Slip & Slide at Hamilton VCS

by Andrew Hayes, AHR Media

The DPE Kart Superstore Victorian Country Series has returned to the Hamilton Karting Club’s Buckley Park Raceway for the first time in 3 years over the weekend.

Wet and muddy conditions greeted 174 competitors, as they reacquainted themselves with the picturesque 700m circuit.

It was a rather wet race meeting at Hamilton for the fifth round of the Victorian Country Series. This is TaG 125 Light, class winner Jonathan McKean (48), Jay Racovalis (96) and Mitchell Sutel (44) (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

There was some incredible individual performances, along with some breath-taking battles as the series reached it’s penultimate round.

There was everything from rain to sun over the weekend, certainly keeping drivers and crews on their toes for the duration.

Kyle Booth backs it in under Michael Angwin, TaG Rest Heavy (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

full results on speedhive HERE
scroll to down for photos
lots more images on Darren’s Sportography Facebook HERE

Here’s how it went down:

KA4 JUNIOR HEAVY (6 Entries)

A small field of KA4 Juniors were the first to take the circuit in qualifying, and it was Taylem Mackinlay backing up his Warrnambool pole to set quick time by a substantial margin at Hamilton (38.644).

Mackinlay was unstoppable in the heats, taking victory in both contests by more than 3 seconds.

Mackinlay became the first driver of the day to make it a clean sweep, taking a huge 12 second win in an uneventful final. Lachlan Sharpe wasn’t far off the pace in the final, but was out of striking distance in second place. Laura Fahey got the better of Mia Mifsud in an all girl battle for the final spot on the podium.

1^st Taylem Mackinlay (ELKC)
2^nd Lachlan Sharpe (OAK)
3^rd Laura Fahey (SWKC)

Taylem Mackinlay, 1st KA4 Junior Heavy (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

KA3 SENIOR MEDIUM (16 Entries)

Young Gun Ethan Briggs left it until the absolute last minute to jag pole position (37.452) in KA3 Senior Medium.

Briggs breakout season was only further enhanced by claiming both heat races, managing the conditions better than anyone else.

The final looked to be more of the same, as Briggs rocketed out to an early lead. But lurking in the wings was the mercurial master, Remo Luciani, who despite driving a superseded chassis, was not to be outdone. Luciani first made his way to second and then set off after Briggs who was several seconds up the road. After making substantial inroads, Luciani got within striking distance on the final circulation and used some experience to pull off a move on Briggs. Luciani snatching the win, his fifth consecutive, from the youngster, who was a gallant second. Todd Chambers capped off a competitive weekend in third, finishing ahead of Matthew Nietz and Ben Mouritz.

1^st Remo Luciani (WIMM)
2^nd Ethan Briggs (ROCH)
3^rd Todd Chambers (PORT)

KA3 Senior Medium, Ben Mouritz ahead of Adam Henrikson (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

CADET 12 (14 Entries)

Backing up from his hard fought victory in Horsham, it was Ewan Anderson who picked up where he left off in Cadet 12, taking pole position (40.362).

Blake Purvis and Riley Harrison both tasted the spoils in the heats in one of the most evenly matched classes of the day.

Harrison got the best of the opening lap of the final, and led Dominic Mercuri in the early stages, before they exchanged the lead just before half race distance. But Anderson was far from done, as he charged back into the lead and managed to put a solid margin in to the chasers on his way to a comfortable victory in tricky conditions. Mercuri raced to second place, finishing ahead of Harrison after a great battle. Riley Gee continued to impress in fourth ahead of a rebounding Oscar Corless.

1^st Ewan Anderson (PORT)
2^nd Dominic Mercuri (SGKC)
3^rd Riley Harrison (OAK)

Cadet 12 winner Ewan Anderson (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

KA3 Junior (7 Entries)

Leo Iannella continued the 2022 rampage he has been on by taking pole (36.952) in KA3 Junior qualifying.

Iannella was dominant in the two heat races, and was clearly the man to beat for the longer final.

The impeccable form of Iannella continued at the start of the final, as he paced the field comfortably. There was a huge twist in the race on lap 12 when an Iannella incident dropped him down the order to fourth position. It allowed Jacob Chandler to take over the front running, but it wasn’t long before his fellow South Australian Darcy Heyne came knocking. Heyne was brilliant as he made his way to the lead, taking a big win whilst still being a relative newcomer to the premier junior class. Chandler made it a LN Kart 1-2 by finishing in second, ahead of Will Smith, who saved his best run for third in the final. Iannella was a disappointed fourth, ahead of Thomas Patching who had also been a frontrunner on the day.

