by Andrew Hayes, AHR Media
The Victorian State Cup has attracted around 250 entries from all over Australia for the 2025 edition, held at the South West Kart Club in Cobden.
Sunshine on Friday and Sunday was only interrupted by enough rain to cause some excitement on Saturday. Drivers were left contemplating tyre and setup choice in the already soggy Cobden pits.
The meeting ran smoothly with minimal interruptions, with an unusual amount of lost wheels and brake failures being a talking point at the circuit.
Full credit to the South West Kart Club, who battled against the odds with their wet pit area and limited volunteers to pull off a meeting well and truly fitting of the prestigious State Cup.
- full results on Speedhive HERE
- lots of photos by Pace Images – Friday HERE, Saturday HERE, Sunday HERE
- more photos by Karting Victoria/Tim Francis HERE, Sunday HERE
Here is the AHR MEDIA rundown:
TAG RESTRICTED MEDIUM (14 Entries)
Trent Meadows took a significant pole position (52.072) in Restricted Medium, the margin over half a second.
Meadows won the opening heat, although it was the younger Meadows, Jamie who conquered heat one. From there it was Glenn Riddell who assumed the top spot to take out heats two and three.
Riddell and Jamie Meadows lined up on the front row, with Riddell getting the jump and settling into the lead. From there Riddell was simply unstoppable as he clinched another black plate in 2025. Jamie Meadows was super composed on his way to second, ahead of WA’s Jacob Pulitano in third.
1st Glenn Riddell (ELKC)
2nd Jamie Meadows (ELKC)
3rd Jacob Pulitano (Hurricane, WA)
KA3 SENIOR LIGHT (30 Entries)
Recent senior graduate, SA’s Levi Jones put in a stunning performance to claim pole (51.390) in KA3 Senior Light.
Zach Findlay took over proceedings in the heat races, flexing his muscles to claim three convincing victories.
There was simply no stopping Findlay, and the final was further proof, rocketing away from the field early to claim a very strong black plate win. Queenslander Toby Spinks was right in the mix, ultimately finishing second, ahead of SA’s Josh Elliston, who grabbed opportunity when it beckoned to snatch third place in a cracker final.
1st Zach Findlay (GKCV)
2nd Toby Spinks (Ipswich, QLD)
3rd Josh Elliston (Southern, SA)
KA3 JUNIOR HEAVY (23 Entries)
Fresh off a win in Tasmania, Max Mangano was blistering on his way to pole position (52.336) in Junior Heavy.
A deluge as they rolled out on the track for heat one made things interesting, with half the field failing to finish on the slick tyres. Ewan Anderson inherited the win after a technical DQ for the driver first over the line, Anderson leading for the majority of the race. After finishing a corrected second in the opener, Mangano stretched his legs to win the second and third heats.
Mangano was supreme over the 15 lap final journey, adding the black plate to his blue, completing a stunning weekend of pace and consistency. Jai George dropped as low as seventh at the start, but came through the field like a force as he escalated up to take second place. NSW driver Sonny Ratcliff saved his best run for when it counted, climbing to third and the final spot on the podium.
1st Max Mangano (GKCV)
2nd Jai George (GKCV)
3rd Sonny Ratcliff (North Shore, NSW)
VICTORIAN COMBINED MASTERS (15 Entries)
WA driver Carlos Del Toro threw the cat amongst the pigeons in Masters, upstaging the locals to claim pole position (51.676) but just shy of one second!
Del Toro was the driver to beat in the opening heat, and took the spoils. Remo Luciani was first across the line in the second heat, only to be relegated two positions, handing Steven Riddell the honours. Luciani made no mistake in the third heat to take a strong win.
Riddell lead the early laps of the final, however Luciani rose to the top by the end of lap four. From there Luciani was never headed as he ran to the chequered flag. The real drama was to come in the pits after, as a drop down penalty would relegate Luciani to third. Riddell was crowned the new winner, making it back to back black plates in the Masters class. Leigh Holmes had a strong weekend and was very excited to finish third, but even happier when he was promoted to second.
