My AKC Round

by Cruz Patroni

Round 3 of the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship took us to Newcastle – an undulating, technical circuit that really tests drivers.

It was another tough weekend in KA3 Junior, racing for Empire Kartsport in my FA Kart. Big thanks as always to EHS Parts and Components & Turners Engineering for their support.

Friday was a solid start. I finished 12th in Practice 1 and 2, improved to 8th in Practice 3, and then 10th in Practice 4. I felt like I was close to the pace and focused on getting clean air for qualifying.

Unfortunately, qualifying didn’t go as planned. I struggled with grip throughout the session and ended up P20 overall. It wasn’t ideal, but I was determined to make up for it in the heats.

In Heat 1, I started 10th but dropped to 13th off the start. I managed to recover to 9th by the flag and even set the fastest lap, which felt great. In Heat 2, I got a better start and fought my way to 8th after a tight battle.

Sunday brought some tough luck. In both Heat 3 and Heat 4, I started 10th but got spun on the first lap both times. That meant playing catch-up from the back. I finished 18th in Heat 3 and 25th in Heat 4.

The incidents meant I started 26th in the Final. It was a hard-fought race, but I pushed through and crossed the line in 18th. With a few penalties ahead, I was classified 16th.

The highlight for me was getting the fastest lap in Heat 1—proof that the speed is there. I’m proud I kept pushing, even when things didn’t go my way.

Next up is the Queensland State Championship in Mareeba, then back to AKC for Round 4 in Ipswich!

A huge thank you to my dad for being my mechanic all weekend, and to my family and friends for all their support trackside and back home. I couldn’t do it without you!