Tasmanian Statewide Series - Round 1
| by Johnathan Males | 5 February 2014 |
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Circular Head Kart Club Turns On The Weather For Their Club Titles And Round 1 Of The 2014 Tasmanian Statewide Series
The 2014 Tasmanian Statewide Series kicked off round one in fine style at the Circular Head Kart Club’s Briant Park Raceway on February 2nd. This part of Tasmania is renowned for having some beautifully clear and warm summer days and this weekend proved to be no exception.
This was also the CHKC club titles meeting which was once again sponsored by long time supporter W.T. House Betta Home Living. All the drivers were keen to get their series off to a good start, which some did, whilst others left with lots of work to do at the ensuing rounds.
Nathan Zuj has been the benchmark in the Clubman Light class in Tasmania for many years. Each year a new crop of young protagonists attempt to conquer him but he always seems to find a way to come out on top. This year it seems will be no different with the likes of Brad Hobden, Callum Mitchell, Wade McLean and Shane Bray all keen for success. Throw in the wildcards like Dylan Angel and Tabatha Badger and we should be in for a cracker of a show. On this occasion the master once again prevailed with Zuj winning the final ahead of Hobden and Mitchell. The points see Zuj take a twenty four point lead over Mitchell heading into the second round.
Above: Nathan Zuj remains the benchmark in Clubman Light
pic - Jacob Morris
Clubman Heavy saw current blue plate holder in the class, Brodie Appleby take convincing wins in the heats but in the final he could only manage a second placing to Troy Stone. Stone crossed the line ahead of Appleby in second place and Jonathan McDonald aboard his new Haase kart in third with Evan Livingston not far behind.
TAG Restricted Light saw Keenan Slater improve on his third placing in the Senior National class and take the win. After a second placing in the first heat Slater won the remaining two heats and the final to give himself a handy thirteen point lead over Jairus Holmes, who finished second on the day. He was followed home by the much improved Joel Toon who debuted his new Praga kart with great effect.
Above: TaG R Light winner Keenan Slater
pic - Jacob Morris
TAG Restricted Heavy proved to be a day of missed opportunities for most of the main players with all but one having dramas at some stage. That man was Brodey Lovett, who took his newly acquired State Title winning Monaco X3 to four race wins. Unlucky on the day was Thomas Walter who held his own at the front until a tangle with a slower kart when both he and Lovett attempted to pass caused him to drop to the back of the field. Local hotshot Daniel Hinds had a day of electrical gremlims but his pace should show itself at the next three rounds. And last years series runner up Matthew Clark suffered a DNF in Heat two. The final wash up saw Lovett take the win ahead of Matthew Clark in second and Cory Brown in third.
The Rookies class will see a new champion this year with perennial front runner Brock Evans moving to the junior ranks. The Frost family had an extremely busy motorsport weekend with father Anthony competing in the Australian Sprintcar Title at Latrobe on Friday and Saturday nights, and then making the trek to Smithton for young Tate to compete on Sunday. However it was a successful weekend for both with Anthony making the A Main final and Tate taking four race wins. He was followed home in all four races by team mate Lachlan Dalton. These two managed to extricate themselves from the battling pack behind them of Mitchell Kerrison, Brock Lamont, William Reeve and Callum Bishop. In the final it was the ever improving Reeve who took the remaining position on the podium.
The point score shows four race wins for Johnathan Males in Senior National Heavy but that doesn’t portray the true story of the days racing. Current Statewide Series champion Murray Dadson, Daniel Newman and James Pinfold had the pace to topple Males with some great dicing and positional changes taking place all day. The final was no different with Males leading from the green light till around half race distance when Dadson made his move, Males only just held onto second and settled in behind the red 14 number plate. With two laps to go Males got a run on Dadson and snuck past to hold on for the win from Dadson in second and Newman in third. Young James Pinfold was right on the back of this pack waiting to pounce should the opportunity arise.
Above: Brodey Lovett took a clean sweep of TaG Restricted Heavy aboard his newly acquired Monaco M3
pic - Jacob Morris
Bodie Reading has chosen to retire his ever reliable Gillard chassis and is now aboard an Arrow chassis. The change didn’t seem to upset the Southern Tasmanian Kart Club driver as he left the field in his wake to take maximum points from the weekend with four race wins in Senior National Light. The battle behind however was much closer with the likes of Bree Hobden, Jade Waddington, Keenan Slater, Brodie Sward, Thomas Stewart, Mitchell Lovell and Joshua Hardy all fighting for the remaining positions. So too did ex local Timothy McMaster who showed little effect from not racing for nearly three years and not concerning himself with the need for undertaking any practice before his race return. In the final it was Reading who took the win from Jade Waddington in second and Keenan Slater took third.
