Round 4 of the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship took place at Ipswich over the weekend—and what a wild one it was. We had everything from dry running to torrential rain, making it one of the most challenging rounds of the season so far. I’m racing for Empire Kartsport in my FA Kart, supported by EHS Parts and Components and Turners Engineering. Massive thanks also to my dad for spanner duties all weekend, and to my family and friends for always backing me in.
Friday was a bit of a slow start. We struggled with pace early, finishing 22nd in Practice 1. But we kept tuning the kart, and things started to improve—14th in Practice 2, 15th in Practice 3, and finishing the day with a 10th in Practice 4. I felt like we were heading in the right direction and aimed to get some clean laps in for qualifying.
Qualifying was hectic. I got stuck in traffic early and had a small incident, which cost me time. I ended up 15th—not where I wanted to be, but I knew I had more pace and could make up ground in the heats.
Heat 1 started off well. I moved from 7th to 6th early and stayed there most of the race before pouncing on the final lap to finish 5th. Then came Heat 2… and the rain. It absolutely poured—there were rivers running across the track. I started 7th and struggled for grip early but found rhythm mid-race, capitalised on others spinning out and battling, and finished 4th. Unfortunately, a drop-down penalty pushed me back to 6th.
Sunday brought mixed fortunes. In Heat 3, the track was still damp and slick from Saturday’s downpour. We gambled on slicks, like most of the field. But on Lap 2, I ran off at the end of the back straight—the slipperiest corner of the track. I dropped to 21st and recovered to 18th, but a drop-down pushed me to 22nd. Heat 4 was dry and much better. I got a lightning start from 8th to 4th on the opening lap and pushed into 3rd, holding position despite some engine trouble.
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Starting 11th for the Final, I knew I had to be patient and make every move count. I stayed around P11 for most of the race, but in the closing stages I mounted a late charge. One-by-one I picked off karts and crossed the line in 5th—my best result of the year so far.
The highlight of the weekend was definitely that Final. I’m proud of how I bounced back from the mistake in Heat 3 and showed some real fight. There’s still work to do—qualifying is something I’ll keep focusing on, along with sharpening my race craft.
Next up for me is the City of Melbourne Titles this weekend—can’t wait to hit the track again. After that, it’s Round 5 of AKC at Coffs Harbour in about six weeks’ time!
Cruz Patroni
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