Taine Venables (BALL), 3^rd Remo Luciani (WIMM)

SERIES RESULT

1st Mitch Mackay (SWEST), 2^nd Taine Venables (BALL), 3^rd Remo Luciani (WIMM), 4^th Daniel Hookway (WBOOL), 5^th Chris Thomas (GEEL)

CADET 9 (14 Entries)

Cadet 9 qualifying saw one of the biggest upsets of the weekend, as P plater Aston Hill announced his arrival as a front runner with a stunning pole position (34.247). Hill’s achievement came at the head of a stacked top five, with three 2019 round winners in the top five. Two time round winner Mathew Basso timed in second, ahead of Horsham victor Will Calleja. Ewan Anderson continued his strong series in fourth ahead of Warrnambool winner Noah Enright.

Heat one proved that qualifying was no flash in the pan for Hill, as he wound the 44P kart up for a comfortable lights to flag win. The top five remained the same, albeit rejigged. Anderson moved forward to be the runner up after a good battle for track position with Basso. Calleja and Enright raced closely for the early part of the race, Calleja getting the upper hand to finish in fourth, Enright in fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Will Calleja 34.291

Basso jumped to an early lead at the start of heat two, leading for several laps before the cavalry arrived. Lap nine saw SA’s Enright grab the lead, and Anderson retire from the race. Enright went on to win, ahead of Basso and Calleja. Hill settled in fourth after being shuffled around by his more experienced rivals, whilst the continually improving Riley Harrison posted a fifth place finish.

FASTEST LAP: Noah Enright 34.261

Heat three would see the youngsters forced to make a choice on tyres on the grid. Wets proved to be the right decision, as evidenced by the slicks shod kart of Anderson parked up at turn one. Enright jumped to the front at the start and never relinquished the top spot. Basso also dropped down the field at the start, as Harrison leapt up into second. Lap seven saw Hill and Calleja move up to second and third, Calleja crossing the line in second, Hill third. Harrison was a very decent fourth, ahead of Chelsea Humphrey in fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Mathew Basso 36.243

Hill re-emerged as a serious contender in the final, grabbing the early ascendancy over his more fancied rivals. Enright gave chase to Hill, and on lap twelve he pounced to make a race winning move. Whilst Hill plotted his move to wrestle back the lead, a lapped kart disadvantaged him and he lost touch with the speedy Enright. Enright raced to the chequer with breathing space, whilst Hill came under increased pressure from Anderson as he capped a super impressive weekend with second place. Anderson finished on the podium in third, ahead of series combatants Basso and Calleja.

FASTEST LAP: Mathew Basso 34.127

1^st Noah Enright (BGKC), 2^nd Aston Hill (GIPP), 3^rd Ewan Anderson (PORT)

SERIES RESULT

1st Will Calleja (OAK), 2^nd Mathew Basso (OAK), 3^rd Ewan Anderson (PORT), 4^th Chelsea Humphrey (ELKC), 5^th Aston Hill (GIPP)

VIC COMBINED MEDIUM (20 Entries)

The Vic Combined Medium field just wasn’t right at Ballarat, following the tragic passing of Wimmera’s Brett Buckley in a motorcycle accident between rounds. The much loved Mr Fluoro would’ve been watching over proceedings.

Remo Luciani laid down the marker (31.670) in a class he has been dominant in all series. Andrew Harvey has been one of Luciani’s biggest challengers throughout, and he took second ahead of Phil Zentai. James Head returned to VCS at his home track and put in a solid time for fourth, with Mick Angwin rounding out the top five.

Heat one will show a comfortable win for Luciani, however the result doesn’t tell how hard he had to work for this one. Shuffled down to eighth at the start, the master took seven laps to assert himself at the top of the order, before going on to win. Harvey had led the laps before Luciani took over, and settled for the runners up spot. Zentai started and finished third, ahead of Vern Kranz and Brett Jenkin, the latter dropping down from the heavy class.

FASTEST LAP: Remo Luciani 31.576

Luciani and Harvey stayed line of stern in heat two, maintaining the top two positions for the full journey. Whilst Zentai and Jenkin slipped down the pecking order, Kranz made steady progress to finish third, taking Angwin with him all the way. Fifth was another solid run for Head.

