by Russell Innes
A massive 264 entries fronted for the return to club championship competition at Ipswich Kart Club on August 1st. With the COVID lockdown period costing a couple of club championship rounds, this meeting became Round 2 and would also double as the TAG Restricted Titles meeting.
All classes were Random Grid Draw, except the Feature Classes (TAG Restricted Light, Medium and Masters) who each had a qualifying session. All 18 classes contested 3 Heats and a Final with all points counting except for the Feature Classes which were Final only counts. The popular IKC Clubday Challenge Program also made a return.
Cadet 9 had a 19 kart field, with Basilo (Dima) Micale and Sebastien Eskandari-Marandi the two pacesetters. Micale took out Heat 1 but Eskandari-Marandi took control from Heat 2, winning the remaining Heats and the Final to be overall winner from Micale. After a poor 1st Heat, Zack Hilder was very consistent and finished 3rd overall on points. Gabriel Elkayam was the Clubday Challenge Program Group 2 winner with Angus Maxworthy the Group 3 winner.
Cadet 4SS was led by Samual Piggott all day, but Zac Mason is making good inroads to finish 2nd overall. Newcomers Buster Bailey and Blake Whitall were close all day in the battle for 3rd, Bailey just edging out Whitall for 3rd overall.
The numbers in Cadet 12 at Ipswich are not only massive but full of talent. Kayden Thompson, Mika LeMasurier, Luke Trost, Jenson Burns, Jaxson Burns, Patrick Buckley, Max Walton and Ryan McMillan were amongst the placings throughout the heats, but Walton was most consistent to win overall from Thompson and McMillan. Luke Rinaldi had a standout performance to win Group 2 in the Clubday Challenge Program and likewise Joel Lammers who was the Group 3 winner.
Miles Bromley, Jack Stimson and Coby Tucker had some great battles in 4SS Junior, Bromley winning the 1st heat narrowly from Stimson and the 2nd and 3rd heats from Tucker, but Tucker turned the tables in the Final, winning from Stimson and Bromley. Bromley won overall on points though from Tucker and Stimson.
Alex Ninovic, Carter Mobbs and Lachlan Platten were the pacesetters in KA4 Junior Light, Mobbs winning the 1st Heat from Platten and Ninovic. Ninovic taking charge in Heat 2 winning comfortably from Platten with Alice Buckley 3rd. Ninovic, Mobbs and Platten had a great battle in Heat 3, crossing the line in that order. Ninovic again taking charge in the Final to win from Mobbs and Buckley. Overall, Ninovic winning from Mobbs and Platten. Group 2 winner was Beau Bromhead and Harrison Green continued his recent good progress with a win in Group 3.
KA3 Junior in South East Queensland is providing some of the best racing at the moment and is stacked full of talent. Ryan Laycock got the day off to a great start with a superb drive to win Heat 1 from Stewart Hare and Coby Govini. Cody Maynes-Rutty led home Tye Spencer and Ethan Feather in Heat 2. The ever improving Slade Orsmond broke through in Heat 3 for his 1st heat win at IKC from Laycock and Zane Rinaldi. Maynes-Rutty won again in the final from Spencer, Rinaldi, Laycock and Feather, but Laycock’s consistency across the day left him as overall winner on points just ahead of Maynes-Rutty and Spencer.
Jack Munro was almost dominant in 4SS Senior Light across the 3 Heats and Final, only beaten by Kevin Johnston in Heat 3. Caleb Webber, Justin Whittal, Kaid McDonald, and Ashley Jarvis were also among the placing throughout the Heats, but Munro was a clear winner on points and Johnson a clear 2nd with Jarvis just edging out Whittal for 3rd overall. In 4SS Senior Medium James Hogan was a little too quick for Tim Baker, but a DNF in Heat 3 for Hogan allowed Baker a chance but he recovered in the Final to narrowly win on points from Baker..
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Hayden Nissen got an early win in 4SS Supermaxx Medium over Scott Pearce and Kevin Davis, but Pearce had dominant wins in the next 2 Heats, before a narrow win in the Final from Nissen. Pearce finishing 1st overall on points from Hayden Nissen and Kevin Davis just edging out Craig Nissen for 3rd overall. In 4SS Supermaxx Heavy, Craig Silcox had a dominant run through the Heats and Final winning all 4. Anthony Tucker, Rhys Kinder and Copper Walvin filled the minor placings throughout the Heats, Tucker and Kinder finishing equal 2nd on points, Tucker finishing ahead by virtue of 2nd in the Final from Kinder in 3rd.