1^st Darcy Heyne (GKCSA)
2^nd Jacob Chandler (SGKC)
3^rd Will Smith (SGKC)

KA3 Junior, Leo Iannella in front (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

KA3 SENIOR LIGHT (21 Entries)

KA3 Senior Light has been dominated in 2022 by 2 drivers, Joel Macpherson and Corey Herbertson, and on this occasion it was Macpherson drawing first blood with pole (37.275).

Macpherson once again showed the way in the heats, winning both encounters.

Making it a clean sweep of the weekend, Macpherson took a comfortable 4.8 second win in a comprehensive display in the final. Herbertson was in the thick of it, having to fend off SA speedster Nikki Watson on his way to second place. Angus Hall snuck by Watson in the closing stages to snare the final spot on the podium. Watson was a fighting fourth, ahead of Brocklan Parker who showed some brilliant speed to rebound in the final.

1^st Joel Macpherson (OAK)
2^nd Corey Herbertson (PORT)
3^rd Angus Hall (OAK)

KA3 Senior Light winner Joel MacPherson leads the pack (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

VIC COMBINED MASTERS (12 Entries)

Matt Crane led the charge of the hometown brigade, setting the pole time (38.090) on his home track.

Crane converted the pole into an opening heat win, before Ash Mitchell reigned supreme in the second run.

Mitchell was untouchable in the final, as he put on a fine display in an all the way win. Anthony Pethebridge had his share of frustrations throughout the day, but put it together when it mattered to claim second from Daniel Rethus as the laps wound down. Rethus grabbed another trophy, finishing in third. John Page and Crane had frontrunning pace in patches, but settled for fourth and fifth respectively.

1^st Ash Mitchell (WIMM)
2^nd Anthony Pethebridge (ELKC)
3^rd Daniel Rethus (PORT)

Class winner Ashley Mitchell #5 in the middle of the action, Vic Combined Masters (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

TAG RESTRICTED HEAVY (9 Entries)

Kyle Booth made a second appearance in VCS competition, and proved every bit a front runner by stamping his name on pole position (38.270).

Booth was dominant in the heat races, taking the chequer by a margin in both events.

Mick Angwin is undefeated in finals in 2022, so it was no surprise to see him pacing the field in the restricted heavy final. It all looked to come unstuck for Angwin on lap 8 when he spun at the end of the straight, allowing Booth through to the lead. In an amazing twist of events, Booth suffered a near identical fate 6 laps later, however his race was done. Angwin regrouped to take another round win! Adrian Matherson continued his steady rise by taking second place ahead of Horsham pole sitter Bailey Petch in third. Kevin Hitchcock had a tough weekend on his way to fourth, finishing ahead of Andrew Calvert.

1^st Mick Angwin (BALL)
2^nd Adrian Matherson (BALL)
3^rd Bailey Petch (HAM)

TaG R Heavy winner Mick Angwin (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

TAG LIGHT (10 Entries)

Billy Westerveld made the switch from Tag Heavy to Tag Light with ease, as he took a commanding pole position (36.790) by 3 tenths in qualifying.

Jono McKean was the standout when the racing started, and was all class on his way to victory in both heats.

McKean delivered once again in the final, as he snuck away from the field early on and then made every post a winner to claim a popular win. Westerveld chased hard, but had to settle for second ahead of multiple 2022 round winner Max Fahey in third. Mitch Sutej and Daniel Pegg settled in the back end of the top five in a competitive run for both drivers.

1^st Jono McKean (WBOOL)
2^nd Billy Westerveld (ROCH)
3^rd Max Fahey (SWKC)

TaG Light winner Jonathan McKean (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

KA4 JUNIOR LIGHT (9 Entries)

Ballarat’s Jayden Dellar found the sweet spot in qualifying to take pole position (38.284) by just 5 thousandths of a second over Mathew Basso.

Basso and Dellar split the wins in the heat races, setting the scene for an epic final.

Dellar changed things up a gear in the final, and turned on one of the most impressive drives of the day to win the final by 7 seconds. Basso claimed second place despite some confusion around the end of the race, finishing just ahead of James Snaith who had threatened in the heats. Darcy Heyne was home in fourth, ahead of Max Marriner in fifth.

