Later this week almost 300 young drivers will line up for their shot at a
national glory when they suit up for the 46th National Sprint Kart Championships
sponsored by Yamaha in Launceston, Tasmania.
The last time such an event
was held in Tasmania was in 2002 where 11 drivers were crowned champions of
their respective categories. From the drivers who won at title that Easter three
of them are now competing in Australia’s highest profile form of motorsport, the
V8 Supercar Championship Series.
After winning the Formula 100 crown in 2002 West Australian Michael Patrizi has
competed in karts and open wheel racing throughout Europe over the past few
years. Last weekend he made his debut in a V8 Supercar at the Australian Grand
Prix.
Shane Price, the winner of Junior Clubman in 2002, made his debut
aboard a V8 Supercar in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series in 2006 before graduating
into the ‘main game’ at the start of last year.
In the final of Junior
Clubman Price’s now-fellow V8 Supercar competitor, Andrew Thompson, came from
deep in the field after not finishing the pre-final to claim the runner-up spot.
Finishing behind Price and Thompson was the 2007 Australian Formula Ford
Champion Tim Blanchard.
Blanchard is this year competing in the British
Formula Ford Championship. He is joined overseas by fellow karting graduates Ash
Walsh and Michael Sam Abay, who both contested the 2002 nationals in the junior
ranks.
In the other elite junior category, Junior Piston Port, at the
2002 event it was Thompson who came out victorious ahead of Leah Unsworth and
Benjamin Chong Sun. Current Aussie Racing Car driver Ben McCashney finished
fourth.
While Patrizi, Price and Thompson have made it to the pinnacle
of Australian motorsport, a number of other drivers who raced at the 2002 event
are well on their way to making a name for themselves in Australian motorsport.
Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series drivers Taz Douglas, Brett Hobson, Jack
Perkins, David Reynolds and Sam Walter were all amongst the competitors in the
2002 event, as were Scott Auld, Rob Storey, Martin Swindells and Ben Walter, all
of which are competing in the Australian Formula Ford Championship. A number of
current Aussie Racing Car competitors including Kyle Clews, Liam Gretgrix, Nick
Lowe, McCashney and Richard Rapa, who won last weekend’s event at the Grand
Prix, also contested the 2002 championships.
Three drivers who won
titles at the 2002 event, David Sera (Junior National Light), Marcus Burford
(Junior National Heavy) and Jason Hrynuik (Clubman Light) will be competing in
the 2008 event. Burford was the last Tasmanian to win a national karting title.
2002 NATIONAL KARTING CHAMPIONS
Junior National Light – David
Sera
Junior National Heavy – Marcus Burford
Junior Clubman – Shane
Price
Junior Piston Port – Andrew Thompson
Senior National Light – Garry
Joel
Senior National Heavy – Duane West
Clubman Light – Jason Hrynuik
Clubman Heavy – William Yarwood
Clubman Super Heavy – Steve Engel
Formula Australia Light - Troy Woolston
Formula 100 – Michael Patrizi
In total there will be 292 drivers competing across 10 categories at
this weekend’s championships. Qualifying begins on Friday followed by heat races
on the Saturday and the championship finals on Sunday.
The Southern
Cross Archerville Kartway is located on Pipers River Road, Turners Marsh
(through Rocherlea).
ABOUT KARTING
Karting is a sport for
people of all ages - from as young as seven to over 70 years old, everyone can
enjoy it!
With children racing at speeds up to 80km/h it is a sport that
teaches these kids, both boys and girls, basic driving skills well before they
are able to obtain their road licence.
There is no doubt karting is
competitive but it is also fun and family orientated, with involvement in the
sport both on and off the track giving it a strong feeling of community. It
teaches driving skills and offers people an opportunity to gain a career in
motorsport, all in a safe and organised environment.
Kart meetings take
place at circuits across Australia every weekend and are either a club,
regional, state or national level meeting. There are 92 clubs across Australia
affiliated with the Australian Karting Association.
These clubs are
mainly sprint kart clubs which race on bitumen circuits however, some regions
also have dirt and speedway tracks which drivers can race at. An alternative to
the traditional style of karting is a recent addition to Australian circuits,
endurance karting.
A full list of clubs and contact details for karting
clubs across Australia can be found at www.karting.net.au
ABOUT YAMAHA MOTOR AUSTRALIA
Yamaha Motor Australia was incorporated in June 1983, becoming part of a
large international corporation with subsidiaries all over the world.
Yamaha has continued over the years to successfully introduce new
products into the marketplace. It has always met market demand by offering
better quality, higher performance products that fully utilize Yamaha's advanced
technology. These products have become part of a wide range of recreational
items and industrial products, such as motorcycles, scooters, four-wheelers,
snowmobiles, outboards, water vehicles, boats, golf cars, go kart engines, power
generators, water and sludge pumps, industrial engines and accessories.
Yamaha is a proud sponsor of the 46th National Sprint Kart Championships
at the Southern Cross Archerville Kartway in Launceston, Tasmania on March
21-23.
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