by Ayrton Creagh
As heavy rain bombarded the Goulburn Valley late Friday, grey skies were no more with racers treated to clear weather for the third round of the Golden Power Series at the Numurkah Karting Circuit, a half-hour drive from Shepparton. 220 of Victoria and surrounds best drivers lined up for yet another thriller at the Cathedral of Speed!
- scroll to the bottom for photo gallery
- full results on Speedhive HERE
- photos by Steve Dansie – Saturday HERE, Sunday HERE, podiums HERE
- photos by Pace Images – Saturday HERE, Sunday (including podiums) HERE
- photos by Tim Francis HERE
Cadet 9 promised action before a wheel was even turned on-track, 21-fiery pilots set to duel it out for glory. Despite the 14-kart train during qualifying, it was Groundhog Day at the front of the field, Jarvis Hindle on another planet speed-wise as he stormed to pole position by 0.307s over Lex Kelly in 2nd – Beau Chambers, Milan Sami and Eli White completing the top 5 in a disruptive session. Hindle continued to walk the line through the heats, taking a clean sweep ahead of Sami who bagged two impressive P2’s, Kelly crossing the lined 2nd in Heat 3 with numerous kart-casualties behind – Chambers, Cooper Djemil and Zac Ismaili battling for P3.
The final was upon us, could anyone muster a challenge to the supreme speed of Jarvis? Lights out and Sami sweeps into the lead! Hindle forced to bide his time, trying to set up an overtaking manoeuvre at every opportunity. Sami’s stout defence held for some time, Hindle however finding the key to unlock first place on lap 5. Hindle looked to have sprinted away as now Kelly found his way into P2, however, with backmarkers coming into the equation in the final laps, Kelly was able to close right up to the #54. Hindle managed to hold on, snatching the win by a couple of kart lengths over Kelly in 2nd – Djemil, Chambers and Ismaili completing the top 5!
Cadet 12 was one of the two over-subscribed classes over the weekend, working in the usual split group formatting. The fireworks were set to go off after an enthralling qualifying session saw Luca Portaro claim pole position a slither ahead of Alana Gurney – Harry Warmsley, Jordan Bantick and Max Mangano rounding out the top 5. The heats were intense, Gurney going on to take two heat wins of her own; Portaro, Austin McPherson, Rossi Yau and Jordan Bantick taking one each as the likes of Mangano, Warmsley, and Jensen Damaschino battled for the podium.
As always with over-subscribed classes, only the top grid capacity can go through, 22 of the weekend’s best steerers set for battle in the 15-lap finale as Gurney started out of pole position alongside McPherson. The flag drops and we’re racing, Gurney down the inside to take the holeshot as McPherson is shuffled down to 3rd, Portaro on the move up the order. Whilst there were some scuffles on the opening lap, girl-racer Gurney pulled the pin on the rest of the field, building a 1.6s lead over P2 by the half-way mark. McPherson skidded his way past Portaro on lap 8, cutting the deficit from 2.4s to 2.0s to Gurney ahead. None of this phased Gurney, gliding her way to an emphatic victory and pumping another 0.3s into the field behind! McPherson held onto P2 ahead of Portaro a kart-length behind, Damaschino and Samuel Jansen Van Vuuren completing the podium!
KA3 Junior Light turned it up for the crowd come Saturday morning, ProKarting’s Ayce Buckley claiming pole position by a dominant 0.159s over the prodigious talent Jai George; Zach Turner, Christian Sasso and Cohen Naumann completing the top 5. The heats commenced and brought flashbacks of Rochester earlier in the year, the trio of Buckley, Sasso and George fighting it out for the top spot. Buckley proved too good on this occasion, sweeping the heats as Sasso claimed a pair of 2nd places and George the single P2 – Jack Jenkins the only other driver to feature in the top 3.
The stage was set for yet another blockbuster showdown in the heart of the Goulburn valley, Buckley out of pole position alongside the speedy Sasso. Lights out and we were racing, neck and neck between the front two as they ran side by side for several corners, Buckley emerging in P1 and Sasso in pursuit. The leading pair began to flex their muscles as they built a gap to Jenkins in P3, working tirelessly to fend of George behind. Sasso threw everything he had at Buckley; the crowd perched up on the fence with excitement on the half-a-dozen occasions you could have sworn there would be a tangle. 5-laps to go and Buckley built a slender breathing margin, no more than a metre to the #74 behind. Sasso built up for one last tilt at the crown, but as the quote goes, “if you take a shot at the king, you best not miss” – a drag race to the finish line that saw Buckley emerge on top by 0.057s! George took home a well-deserved P3, Jenkins and Naumann rounding out the top 5. A race of what could’ve been for Sasso and glory for Buckley, but what a race!
