Driver PR: Mathew Basso, Vic Championship

The Victorian Kart Championship was the next task for Tony Kart backed driver Mathew Basso. Young Basso has had a stellar season to date running at the front of both rounds of the Victorian Golden Power Series. Mathew has had great success at the Oakleigh Go Kart Club this year taking out the Victorian Metro Series opening round and was a force to be reckoned with going into the Victorian Championships!

Qualifying was a fast full field of drivers with the Tony Kart ace looking to continue on his strong form from earlier in the season. The opening flying laps Mathew showed great pace to land himself in fourth overall, right in the top five battle for pole position early in the session. Young Basso continued to improve his times throughout the session landing just outside the top five in sixth position overall in a competitive field of twenty-two karters. With Melbourne weather bringing sun, clouds and heavy rain Mathew was ready for anything.

(pic – Pace Images)

Heat 1 and the excitement and buzz had built for the opening race of the Victorian Championships. Young Basso didn’t get the start he was after, dropping back to position eight off the start of the race. By lap four the Tony Kart backed driver had made his way back up to position seven and was looking to continue pushing forward. Young Matthew showed strong pace throughout the race closing in on position six in the final laps in a great battle. Basso crossed the line in position seven in a competitive top ten showing.

Heat 2 and Basso was looking to continue his impressive start to the weekend. The rain had come for this one and the wet conditions was something young Mathew didn’t mind and he was looking forward to battle. The Tony Kart Australia driver dropped a few spots off the start, dropping down to position eight. Showing strong early pace young Mathew unfortunately got tangled up with another karts misfortune resulting in his second heat finishing early.



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Position sixteen was the starting point for Mathew in the third heat and with good pace and plenty of passion he was ready for a good showing. Basso dropped to position seventeen off the start but he put the head down and by the end of lap five the Tony Kart ace had made his way up to position thirteen and on a charge forward. Mathew, with great pace and determination continued his rise through the field making his way into the top ten in tenth position. With a great finish to the day the young charger was ready for Sunday.

The heavens opened up overnight and Oakleigh had presented itself with a part flooded track. Due to this the fourth heat was called off and it was straight into the twenty-one-lap final. Basso out of position fourteen showed strong pace in the early stages getting into the top ten and looking racy. Unfortunately, when battling in the top ten the Tony Kart Australia driver got beached on the wet grass bringing his weekend to a disappointing end.

Young Mathew spoke of the up and down weekend: “I went into the weekend with really high hopes coming off some really solid results. I worked my way up to tenth in the final but got beached in the wet grass. Sometimes you have good days and sometimes you have bad days, unfortunately this was a bad one”.

Basso will next hit the track this weekend at in the Victorian Country Series.



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