1^st Jayden Dellar (BALL)
2^nd Mathew Basso (OAK)
3^rd James Snaith (OAK)

Jayden Dellar won KA4 Junior Light (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

CADET 9 (10 Entries)

Ballarat drivers continued their excellent form in Cadet 9, having dominated proceedings in the class all season. Kurtis Polkinghorne broke through for his first VCS pole position (41.045) in a tight qualifying session.

Archie Bristow proved to be too good in the heats, comfortably winning both events by over 3 seconds.

Bristow went next level in the final, putting on one of the most supreme performances of the day to win by more than 11 seconds. Polkinghorne had a race long battle with Oliver Armitt, which was eventually resolved in Polkinghorne’s favour. Alana Gurney held off Lawson Effingham for position four and five.

1^st Archie Bristow (BALL)
2^nd Kurtis Polkinghorne (BALL)
3^rd Oliver Armitt (GKCV)

Archie Bristow, 1st Cadet 9 (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

TAG HEAVY (8 Entries)

Scott King has been a force in Tag Heavy for many years, and he secured pole position (36.784) for the third consecutive round, despite still hunting for his first round win of the season.

Ryan Cook took the punt on wets on a drying track in the opening heat, and whilst he greeted the chequer first in the race, his tyre quality was compromised for the rest of the day. King won the second heat in storming fashion.

King started red hot in the final and established an early lead, a lead that he never relinquished, going on to finally nail the top spot after several near misses. Aaron Jackson was prominent in his return to one of his favourite tracks, and capped a fine weekend in second, ahead of Liam Pollard, who stormed to third in his best run of the weekend. Aidan Solomon and Adam Holt rounded the top five.

1^st Scott King (PORT)
2^nd Aaron Jackson (ELKC)
3^rd Liam Pollard (ELKC)

Scott King #4, 1st TaG Heavy (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

TAG RESTRICTED MEDIUM (17 Entries)

Warrnambool’s Corey McCullagh grabbed his first pole position (37.999) of 2022, after previously winning the Portland round of the Series.

SA’s Josh Fielding was the big winner in the opening heat, but used up too much rubber to be a factor for the rest of the weekend. McCullagh delivered in the second to claim the win.

McCullagh controlled the opening laps of the final before Beau Humphrey came knocking. Humphrey charged from the fourth row of the grid to the lead in just three laps in a blistering display of pace. Humphrey’s speed allowed him to edge away to a lead he never gave up on his way to victory. McCullagh gave his all to secure second, ahead of Warrnambool winner Jack Ryan in third. Nathan Rosenzweig rolled in fourth, ahead Jeremy Kiensrod, who had his best weekend in some time.

1^st Beau Humphrey (ELKC)
2^nd Corey McCullagh (WBOOL)
3^rd Jack Ryan (MGKC)

Beau Humphrey won TaG R Med (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

X30 LIGHT (14 Entries)

Jacob Dowson put on one of the most comprehensive performances of the weekend. It started with pole position (36.633) and extended to a pair of comfortable heat wins.

Dowson was simply unbelievable in the final, claiming the decider with a remarkable 14 second margin, He was operating at another level. Nathan Williams had a strong run at his adopted home track, finishing second after looking the best of the rest most of the weekend. Parker Scott continued his trophy haul of 2022, claiming third on this occasion. Matthew Domaschenz was home in fourth, ahead of Will Missen who had earlier in the day lost a rear wheel at the exit of the esses.

1^st Jacob Dowson (GKCSA)
2^nd Nathan Williams (HAM)
3^rd Parker Scott (MGKC)

X30 winner, Jacob Dawson (pic – Darren’s Sportography)

TAG RESTRICTED LIGHT (16 Entries)

The undeniable gun of Restricted Light, Spiros Anagnostopoulos, pulled the trigger on his fourth consecutive pole position (36.462).

Driving under some physical duress, it was Tim Rankin that claimed both heat wins in tricky conditions.

There was a sense of what if in the final, as Spiros started further down the order than expected. But the undefeated champion of the class wasted no time in moving to the front and then checking out. Spiros home for a fifth consecutive round win in the biggest margin of the day, 16.5 seconds. In a commentator’s nightmare, ‘The Sot,’ Andrew Sotiropoulos clinched second position, ahead of the fast finishing Jacob Dowlin. Rankin had to settle for fourth, ahead of Andrew Rae in fifth.

1^st Spiros Anagnostopoulos (ELKC)
2^nd Andrew Sotiropoulos (OAK)
3^rd Jacob Dowlin (WBOOL)