Full Throttle - September 2018

S EP T EM BER 20 1 8

PUBLISHED BY KARTING AUSTRALIA

BETTER CLUBS

WHAT’S YOUR JOB?

The Building Better Kart Clubs

What do people in the pit paddock

Conference will cover off a variety of

do for a job. We strip the helmet

topics on how you can improve your

off some of our stars - you’ll be

kart club.

surprised!

F UL L T HROT T L E

Word from our Chairman As the year races on I’d like to take the opportunity to thank all of the Executives of our Member Clubs, Officials and all of the other volunteers for their hard work throughout the year.

It is the commitment of these people behind the scenes who provide the opportunities for everyone to go racing all around the Country.

No matter what level it is at, no race meeting is possible without these Each month, we recognise

look forward to the announcing the

one of our volunteers as the Castrol

first ‘Ultimate Club Racers’ in early

EDGE Volunteer of the Month, this

November.

month it is the Sidnell Family from

Away from the circuit, Karting Australia

Mount Isa.

staff and committees have been busy

Earlier this month we crowned the

preparing for 2019. The cornerstone

Champions in the SP Tools Australian

of which will be the Building Better

Kart Championship and Rotax Pro Tour

Kart Clubs Conference to be held on

- congratulations to all of the winners

Saturday October 27.

and placegetters across the various

This will be the first of its type for

Championships.

the sport in Australia and features an

At the other end of our sport, the

incredibly high level of speakers that

SP Tools Club Driver Rankings is

I’m confident all of the attendees will

coming to a thrilling end over the

benefit significantly from.

next two months with the battle for

We’re also well underway on the 2019

the $50,000 in prizes set to go down

Australian Karting Manual with the

to the wire on the final weekend in

Rules Review Committee having met

October. The initiative has been well

in recently to produce the draft rules

supported by drivers all across the

for the year ahead.

Country with thousands of drivers

In closing, thanks once again to all of

lining up in the registered Club Events

our Volunteers who give up so much

so far. The Club Driver Rankings is a

to make our sport great and we look

unique opportunity for our drivers

forward to a big finish to 2018 before

to compete locally but be able to

heading full steam into another strong

rank themselves nationally.

year in 2019.

people.

We

Mick Doohan 2

2018 CONTINUES AT FULL THROTTLE Full Throttle is Karting Australia’s quarterly magazine that has been designed for you the karter and the karting industry.

Each edition will feature some of the latest happenings from around the country while keeping you up to date with everything from Karting Australia.

Published By Karting Australia www.karting.net.au Editor/Journalist Matt Payne - Acclaim Media Email: fullthrottle@karting.net.au

Photography Cooper’s Photography www.coopersphotography.com.au Pace Images www.facebook.com/paceimages

Special thanks to all the competitors that take part in race meetings across Australia each weekend; thank-you to all our volunteer officials, the mums, the dads, the office bearers and canteen staff that make karting an awesome family sport.

F UL L T HROT T L E

PAGE OF CONTENTS BUILDING BETTER KART CLUBS

14

How to handle a critical incident at your club

TALKING TYRES

18

KA Licence Holders to have their say on tyres

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH

20

Recognising one of KA’s great officials

CLUB DRIVER RANKINGS

22

Who’s leading the way?

BEHIND THE HELMET

26

What some of our racer do as jobs.

AKC CHAMPIONS CROWNED

34

Australia’s best claim the green plate

ROTAX PRO TOUR FINALE

48

Australia’s top Rotax drivers decided

Q&A WITH KAI ALLEN

50

A chat with KA2 Champion Kai Allen

GET STARTED IN KARTING TIPS

52

Front and Rear track explained

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MARK WILLIAMS

THEY’RE BACK!

NIGHT OF NIGHTS

06

08

42

AFL coaching legend, Mark Williams

European Superstars Paolo de Conto,

All the colour and glamour from the SP

will be the keynote speaker at the

Marijn Kremers and Hanssen return

Tools Australian Kart Championship

upcoming

for Race of Stars on the Gold Coast.

Gala event.

Building

Better

Clubs

Conference - which is free to Club Delegates.

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AFL LEGEND HEADLINES BETTER CLUBS CONFERENCE AFL Premiership Coach, Mark Williams will be the keynote speaker at Karting Australia’s Building Better Clubs Conference to be held at Taylors Lake Hotel & Conference Centre, Victoria on Saturday October 27.

The conference will be an informative day for Clubs from

worked with grassroots clubs around Australia and many

right around Australia and will cover off a variety of topics

of the leading sports organisations in Australia including

on how you can improve your kart club.

Cricket Australia, Netball Victoria and a number of State

The day will begin with a session with Williams, who

Government bodies.

coached Port Adelaide to its maiden AFL flag in 2004. He

Following lunch, operational sessions take place on

will speak on inspiring your club to success - his speaking

creating a Great Events Calendar and having that as

platform that takes him across the country.

the bedrock of growth for your club before a session on

It will then move into plenary sessions that are designed

officiating and encouraging more volunteers to join your

to make your club run more efficiently and developing a

club.

successful club culture.

The afternoon will focus on a workshop on branding and

Steve Pallas - Founder and Managing Director of Sports

presenting your club as to how you would like it to be

Community will address running your club easier - he has

presented before a session of Club Days of the Future.

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STATE REGISTRATION

A WORD FROM THE CEO CLUB REGISTRATION

This event comes off the back of the implementation of Karting Australia’s Plus 1 Project.