FASTEST LAP: Remo Luciani 31.805

More of the same in heat three as the top four maintained their starting position for the 11 lap duration. Luciani from Harvey, Zentai from Kranz, and Jenkin home in fifth after overhauling Zach Marshall mid race.

FASTEST LAP: Andrew Harvey 32.188

The final belonged to the master from Horsham, Luciani, as he once again blitzed the field to claim another round win. It was in fact his fifth consecutive round win, and could have been a full sweep if not for a mishap at Warrnambool. The race for the minors was anything but clear cut, as Harvey, Zentai and Jenkin went to work. With 2 laps to go Jenkin made a decisive move to claim second, ahead of Harvey, who had been at the pointy end all weekend. Alex Baker showed his true potential, earning fourth after rectifying a bent chassis, and a weekend best result of fifth in the final for Ballarat president Mal Mason.

FASTEST LAP: Remo Luciani 31.676

1^st Remo Luciani (WIMM), 2^nd Brett Jenkin (ROCH), 3^rd Andrew Harvey (MGKC)

SERIES RESULT

1^st Remo Luciani (WIMM), 2^nd Andrew Harvey (MGKC), 3^rd Alex Baker (WIMM), 4^th Phil Zentai (SWKC), 5^th Michael Mifsud (GEEL)

KA4 JUNIOR LIGHT (11 Entries)

There was a lot to play for in KA4 Junior Light at the final round, with the points score very tight at the top. Matthew Domaschenz set the quick time (34.279) in qualifying, just edging out returning Ballarat gun Joe Fawcett in wet conditions. Jake Santalucia was solid in third, ahead of series aspirant Christian Cowie and Jarred Farrell.

Better conditions in heat one made for an interesting race, with Domaschenz, Santalucia and Fawcett all taking turns leading the race. Mid race saw Fawcett assert himself as the man to beat, going on to win. Second place was well earned for Santalucia. Domaschenz crossed the line third, but was subsequently hit with a penalty after a scuffle with Cowie. The penalty elevated Cowie to third, ahead of Farrell. Brocklan Parker continued his apprenticeship in juniors, rolling in fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Joe Fawcett 31.154

Santalucia leapt into the lead at the start of heat two, continuing to run strongly until Fawcett slipped by on lap three. Fawcett went on to win comfortably, Santalucia though would settle for third after succumbing to the rebounding Domaschenz. Cowie retired from fourth on lap seven, elevating Farrell into that finishing position. Local Domenic Kucina looked threatening on his run to fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Joe Fawcett 31.135

Heat three was a carbon copy of heat two, as Santalucia took the opportunity to lead early. However, it wasn’t long before Fawcett moved ahead and held on for a narrow win. This time Santalucia was closer to Fawcett’s speed and finished second, clear of his nearest competitor. Domaschenz banked more points in third, ahead of Kucina and Farrell rounding out the top five.

FASTEST LAP: Joe Fawcett 31.411

Fawcett’s recent experience in the Australian Kart Championship was evident over the weekend, and no more so than in the final. He was operating at a level above his competitors, and translated that into a 7.4 second win. Santalucia again proved he will be a big threat in 2020, capping a successful weekend with second place. The battle between Cowie and Domaschenz, series combatants, had serious heat all weekend, and it culminated in the last lap of the final. Turn one of the final lap saw contact between the two rivals, with Cowie benefitting and crossing the line in third. However stewards reversed the order, promoting Domaschenz to third and dropping Cowie to fourth. The consistent Farrell again rounded the top five out.

FASTEST LAP: Joe Fawcett 30.972

1^st Joe Fawcett (BALL), 2^nd Jake Santalucia (OAK), 3^rd Matthew Domaschenz (GEEL)

SERIES RESULT

1^st Matthew Domaschenz (GEEL), 2^nd Christian Cowie (SGKC), 3^rd Jake Santalucia (OAK), 4^th Harrison Campbell (GEEL), 5^th Jake Krasna (MILD)

CADET 12 (23 Entries)

Less than a second separated the top thirteen drivers in Cadet 12 qualifying, this class promising to be outstanding once again. Cadel Ambrose topped the time sheets with his time of 33.257, closely shadowed by Tyce Hodge, who was less than half a tenth off the time. Lewis Francis made his first appearance in the 2019 series and slotted into third place. Xavier Avramides laid down the fourth fastest time, ahead of Horsham winner Angus Hall.

