report by Ayrton Creagh
It was yet another sensational weekend of motorsport in Victoria’s alpine region, as we rolled into the business end of the Golden Power Series with the fifth round contested at Albury Wodonga Karting Circuit. A week after the Australian Karting Championship final round in Melbourne, some of Australia’s heavyweights rolled into Albury to compete against the GPS’ very best, a stopover on their return trips home.
- full results on Speedhive HERE
- more photos by Steve Dansie – Saturday HERE, Sunday HERE, around the pits
HERE, trophy presentations HERE - more photos by Tim Francis HERE
It was business as usual in Cadet 9, Jarvis Hindle returning to the top of the timing charts to take pole position by a gargantuan 0.288s over Zac Duynhoven in 2nd; Lex Kelly, Hudson Kelly and Ari Djemil completing the fast five! He didn’t stop there, Hindle with an insatiable desire for success as he swept his way through the heats with a string of victories, no winning margin smaller than 4s. It was a dominant display from the young pilot, with the two Kelly’s and Djemil’s landing on the podium throughout the heats and impressive drives to Duynhoven, Beau Chambers and Rory Edmunds to notch top five placings.
It was going to take a monumental turn of pace to even get close to the #54, could anyone find the speed to contest for the victory? The flag dropped and we were racing, Hindle with the perfect start as he retained the lead in the opening corner, Cooper Djemil slotting into 2nd with Lex Kelly hot on his wheels. Hindle checked out from the 2nd lap, driving away from the field as the battle was well and truly alive just behind – Cooper Djemil maintaining 2nd as Duynhoven and Lex Kelly squabbled for 3rd, Ismaili and Hudson Kelly duelling in 5th and 6th. Handful of laps to go, tension at the front of the field as Cooper Djemil slid from 2nd down to 6th on lap 11, Duynhoven into 2nd with Lex Kelly following through! It was an obliteration, Hindle hustling his way to P1 by 9.5s over Duynhoven! Lex Kelly drove an excellent race to claim 3rd, Hudson Kelly and Cooper Djemil completing the top five!
A massive field of 34-karts took to the track to contest Cadet 12, EKS Kart’s golden boy Jensen Damaschino charging to pole position by 0.079s over Koda Singh in P2. Newly crowned Cadet 9 Australian champion, Oliver Williamson, stepped into Cadet 12 for the first time to claim 3rd ahead of Ethan Turnbull and Luca Portaro. It was scintillating action at the front of the field, Williamson showing he wasn’t afraid of the older boys as he wrestled his way to victory in Heat 1, Damaschino bouncing back the race after to take the win before Williamson triumphed once again in Heat 3 – Alana Gurney, Ollie Armitt, Austin McPherson and Merik Nesbitt all competing in the top five throughout the heats.
Despite the dominance from both Williamson and Damaschino, it still seemed to be anyone’s for the taking, several drivers in the top 10 all with the speed to vie for the win. Portaro’s consistency earnt him a pole position start alongside Williamson with 32-other ferocious karters behind – who would end up on top? Lights out and we’re underway, drama as Damaschino went tumbling down the order to 12th, many DNF’s come the end of the opening lap – Gurney in the lead! Gurney continued to try evading the field, giving away a massive slipstream as the likes of Portaro and Williamson closed in. Lap 4 and Williamson on the moving, gliding past Portaro to take 2nd, Damaschino already back to 8th. Three laps later and Williamson on the move once again, now into the lead as Gurney shuffled down to P2! Williamson looked like he would be able to run away with it, but a challenge was mounting further back, McPherson carving his way through the top five to find himself closing in on Williamson before making a move for the lead. The two continued to battle it out, last lap and McPherson putting up a stout defence, Williamson desperate to find a way passed. Down the long back straightaway for the final time, Williamson dives down the inside and passed McPherson, McPherson with the undercut to retake the lead! The crowd go berserk with what was one of the moves of the weekend to hold on, crossing the line 1st by 0.09s over Williamson, Damaschino somehow back to 3rd with the fastest lap ahead of Portaro and Gurney, a Cadet 12 final for the ages!
