CC Racing - It's A Father & Son Thing
| 7 September 2013 |
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The official program for the 2013 Rotax Nationals a week ago included not just the list of competitors, sponsors and a promoter's message. It also included an 'Industry Focus' spread which profiled an organisation that has enjoyed incredible success with the FR125 MAX engine - CC Racing, based in Melbourne.
Above: Peter (far right) and Clint (2nd from right) Cathcart with Liam McLellan and his ticket to the 2013 Rotax World Final in New Orleans
pic - ccracing.com.au
Run by the father and son combo of Peter and Clint Cathcart, the duo is involved in every level of karting, from local club events at the Go Kart Club of Victoria's Todd Rd circuit, through to various world finals in exotic locations around the globe.
The article was written by Pro Tour PR man Laim Meegan (Direct Management Group), and is re-published here with permission.
Victorian Dealer Focus – CC Racing
‘It’s a father and son thing’
Victoria’s CC Racing have long been a major outlet for the State’s Rotax Karters, all seeking local knowledge and support in their travels to events Australia wide. Peter Cathcart has been at the helm since the beginning and sights many highlights and challenges in his time.
With in excess of 25 years’ experience in the notoriously intense Karting fraternity, and 14 years at the helm of CC Racing, Cathcart has had some of Australia’s biggest names pass through his Victorian doors. At their inception, many took the opportunity to work with Peter and since then many have continued to remain with the team to this day.
“Our first drivers included my son, Clint Cathcart, Josh Arandt and Troy Woolston to name a few, and of course Troy is still racing to this day so it’s brilliant to maintain that continuity,” Cathcart said.
As the battle for placing’s amongst Australia’s best Rotax drivers heats up, Cathcart reflects on the highlights of his career at the helm of CC Racing to date, and though an array of State and National titles feature prominently, the opportunity to extend his experience overseas has been a true climax.
“There have been too many National and State titles to list over my time, but one of our most satisfying results has been to travel with our drivers overseas on nine occasions to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Senior Max, Junior Max and DD2, it’s certainly an honour to feature on the World stage,” Cathcart added.
Above: Pete hard at work at last year's Rotax World Final
Over its 14 year existence on the Australian karting landscape, the CC Racing name has grown into becoming one of the most recognised engine builders and developers in the country. Not only is it well known throughout their home state of Victoria, but around the nation and Peter points out there has been plenty of hard work that has gone into this development.
“You develop a real sense of self-satisfaction after the commitment and passion we have for the sport, also being able to achieve the results and pass on the years of testing and knowledge we have gained in this time,” Cathcart said.
With the car of the future making its mark on V8 Supercars, and the V6 engine fast approaching in Formula One, a changing nature in Karting is closing in, and as Cathcart points out, a stronger focus on National level racing is on the horizon.
“I think the main changes we will see to karting in the future is the introduction of more series such as the Rotax Pro Tour and CIK Stars of Karting Series which have set the benchmark in so many areas, the professionalism in these series’ is exemplary,” Cathcart highlighted.
With so many Karting tracks on the landscape around the country, and many more in progress of being developed, someone of Peter Cathcart’s experience who has travelled to many of them points out there are quite a few that require the upmost commitment from the driver.
“There are a lot of terrific tracks in Australia, the three that stand out to me are Todd Road (Victoria), Ipswich (Queensland) and Bolivar (South Australia) they are all, in my opinion, drivers tracks, you win there and you have earned it,” Cathcart believes.
With so many of Australia’s top drivers having passed through the CC Racing ranks, the knowledge that the Cathcart duo are able to impart on these drivers is to be highly recommended, and Peter explains there needs to be a serious focus on setup to ensure strong results.
“First and foremost an understanding of what the kart is doing, then one change at a time. If you have had success at the track before keep your data or write it down, even though the track conditions could be different it gives you a base to work from,” Cathcart said.
With his vast experience in Karting, Peter explains there have been countless highlights both in his time at CC Racing and prior to that. As Karting remains most commonly recognised as the springboard into car racing for so many in the past, the concept of junior development reigns supreme.
“Watching drivers come through there learning days and achieve their potential still gives me the most pleasure, for example, when Brad Jenner (Victoria – RK Kart) was a junior and won the event which got him the spot to race in Japan. Even the Rochford brothers and Josh Demaio to race in the World Finals in Egypt, Italy and the U.A.E, I'm sure when they got into the sport they never envisaged this. It's all very satisfying,” Cathcart explained.
With the changing nature of Karting in Australia, CC Racing appears set in for the long haul and to remain at the forefront of development and engine building across all categories. The future remains positive for this father son team, and it is something that will keep many drivers around Australia upbeat about their futures behind the wheel.
“We achieve and strive to still be doing the same for the foreseeable future, to be able to offer assistance and advice to Karters no matter what level they race at and participate in there racing weekends, as we do now,” Cathcart concluded.
- CC Racing website >>www.ccracing.com.au