INDUSTRY REG.

This is the critical next step in the project following on from the pivotal meetings with Club Presidents that have been held across the country over recent months. It fits perfectly within the scope of the Building Better Kart Clubs concept that was launched in 2017.

The theme for our first conference is KARTING CLUBS - MORE THAN JUST A PLACE TO RACE. We are pleased to present a full day of informative sessions and workshops with a wonderful line-up of guest speakers

from

within

and

from

outside the Australian karting world.

Our vision is to inspire our Clubs and to encourage the key Committee personnel.

The day will end with a session to Rev It Up for Fun - a look ahead to 2019.

Registration is FREE to the first three Club Delegates from around Australia and the first four State Delegates. Additional passes are available at a subsidised cost of $75 and the industry is welcome to attend at $75 per delegate. Registration includes parking, morning and afternoon tea, lunch and corporate accommodation rates are available.

Travel assistance for intrastate delegates over 300km away from Melbourne and interstate delegates is available.

All clubs are urged to take part in what will be a vital stepping stone to 2019!

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STARS TO ALIGN ON THE GOLD COAST The sixth annual Race of Stars is getting set to be the biggest yet, with top level drivers from all around the Globe set to converge on the Xtreme Karting Complex on the Gold Coast for the October 11-13 event.

Leading the charge will be double World Champion Paolo De

I really can’t wait to re-unite with the CRG Australia team again.”

Conto - who has taken the KZ2 category at the last two events -

Hanssen in his attempt at racing for a surfboard was denied when

and twice Australian KZ2 Champion, Joey Hanssen.

he finished second behind Chris Hays in 2013, however he has a

CRG factory pilot De Conto has declared the Xtreme Karting

solid focus on getting his hands on one of those special trophies:

Complex at Pimpama as ‘unique’ in the karting world - with

“I spent two years living in Australia and thoroughly enjoyed it

drivers exceeding 160km/h as they tip into the turn one kink.

while also winning two Championships, but the one thing I didn’t

“The circuit is like nothing else we race on anywhere in the

manage to win was the Race of Stars. Hopefully that can change

world, it is amazingly fast and it is a great spectacle for all of the

this year,” said Hanssen.

spectators,” said De Conto.

“I’m returning to Australia this year with the sole purpose of

“The Race of Stars is a very unique event and has a fantastic

claiming the surfboard.”

atmosphere. The Gold Coast is an amazing part of the world and

Hanssen and De Conto will both be forced to fend off the

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challenges from Marijn Kremers, who after finishing second on

As well as the coveted Surfboard Trophy, the winner of DD2

two occasions at the event is determined to go one better in

receives a ticket to the Rotax Max Grand Final Challenge to be

2019 with his Patrizicorse outfit.

held in Brazil at the end of November, with thanks to Australian

Australian international, Joshua Fife, new KZ2 Champion Aaron

importer, IKD and BRP-Rotax.

Cameron and New Zealander Mat Kinsman - are all expected to

More than 250 competitors across all classes are anticipated to

be part of the elite KZ2 field.

be entering the event that has become a well known part of the

The event this year reverts to a Saturday finish to allow travel

busy October motorsport schedule in Australia and kicks off

time back home or for visiting racers time to spend on the Gold

proceedings leading into the Vodafone Gold Coast 600 to be held

Coast having travelled so far.

the weekend following.

Another new initiative is the addition of Rotax DD2 to the program.

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FIRST CLUB DAY IN 30 YEARS FOR WIMMERA The Wimmera Kart Club in Horsham, Victoria is set to host its first Club Day in three decades at the end of this month.

Best of all is that the club and Karting Victoria have made it

Seven time Australian Champion Luciani is throwing his

open to karters from other clubs throughout Victoria and South

weight behind the event and local emerging drivers, offering

Australia.

his knowledge. The club has also offered the event to E-Grade

Entry fees have been capped at $25. President of the Club,

License holders.

Shane Soutar attended the recent Plus 1 Initiative Information

For more information on the event please visit

Day in Victoria and went back to his club inspired to make

www.wimmerakartclub.com.au

something special happen.

Entries are open through the Karting Australia CM:S

“We have some members in the club now who have jumped on board and done a stewards course. That was part of the reason we haven’t been able to run these in the past because we haven’t had our own stewards,” Soutar told the Mail Times.

“The club has taken a bit of a new direction recently and people are interested and excited in where we are headed.”

The Club - which is the home kart club of Remo Luciani - have been working overtime to get themselves ready for the event.

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F UL L T HROT T L E

CRITICAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT Karting Australia has a continual focus on consistently improving safety and the effective management of incidents at events - this includes clarification of how various situations should be handled.

Critical

incidents

in

sporting

In effect the document is a tool

situations are typically unpredictable

that event organisers, clubs and

events with the potential to cause

State Karting Associations can use

major injuries, loss of life, or other

to manage the situation and the

catastrophic

recording needed should a Critical

consequences

for

athletes, other sports personnel and/

Incident occur.

or their organisations.

To view Karting Australia’s Critical

The effective management of such

Incident Response Overview and

significant occurrences should form

Response Chart please Click on the

part of an organisation’s broader

links below:

risk management strategy as the

PDF

management of risk is an integral part of good management practice.

Karting Australia has a Critical Incident

WORD DOCUMENT

Response Chart to assist karting event organisers, Clubs and State Karting

For more general information on

Associations cope with the pressures

Critical Incident Management please

and demands of handling a response

Click Here.

to a Critical Incident, and to facilitate the liaison and cooperation between the event organisers, Police, and any other external Emergency Services.