Historically, there’s always been something about Maxwell Johnston and Numurkah that just seemingly clicks, so it was no surprise to see the #3 take pole in KA3 Junior Heavy over Rya Roberts by 0.111s, Chelsea Humphrey a further 0.003s further back with Ryan Wyhoon and Ryan Taborsky rounding out the fast five. The heats got underway and naturally, the crashing and bashing did too. Johnston maintained position in the opening heat to take an impressive victory over Wyhoon and Jackson Pinczuk before Roberts went back-to-back in the remaining two heats.
A 15-lap finale was the last race to come, Wyhoon’s consistency paying off that saw him starting out of P1 alongside Johnston, Roberts out of P3. Lights out and we’re racing, Roberts with an absolute blinder of a start that saw him move into the lead, Johnston becoming unstuck and sliding down to 5th with Wyhoon coming in at 3rd – Bloomfield the big mover in P2. The laps wound down, Roberts determined to not give an inch to his competitors with the throttle jammed wide open and building the gap to 2nd. In the end it was never in doubt, redemption day for Roberts who was in spectacular form in Gippsland but couldn’t take the win, coming back a round later in glistening form. Chelsea Humphrey took out 2nd place over Ben Bloomfield in 3rd – Johnston and Ayden Warren rounding out the top 5!
Tag 125 Restricted Light saw local, Ryan Dealy, return to P1 as he outqualified 2023 series champion, Ethan Warren, by a mere 0.088s; Jarrod Bottomley, Harrison Duske and Jamie Meadows the rest of the top five. Heat 1 saw little change at the top of the order as Dealy won by 1.0s over Warren, before Warren took the fight right to the line in Heat 2. A starting procedure error saw Warren starting Heat 3 out of P9 when it was meant to be P2, Dealy capitalising for a 3.0s win over Meadows and Bottomley.
Dealy had clean swept the weekend to date in fine fashion, but we saw glimpses of the superior speed that Warren’s Velox kart had on hand – could Dealy be stopped in the final? The flag dropped and we got underway, Dealy with the perfect start that saw him take the lead, Warren into 2nd but wounded on the opening lap as he squabbled for position with the top 10. They cross the line for the opening lap, the margin already out to 0.9s. Little changed for the rest of the race, the spectators somewhat robbed of an epic final as Warren and Dealy consistently traded fastest laps in their shootout, the margin as they crossed the finish line no different from lap 1! The battle for third was well and truly alive, Meadows pipping Bottomley and Grace Riddell at the post for a big P3!
After many weekends in the podium places, #14 of Jesse Watkins took out Tag Restricted 125 Medium’s pole position by a dazzling 0.087 over Michael Flynn in P2; James Cocca, Trent Meadows and Simon Williamson the top five. The heats got underway and we were racing, a chaotic opening race that saw Watkins sliding down the order, hometown hero Cocca leading the way before a monumental collision on the final lap between him and Meadows scrubbed the front runners out of the race, Joshua Godfrey taking the heat victory. The ProKarting pairing of Meadows and Watkins returned to the podium in Heat 2 with a 1-2 finish over Cocca, before Godfrey got up for yet another victory in an action-packed Heat 3 over Mitchell Davis and Meadows.
The final was set, it’d been a carnage-filled heat race that saw the final more of a war of attrition than a straight-out knife fight. The flag drops and we’re go, go go in Tag 125 restricted medium, Godfrey with a dismal start that saw him slide from 1st to 16th as Davis took the lead, Flynn in 2nd and Cocca 3rd. No more than a lap later and Davis also seemingly struck by lightning, tumbling down the field to P17. Flynn had the lead and looked in control, before running wide and slipping back to 4th place! Cocca had now obtained the lead, unsure whether he had passed a kart on track but was more than happy to take the reins of this race. All this action by lap 3, the ProKarting duo now in 2nd and 3rd setting after the local in the lead. Cocca didn’t look back once, recognising this as his opportunity to grasp victory and annihilate the opposition by a resounding 2.4s over Meadows in P2, snatching the fastest lap along with the win! Jesse Watkins completed the podium down in 3rd place.
