by Australian Kart Championship
Despite claiming an impressive KZ2 win in the wet at the 2024 Australian Summer Series in Melbourne, Gold Coast racer Jay Coul is still yet to taste victory in the Penrite Australian Kart Championship.
The 24-year-old has stood on the AKC podium eight times although never on the top step, but his trajectory since round two where he finished 3rd followed up by claiming 2nd at Townsville has set the perfect course for round four at Seymour to complete the journey to the top step.
Coul sits just 11 points behind series leader Luca Auriemma and ironically his quest for an overall championship journey parallels the hunt for a round win, finishing 3rd overall in 2022 and 2025 despite leading the series at various times.
“I’ve come close before but it’s just not fallen my way,” he admits, “but this year is as good a chance as ever and it would be a great achievement after coming so close in the past, especially after the way the season started,” he says, referencing his tangle with “the other Jay” Urwin at Coffs Harbour while running 3rd with only a few laps remaining.
Coul’s 2023 and 2024 championship results look uncompetitive by comparison to his other years, however there was good reason, with the opportunity to live, work and race full time in Europe working for Shamick Racing taking him away from the majority of the Australian season.
“It was a fantastic opportunity and a big eye-opener where I learned so much, especially around the behind-the-scenes preparation of a kart team, which led to my full-time role at JND for the last two years, and also my yearly role at the Las Vegas Supernationals with GFC Karting,” he says while continuing to prepare up to twenty-two karts for the current Teams Championship leaders.
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Coul’s first foray in racing was in Junior BMX, with a highlight finishing 12th overall at the UCI BMX World Championships in Adelaide in 2009, but once he’d tasted kart racing there was no turning back, taking his #42 plate from the bike to the kart.
“The BMX years were great, but after a family friend gave me a run in one of his karts, I was hooked and never looked back.”
Sixteen years on, Coul is still as passionate about karting as when he was first smitten as a pre-teen.
“I can see me staying with karting for a long time. I love the team logistics side of it along with the driving and the opportunities it creates for young people coming through. It’s a great sport.”
Coul’s quest for a maiden championship will feature on 7+ as they host the live coverage of round four of the championship on Saturday September 5 from 12:30pm and 11:30am on Sunday September 6.
The Eastern Lions Kart Club’s Hume International Raceway is 20 minutes west of Seymour on Seymour Tooborac Road and 10 minutes south of Puckapunyal and offers free entry for spectators along with excellent amenities, and refreshments available for purchase.
Pics: Pace Images
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