Ambrose made a perfect start to heat one, however the start wasn’t so kind to Hodge and Francis as they plummeted down the order, Francis to the rear. Ambrose found his groove and went on unheaded to clinch the win by just over 3 seconds. Hall capitalised on the messy start to grab second place, a position he maintained to the flag. Not to be denied, Hodge made his way all the way back to third after bottoming out in ninth on the opening lap. Rusty Ponting made a welcome return to VCS to take fourth in this one, ahead of Lochie Farrell who had started ninth.

FASTEST LAP: Cadel Ambrose 33.188

Ambrose once again controlled proceedings in heat two, leading all the way despite having Hodge in his back pocket for the race distance. Whilst Ambrose and Hodge held their posts for the duration, Hall had to work for his third place. After dropping to sixth early, Hall had to clear Jenson Ristevski late in the race to seal his position. Ristevski held onto third in an improved performance, finishing ahead of Farrell in fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Cadel Ambrose 33.154

Hodge was again in the wars at the start of heat three, as his front row start turned into sixth place at the end of the opening lap. Hall was the big winner, as he jumped into the lead and withstood the pressure of the ensuing pack. Hall led until the final circulation when Ambrose snuck by to continue his perfect results for the weekend. Hall finished a very close second, with daylight before the resilient Hodge crossed the line in third. Ristevski and Ponting continued to build with fourth and fifth place finishes.

FASTEST LAP: Angus Hall 33.340

The final rolled out with Ambrose sitting on the perfect score for the weekend, and he went on with it to win the round. A deserved win after driving superbly all weekend. Hodge was once again right on Ambrose’s tail for the full distance, recording a very respectable second place given his setbacks in the heats. Hall was next across the line for third, holding off Ristevski for the final podium spot. Francis made his way back towards the pointy end, salvaging fifth place.

FASTEST LAP: Tyce Hodge 33.254

1^st Cadel Ambrose (OAK), 2^nd Tyce Hodge (GEEL), 3^rd Angus Hall (OAK)

SERIES RESULT

1st Angus Hall (OAK), 2^nd Cadel Ambrose (OAK), 3^rd Tyce Hodge (GEEL), 4^th Leo Iannella (GKCSA), 5^th Xavier Avramides (OAK)

TAG HEAVY (9 Entries)

After battling a neck complaint at the last round in Horsham, the dominant driver in the class, Scott King resumed his position at the top, recording a pole time of 33.357. Jaymi Mackay parked her kart on the front row in her best performance of the series. Horsham winner Billy Westerveld held down third position, ahead of Ballarat’s Paul Feely in fourth. Nick Roberts rounded out the top five.

Scott King controlled proceedings in the opening heat, leading from start to finish. Westerveld moved up to second place as Mackay drifted down the order. Adam King moved forward after a below par qualifying to clinch third. Feely looked promising in fourth, whilst Aaron Jackson moved into the top five.

FASTEST LAP: Scott King 30.488

Heat two was a lot closer than the opening heat, as Westerveld applied the pressure to Scott King. Westerveld first shook off Adam King before giving chase to Scott, coming up two tenths short in a good race. Adam held on for third, ahead of Roberts and Jackson in fourth and fifth respectively.

FASTEST LAP: Billy Westerveld 30.583

The opening lap of heat three was headlined by a shunt at the old commentary corner between Nik Schmidt and Roberts. The kart of Schmidt was broken on the left hand front corner, whilst Roberts lasted just the one lap before retiring. That was the real action of the race, as Scott King and Westerveld held sway at the front of the field. Adam King shook off Jackson early to grab third, Jackson finishing ahead of Feely to round out the top five.