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Tag 125 Restricted Heavy featured yet another impressive performance from Mason Baldi, who claimed P1 over Brett Jenkin in 2nd and Shannon Hogg in 3rd – Brent Opie and Blair Van Ree rounding out the top of the field. Baldi’s armour was seemingly impenetrable, going on to take two heat wins over Brett Jenkin in P2 before Shannon Hogg caused a massive upset in Baldi’s backyard, taking the heat win over Jenkin and Baldi.
We were set for the finale, Baldi starting off pole alongside Jenkin with his string of 2nd place finishes. The lights went out and we were racing, Baldi maintaining his stronghold on the lead with Jenkin just behind. The laps wound down and Baldi continued to do his thing, stretching out his margin with Jenkin a safe P2. The closest battle on track was between Hogg and Opie, Hogg getting the best of the latter with a handful of laps left, but it ultimately was Mason Baldi who took yet another victory in Tag 125 Restricted Heavy!
After a considerable time out of the seat, it was a welcomed return for Numurkah local Clayton Groves in the Tag 125 Masters category who made an appearance in fine fashion, taking pole position from Mark Seddon in P2 by a mere 0.037s, Leigh Holmes down in 3rd. Groves certainly proved to be the one to beat, who clean swept the heats from both Holmes and Seddon behind; Herman Van Ree, Ian Branson and Heath Jelbart all jostling for a top three finish.
Moving into the final, Seddon certainly appeared to be the closest driver to the astounding speed of Groves ahead, having set fastest laps through the heats himself – did Seddon having anything up his sleeve for the final? The lights went green, and we were underway, Groves slotting into P1 with Seddon hot on his heels, Holmes in 3rd. Groves remained as consistent as ever, gapping Seddon from behind to about a 2.0s margin, uncontested at the front of the field. The last lap commenced and disaster for Seddon, appearing to slow down and falling through the field. Groves went on to take a big victory over Leigh Holmes in 2nd, Ian Branson completing the podium!
The second of our over-subscribed categories from the weekend, KA3 Senior Light was once again one of the classes of the weekend. Tyler Calleja took pole position in a bizarre session where he reported having a brake failure mid-qualifying, pipping Hugo Garraway by 0.029s; Hunter Salvatore, Ryan Dealy and Amos Orr the top – separated by 0.050s! The heats were fierce, with 10 or so drivers having the speed to take out the event. Orr, Calleja and Imran Aly all took a heat win, but it was Hunter Salvatore who put the field on notice with a stunning clean sweep in his groupings.
Moving into the final eight drivers didn’t make the cut for the final, 22 taking to the track for the 15-lap slog-fest. As already mentioned, it was anyone’s to win with nearly half the field having the speed to contest at the front! Salvatore and Garraway were set to start from pole, Aly back in third joined alongside by Ryan Dealy. The flag dropped and the accelerators pinned, Aly getting a phenomenal jump to move into the lead, Salvatore following suit with Garraway in 3rd. A lap later and the combo of Salvatore and Garraway slithered their way into the lead, disposing of Aly who was pushing to hold on. Salvatore turned on the afterburners aboard his EKS kart, Garraway trying to keep in touch but the sheer speed of Salvatore leaving the others in his wake. At the end of the 15-lap thriller, Salvatore emerged head and shoulders above the rest of the field in a simply awesome drive with the fastest lap as well, Garraway maintaining 2nd from a hard charging Aly in P3, Dealy and Orr rounding out the top five. Sensational from KA3 Senior Light!
There was a shakeup amidst KA3 Senior Medium as Grace Riddell took a brilliant pole position from Zach Findlay in 2nd place by just 0.043s; Jarrod Bottomley, Bodhi Bright and Taine Venables completing the top of the order. The heats were underway, and Riddell struck whilst the iron was hot, winning Heat 1 over Bottomley and Venables, before Venables claimed the next two over Findlay and Riddell. Frustrating heat races for Bottomley, who notched together the fastest laps in all the heats!
Venables was to start out of pole position alongside Riddell, but the whole field keeping an eye on the #17 of Bottomley having seen the speed he possessed throughout the heats. Could Bottomley put it all together for a mega result in the big dance? Lights out and we’re underway, Venables in the lead from Findlay in 2nd, series leader Taylem Mackinlay with a great start as well that saw him in 3rd. Only a matter of seconds later before CRASH, Mackinlay and Riddell in the barriers! Riddell wouldn’t continue, but Mackinlay would stumble his way out of the gravel trap back on track. Bewildered by all the action, the commentator didn’t notice the #3 of Rio Campbell carving his way through the order, up in P3 having started 8th. The field set out after the #43 of Venables, a several time winner at the Numurkah circuit. Findlay lunged at him where possible, some heart-stopping racing between two of the class’s supremos, but Venables’ speed ultimately broke the back of Findlay’s challenge, crossing the line three kart lengths ahead of Findlay in P2. It was a sprint to the line, but the king of clutch moments, Rio Campbell, held onto 3rd place a whisker ahead of Bottomley, Ben Fisher another 2.0s back!