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SAFETY FIRST FOR KA CLUBS Karting Australia, its affiliated Associations and their member Clubs applies a Safety 1st principal to all karting and karting related activities.

Safety of its Licence Holders, Officials and Spectators is

6.

Accreditation and training of track inspectors

Karting Australia’s highest priority in relation to all karting

7.

Accreditation and training Officials who have

and karting related activities.

responsibility for the safe and orderly conduct of Race Meetings

The Karting Australia Safety 1st Policy is the core pillar for

8.

all safety, risk management, track operations, design and implementation at Karting venues across Australia.

Oversight of track inspection processes by the National Track Safety Committee (NTSC)

9.

Clearly defined process for accrediting new, renovated or modified tracks

This commitment extends to all officeholders, executives,

10. Track build guidelines that are clear and unambiguous

staff, contractors and volunteers are committed to

11. Officials training programs with safe operation

ensuring a Safety 1st approach to all karting operations including Competitor, Practice, Track operations and

methodologies 12. KA Manual that encompasses Safety 1st principles in

design.

event operational requirements 13. Targeted Risk Assessment (TRA) methodology for

To enable this commitment, a framework has been developed that includes:

Track and facility inspections and Track licensing 14. Providing guidance in the application of a

1.

The Safety 1st Policy

common risk management process through the

2.

A Licencing policy for all drivers that recognises the

implementation of KARM - KA’s Risk Management

requisite skill to operate and race karts of varying

program

performance

15. Event Permit requirements and documentation

3.

Upholding driver and public safety standards

including requirement for the completion of a

4.

Developing and maintaining standards of safety and

comprehensive pre-racing checklist as an integral

fairness through the National Competition Rules

component of KARM

5.

Enforcing technical standards, regulations and safety

16. Providing accident and liability insurance cover for all

controls for karts

participants in KA sanctioned karting activity

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F UL L T HROT T L E

HAVE YOUR SAY ON TYRES

Karting Australia has invited all Licence Holders to provide feedback on an important topic for the sport - tyres.

Following further testing and evaluation on abrasive tracks,

been developed over the last two years. It is an SL Tyre (Sport

Karting Australia has reached a final position that can now be put

and Leisure) that they have developed specifically to provide

to Licence Holders to ascertain their considered positions and

improved durability over the current YLJ model tyre. The testing

preferences for tyres to be used for 2019 and 2020.

has shown that the YNL is more durable than the YJL and the YLR

The results of the Poll will be presented to the KA Board in the

tyres and with slightly lower grip levels than the YJL tyre that is

form of the draft 2019 Rules.

currently used in Cadet competition.

The Option Tyre for each Class that is under consideration for

The changes that the Board are considering respect the current

use in Club Competition, along with the hardness measurement

contractual relationships with Karting Australia tyre suppliers.

number, grip and wear rate characteristics of each tyre.

Any changes to the 2019 Rules and Regulations that are made in

We are seeking your opinion (or if you are a minor, your parent

relation to tyres will stay in place until the end of 2020.

or legal guardian’s opinion) of your preferences on this matter.

If you haven’t completed the survey yet, please click here by

Through the current evaluation process, Karting Australia has

September 23 to have your say.

been supplied with a new Bridgestone tyre (the YNL) that has

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F UL L T HROT T L E

WEEKEND HEROES: THE SIDNELL FAMILY The small Queensland town of Mount Isa may be one located in one of the most isolated regions in the Country, but that doesn’t stop the Sidnell family and their love of karting.

The commitment of some Karting Australia officials to

in Queensland.

advance themselves and their skill levels in the sport never

Paul is regularly the Chief Steward at local, regional events

cease to amaze and this month’s Castrol EDGE Volunteer(s)

and often gets to State-level events.

of the Month are the embodiment of what the sport is all

His daughters - who are regular racers at Mount Isa and

about.

in the Coalfields - are now getting involved with Tara

Paul Sidnell and his daughters Allissa and Tara are based in

performing the role of Junior Clerk of Course at Emerald.

Mount Isa, however willingly drove the 1200km each way

It is wonderful to see the commitment of our volunteers

journey to officiate at the Emerald SP Tools Australian Kart

who freely give up their time and travel distances such as

Championship event.

those travelled by the Sidnells to make the wheels of the

Their home track - the 400m Lagoon Park in Mount Isa

sport turn.

possesses one of the smallest but most enthusiastic clubs

It is volunteers like the Sidnells that keep the sport going – congratulations on being nominated as our Castrol EDGE Volunteer of the Month - they will receive a Castrol EDGE Merchandise pack and 20 to be used as giveaways at your Club.

To nominate someone in your club as our Castrol EDGE Volunteer of the Month, CLICK THIS LINK. 20

F UL L T HROT T L E

VICTORIANS AND TERRITORIANS ON TOP IN CLUB DRIVER RANKINGS Dr i ve rs f rom Vic toria and the No rth ern Territo ry are d o m in atin g th e to p s p ot s i n the new for 2018 SP To o ls Clu b Driver Ran kin gs . With over $5 0 , 0 0 0 i n prize s up for grabs fro m in d u s try p artn ers an d th e Series c los i n g on Oc to be r 31 - time is ru n n in g o u t to b o o s t yo u r p o ints !

