by Mitch McLellan, MMS Media & Commentating
The penultimate round of the 2022 Victorian Golden Power Series was ran over the weekend, with 215 competitors taking to the Rochester Kart Club circuit.
With the championship race heating up and many drivers needing crucial points to their series, the racing was thick and fast across the two days!
- full results are on speedhive HERE
There was no shortage of photographers at Rochester! Scroll down for pics; there are hundreds more on their respective Facebook pages:
- Pace Images selection – Saturday HERE, Sunday HERE
- Steve Dansie selection – Saturday HERE, Sunday HERE
- Tim Francis selection HERE
Jai George grabbed pole position in the 27 kart field of Cadet 12 drivers from Lucas Costanzo and Gustav Egdal. George and Costanzo shared the heat wins across the weekend, with Costanzo taking out the opening race and George the next 2. Egdal, Aiden Schweikert and Jack Jenkins were all racing around the top 5 in the podium hunt. The final was a breath taking race with George and Costanzo both leading throughout the race. Jenkins was able to take the lead on the last lap and looked set for a stunning victory but Costanzo pinched the lead back with 3 corners to go to take victory! Jenkins came through in 2nd with George in 3rd. Edgal was just off the podium in position 4, with Schweikert rounding out the top 5.
Troy Alger took an important pole position in TAG 125 Light over Jamie Rowe and Scott Chaston. Chaston was able to take the opening heat but Alger then got back on a winning run, taking both the heat 2 and 3. The minor spots was a full on battle with Rowe, Liam Ford, Marcus Fraser, Curt Sera and Steven Riddell all being in the top 3 at stages. Alger was able to get over a second lead in the final but Ford got to 2nd spot and put an almighty charge on. Ford made a move on the last lap but Alger was able to get back through and take his 3rd round win of the season! Ford came through in 2nd spot over Rowe, Samuel Downing and Will Harper rounding out your top 5.
Gerry Westerveld grabbed another pole position in TAG 125 Restricted Light over Ryan Dealy and Ethan Warren. Westerveld was unstoppable in the heats grabbing all 3 wins, with Dealy and Warren left to battle over 2nd place. Westerveld didn’t look back in the final taking the win and the clean sweep of the weekend. Warren was able to get up into 2nd place over Dealy, with Bailey Elliott and Sebastian Perrone rounding out your top 5.
Lando Norris karter Amos Orr was able to pinch pole position in the dying stages of KA3 Junior over Samuel March and Alexander Yoannidis. March was able to dominate Saturday’s running with both heat wins, with Pip Casabene taking the 3rd heat after starting off the rear of the grid! Orr, Yoannidis, William Thompson, Nathan Emmins and Brodie Radford were all in the top 5 across the heats and looking strong. The start of the final was a hectic affair with Orr, March and Thompson all going down the order in the opening 2 laps. This allowed Yoannidis to take the lead and opening up a race winning margin to take victory! Casabene was able to come home on the podium in 2nd, with Orr recovering to 3rd. Aydin Karadagli and a flying Thompson rounded out the top 5.
Victorian Combined Masters pole position went the way of Heath Jelbart, with Mark Appleby and Phillip Stradbrook within reaching distance. Jelbart was able to take out all 3 heat wins but never had more than half a second over Stradbrook and Appleby who both had their turns in 2nd place. Appleby got the crucial winning start and lead the early stages of the round decider. Jelbart was able to take the lead back and hold on to make it a clean sweep! Stradbrook worked his way up to 2nd over Appleby in 3rd. Herman Van Ree and David Galley rounded out the top 5.
advertisement
Local driver Nicholas Trebilcock took pole position in a competitive KA3 Senior Light field with former state champion Zackary Thompson and Angus Hall hot on his heels. Trebilcock was able to take both heat wins on Saturday but Hall was able to take the 3rd heat. Thompson, Jamie Rowe, Liam O’Donnell and Joshua Hee Keng were all in the top 5 across the heat races. Trebilcock was able to make a race winning break in the final to take victory over a fast finishing Jamie Rowe! Hall was able to round out the podium from O’Donnell and Thompson rounding out your top 5.
