Melbourne karting talent Pip Casabene experienced a weekend of highs and lows in Round 2 of the 2025 SP Tools Australian Kart Championship (AKC) at Monarto, South Australia.
Coming into the weekend with strong momentum from a second-place finish at Round 1 in Todd Road, Casabene again showed front-running speed in the competitive X30 category. The 16-year-old, piloting his #19 Kart Republic entry with the ProKarting team, hit the ground running on Friday during practice. With a solid and consistent pace throughout the day, he topped the timesheets in the final session, giving him a confidence boost ahead of Saturday’s qualifying.
“Friday was a pretty positive day overall,” Casabene said. “We found the setup we needed and had good pace all day. Topping the final session gave me confidence going into qualifying.”
That confidence paid off in spectacular fashion on Saturday morning, with Pip delivering a near-perfect qualifying session to secure pole position. A smart tow behind another driver gave him the edge he needed, and he executed with precision.
“I was really comfortable with the kart and confident I could be on pole—and I was,” he said.
Throughout the weekend, drivers also had to contend with challenging conditions. Strong winds and extremely dusty track surfaces—caused by a lack of rain in the region for over nine months—meant that grip levels were constantly changing. These unpredictable conditions made setup decisions more difficult and placed extra emphasis on adaptability behind the wheel.
The heats that followed proved more challenging. In Heat One, Casabene started from pole but slipped back to third early and later dropped to fourth, citing a lack of race pace. Heat Two saw improvement—he again led early but couldn’t quite hold the lead, ultimately finishing second.
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“Saturday wasn’t too bad overall—we got pole and stayed inside the top five—but we definitely still have some work to do,” he reflected.
Sunday brought further difficulty. Struggling with pace in the remaining heats, Pip could only manage P6 finishes in both, leaving him to start the final from fifth on the grid. Unfortunately, disaster struck before the race even began. On the out-lap for the final, a mechanical failure saw a wheel come off his kart, forcing him to retire before the lights went out—resulting in a rare non-finish and zero championship points from the final.
Despite the setback, Casabene remained upbeat, taking pride in his qualifying performance in such a competitive field.
“The highlight of my weekend was definitely getting pole. It was a really close session, and we worked hard to get the kart set up just right.”
With two rounds of the Toyota 86 Scholarship Series next on his calendar—Queensland Raceway (May 9–11) and Morgan Park (June 6–8)—Casabene will be back in the seat soon, focused on sharpening his race craft ahead of AKC Round 3.
“For the next round, I want to work on better overall race pace. Right now, my times are fast, but I’m struggling to race with others over longer stints.”
A big thank you to Pip’s sponsors, Casabene Group and Winslow Construction, for their ongoing support. With undeniable speed and growing experience, Pip Casabene remains a formidable presence in the 2025 championship.
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