Jamie Rush led the powerful Rush Performance stable to the final round of the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship decider at the Newcastle Kart Club. Rush, alongside multiple time national champion Pierce Lehane, led a team of 10 drivers ranging from Cadet 9 through to the senior ranks. Rush Performance was looking to finish the 2022 championship on a high!
Rush Performance had the triple driver attack in X30 in Jaiden Pope, Gianmarco Pradel and Gabriel Van Jour representing the team. Pope starred in qualifying, putting himself out of position 4 with Pradel and Van Jour back in position 8 and 12 respectively. Pope and Pradel led the charge across the heats both racing in the top 5 and both having best results of 3rd spot. Van Jour was just outside the top 10 across the heats until a brilliant position 8 in heat 4. Pradel was right in the battle for victory to close the weekend, coming home in a brilliant 2nd spot! Van Jour was just outside the top 10 in position 11 and Jaiden Pope was able to come home in the top 5 for the championship after his brilliant results across the season!
Hunter Pierce was the youngest driver to take the track in the Cadet 9 category for Rush Performance. Pierce qualified down in position 17 but slowly made his way forward across the weekend pushing on the back of the top 10. Hunter took his best result of the weekend in the final coming home in a brilliant position 8!
Logan Lalas took on the ultra-competitive KA4 Junior class and had a rough start to his weekend, being excluded from qualifying after setting the 15th fastest time. Lalas starting out of position 32 was able to move up 11 positions in both opening heats. Position 14 in heat 3 continued his progress before a DNF in heat 4 hurt his chances. Lalas was able to finish his weekend inside the top 20 in position 18 overall!
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Jake Horsey was another single driver for Rush Performance, this time in the KA3 Senior class. Horsey qualified just outside the top 15 in position 16 overall. A rough heat 1 and 3 hurt Jake’s chances. Two brilliant top 15 finishes in heat 2 and 4 kept him in with a chance of a strong result. Horsey was able to move up the field once again in the final, coming home in position 13 overall in his best result of the weekend.
KA2 Junior had a strong Rush Performance presence with the four driver attack of Toby Spinks, Jett Kocoski, Christian Estasy and Aidan Williams. Spinks led the charge in qualifying landing in position 4 with Estasy, Kocoski and Williams in position 18, 26 and 29 respectively. Spinks was able to take out 2 heat wins in a strong showing, with Kocoski, Estasy and Williams all moving forward across different heats. Spinks crossed the line in 3rd spot in the final before a heart breaking exclusion took the result away. Kocoski was able to come home inside the top 15 in position 14. Williams came home inside the top 30 in position 28 in a tough field, with Estasy ending his weekend with an unfortunate DNF.
Team owner Jamie Rush spoke post weekend on the team’s weekend in Newcastle. “Great pace this weekend with some good results all around. Gianmarco did a great job all weekend in X30 just a shame we couldn’t quite convert that pace into a round win. Proud of all of our drivers this year and looking forward to the off season with some hard work to hit the ground running in 2023”.
Rush Performance will be back in season 2023 for another crack at the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship in 2023.
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