KA3 Junior Light featured the most incredible qualifying session I have ever seen, the top three separated by 0.002s in a proper arm-wrestle for P1. Max Mangano defied belief when on the last lap of the 6-minute session he put the #23 kart on top of fellow EKS driver, Christian Sasso, by just 0.001s, the Queenslander of Loclan Hennock a further 0.001s behind – Jai George and Braxton Regan completing the fast five!
After such a nail-biting qualifying session, the heats were set to be blockbuster, and blockbuster they were as it was once again a case of the finest margins covering some of the country’s best junior talent. Hennock clean swept the heats, the winning margin in all three less than 0.5s ahead of Max Mangano who notched a string of P2’s, Sasso and George completing the top three places. A massive collision in Heat 2 saw the red flag come out, 16-karts scrubbed out of contention with several front runners of the likes of George and Aaron Bottomley taken out of the race too – wreaking havoc on their points tally throughout the weekend.
The stage was set for an incredible final, Hennock out of pole position alongside Mangano, the two best of the field all weekend set to duel it out for victory one last time. The flag dropped and we’re underway, the perfect start for Hennock who cruised through the opening lap in P1, Mangano relegated down to 3rd as Sasso moved to P2. Mangano wasn’t keen on hanging around, making a move for P2 only two laps later, before having his tilt at the crown by passing Hennock on lap 7. Half race distance, it was an all-out slog-fest as Mangano and Hennock got their knives out and continued to battle, Sasso working tirelessly behind to close the leading duo in. Two to go, Hennock back into the lead, Mangano dancing his way around the circuit to try pry open an opportunity one last time. Final lap and gloves are off, Mangano desperate for a dive but Hennock covers the inside at every opportunity. The two sprint to the line… Hennock by a whisker – the gap just 0.137s! Sasso narrowly missed out on the battle for the win in 3rd, George with a remarkable drive from 12th on the grid to finish 4th and Michael White completing the top five!
After his KA3 Junior Light heroics, Loclan Hennock had well and truly found his groove. It turned out this wasn’t limited to the Light category, Hennock wreaking havoc in KA3 Junior Heavy as he waltzed his way to pole position, 0.047s the difference between himself and Zach Turner in 3rd! The pair had a super advantage over the field, Cooper Fysh emerging in 3rd some 0.2s further back, with Mia Mifsud and Rya Roberts completing the fast five.
Similarly, Hennock’s narrow victories also weren’t exclusive to KA3 Junior Light, the #99 winning the opening heat by less than a nose cone over Turner with Fysh a further kart-length back, before Turner struck back a heat later to emerge over Hennock, Lucas Rickard now in 3rd. Coming into Heat 3, Hennock just appeared to having something else, blazing to P1 with fastest lap by a country mile over Turner and Fysh.
Hennock’s scintillating speed saw him reach another level, particularly in the dying stages of Heat 3, the camps of both Turner and Fysh having to go back and re-evaluate their karts. Did either of the latter have anything else left up their sleeve for the finale? The answer in the end would be a no, Hennock once again controlling the pace of the field for a lights to flag victory, securing 1st by a solid 1.9s over Fysh in 2nd with Turner close behind; Aydan Warren and Rya Roberts completing the top five!
Recently crowned Australasian champion and series points leader, Ethan Warren, continued his streak of dominance in Tag 125 Restricted Light, snaring pole position over Eddy Cooper by 0.043s with Mackenzie Rowley, Jesse Cannell and Ryan Dealy the fastest five. Warren wasn’t insistent on stop there, maintaining his hot run of form by securing a string of heat victories, with title rival, Ryan Dealy, also putting together a consistent showing as he carved his way from 5th to 2nd in each heat – Rowley and Cooper both with podiums to their name.
The titans of the category were set to clash in the final, Warren vs Dealy, the two title rivals of the year prior and current on the front row, mano a mano – Warren looking at making the weekend a clean sweep with Dealy striving to salvage more points. The lights went out and it was pedal to the metal, Warren with a perfect start to snatch the lead but Dealy following in behind, an incident in the mid-pack saw a roll over in turn one, the race temporarily red flagged before we got back underway. The laps wound down, Dealy trying to keep up with Warren but just didn’t appear to have the legs under him to match the speed of the #59, as the duo of Rowley and Madi Bickerton began to close in. A handful of laps remaining, the challenge for the last podium places was on as Bickerton and Rowley had cruised up to the tail of Dealy with ease. Rowley makes a late lunge on Dealy, the two running wide as Rowley took 2nd, Dealy falling down to 5th. Warren crossed the line a dazzling 2.3s clear of his nearest rival, widening his championship gap with Rowley back in 2nd, Bickerton narrowly claiming 3rd over Dealy!