With a maximum of two events remaining in the 2018 SP

Class, is currently 3.5 points clear of Darwin youngster

Tools Club Driver Rankings, Victorian Steven Tsesmelis is

Bodhi Stevens in the overall standings.

the overall points leader in the standings.

Stevens, a Cadet 12 competitor, holds a slender buffer over

The Oakleigh Go-Kart Racing Club Member has been one

fellow Territorians Mitchell Kroonstuiver and Aaron Purton.

of the front runners all throughout the year and with six

Stevens and Kroontuiver are the leading pair in the Cadet

perfect scores sits a top of the overall standings.

Group standings with Victorian Francisco Morales in third

With a drivers’ best six results counting towards the final

place.

result, Tsesmelis, who competes in the KA4 Junior Light

In the Junior Group, Tsesmelis is a clear leader ahead of

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fellow Victorian Cooper Johnstone. Darwin’s Shelby Eyles

Carless, Lachlan Nichols from Ipswich and Combined

is third in the standings with Ipswich’s Thomas Cooper

District’s Kart Club’s Joshua Buchan to make it drivers from

fourth.

four different States in the top five.

Having competed in all of his available events, Darwin

The battle for the top spot in the TaG 125 Restricted class

TaG Restricted Light competitor Aaron Purton is 2.5 points

is set to go down to the wire with Darwin’s Aaron Purton

clear of Victorian Alexander Grutteria in the Senior Group.

sitting a mere 2.5 points clear of Victorian Alexander

Go-Kart Club of Victoria’s Alexander Casabene is a further

Grutteria.

2.25 points adrift in third place with Albury/Wodonga

Alexander Casabene and Albury Wodonga’s David Brett

driver David Brett 8.25 points further back.

still having two events where they can improve on their

In the 4-Stroke group, that has seen almost 100 competitors

best six results, the race for the top spot is far from over.

line up across the various events around the country,

Ipswich’s Gary Payne is the leading Masters competitor

Mitchell Branson leads the way over Ipswich’s Scott Pearce.

while Connor Wroth is on top in Open Performance.

In the individual Class rankings, Kroonstuiver leads the

To check where you are in your Group, Class or Club in the

way in Cadet 9 - as does Stevens in Cadet 12.

SP Tools Club Driver rankings, head to

In conjunction with his overall lead, Tsemelis is on top

www.clubdriverrankings.com.au

in the KA4 Junior standings while Cooper is 8.75 points

You can also search by your Surname. Some results cannot

ahead of fellow Ipswich Kart Club Member Oscar Comley in

be shown due to the incorrect Event Title or Race Title

the KA3 Junior rankings. The trend of top performers from

attributed at the point of starting the race meeting. If you

the Ipswich Kart Club continue in the Junior Performance

feel as though you are missing points, please contact your

class with Lachlan Murphy leading the way.

Club Secretary or Timing Officer. In the meantime, well

Esperance drivers Todd Shearer and John Aurisch lead the

done to the Clubs that have been part of the CDR and the

way in the KA3 Senior class followed by Oakleigh’s Michael

drivers that are in the running for the prizes!

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With Grutteria, Go-Kart Club of Victoria’s

F UL L T HROT T L E

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BEHIND THE HELMET Th e s p o rt of kartin g s ees a wid e variety of p eo p le fro m all s o rts of o ccu p atio n s to co m p ete in th e kart track. In th is ed itio n of Fu ll Th rottl e, we s p eak with a few racers to fin d out wh at th ey d o away fro m th e circu it.

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BEN REDJEPI - CANCER EXTERMINATOR South Aussie KZ2 driver, Benjamin Redjepi is currently

further four years of study.

studying to be one of Australia’s future medical leaders in

“You need degrees in both engineering and medicine to

the treatment of cancer. He is at the University of Adelaide

build and use this type of technology,” Redjepi explained.

looking to specialise in machines that can provide better

“By having the understanding of both facets I can test

suited technology to detect cancer and then eradicate

them myself without relying on student doctors - so I will

cancer cells using a radio frequency blasting system.

know what needs to be done before implementing the

Redjepi doesn’t just want to use one of these systems

machines.

on patients - he is studying to have the qualifications to

“They are better suited cancer detection and radio

design, build and use radio frequency blasting systems,

frequency blasting systems - so they will pick up the

whilst also taking a keen interest in neurosurgery as his

cancer cells early and blast the cells which will lead them

medical specialisation. Ironically, he is recovering from a

to either implode or explode.”

crash at Todd Road where he was knocked unconscious -

When he isn’t studying a way to stem the world’s cancer

right on the eve of his latest round of exams.

problems, Redjepi uses his “spare time” to research this

It is a long path that the 20-year-old has to take which he

technology and also tutors students in Maths, Chemistry

is three years down the track of.

and Physics, while racing in the KZ2 Australian Kart

He is in his in his third year of an Electrical and Electronics

Championship.