FASTEST LAP: Scott King 30.737

The final was relatively uneventful, as Scott King took a comfortable victory to wrap up yet another VCS crown. Westerveld was not disgraced in second, and will look forward to a big push in the 2020 series. Adam King grabbed another podium, Cobden his only miss of the series. Jackson and Feely traded positions on the opening couple of laps, until Jackson got the upper hand for fourth. Feely finished the series strong on his home track in fifth.

FASTEST LAP: Scott King 30.784

1^st Scott King (PORT), 2^nd Billy Westerveld (ROCH), 3^rd Adam King (PORT)

SERIES RESULT

1^st Scott King (PORT), Adam King (PORT), 3 Aaron Jackson (ELKC), 4^th Nik Schmidt (BALL), 5^th Paul Feely (BALL)

BALLARAT PRIZE WINNERS:

DPE KART SUPERSTORE $100 VOUCHERS

Joe Fawcett
Samuel Gibson
Archer Warrick
Remo Luciani
Benjamin Moss

DPE TYRE DRAW

Todd Chambers

PATRIZICORSE BRIDGESTONE TYRES

Laura Fahey
Ryan Newborn

DUNLOP KARTSPORT DK17 VOUCHERS

$50 VOUCHER
Ethan Brown
James McNamara
Lauren Ferguson
Leigh Everitt
Ryan Cook
Andrew McNamara

$25 VOUCHER
Isaac Woodhouse
Riley Jabke
Maya McNamara
Steven Malkin
Thomas Carrig
Hamish Allan
Andrew Harvey
James Head
Chris Thomas
Taine Venables
Peter Burton
Andrew Stubbs

KARTWORX $100 K1 CUSTOM RACESUIT VOUCHER

Cadet: Angus Hall
Junior: Samuel Davies
Senior: Scott King

SERIES PRIZE WINNERS

REMO RACING IAME ENGINES
IAME KA100:      Ray Dumesney
IAME X30:           Phillip Eastham

ALLSTAR GRAPHICS $300 VOUCHER
David Menzel

2020 SEASON PASS

Matthew Crane
Jake Santalucia

Plus almost 100 free round passes for everyone that did all 6 rounds in 2019.

That’s a wrap of another massive weekend, and season of racing, with some huge performances and awesome close racing. We look forward to the 2020 Victorian Country Series kicking off in Portland on February 15 & 16.

Thanks to our Series Sponsors:

• DPE KART SUPERSTORE & MG TIRES
• RPM PARTS & KARTS
• TONYKART AUSTRALIA & BARON ENGINE DEVELOPMENTS
• KFC
• REMO RACING & IAME ENGINES
• DUNLOP KARTSPORT & ROCK OIL
• PATRIZICORSE, VORTEX KART ENGINES & BRIDGESTONE KARTING AUST
• ALLSTAR GRAPHICS
• KARTWORX & K1 RACEGEAR
• PACE IMAGES
• AHR MEDIA
• WIMMERA DESIGN & PRINT
• BENDIGO COMMUNITY BANK

Series Points

TAG 125 Light

#	Total points	Name
1	4535	Jordan Rae
2	4308	Curt Sera
3	4306	Nathan Williams
4	4145	James Sera
5	3867	William Carroll
6	3811	Connor Farr
7	3348	Maverick Benson
8	3019	Luke Fong
9	2266	Benjamen Delaney
10	2224	Nick Percat
11	2215	Jaymi Mackay
12	1809	Benjamin Moss
13	1711	Benjamin Bizzarri
14	1706	Jaiden Bridge
15	1604	Breanna Lanza
16	1585	Kai Allen
17	1563	Jake Spencer
18	1349	Lucas O’brien
19	1095	Shane Moreland
20	1066	Rhys Kemp
21	987	Ryan Morgan
22	895	Blake Purdie
23	880	Samuel Downing
24	827	Daniel Rochford
25	761	Alexander Barallon
26	747	Kyle Rethus
27	677	Harley Benson
28	575	Paul Trengove
29	443	Anthony Mrhar
30	421	Ray-yu Wang
31	396	Matthew Wall
32	289	Ben Taylor
33	235	Liam Hunter
34	165	Rhys Duncan
35	113	Matthew Evans
36	107	Mark Domaschenz