After the nasty rollover, we hope Jamie is okay and on the mend.
TAG 125 Restricted Medium saw yet another remarkable display of speed and skill from one of Pulse Tuning’s leading drivers, Glenn Riddell, who blasted his way to pole position by 0.244s over ProKarting’s Jesse Watkins in 2nd; Andrew Sotiropoulos, Michael Flynn and Trent Meadows completing the fast five!
Riddell continued his electric speed into the heats and cruised to victory to take a clean sweep, Sotiropoulos however not keen on letting the #64 have it without a fight as he followed closely to the tail of the lead driver, little separating the top of the field. A nasty crash in Heat 1 saw Brodie Doidge and Trent Meadows come together, Doidge ruled out for the rest of the weekend due to injury, Meadows forced to fight his way back through the heats, but it’d be the likes of Watkins and Flynn who would claim the final podium places in their respective heats.
Sotiropoulos certainly found a turn of pace after qualifying, the whole paddock including the Pulse Team aware that the #98 was coming – could Sotiropoulos pull the upset off come the final? The flag dropped and we were racing, Riddell with an excellent start to maintain the lead whilst Sotiropoulos was hot on his wheels, Flynn in 3rd. Flynn didn’t have the speed of the front two, dropping off the lead pack fairly early in proceedings to set up a two-kart race to the finish. Sotiropoulos’ lap speed mimicked that of Riddell’s, but it’d be the sheer consistency of the #64’s machine that dealt the crushing blow as Riddell crossed the line 1.8s clear of Sotiropoulos, Flynn holding an incredible 3rd after duelling it out with Meadows who was on the comeback, narrowly missing out.
TAG 125 Restricted Heavy track local, Blair Van Ree, mustered up a terrific lap in qualifying that saw him claim P1 over category hotshot, Mason Baldi, by a mere 0.039s, the DJM race engineering entry of Brett Jenkin a further 0.049s further back ahead of Brent Opie and Jason Gambold.
The heats were immense, frequent jostling for position that saw Van Ree claim the opening two heats ahead of the likes of Opie, Hogg and Baldi – Van Ree looking likely to take the clean sweep before Hogg staged an upset in Heat 3, beat Van Ree by a kart-length with Baldi just behind.
Hogg’s Heat 3 victory exposed Van Ree’s vulnerability in the races, could the #16 driver get ahead of Van Ree and stifle his speed to win on the #15’s home turf? The light went out and we’re off, Van Ree capitalising on an excellent to build a 0.7s margin at the end of lap 1 over Jenkin, Hogg sliding down to 3rd. Hogg was adamant on mounting his challenge for the crown as soon as possible, passing Jenkin for P2 a lap later before setting after Van Ree. Hogg put up a valiant effort, but it proved no match to that of Blair Van Ree, who was able to extend his margin to 1.5s as they crossed the line, Jenkin completing the podium in 3rd!
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TAG 125 Masters saw ProKarting regular, Mark Seddon, claim pole position by a positive 0.1s ahead of Pulse Tuning’s, Steve Riddell, in P2 – Clayton Groves, Trevor Whitby and Leigh Holmes completing the fastest five!
Despite his blistering speed, Seddon didn’t appear to have luck on his side early in the heats, taken out in the opening race whilst Riddell had his machine on cruise control in P1. Riddell was hungry for more, going on to claim the next two heats ahead of Seddon, Whitby and Groves who fought it out for the remaining podium places.
The driver to beat come the final was undeniably Riddell, who not only had fantastic consistency but also seemed to have found the kart speed he lacked in qualifying. With 13-laps of action set to come, there was plenty still yet to unfold. Lights out and we’re away, Riddell with the holeshot heading into turn one and taking the lead, Whitby on the move up into P2 ahead of Groves in 3rd. As the laps wound down, Whitby didn’t appear to have the speed that Riddell possessed, Riddell scampering away to a 1s margin by the halfway point. It wasn’t long before Groves rocked up to the scene, finding a way past Whitby for 2nd. Little change from there, Riddell crushing the opposition to win by 3.3s across the line ahead of Groves in 2nd, Whitby completing the top three!