Tag 125 Light were ready to pounce this weekend, the fastest category on offer for the Golden Power Series. Max Marriner waltzed his way to victory lane in qualifying, taking pole position by 0.027 over Jamie Rowe; Curt Sera, Cooper Johnstone and Jasper Frith completing the top five. Marriner was in a class of his own early in the heats before Curt Sera took the win in the final heat, the podium places fought out between Rowe, Johnstone, Amos Orr, Matthew Domaschenz, and Brodie Guilfoyle.
As always, Tag 125 Light was set to be a thriller, pretty much the whole paddock crowding around the fence to witness who will reign supreme of the 160kg division. Lights out and the Marriner missile straight into the lead, Sera in 2nd followed by Rowe in P3. Marriner was electric at the start, defending his position to keep the wrath of Sera at bay, but all the commotion was coming from behind as Amos Orr decided to put the field to the sword, sliding his way into 3rd. As the laps passed, Orr found a way past Sera, with his crosshairs firmly fixed on that of Marriner. Orr was patient, building the pressure up lap by lap as he seemingly moved into a new residency on Marriner’s rear bumper. Last lap and the whole field knew Orr was going to produce something special, two corners to go and he dives down the inside… Orr locks up! Marriner undercuts the slippery #74, running wide on serrated kerbing allowing Sera and Rowe back through! All or nothing from Orr was admirable, but Marriner dazzled the field to win by 0.163s over Sera in 2nd, Rowe and Orr less than a kart-length behind! Incredible.
After his dominating performance in Gippsland the round prior, it’d be a fair assumption to think Numurkah homeboy, Liam Ford, would be a sure bet for Tag 125 Heavy. It certainly looked that from qualifying, Ford seemingly glued to the circuit as he took pole position by 0.085s over Chadd Moore in P2 – his best senior result to date! Series regulars Troy Alger, Tom McCulloch and Nik Schmidt completed the rest of the top five. It was a calamitous start for Ford in the heats however, mechanical failure ruling him out of Heat 1 before it even began – Moore crossing the line a dominant 1.1s ahead of Alger and McCulloch who were stuck together as they crossed the line. Ford was looking to right Saturday’s wrongs, taking Heat 2 by a slim gap to Alger and McCulloch again, Alger fastest on track. Ford’s super Sunday wouldn’t last however, a DNF on the opening lap of Heat 3 when looking to cut through the field quickly, Alger going on for another win.
It was looking dismal for the local, set to start out of last place due to the DNS and DNF results, Alger and Moore leading the field out for one last hurrah. Lights out and we’re underway, Alger straight into the lead as expected with Moore shuffled to 3rd, McCulloch on the move into 2nd. Further back Ford was commencing his assault on the field, having found himself in 4th place by lap five! There was no doubting Ford’s speed, making mince meat of his opposition as he danced around them at will. Ford had finally reached 2nd by lap 12, three more laps to try reducing the deficit to Alger ahead. Ford would go on to take the fastest lap of the race, but it wouldn’t make a difference as Alger yet again found himself on the top step of the podium! Ford crossed the line in P2, with McCulloch claiming the last podium place!
Commentator’s Driver of the Weekend
It’s that time again for the Commentator’s Driver of the Weekend, and what an awesome display of talent, sportsmanship, resilience, and passion throughout the event! There were many incredible performances throughout, Max Marriner’s gritty win in Tag 125 Light, Alana Gurney’s champion drive in Cadet 12, and Hunter Salvatore’s commanding victory in KA3 Senior Light just to mention a few. But one driver stood out across all competitors this weekend.
Despite being the youngest category in Australian karting, Jarvis Hindle has turned heads in the last 12-months. Having taken out state titles, Golden Power Series events and everything in between, Jarvis is moulding himself into a fine young driver to keep an eye on into the future. Jarvis drove with class all weekend; supreme skill and speed that saw him a cut above as well as a level of patience that far exceeded his youthful years. Not only was Jarvis a champion on track, but he was also a champion off it, embracing his competitor’s efforts with admirable sportsmanship and positivity – a healthy reminder of the sport we all know and love. Jarvis also gives a great interview, which is awesome to hear his insight into his races after taking off his helmet!
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