Engineering degree with a Major in Bio Medical Science,

Sometimes you just never know what’s underneath the

which will take five years to complete. Once that is

helmet next to you!

complete, he can go into a Medicine degree, which is a

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JASON FAINT - RESTAURANTEUR Queensland KZ2 Championship front

ticking over

runner Jason Faint has one of the

solidly - an

more interesting jobs in the sport as a

opportunity

restauranteur.

presented itself to

Jason is the proprietor of Rocksalt

extend the brand

Gladstone and Tannum Sands.

to Tannum Sands

The Gladstone Restaurant was

- only half an

established in 2009 by Jason and

hour’s drive from

family and quickly became the

Gladstone. This

fine dining eating and drinking

led to the sale

establishment of choice for

of The Riff and

Gladstonians.

the new location

Possessing a penchant for the finer

in view of the

things, Jason combined his two

beach became the

passions - racing and food - to travel

hottest place to

the world and improve the offering

visit in the sleepy

of Rocksalt. This included Jason

town of Tannum

competing in the European and World

Sands, which is

KZ2 Championships for a number of

quickly building

years.

a reputation

The result was an expansion of the

of becoming a

bar area to have an extensive cocktail

foodies haven in Central Queensland.

list and become one of Gladstone’s

It isn’t a self perpetuating philosophy

‘places to be’.

that the restaurants produce some

Taking a step back from racing in

good tucker - Rocksalt has been

2015, Jason turned his attention to

awarded Westpac Restaurant of the

adding The Riff in Fortitude Valley in

Year, overall Westpac Business of the

Brisbane to his workload in 2016.

Year and AIM Central Queensland

Building The Riff from outfit up, it was

Restaurant of the Year, proving

no easy feat spending time between

that the hard work that goes into

both establishments (only a cool

travelling the world, racing karts and

520km each way…), The Riff being

sampling fine food and cocktails does

in one of Australia’s fastest growing

pay off!

and most competitive food scenes

“I love my food and racing and

and the task of ensuring Rocksalt

fortunately having a good business

maintained quality that Gladstone

surrounded by a supportive family

had come to expect.

and great long term staff allowed

Having the Brisbane establishment

me to combine the both,” explained

Jason. “Everywhere you go you can

29

find inspiration to improve what you do, so travelling Australia, Europe and Vegas I was able to have some great food and cocktail experiences and find a happy fusion that I could apply to my restaurants.”

Jason’s on a perpetual hunt though…

“While I’m always up for a high quality meal somewhere, I am always on the lookout for the perfect Buffalo Wings. Combine that with a great craft beer, good mates, good times and you can’t go wrong!”

If ever travelling through Tannum Sands or Gladstone, keep Rocksalt in mind - Table 22’s always available for karters!

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BARBARA ANAGNOSTIADIS COMMERCIAL CONCRETE PUMPING Victorian racer Barbara Anagnostiadis and her husband Adam have a unique job with their concrete pumping business - B&A Concrete Pumping. As illustrated with the image, B&A has a range of concrete pumps for large scale residential and commercial concrete pumping projects.

They’ve been in business for 13 years and recently added B&A Diesel - a truck repair business - to their offerings. In addition to that Barb races regularly, along with her daughter Aiva and son James at both the SP Tools Australian Kart Championships and Rotax Pro Tour Barbara recently scoring a podium at the final round of the AKC in Melbourne.

Racing and the business has been a love affair for both Barbara and Adam who met when she was 16.

“I’d been racing since I was 11 and Adam became my mechanic when we met - he was studying a mechanics apprenticeship,” she explains.

“I stopped around the age of 21, we got married, had kids and then started the business. Since then it has grown to be a large scale commercial concrete pumping business with the diesel and truck repairs division coming online only about 12 months ago.

“It allows us to go racing now my kids are racing too (Aiva - 11, James - 8) nationally, we have a lot going on and it requires plenty of good people and time to ensure it all runs smoothly!”

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CHAMPIONS CROWNED Th e 2 0 1 8 S P Tools Australian Kart Ch amp io n s h ip , pre s e nte d by C astrol EDG E c ame to a th rillin g con cl u s i on at Port Me lbourne’s To d d Ro ad circu it, c row n i n g a numbe r of new C hamp io n s an d h e ra l d i n g s o me new he roe s in th e s p o rt.

In his third season in the category, Aaron Cameron took out the KZ2 Australian Championship, which was not only his first KZ2 Championship, but the first for JC Kart.

The battle throughout the weekend for Cameron was fierce. Although penalised for a fuel infringement between the final two rounds - as was Joshua Fife who provisionally assumed the Championship lead after Emerald - Cameron was able to show consistency throughout the weekend. Fife however - who was bookending the Australian Championship finale with the pre-cursor to the World Championship in Belgium with the World Championship event - won the weekend with a tremendous drive in the Final, to quickly overcome Cameron and lead the way.

Second was Kiwi Dylan Drysdale who ended his season by being handed the win from Emerald (becoming the first Kiwi to win a round of the Australian Kart Championship) and the second placing, while Chris Hays was in vintage form in his BirelART kart coming home in third place.

AWC Motorsport Academy’s Lochie Dalton put forth a Champions performance to become the first Tasmanian to win a multi-round Australian Title. He took his win tally for the year to a well deserved three wins.

Scott Sorensen (another to be caught in the fuel controversy) was second after a weekend in the HDR Arrow that saw him battle with the racetrack and setup all weekend long, while Broc Feeney secured second in the Championship with his third placed finish - after Joshua Denton endured a late race off-track excursion while leading the Final.

The Matt McLean/James Sera show continued in KA3 Senior with the former coming into the weekend the hunter.

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A rare mistake in wet conditions from Sera on Saturday

Rhys Smith held a commanding lead coming into the

opened the door for McLean who made every post a winner

Championship Grand Final and with three wins to his credit

from there forward. The duo were kept honest by Benito

throughout the season was expected to wrap it up easily.

Montalbano and Oscar Priest Championship wise while

Not so fast.