1st Steven Riddell (ELKC)
2nd Leigh Holmes (ELKC)
3rd Remo Luciani (WIMM)
CADET 9 (23 Entries)
South West Kart Clubs big hope for the weekend was in the pint sized Zac Duynhoven, and he proved he wasn’t about to let them down, taking pole position (57.352).
Duynhoven was also on the job in the heat races, banking wins in the first and third. It was Queensland’s Harry Lack who claimed the second heat win.
Duynhoven and Lack went toe to toe in the early stages of the final, changing positions regularly, but by the end of lap five, Duynhoven found his groove. Duynhoven stormed home to claim the black plate on his home track by 3.3 seconds. No sooner did Dynhoven move clear, Lack entered another spirited battle, this time with Alfi Lucchetti. Eventually Lucchetti got the better of that battle and claimed a stirring second place, showing his huge improvement. Max Gosling made the most of his opportunities to rise to third position at the flag.
1st Zac Duynhoven (SWEST)
2nd Alfi Lucchetti (OAK)
3rd Max Gosling (Karting Aust)
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TAG 125 LIGHT (29 Entries)
SA’s Jacob Dowson proved his calibre, by taking pole position (49.795) in the weekends fastest class.
Dowson was again the driver to beat in the heat races, claiming all three encounters. The first two were certainly more comfortable than the third, where he finally felt some pressure.
It was more of the same in the final, as Dowson paced the field. He eased away to a comfortable 3 second margin, which he managed through to the end of the race to claim the Black plate. Zach Findlay pushed hard to match Dowson, but in the end his ultimate result was second. Sam March was a strong competitor all weekend, and third was his reward for his efforts.
1st Jacob Dowson (GKCSA)
2nd Zach Findlay (GKCV)
3rd Sam March (ELKC)
TAG RESTRICTED HEAVY (8 Entries)
The defending champ, Trent Meadows, made the perfect start to his defence by claiming a tight pole position (52.841). The margin just 13 thousandths of a second.
Meadows made the most of the first two heats, taking wins in both before not starting the third heat. Former Black plate winner Blair Van Ree hit his straps in the third, looking ominous on his way to victory.
Meadows was devastating in the final, putting his competitors to the sword with a commanding performance, his 7.8 second win making it back to back Black plates. Jett Rendell was shuffled back at the start and spent the whole race in duels. Eventually he would prevail over Mason Baldi for second, Baldi showed some glimpses of genuine pace on his way to third.
1st Trent Meadows (ELKC)
2nd Jett Rendell (BALL)
3rd Mason Baldi (GVKC)
KA3 JUNIOR LIGHT (32 Entries)
Ballarat’s Archie Bristow has recently hit his straps in the Junior class, the newly minted SA champ taking another pole position (52.202).
Bristow was just as fast in the heat races, taking comfortable victories in the first and third editions. The second however had a dramatic finish as the leaders shuffled the order on the final lap, with Riley Harrison seizing the opportunity for a heat win.
Bristow meant business in the final, as he lead from start to finish to add a dominant 2025 Black plate to his growing collection. Austin McPherson started alongside Bristow, and was shuffled back down the order before climbing back to second at the line. He would however be penalised for passing under yellow, dropping to fourth. Luca Portaro got himself into third place, and was elated to finish there, only to find out post race that he was in fact second. Aiden Schweikert took the final place on the podium, his fight back complete after the wheels literally fell off in heat two.
1st Archie Bristow (BALL)
2nd Luca Portaro (GKCV)
3rd Aiden Schweikert (GKCV)
TAG RESTRICTED LIGHT (25 Entries)
Gerry Westerveld is fast every time he hits the racetrack, and he didn’t waste any time getting on top at Cobden, claiming pole (52.512) by half a tenth.