---

KA4 Junior Heavy

#	Total points	Name
1	5666	Joshua D’ambrosio
2	5077	Toby Waghorn
3	5016	Johnny Hill
4	3937	Maximus Fahey
5	3754	Seth Burton
6	3568	Braden Clark
7	3562	Riley Jabke
8	3256	Liam Pollard
9	3254	Jay Racovalis
10	3011	Samuel Davies
11	2596	Charlee Richardson
12	2439	Maximus Chudasko
13	1956	Daniel Golightly
14	1810	Grace Dunmore
15	1803	Adam Henriksen
16	1589	Joshua Clay
17	1456	Zackary Thompson
18	1417	Zach Findlay
19	1385	Lachlan Clark
20	1307	Laura Fahey
21	1246	Robbie Turmine
22	1185	Joshua Horder
23	736	Jett Rendell
24	521	Ella Dunmore
25	457	Jack Johnson
26	358	Hamish Tonkin
27	356	Cooper Fletcher
28	331	Nathan Pozo
29	272	Ashton Cattach-pizzuti

---

Victorian Combined Light

#	Total points	Name
1	5131	Jonathan Mckean
2	4540	Andrew Sotiropoulos
3	4109	Ross Stubbs
4	3815	Steven Malkin
5	3748	Lachlan Swayn
6	3564	Mitchell Sutej
7	3195	Joseph Clough
8	3007	Lachlan Hill
9	3005	David Menzel
10	2957	Derrick Rodgers
11	2857	Aidan Solomon
12	2579	Brock Rae
13	2412	Todd Chambers
14	2309	Terry Rankin
15	2276	Alex Ryan
16	2055	Jacob Dowlin
17	1898	Bill West
18	1810	Jeremy Kiensrod
19	1609	Shayne Penhall
20	1540	Mark Shrubb
21	1505	Daniel Findlay
22	1315	Gerry Westerveld
23	1263	James Mcnamara
24	1225	Jesse Yoannidis
25	1144	Corey Mccullagh
26	1142	Aaron Neilson
27	1080	Pat Thomas
28	1066	Zeke Sloan
29	1048	Mitchel Arrow
30	1031	Caitlin Clough
31	999	Phillip Eastham
32	966	Bradley Matulic
33	854	Harrison Campbell
34	821	Andrew Rae
35	723	Jakub Fitzsimmons
36	633	Jake Mackenzie
37	629	Greg Dunmore
38	570	Ella Dunmore
39	570	Maya Mcnamara
40	489	Jordan Sanderson
41	477	Daniel Linke
42	437	Bradley Vaughan
43	240	Matthew Evans
44	230	Craig Munro
45	201	Elton Treloar
46	164	James Macdonald
47	150	Christopher Davis
48	137	Brodie Stradbrook
49	117	Timothy Evans

---

KA3 Senior Light

#	Total points	Name
1	5685	Jack Bell
2	5479	Jobe Stewart
3	4482	Joel Macpherson
4	3500	Nathan Williams
5	3111	Nicholas Ryan
6	2882	Hamish Allan
7	2866	Bryce Woollard
8	2838	Jordan Malcolm
9	2783	Winston Smith
10	2512	Corey Herbertson
11	2348	Jaxson Cox
12	2270	Adam Pasek
13	2188	Ryan Bettess
14	2108	Cooper Johnstone
15	2074	Matthew Nietz
16	1814	Sophie Mansbridge
17	1723	Lauren Ferguson
18	1546	Scott Mceachran
19	1538	Nicholas Trebilcock
20	1496	Jason Douglas
21	1274	Thomas Carrig
22	1153	Natasha Emmins
23	1110	Kye Belton
24	1089	Emerson Harvey
25	926	Bethany Koch
26	733	Jack Micallef
27	673	Nikki Watson
28	546	Lachlan Naismith
29	505	Ryan Morgan
30	475	Keean Ferguson
31	335	Ella Dunmore
32	293	Tylah Haywood
33	249	Evan Ferentinos
34	242	Ashley Lear
35	235	Nerinda Beard
36	232	Alex Killeen
37	162	Shane Moreland
38	142	Taylah Allen
39	83	Troy Moreland