The Cadets class proved to be a close battle between Ethan Wyllie and Jesse Keeling with Wyllie taking three wins including the final after recording a DNF in the first heat with a mechanical failure. The diminutive Stevie Smith continues to improve and she recorded a third placing on the day.
Junior National Heavy is shaping up to be a battle that should go right down to the wire at the last round. Johnah Slater, Justin Murphy and Lachlan Newman all took race wins over the weekend and young Samuel Jackson wasn’t too far behind the leading trio. Slater took the win in the final ahead of Murphy aboard his OK1 chassis who recovered from a DNF in the third heat and Lachlan Newman in third.
Jackson Callow has proven hard to beat of late in Junior National Light and this trend looked set to continue this weekend. The only blemish on his tally was a DNF in heat two from a dropped chain. Callow simply drove away from the field and kept the gap at around five seconds to record three race wins including the final. Next home was Andrew Lee who took three seconds on the day and the win in heat three. Third on the day was Toby Maass.
Above: The only time Jackson Callow didn't win in Junior National Light was when he dropped a chain
pic - Jacob Morris
Senior National Over 40s Super Heavy looks set to be a battle of the Sheahan brothers with regular front runner Scott Wrigley not entering the Smithton round. Shane Toon could however throw a spanner in the works if he continues to show the form he did at the first round. In the final Allan Sheahan took the win ahead of Toon and Rick Davies came in third. Troy Sheehan recovered from a spin after an attempted pass on brother Allan didn’t end as well as he’d planned in the final to just keep his younger brother within site in the points chase.
There’s a new kid in town in Senior National Over 40s Pro and he’s proving to have the pace to mix it with the regulars in this class. After trying his hand at the recent Launceston Twilight race meeting Adrian Harper has got the “J” bug and parked the 200cc super for a while. His main combatants on the day were Fred Cocca, Andrew Walter and Warren Smith. The first three heats went easily in Harper’s favour but the final proved to be a far tougher challenge. Smith won the start with Harper slotting into second and Cocca in third. A couple of laps in and Walter was out after a failed attempt at nabbing third place from Cocca. Try as he might Harper couldn’t get past the vastly experienced Smith and dropped a spot to Cocca after one of many passing attempts resulted in him running wide. The order stayed much the same over the ensuing laps until two laps to go when Harper attempted an overly ambitious inside pass on Cocca that resulted in a DNF for Harper. So in the end it was Smith taking a well deserved win and club title from Cocca and the much improved David Jackson having his best result to date in third.
The series now moves on to round two to be held at the North Western Kart Club’s Titles to be held at their Highclere circuit on the 2nd of March. This track is more about handling than horsepower so there could be a change of fortunes for some of the drivers. I guess we’ll find out in a few weeks time.
Cadets
1st Ethan Wyllie
2nd Jesse Keeling
3rd Stevie Smith
Rookies
1st Tate Frost
2nd Lachlan Dalton
3rd William Reeve
Junior National Light
1st Jackson Callow
2nd Andrew Lee
3rd Toby Maass
Junior National Heavy
1st Johnah Slater
2nd Justin Murphy
3rd Lachlan Newman
Senior National Light
1st Bodie Reading
2nd Jade Waddington
3rd Keenan Slater
Above: Jordan smith in TaG Restricted Light
pic - Jacob Morris
Senior National Heavy
1st Johnathan Males
2nd Murray Dadson
3rd Daniel Newman
Senior National Over 40s Pro
1st Warren Smith
2nd Fred Cocca
3rd David Jackson
Senior National Over 40s Super Heavy
1st Allan Sheahan
2nd Shane Toon
3rd Rick Davies
Clubman Light
1st Nathan Zuj
2nd Brad Hobden
3rd Callum Mitchell
Clubman Heavy
1st Troy Stone
2nd Brodie Appleby
3rd Jonathan McDonald
TAG Restricted Light
1st Keenan Slater
2nd Jairus Holmes
3rd Joel Toon
TAG Restricted Heavy
1st Brodey Lovett
2nd Matthew Clark
3rd Adrian Mitchell