Westerveld and QLD’s Angus Kues-Sales went toe to toe in the opening heat, until a brake failure eliminated both of them at turn one on the final lap. Ben Kilsby was the beneficiary, grabbing the win. Westerveld bounced back to win the second, whilst Kilsby was again the victor in the third.
Starting from pole position, it was Kilsby who paced the field, however a huge challenge came from SA’s Shane Moreland. The two SA based drivers raced in close proximity lap after lap, but in the end Kilsby had the answers, adding another Black plate to his resume. Moreland was a very strong second in a standout performance. Jamie Meadows found the podium again, claiming third place in the lighter class.
1st Ben Kilsby (PORT)
2nd Shane Moreland (MGKC)
3rd Jamie Meadows (ELKC)
TAG 125 HEAVY (10 Entries)
Former South West local Max Lumsden used some home track knowledge to add the State Cup pole (49.152) to his run of VCS poles at the venue.
Tom Hughes took up the front running for the opening heat, and never relinquished it to take the win. Ben Mouritz started to stamp his authority on the class from here on in, claiming back to back heat wins in the second and third stanzas.
Mouritz got an incredible start from the outside of the front row to lead the field to turn one of the final. Whilst Hughes threw everything at him, Mouritz had all the answers, taking a breakthrough Black plate win. Hughes was a disappointed second after giving himself a genuine shot at winning. Defending champ Scott King crossed the line in third, but his race was as good as over before the start, as awkward contact on the roll arounds left him starting the race with a drop down penalty. Lumsden was next in line, and ascended to the final podium position in third.
1st Ben Mouritz (BALL)
2nd Tom Hughes (ROCH)
3rd Max Lumsden (GKCV)
CADET 12 (25 Entries)
Fresh off a very successful trip to Italy, Alany Gurney came out all guns blazing in Cadet 12 qualifying, taking a commanding pole position (47.776).
Gurney was off to the races in the opening two heats, looking very comfortable at the head of the order as she greeted the chequers both times. A shake up at the start of the third saw Jarvis Hindle sweep through to the lead, a lead he would hold to win the heat.
The final saw Gurney lead the field away, and she was clinical in her application, taking home the Cadet 12 Black plate in fine fashion. Hindle crossed the line second, but was cruelled by a drop down penalty that saw him drop off the podium. Raf Busuttil was a revelation off the weekend, as his growing confidence saw him become a real factor in the results. Second place for Raf after a disastrous qualifying saw him fighting back most of the weekend. Sammy Jansen Van Vuuren fought hard all weekend, and claimed third for his efforts.
1st Alana Gurney (OAK)
2nd Raf Busuttil (GKCV)
3rd Sammy Jansen Van Vuuren (OAK)
KA3 SENIOR MEDIUM (16 Entries)
VCS front runner Ryan Dealy used his recent experience of Cobden to snatch pole position (44.801) by six thousandths of a second!
It was Tom Hughes who opened his account by taking the heat one win, whilst the second saw the rise of Brocklan Parker. Disaster would strike the speedy Parker, as a mechanical issue prevented him from starting the all important heat three. Hughes did the business in the third, shoring up a front row slot for the final.
Hughes jumped out of the blocks looking to avenge his anguish from the Tag Heavy result, and made good with the early running. Despite the chase from Thomas Patching, who remarkably qualified last after only two laps in qualifying, it was Hughes who held sway from start to finish, taking out the Black plate in KA3 Medium. Patching was a fine second after the setback to start the weekend. Finishing in third was Brocklan Parker, who was visibly disappointed after clearly having the pace to win if not for mechanical issues.
1st Tom Hughes (ROCH)
2nd Thomas Patching (OAK)
3rd Brocklan Parker (PORT)
The South West Kart Club wishes to thank all its members and volunteers for their valuable contributions across the weekend. A big thank you also to Karting Victoria, and the team of officials who ran the meeting.
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South West Kart Club looks forward to seeing you for ROUND 1 of the VICTORIAN COUNTRY SERIES on MARCH 28/29 2026!