Jack Bell managed to sneak between the two combatants

Allen started chipping away st the 57 point lead held by

to earn himself a second place in the final race of the year.

Smith and it was within possibility come the final that Allen

Kai Allen had managed to be the most consistent driver

could win two Titles in one day.

throughout the course of the KA2 Junior year. He led the

Scuderia PCR driver, Smith dug deep to take a strong victory

Championship for much of the season despite not cresting

- getting all but one first place trophy from throughout

the top step of the podium.

the year. Allen was valiant in second with Fletcher Harris

He was under pressure from a vastly improved Jaiden Pope

- another Championship front runner coming home third.

and previous round winner, Jay Hanson.

Arguably the most dramatic final came in TaG 125. Runaway

A good Saturday for Allen - which included a heat race win

Championship leader Brendan Nelson got himself into

- meant he went into Sunday only needing a handful of

trouble with a power valve issue.

points in Sunday’s heat race to be Champion-Elect.

He was dropping through the field as his closest rival, Cody

He did that and it could not have been more timely. Allen

Brewczynski was leading. The Sydney-sider had to win with

went no further than the first hundred metres of the Final

the Queenslander finishing 14th or better to be crowned

after a multi-kart pileup when Blake Purdie got turned

Champion. Nelson continued on-track hoping the single

around and skated through the field at turn one. Hanson

point he would score could be crucial - and it was.

was one of those also.

Brewczynski was issued with a drop down bumper

Up the front it was opened right up for James Wharton

infringement post race handing the Championship to

to take the lead and he would go on to take a dominant

Nelson and the race to Jason Pringle.

win, becoming the only driver to have won two rounds this

X30 was one of the first Titles to fall on Saturday with Cody

season.

Gillis adding the Title to his DD2 World Championship

Sydney-sider Beau Pronesti put forth the drive of his career

from last year.

to secure his first AKC podium in front of Jaiden Pope.

Harrison Hoey came out swinging from the get go trying to

Allen’s luck wasn’t so strong in KA4 Junior.

leave no stone unturned in his quest to win the Title.

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While Gillis got the Championship

wide into turn one at one stage!

in the bag early, Hoey showed rare

Arnett got to the lead, but on the

determination in his chase.

last lap, Flack caught right up, Arnett

He took a fabulous victory in the

knowing that even if he finished

final beating home Jake Spencer and

second, he would secure the Title

Daniel Rochford, both of whom had

opened the door allowing Flack

been exceptional throughout the

through for the win.

course of the weekend.

Cadet 9 saw the dominant Lewis

Cadet 12 was always expected to

Francis wrap the trophy up Saturday

produce high drama with eight drivers

when Peter Bouzinelos had a DNF in

in line for the Title, two places at

heat two.

the Rok International Cup and an

The non-finish made Bouzinelos more

oversubscribed grid!

determined.

Eight points separated the top three

He would go on to win Sunday’s Final

come the Final and points leader,

over Lewis Francis with Jaxson Burns

Harry Arnett was hung out to dry at

coming through for third placing.

turn one.

Overall, it has been a stunning SP

This dropped him as far as ninth in the

Tools Australian Kart Championship,

field.

presented by Castrol EDGE, with all

With

Flack

the drama that one can expect from

leading and Jimmy Pisczyk among the

closest

rival

Marcos

a Grand Final Day coming to the fore

top group - what Arnett produced was

once again.

nothing short of remarkable.

He was the quickest driver on track and charged through the field.

Tensions

were

high

with

the

Championship top three going three-

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CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

KZ2 1. Aaron CAMERON 2. Joshua FIFE 3. Christopher HAYS 4. Troy LOESKOW 5. Dylan DRYSDALE 6. Jason FAINT 7. Mitchell MACKAY 8. Troy WOOLSTON 9. Pierce LEHANE 10. Matthew SMITH

218 207 187 183 173 129 98 95 79 77

KA1 1. Lachlan DALTON 2. Broc FEENEY 3. Joshua DENTON 4. Scott SORENSEN 5. Taylah AGIUS 6. Tyler HOWARD 7. Mathew STENNER 8. Rianna O’MEARA-HUNT 9. Luke FLYNN 10. Thomas TURNER

X30 1. Cody GILLIS 2. Harrison HOEY 3. Cameron LONGMORE 4. Pierce LEHANE 5. Bradley JENNER 6. Leigh NICOLAOU 7. Justin FRANCIS 8. Cian FOTHERGILL 9. James SERA 10. Adam LINDSTROM

251 205 145 141 119 116 100 93 89 85

TAG 125 1. Brendan NELSON 2. Cody BREWCZYNSKI 3. Kody GARLAND 4. Jordan NICOLAOU 5. Toby WEBB 6. Blake WORBOYS 7. Alastair LEE 8. Elly MORROW 9. Zachary HEARD 10. Hayden COX

KA4 JUNIOR 1. Rhys SMITH 2. Kai ALLEN 3. Hugh BARTER 4. Fletcher HARRIS 5. Nicholas SACCO 6. James WHARTON 7. Bailey COLLINS 8. Kurtis TENNANT 9. Ryan NEWTON 10. Kobi WILLIAMS

271 246 212 205 173 126 111 102 67 67

CADET 12 1. Harry ARNETT 2. Marcos FLACK 3. Jimmy PISZCYK 4. Alex NINOVIC 5. Joe FAWCETT 6. Carter MOBBS 7. Max DEGUARA 8. Jesse LACEY 9. Damon WOODS 10. Cadel AMBROSE