Arguably one of the most stacked fields for talent across the weekend, KA3 Senior Light saw 40-karters take to the track all vying for pole position! It was 2023 Australian champion, Pip Casabene, who soared to pole, pipping (pun intended) Amos Orr by a slender 0.016s with Will Thompson, Hugo Garraway and Ayce Buckley completing the top five.
The heats lived up to expectation with some of the best racing all weekend, Orr taking two heat victories with Buckley snaring one of his own – Garraway, Thompson, Casabene and Sam March all featuring on the podium throughout the heats.
It left the corridor open for anyone who was willing to run the gauntlet and take victory, another situation where there were a solid 7-8 drivers right in the thick of it who could take victory given the opportunity – the question was, who? Orr and Buckley started alongside each other on the front row, lights out and we’re off, Orr with the holeshot and through to 1st, Jett Adamson into P2 and Casabene just behind in 3rd. The tension just began to bubble to the surface as it got heated out in front, Casabene finding a way past Adamson, Thompson disposing of Buckley for 4th. It was almost like Casabene and Thompson worked in tandem, closing the gap down to Orr who had amassed a 1s lead which evaporated in just shy of six laps. Four laps to go, Casabene finds his way into the lead of the race with Thompson capitalising on the move too, the #14 up into 2nd. Nothing short of a box office sensation, the sense of a calm few moments before the storm as it became apparent it was a two-way race for the chequered flag. One to go, Thompson trying to take lunges where he can but no way through, the two running side by side as they go under the commentators box, almost colliding before Casabene launches through the grass! Thompson emerges on top, Casabene trying masterfully controlling his slide however letting Orr through. It’d be Thompson who took victory in an incredible race just ahead of Orr, Casabene 3rd with Buckley a whisker behind, James West a further 2.5s back – remarkable!
No Golden Power Series event ever goes without drama, and that was typified in KA3 Senior Medium. Yet another weekend where Zach Finday was the favourite, the #24 hushed the field once again with an electric qualifying that saw him take P1 by 0.075s over Jarrod Bottomley in P2, Blake Worboys 3rd with Ben Fisher and Grace Riddell completing the fast five. I did mention that drama impacted KA3 Senior Medium, and that it had as Bottomley was disqualified from qualifying having gone underweight by a matter of grams in a heartbreaking set of affairs for the team.
With Findlay’s closest rival starting from last, Findlay got to work whilst the sun shined, a string of glorious victories driven with exuberance and style as he led Worboys across the line – Riddell and Thomas Patching landing on the podium. Further back, Bottomley was taking to the midfield with a sledgehammer, smashing his way through the middle of the order that saw him go from 19th to 5th in Heat 2, before crossing the line 3rd in Heat 3!
We rolled into the final, Findlay once again off pole alongside Worboys for the 13-lap conclusion, Bottomley back in 6th. This was the closest we had seen Bottomley all weekend, could he mount a challenge from the third row? Did Worboys find more speed aboard the kart or would Findlay’s speed be too much for the entire field? So many possibilities set to unfold!
The flag dropped and we’re racing, Findlay with another cracking start that saw him claim the holeshot, Worboys through to 2nd with Matt Chambers just behind in 3rd – Bottomley into 4th already. The laps wound down, Findlay continuing to run away in front whilst Bottomley turned on the afterburners, passing both Worboys and Chambers to be up into P2 by the halfway mark. Bottomley set pursuit of Findlay out in front, but in the end, it didn’t matter – Findlay flexing his muscles aboard the Arrow X6.2 kart to win by 2.1s, fastest lap by some 0.2s ahead of Bottomley in P2. In a sprint to the line, Chambers and Worboys had a coming together, final corner Chambers running wide that would see Worboys emerge in P3, Chambers down in 14th after putting together an incredible race himself!
