by Australian Kart Championship
CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERS UNDER PRESSURE AT ROUND FOUR OF AKC
A bizarre mix of torrential rain and intense sunshine proved challenging for qualifying and heat racing for round four of the Penrite Australian Kart Championship in Seymour, Victoria.
Friday’s fog delayed start was only a glimpse of the unpredictability ahead for the teams, as day two was greeted with the classic Victorian “four seasons in one day.”
KZ2 championship trailblazer Luca Auriemma spun in a very wet qualifying session to finish last of the 21 kart field but bounced back to finish 12th in a rain soaked first heat with the entire field shod with slick tyres before claiming third in heat two. The championship battle is tight with a mere point separating Jay Coul and Auriemma in first and second respectively.
Cooper Folley was slightly off the pace in KA2, timing in 7th and claiming a pair of 5ths, while his closest championship combatant Levi Doessel won his first heat, but failed to finish the second heat. Max Mangano stole the show to win the final two heat races after finishing second to Levi Doessel in the opener after a titanic battle.
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Kiwi Kiahn Burt out qualified Tag125 series leader Harrison Hoey and closed the gap with a heat win and a runner up to offset Hoey’s 9th and 5th finishes, while X30 frontrunner Jace Matthews qualified 14th and filed an 11th and 7th in his respective heats.
KA3 Senior Championship contender Benito Montalbano barely made the top ten, qualifying 9th, while Zach Findlay upstaged his rivals by qualifying fastest and winning both heat races to move to the top of the standings. KA3 Junior Championship leader Jensen Damaschino leaned into his home track advantage to top-qualify and secure a win and third placing.
JND Parolin’s Max Gosling claimed two heat wins after qualifying 5th, while Cadet 12 series leader Hudson Petta qualified a surprising 13th but bounced back to win one of the heats despite finishing 23rd in the other.
Sunday’s racing commences at 7.50am local time and 7+ will once again host the live coverage from 11:30am. 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.
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