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276 242 236 217 147 138 114 62 58 58

KA2 1. Kai ALLEN 2. Jaiden POPE 3. James WHARTON 4. Jay HANSON 5. Jai BROWN 6. Taylor HAZARD 7. Callum BISHOP 8. Matthew HILLYER 9. Valentino ASTUTI 10. Beau PRONESTI

223 194 192 167 154 129 121 97 87 83

247 245 189 167 111 103 99 68 68 64

KA3 SENIOR 1. Matthew MCLEAN 2. James SERA 3. Benito MONTALBANO 4. Oscar PRIEST 5. J. SOUSLIN-HARLOW 6. Jack BELL 7. Tommy HARRADINE 8. Kody GARLAND 9. Dean O’BRIEN 10. Matthew WATERS

252 226 214 186 123 121 118 103 89 69

238 234 228 161 161 156 149 142 135 125

CADET 9 1. Lewis FRANCIS 2. Peter BOUZINELOS 3. Rock HAN 4. Max WALTON 5. Jaxson BURNS 6. Jenson BURNS 7. Rusty PONTING 8. Jake RUTKOWSKI 9. Cooper STAPLETON 10. Lewis CORDATO

258 214 176 156 142 125 93 93 87 76

F UL L T HROT T L E

KARTING’S NIGHT OF NIGHTS Hosted by Australian Motorsport journalist and commentator, Greg Rust, the gala affair went to a new level at the Medallion Room high above Etihad Stadium.

Australian Karting’s elite, their partners, parents and crews

President Michael Rolfe accepted the Event of the Year

threw away their racegear and jumped into their cocktail

Trophy on behalf of the Emerald Kart Club.

best for the night.

The biggest driver gong went the way of CRG Sydney-sider,

Special guests included Australian Grand Prix Corporation

Pierce Lehane - who was awarded the MG Tyres Driver’s

CEO, Andrew Westacott; Managing Director of SP Tools -

Driver vote. The DPE Kart Technology-imported Kosmic

Kevin Davis and Marketing and Partnerships Manager, April

Kart was victorious the Manufacturers Championship with

Vaughan; Garth and Leeanne Tander (Leeanne a former

the Tom Williamson Motorsport outfit claiming the Teams

winner of a Championship round); Garth’s Garry Rogers

Championship. Shamick Racing won the Best Presented

Motorsport team-mate James Golding, Matt Stone Racing’s

Team Award.

Todd Hazelwood and a number of dignitaries.

A special moment occurred when Taylah Agius was awarded

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2018 AKC AWARDS Manufacturer’s Champion - Kosmic Team’s Champion - Tom Williamson Motorsport MG Tyres Driver’s Driver - Pierce Lehane Ladies Champion - Taylah Agius the first ever Ladies Trophy. Bruce Stewart - Commercial

Event of the Year - Emerald Kart Club

Manager of Walkinshaw Andretti United and guest of

Best Presented Team - Shamick Racing

SP Tools offered Taylah an experience at the upcoming

Dunlop Determination Award (Jnr) - Kai Allen

Vodafone Gold Coast 600, where she will be part of the

Dunlop Determination Award (Snr) - Matt McLean

team for the weekend.

Bridgestone Supercup - Kai Allen

Kai Allen cleaned up all the Junior awards after starring

Mechanic of the year - William Yarwood

in two classes this year - being adjudged the Bridgestone Supercup winner for his efforts in KA4 Junior and the Dunlop Determination Award for what he did in KA2.

Championship winning KZ2 mechanic William Yarwood took a very well deserved SP Tools Mechanic of the Year.

All in all, each driver positioned the sport in a very good light with some very well known Australian motorsport identities in the room. Roll on a bigger and better 2019!

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GRAND FINALE FOR PRO TOUR The 2018 Rotax Pro Tour came to a sensational finish at the The Bend Motorsport Park’s brand new multi-million dollar facility in South Australia earlier this month.

In conjunction with the final round of the 2018 Rotax Pro Tour, the Australian team of drivers set to take on the World at the Rotax Max Grand Final Challenge in Brazil at the end of November was announced.

The Australian team will consist of Jake Rutkowski, Costa Toparis, Jaiden Pope, William Seal, Joshua Hart, Ben Jurczak Ryan Kennedy, Damian Ward, Trevor Whitby, Terry Hanly, and Ashley Seaward.

It was also announced that Ryan Kennedy – who is heading to his fourth Rotax Max Grand Final Challenge – will be the Team Captain.

At the event, Michael McCullouch became a first time victor in Rotax Light. The Kiwi put together the perfect weekend setting the pole position time and winning each race, including an emotion charged final when he passed fellow Kiwi, Joshua Hart on the last corner of the last lap around the outside.

Hart finished second thus securing the Series victory with Leigh Nicolaou completing the podium.

Jaiden Pope confirmed the Series win in Junior Max with a competition crushing performance. The Tom Williamson Motorsport driver put in arguably the drive of his young career to take the win by 4.7 seconds.

Cody Brewczynski had a successful debut in the DD2 ranks,

taking a solid win and the Jason Richards Cup. He beat home Exprit driver, Josh Bethune and Ryan Kennedy who was charging hard in the back end of the race.

Kris Walton took the win in a tense DD2 Masters Final over Scott Howard and Jason Pringle. The win cemented second in the Series for Walton behind Troy Woolston with Howard being awarded third in the Series overall.