---

KA3 Senior Medium

#	Total points	Name
1	5228	Mitchell Mackay
2	5114	Taine Venables
3	4953	Remo Luciani
4	4830	Daniel Hookway
5	4297	Christopher Thomas
6	4085	Todd Chambers
7	4060	Scott King
8	3176	Ryan Cook
9	3175	Jackson Hodgetts
10	3101	Aaron Jackson
11	2590	Max Green
12	2064	Peter Gigis
13	1475	Trent Levi
14	1377	Keean Ferguson
15	947	Alex Ryan
16	662	Brayden Flood
17	558	Andrew Johnstone
18	508	Derrick Rodgers
19	352	Mitchell Branson
20	340	Joshua Horder
21	331	Jason Mckay
22	271	Zachary Marshall
23	270	Justin Bonacci
24	222	Ben Chapman

---

Cadet 9

#	Total points	Name
1	5375	William Calleja
2	5292	Mathew Basso
3	4696	Ewan Anderson
4	4624	Chelsea Humphrey
5	4147	Aston Hill
6	3431	Riley Harrison
7	3225	Cadel Taylor
8	2776	Cayden Humphrey
9	2630	Noah Enright
10	2084	William Brinsley
11	1806	Mitchell Burgemeister
12	1332	Lewis Kucina
13	1210	Xavier Cain
14	1163	Oliver Wickham
15	964	Jordan Wickham
16	946	Mitchell Soderstrom
17	931	Kobie Wilson
18	853	Samuel March
19	841	Cayden Beacham
20	797	Jensen Marold
21	734	Dominic Mercuri
22	647	Koby O’shannassy
23	601	Jett Taormina
24	571	Renee Dvorak
25	398	Cruz Capitanio

---

Victorian Combined Medium

#	Total points	Name
1	6416	Remo Luciani
2	5179	Andrew Harvey
3	4689	Alex Baker
4	3796	Phillip Zentai
5	3535	Michael Mifsud
6	3443	Barry Clough
7	2784	Vern Kranz
8	2716	Zachary Marshall
9	1931	Brett Buckley
10	1843	Jonathon Wilson
11	1824	Andrew Chapman
12	1750	Malcolm Mason
13	1726	Michael Angwin
14	1383	Leigh Everitt
15	1234	Sam Newell
16	1166	Jackson Barbary
17	1147	James Stewart
18	1127	Brett Jenkin
19	1026	Billy Westerveld
20	764	Chris Wright
21	753	Josh Tanner
22	725	Wayne Armistead
23	649	James Head
24	603	Luke Mcpherson
25	597	Jackson Leitch
26	576	Daniel Boorman
27	547	Blake Graham
28	500	David Musgrave
29	401	Jason Kilcullen
30	329	David Stewart
31	271	William Leitch
32	270	Sean Martin

---

KA4 Junior Light

#	Total points	Name
1	5415	Matthew Domaschenz
2	5329	Christian Cowie
3	5128	Jake Santalucia
4	4358	Harrison Campbell
5	4137	Jake Krasna
6	3808	Jarred Farrell
7	3208	Thomas Patching
8	2633	Riley George
9	2272	Brocklan Parker
10	2243	Parker Scott
11	1802	Jenson Teleskivi
12	1604	Joe Fawcett
13	1367	Oscar Maloney
14	1204	Robbie Turmine
15	1033	Domenic Kucina
16	979	Joshua Hee Keng
17	919	Michael Tarbotton
18	878	Elliot Bellars
19	865	Brodie Thomson
20	827	Mason Kelly
21	740	Ethan Brown
22	704	Shaun Clover
23	685	Will Missen
24	619	Koby Samuelson
25	617	Salvatore Imbrogno
26	596	Kobi Williams
27	340	Tyson White
28	333	Robert Graham
29	291	Brayden Parkinson

