Round 4 of the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship took us to Ipswich Kart Club in Queensland. The weekend delivered mixed conditions — from dry early sessions to heavy rain on Saturday afternoon, which made for some very tricky racing. It was another up-and-down round, but there were a few standout moments that I’m proud of.
Friday was a really fun day. I loved learning the track — it’s fast and flowing, and I felt like we made solid progress through the sessions. Heading into qualifying, I was feeling positive.
In qualifying, I just missed the window to set my second flying lap, which cost me big. I was around 15th on my first lap, but missing that second one dropped me way back on the grid — not what we were aiming for.
The first heat on Saturday was okay. I struggled a bit with pace but made a couple of good overtakes. Then the rain came. Heat 2 was one of the highlights of my weekend. Even after getting spun at the start, I was able to fight my way back through the field and had pace strong enough for the top eight. It felt great to be fast in the wet.
Sunday’s heats were decent, but drop-down penalties in both races pushed me right back again. That was frustrating, especially after some solid racing and position gains.
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In the final, I had a good start and was working my way forward, but on lap three a pile-up happened in front of me. Another driver rejoined in a really awkward way, and I had nowhere to go — ended up hitting them and picked up damage. Even with that, I managed to finish 21st on the road, but a drop-down pushed me to 27th in the final results.
Despite the setbacks, Heat 2 in the wet was a standout. I was proud of how I came back through the field and showed strong pace. Looking ahead to the final round, I want to focus on my racecraft and making smarter decisions — especially when learning a new track and reading how other drivers race.
Next up for me is the City of Melbourne Titles this weekend, and then all eyes on Round 5 of AKC in Coffs Harbour.
Massive thanks to Tickford Autosport, LMF Constructions, Eastern Height Safety, DWE, P, ProLift Garage Doors, DesignEars, and AW Electrics. Also a big thank you to Joe Tighe for the coaching and to my dad Matt for all his hard work. Let’s finish the season strong!
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