Previous round winner Jeremy Kay was able to take pole position in the Cadet 9 field over Tate Waddington and Jasper Partouche. Kay was able to back up his pole position with 2 heat wins before Jenson Damaschino threw himself in mix with a heat win of his own. Waddington, Partouche, Levi Lord and Jarvis Hindle were all racing around in the top 5 throughout the heats. Damaschino was in a fierce battle with Kay in the final, before a mechanical issue ended Kay’s charge. Damaschino was able to hold on and take round victory over Waddington and Partouche in 2nd and 3rd. Lord came through to grab 4th, with South Australian visitor Athrun Smith rounding out your top 5.
Jason Pringle continued his dominance in the TAG 125 Heavy field, to take pole position over Geoff Wyhoon and Dylan Collett. A mechanical issue to Pringle in heat 1 allowed Collett to take victory but the pole sitter fought back to take heat 2 and 3. Wyhoon, Nikola Schmidt, Ayrton Creagh and Liam Pollard all had their turn in the top 5 and were in the battle. Pringle put in a dominate performance in the final to take victory by a mammoth 6 seconds over Collett in 2nd. Schmidt rounded out your podium from Creagh and Pollard rounding out your top 5.
Taine Venables continued his qualifying dominance in KA3 Senior Medium, taking pole position over Bodhi Bright and Zach Findlay. Venables was able to press on and take all 3 heat wins leaving Findlay, Bright and Ethan Briggs to all battle over the podium positions. Venables got the jump off the start in the final and never looked back taking out a clean sweep! Bright was able to come home on the podium in 2nd spot from Briggs in 3rd. Findlay came home just off the podium in position 4 from Braden Clark rounding out the top 5.
Brett Jenkin continued his strangle hold on TAG 125 Restricted Heavy when he took out another pole position over local driver Peter Sloan and championship rival Brent Opie. Jenkin took out all 3 heat wins and was the driver to beat once again with Opie, Sloan and New South Wales state champion Ryan Van Ree all battling behind! Jenkin was able to open up a race winning margin and take out his 4th consecutive round win! Van Ree moved up into 2nd place from Opie, Sloan and Jason Gambold rounding out your top 5.
William Thompson took a hard fought pole position in KA4 Junior Light over Samuel March and Pip Casabene, with only 5 hundredths of a second separating the 3 drivers. Casabene stole the show in Saturday’s racing taking both heat wins but March was able to bounce back on Sunday morning and take the 3rd heat. Thompson, Joanne Ciconte, Cooper Frith and Jack Steere all raced throughout the top 5 and were chasing a podium result. March put in a brilliant performance in the final to open up margin and take victory by over 2 seconds from earlier pole sitter Thompson and dual heat winner Casabene. Ciconte just missed the podium in position 4, with Frith rounding out your top 5 drivers.
Chris Brooks took his maiden Golden Power Series pole position in TAG 125 Restricted Medium over Michael Powell, Jesse Watkins and championship leader Clayton Groves in 4th. Groves was able to take control in the heats, taking all 3 race wins over Brooks, Powell, Scott Roberts and Watkins all battling for the minors. Groves was able to make it a perfect weekend of races with victory in the final by over 5 seconds! Roberts was able to land on the podium in 2nd from Powell in 3rd. James Cocca made his way up to 4th spot with Blair Van Ree rounding out your 5.
Newly crowned Australasian kart champion Mathew Basso took pole position in the KA4 Junior Heavy class over championship leader Grace Riddell and Fletcher Shaw. Riddell moved her way to the front in the heats taking all 3 victories with Basso right in the battle and Benjamin Classon and Hugo Garraway in the podium fight. Riddell and Basso had an epic race in the final with both drivers having a chance at victory. After a frantic final lap and post-race penalties, Classon was declared your winner in a thrilling finish over Isabel Rowe in 2nd who charged through from 14th on the grid. Garraway rounded out your podium with state champion James Brett and Jackson Stone rounding out your top 5!
The final round of the championship will take place at the Gippsland Kart Club on October the 22nd and 23rd.
advertisement