---

Cadet 12

#	Total points	Name
1	5569	Angus Hall
2	5484	Cadel Ambrose
3	4219	Tyce Hodge
4	4022	Leo Iannella
5	3965	Xavier Avramides
6	3449	Ben Holliday
7	3217	Jenson Ristevski
8	3207	Lochlan Farrell
9	2605	Peter Bouzinelos
10	2391	Hunter Salvatore
11	2365	Rusty Ponting
12	2240	Anthony Capobianco
13	1950	Ryan Newborn
14	1832	Ethan Briggs
15	1777	Brocklan Parker
16	1523	Rock Han
17	1496	Alexander Yoannidis
18	1452	Zach Findlay
19	1369	Domenic Kucina
20	1293	Levi Dauncey
21	1095	Harry Arnett
22	1089	Joanne Ciconte
23	1040	Charlie Evans
24	985	Nathan Emmins
25	975	Jack Szewczuk
26	932	Darcy Heyne
27	840	James Snaith
28	797	Juan-felipe Forero
29	775	Koby Samuelson
30	737	Lewis Francis
31	735	Jesse Lacey
32	726	Jacob Chandler
33	684	Bradley Majman
34	661	Kristian Janev
35	652	Fraser Carr
36	571	James Anagnostiadis
37	553	Archer Warrick
38	545	Caleb Spence
39	525	Toby Dvorak
40	515	Mattia Marzella
41	476	Mitchell Burgemeister
42	475	Thomas Schmidt
43	470	Wesley Bowden
44	465	Samuel March
45	386	Oliver Wickham
46	376	Jordan Wickham
47	323	Harrison Zeuner
48	309	Benjamin Munro
49	277	Nate Young
50	249	Brock Fewins
51	219	Akasha Mceachran
52	199	Alexander Macqueen
53	174	Kai Layland
54	150	Jackson Stone
55	133	Lachlan Sharpe
56	121	Hayley Fewins
57	87	Oscar Maloney

---

TAG 125 Heavy

#	Total points	Name
1	6148	Scott King
2	5836	Adam King
3	4582	Aaron Jackson
4	4189	Nikola Schmidt
5	3726	Paul Feely
6	3693	Nicholas Roberts
7	3374	Raymond Dumesny
8	3305	Billy Westerveld
9	3260	Beau Humphrey
10	1656	Glenn Croxford
11	885	Jaymi Mackay
12	657	Bjorn Schultheiss
13	593	Dylan Collett
14	540	Stephane Majman
15	525	Travis Chapman
16	484	Brad Trott
17	352	Jerremy Cusack

---

Victorian Combined Masters

#	Total points	Name
1	5932	Phil Smith
2	5529	Ashley Mitchell
3	4264	Leon Forrest
4	4161	Peter Gigis
5	3805	Matthew Crane
6	3593	John Page
7	3268	Andrew Stubbs
8	2917	Vern Kranz
9	2696	Greg Ord
10	2522	Alan Roberts
11	2504	Ronald Taylor
12	2401	Phillip Stradbrook
13	2239	Garry Haywood
14	2123	Barry Golightly
15	1875	Murray Swayn
16	1553	Ian Branson
17	1458	Kevin Harvey
18	1139	Anthony Taylor
19	936	Andrew Mcnamara
20	885	Lloyd Wilson
21	746	Peter Burton
22	737	Carl Gibson
23	662	Stephen Marshall
24	613	Glenn Riddell
25	556	Andrew Chapman
26	547	Roger Han
27	420	James Stewart
28	401	Amanda Branson
29	398	Andrew Purcell
30	289	Matt Parker
31	249	Andrew Jackson
32	176	John Owen
33	168	Brett Buckley
34	166	Campbell Mcmillan
35	144	Trevor Pevitt

---

KA3 Junior

#	Total points	Name
1	5484	Jaxon Johnstone
2	5343	Bronson Boult
3	4819	Ethan Brown
4	4219	Isaac Woodhouse
5	4124	Ethan Bray
6	3533	Samuel Gibson
7	2187	Jordi Belton
8	2029	Riley Jabke
9	1931	Brayden Stewart
10	1926	Jake Santalucia
11	1924	Will Harper
12	1607	Fletcher Bellars
13	1504	James Lodge
14	1242	Patrick Short
15	1205	Zackary Thompson
16	1123	Nicholas Sacco
17	1109	Tyson White
18	722	Samuel Davies
19	616	Harrison Campbell
20	565	Kai Upiter
21	466	Lotem Ben Yosef

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