Ashton Cattach had his final hit out at the Go Kart Club of Victoria over the weekend before the all important Australian Kart Championship opener. Cattach was racing in the KA3 Senior Light class at the Australian Kart Championship Shakedown with thirty five drivers doing battle, making for a tough and full on weekend of racing.
Cattach has a busy month of racing coming up in February and was looking to start things off in the right way. Qualifying was first thing Saturday morning and this was a tough session from outset for the young driver. Ashton was unfortunately late to the grid and then once out on circuit was badly held up and struggled to find track position for a clean lap. Cattached tried to salvage a lap late but was only able to settle for position twenty nine and now had work to do in the opening heat.
Ashton and his team were confident they could move up the field in the opening heat. Cattach was looking to heat one and due to the large field was very wary in terms of making it through the opening few corners. Ashton managed to avoid the first lap drama and was able to move up an amazing fourteen spots on the opening lap and into position thirteen. The Tony Kart karter stayed there in the opening few laps but then moved up another couple of spots on lap three, being just outside the top ten. Cattach’s lap speed had improved by over half a second from qualifying and the young driver was able to come home eleventh on a great recovery drive from qualifying.
Heat two came up Saturday afternoon and Ashton was once again looking to stay out of trouble and move forward through the field. Cattach was able to stay out of the opening lap chaos and moved up six spots off the start. Ashton didn’t stop there, continuing to make up places throughout the race and moving inside the top twenty and on the edge of the top fifteen. Cattach came home in position sixteen, only four tenths off the top fifteen. After a massive day making up a total of thirty one positions across the two races, Ashton looked forward to Sunday to try and continue the charge forward.
Due to his Saturday recovery Cattach was starting out of position fifteen and was looking to once again continue the move forward in positions. Ashton was unfortunately caught up in the drama copping a few large hits to his kart and causing damage. Due to the hits his kart snapped bolts and resulted in a mechanical failure and a non-finish hurting his starting spot for the final.
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Ashton was having to start down the order due to his heat three result. Cattach’s Sunday went from bad to worse being spun at the first corner and going back to the rear of thirty five kart field. Ashton put his head down and made up as many spots as he could in the final. Cattach crossed the line in position twenty three overall in a disappointing Sunday result.
Ashton’s mother spoke post weekend. “It was a tough weekend after Ashton did such a good job to recover on Saturday. He has the pace of the top ten drivers but just needs to stay out of trouble and he’ll have a much better showing.”
Cattach will be racing the next three weekends in a row taking on the Eastern Lions Kart Club meeting this weekend.
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