Sebastian Manson took his first Rotax Pro Tour victory in Mini Max. The Kiwi was pushed all the way by a hard charging Series Champion, Costa Toparis. Toparis had been shuffled back in the order and pushed hard to get himself into second, however Manson had enough of a margin that he took the win comfortably.

Aiva Anagnostiadis enjoyed her first podium in third place.

Jaxson Burns had the honour of being the first trophy winner on The Bend Karting Stadium when he took victory in Micro Max. In Rotax Heavy, Paul Rodgers took a solid win in his FA Kart. He was pushed all the way by Series champion, Lane Moore.

Thus brings to a close to the 2018 season of Rotax Pro Tour competition, with just the Race of Stars remaining to finalise the Australian team for the Brazilian event in November.

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Q&A WITH KAI ALLEN So u t h Au s t ralian Kai Alle n has b een th e s tar of th e ju n i o r ra n k s in 2018 w ith a con s is tent ap p ro ach to h i s ra ci n g t h at saw him dominate th e A KC Award s for t h e ye a r. Full Throttle c aught u p with h im re ce nt l y to f ind out more about th e p o cket ro cket.

To win KA2 in your first junior season is an incredible

members - what does that mean?

effort - what were your hopes heading into the season?

This means a lot. It was a great surprise to win the two extra

I was aiming to get in the top three this season, we finally

awards and I can’t thank Bridgestone and Paul Feeney and

got the chassis setup right in Round 4 at Emerald and could

Dunlop and Les May enough for thinking me worthy of

push on from there.

those awards.

What was your approach heading into the Grand Final

What is the plan from here? You have a couple more years

weekend at Todd Road, particularly knowing you hadn’t

left in Juniors - will you look at continuing in KA2 next

won a round of KA2 all season and there was still plenty

year and beyond to add more KA2 Championships?

to play for?

I really want to race with the best drivers in the AKC next

My strategy was basically to just continue to hit my spots

year.

on the track and be consistent and not worry about the Is an overseas program an option at this stage?

Championships.

Yes, maybe next year or the year after.

To run the KA4 Championship right to the final race of the year must have been a bit of a surprise as Rhys had it

Ultimately, where would you like to see your motorsport

seemingly in control going into the weekend?

career go?

Round Two in Albury hurt our points because we had an

I would really want to race at the highest level.

issue with the chassis. It took to the final at Todd Road to What first got you into motorsport? Mount Gambier is

try to catch-up points on Rhys.

typically known as the hotbed for Speedway talent.

You backed up the Championship win and second with both

From when I was born I had A9X Torana in my bedroom and

the Bridgestone Super Cup and Dunlop Determination

a clay tray at my house. I have been driving karts and cars

Award - to win something like that, which recognises

since I was 5.

your performance from officials and the Karting industry

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You aren’t the only overachiever in your family - your mother was a representative Netballer and your sisters (Nyah and Sienna) are in the Australian Netball program...

Yes we are a very sporty family we are also competitive when we play sports on weekends.

Outside racing, what do you get up to - do you play any other sports or have any other hobbies?

I train during the week at a local football club, I also like to race dirt karts, I love water-skiing, Also I spend a lot of time on my simulator after school with some gokarting mates.

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TIPS ON HOW TO GO KARTING Karting Australia has produced a catalogue of videos hosted by seven-time Australian Karting Champion Troy Hunt brings that makes your entry to the sport easier.

FRONT TRACK WIDTH In this Get Started in Karting tip, we’re going to talk about your front track.

Front track is adjustable in a Kart. You can move the front wheels out or in. Widening your front track will increase your turning into the corner. Narrowing the front track will decrease your turn in. So it’ll make it less sensitive.

Therefore, in the rain, or if you want a little bit more turn in, you move the front wheels wider. If you find your kart’s turning too quick, creating a little bit of over-steer, then that’s when we’re going to narrow the front wheels up.

We do that by adjusting these spacers on the front. Make sure that when making any adjustments to the front, what you do to one side, you must do to the other. So if you widen one side, make sure you do the same to the other side.

The other key point, when removing spacers from the inside, or adding them, make sure they go onto the other side of the stub axle.

With the front end for all classes, a really good starting point is between 10 and 20mm. Minimum obviously being 10, if you need a little bit more steer, you can then move it out to around 20mm per side.

You can find more tips with Troy Hunt at www.karting.net.au

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REAR TRACK WIDTH

In this Get Started In Karting tip, we’re going to talk about your rear track, how to adjust it, and what it does. Moving your rear track wider will release grip from the go-kart making it a little bit slipperier off the corner.

Narrowing the rear track will give it a little bit more rear grip. So, coming in a little bit more will stop that slide off the corner. When adjusting your rear width, to do this, you slide the hub in and out on the axle.

With a 40 and 50 millimetre axle, often you can get spacers that fit inside the hub to help you adjust it in accurate increments. With a 30mm axle, or if you don’t have those spaces, simply just use a tape measure to get the right measurement. With the rear track, the same as when adjusting the front track, whatever you do to one side of the kart, you must make sure you also do the same for the other so that you’re adjusting both sides equally.

A suggested rear track width for all Cadet classes is between 1090 and 1120mm. In KA4 we run between 1350 and 1380 mm. KA3 1380 to 1400 mm and any one through five category, again 1380 to 1400 mm, and 1400 is the maximum width that you’re allowed to run your rear track under Karting Australia regulations.

I hope these tips are helping you get more out of your kart. Head to www. karting.net.au to watch more tips!

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