KA3 Senior Light continues to build in numbers and provide great racing at IKC, but the Matthews brothers and Jai Brown continue to be the frontrunners. Jace Matthews, Brown and Declan Matthews dominated throughout the day, Jace Matthews winning 2 Heats and the Final, with Brown winning 1 Heat. Declan Matthews filling the minor placings in 3 of the 4 races. Lachlan Nichols and Harvey Pryce the only others to get amongst the top 3 placings throughout the day. For the 2nd race meeting in a row, the podium was identical, Jace Matthews winning overall from Brown and Declan Matthews.
Regan Payne made a rare appearance at an IKC clubday to race TAG Heavy and take on the usually dominant Brendan Nelson and apart from a narrow loss to Andrew Gilliam in the 1st Heat and just pipped by Nelson in the Final, Payne won 2 Heats backed up by 2 x 2nd placings to win overall on points from Nelson and a very consistent Blayke Wagner with 3rd placings in all 3 Heats and the Final.
All the superstars of TAG Light came out to play and put on a great show. Luke Thomas started off with a narrow win over Harrison Hoey and Kurtis Tennant in Heat 1. Marc Tulloch, Scott Sorensen and Jordi Marcon filled the placings in Heat 2. Tulloch started to take command with a strong 3rd Heat win ahead of Hoey and Thomas, these three repeating the result in the Final and finishing overall in the same order.
DD2 made an appearance on the programme this Round and IKC President Scott Howard was in very good form, winning all 3 Heats and Final. Marcello Surace was the best of the rest with 4th in the 1st Heat and then 2nd place in the other 3 races. Troy Morrissey and Troy Bretherton both had a DNF in the 2nd Heat, but enjoyed a good battle for 3rd over the remaining heats and finishing equal on points, Morrissey got 3rd overall courtesy of his higher place finish in the Final.
The KZ2 boys and girls made another appearance at IKC and came out in force with 16 entries. Troy Loeskow was dominant again, winning 3 of the 4 races, Chris Hays winning the other. Jac Preston kept up his consistency from the Return to Racing meeting back in July and despite a DNF in the Final still amassed enough points to finish 2nd overall. Hays also had a DNF in the Final, which left Reece Cohen, Taylah Agius and Joshua Fife to battle for 3rd overall, Agius just sneaking onto the podium ahead of Fife and Cohen.
The TAG Restricted Classes were the Feature Classes and in TAG Restricted Masters, Adam Surplice set the early pace with a sensational qualifying, over half a second quicker than Paul Buchanan and Peter Greenwood. Nick Newman was actually 2nd fastest in Qualifying but went underweight and was disqualified. Buchanan won Heat 1 from Nigel Brokenshire and Newman. He backed it up with further wins in Heat 2 and 3 with Surplice and Newman filling the minor placings. These 3 were a class above in the Final and left the rest of the field behind in a great 3 way battle. Buchanan led early, before Newman took over at the front for a couple of laps, but Buchanan retook the lead to win narrowly from Newman with Surplice right on their tail. Trevor Muller was Clubday Challenge Program Group 2 winner in this class.
Tom Steinfort laid down the challenge early in TAG Restricted Medium with a very good qualifying, 2/10ths clear of Ashley Lester, ahead of new dad Jason Smith. Steinfort looked comfortable winning Heat 1 from Lester and Pete Sattler, backing it up winning Heat 2 again from Lester and Smith. Lester again followed Steinfort home in Heat 3 with Ben Lillis coming in 3rd. Lester really applied the pressure in the Final but Steinfort again held on for a narrow win. Smith held 3rd for most of the Final but Lillis claimed 3rd towards the end. Matthew Peters has made great gains and was 5th overall and the Group 2 Winner.
Brent Reading, Lachlan Murphy and Lucas O’Connor were the class of the field in TAG Restricted Light, qualifying as 1,2 and 3 and pretty well running that way all day, apart from Dallas Oksanen getting 3rd in Heat 1. Reading was comfortable in winning all 3 Heats and only really challenged somewhat in the Final by Murphy. Dean Vellacott was the Group 2 Winner and Brody Jarvis the Group 3 Winner.
- full results from the meeting are on speedhive HERE
With the revised Karting Queensland calendar recently confirmed, Ipswich Kart Club will be hosting the 3rd Round of their club championship on September 5th and this will also double as the KA100 King and Queen Titles for KA4 Junior Light, KA3 Junior and KA3 Senior Light.
With the State Championship also now confirmed to be held at Ipswich Kart Club on October 2nd to 4th, many competitors will use this meeting as a shakedown for the State Championship, so total race entries for September 5th could go very close to 300?
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