KA3 Senior Light’s usual suspects returned to the track once more, this time strapping in their karts for TAG 125 Light. It’d be an incredible month or so for Ayce Buckley; 2x state champion, 2nd at the AKC round last week and winner of the City of Melbourne titles. Despite all the accolades, Buckley wowed the crowd as he announced his senior debut in style, pole position in TAG Light over Jack Steere by 0.043s, Will Thompson in 3rd with Pip Casabene and Brodie Whitmore the fast five – just 0.1s separating them!
Buckley proved cool and calm under pressure, taking the first heat ahead of Casabene and Thompson, before Thompson took out Heat 2 ahead of Whitmore and Buckley. Yet another change in the order for Heat 3, this time Casabene reigning supreme as he beat Amos Orr and Josh Denton across the line.
So many different contenders, three different heat winners – the round win up for grabs. It was Casabene off pole alongside Buckley, the ProKarting duo set to lead 37 of the countries best. The flag dropped and we’re off, a frenetic start that saw Casabene drop to 5th, Thompson getting the lead ahead of Whitmore and Denton – Buckley down to 19th as well! The laps wound down, Thompson trying to evade Whitmore before Whitmore found a way through, Casabene closing in as well having found a way past Orr. Four laps to go, Whitmore continuing to lead, Thompson in contention just behind and makes a late lunge, the two running wide with Casabene popping through – Whitmore down to 6th! Last lap, Thompson had found the speed to close back in on Casabene. They go down the back straightaway, side by side… Thompson down the inside! There was only half a lap left, Casabene threw everything bar the kitchen sink at Thompson but couldn’t fight back, Thompson crossing the line victor by a kart-length and a two-class winner across the weekend! Casabene finished 2nd with Orr 3rd – Denton and Hugo Garraway completing the top five… WOW!
If you’ve read this far and are wondering when we will stop mentioning the surname “Thompson”, it may be best to finish reading now, as the successful family that they are STILL had more to come. Will’s older brother, Zack, put together one of his best laps of 2024, taking pole position of TAG 125 Heavy by a minimal 0.02s over Troy Alger in 2nd, AWKC local Tom McCulloch took 3rd ahead of Lachlan Cini and Sebastian Perrone!
Whilst he wasn’t fastest on track in the opening heats, Thompson certainly was the most consistent, using his deadly precision to take home two heat races, before McCulloch fought back in Heat 3 to beat Matt Parker and Cini behind – Perrone and Alger also landing on the podium.
Thompson and McCulloch were set to start alongside, McCulloch with a visible pep in his step after securing the chocolates in Heat 3 – the AWKC locals hoping to see their TAG 125 wild child take top step, Thompson keen on netting a massive victory in McCulloch’s backyard. The lights went out and we’re off, a perfect start for Thompson who cruised into P1 with ease, McCulloch in 3rd. McCulloch tried to latch onto the back of Thompson, but it’d be his ProKarting teammate of Perrone who separated the two, making a pass for 2nd on lap 4. Nothing changed from there, Thompson executing where he needed to and crossing the line winner by 0.8s over Perrone, McCulloch a further 1.3s back to complete the podium!
Commentator’s Driver of the Weekend (Honourable Mention)
Round 5 concluded yet another incredible display of karting at the Golden Power Series; demonstrating the courage, perseverance, tenacity and determination it takes from rocking up to the grid, all the way to winning championship rounds. There were some marvellous drives throughout the weekend: Oliver Williamson/ Austin McPherson’s battle for the win, Will Thompson’s two category victories from last lap overtakes, Jarvis Hindle’s near 10s demolition job – but there was one particular driver who stood out from the rest…
Off the back of an impressive running at the AKC event last week, junior superstar Loclan Hennock was evidently brimming with confidence coming into his 2024 Golden Power Series debut, taking pole position in KA3 Junior Heavy before going agonisingly close in KA3 Junior Light. If that wasn’t already impressive enough, between the two classes over the course of the weekend, Hennock only dropped the one race between two categories – coming 2nd to Zach Turner by less than a kart length in a heat and taking out both finals!
It was an incredible weekend from the young pilot, who had excellent composure both on track and off it when conducting post-race interviews, all which will bode well as the emerging talent is set to transition from karts to cars.
Congratulations Loclan Hennock, you are this event’s Commentator’s Driver of the Weekend!
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