February
Newsletter Hi everyone and welcome to ProKart newsletter #0904. March saw ProKart championship rounds run in two different states; with races held in Wollongong in NSW and Cooloola (Gympie) in QLD. A second consecutive win for the WCR Jets at Wollongong City Raceway in early March leaves them in a commanding position in the NSW series; whilst they also retain their National series lead and will continue to do so until Round 2 of the National Series: a 24 Hour race around the technical Raleigh circuit in June this year. The Queensland Series continues to grow, with 15 entries at Cooloola last weekend. With 2 of the regular 2-kart teams not attending (both DQ International and Hydraulink unable to attend), there’s a good chance we’ll see 20+ entries at future rounds this season. The next round of the NSW series has been confirmed at Wakefield Park, an exciting venue not seen on any karting calendar for some years now and further reinforcement that ProKart continues to develop and expand our series. You will find a preview of the Nanango circuit in this month’s edition. The crew from Team5150R (including myself) drove this venue a month or so ago and I have put together a corner-by-corner pictorial of this very technical and fun-to-drive circuit. It should make for a great race… Remember if you have anything you'd like to report; anything you'd like to see in future newsletters or even just general feedback, please contact me at imcmah@netspace.net.au See you on track; good luck and good racing!
NEWS All new team B.A.R makes encouraging ProKart debut Adam Clark and the team from B.A.R competed in their first ProKart event at Gympie’s Cooloola Coast circuit last weekend. This all new team is comprised of: Adam Clark: Green/Yellow/Blue helmet, Blue/Black race suite - 4 years in sprint karts, inc Senior Nat heavy, and Clubman Heavy Benny Wooster: Blue/Black helmet, Black with a white chest piece race suite - Navigator in '04, '05, '06, '07 Targa Tasmania, and Driver of a R34 GTR in '08 Targa Tasmania (12th out right and 1st in class) Aaron Keane: Blue/Black helmet, Black race suit - Time attack circuit/tarmac rally RX7 The kart is a '06 Benson Chassis.
Here’s what Adam had to say immediately after his first ProKart experience;
“We were pretty happy with the result, to finish and in the top 10 was always the goal. I was very pleased all 3 of us were within a tenth of each other, so it proves we are similar talents. We took a fair bit of data from the event, and one of the major things was our top end speed which we were lacking, we were down more than 2 km/h to everyone else...... So, we will be working hard to try to catch up somewhere there... We had a chain snap in hour 4, and lost quite a few laps there, we were up to 8th at that stage, and to add extra drama, the spare chain was too long, so we had to cut part of the engine mount to clear the frame! When we finished the motor was only held on by one, and had massive shudder off throttle! All in all, pretty happy with how the event was run, I really had a ball with the F1 style qualifying, and was happy to make it to the top 10 shootout, although it was pretty hectic with only me being there on the Saturday. It was a frantic rush to get the 3rd driver (Aaron) ready for the weekend for when we sat him in the kart, he couldn't touch the pedals! (We had extended the front crash bar for Ben and myself as we are fairly lanky) so, we ended up making custom peddle adaptors, which although not perfected in the pit stops yet, work GREAT! I have to say, I was impressed with how friendly most of the people are there, cant wait for the next event!”
Luke Delaurence joins PDS Grand Prix Luke Delaurence has left DQ International and joined the PDS Grand Prix team for the remainder of the 2009 season. With DQ International’s temporary withdrawal from the series, Luke elected to leave the team and pursue a full-time drive with another team. After discussion with several ProKart teams, Luke joined PDS at Cooloola – the team yet again running strongly until technical difficulties sent them down the order.
GUESS WHO? Our “guess who” STILL remains unsolved from our last issue! So a reminder… They’re a current and regular ProKart driver! This month’s photo caption (and clue) is “first karting experience (little sister looking on)”
More clues next issue if no one guesses correctly!
Russell Pocock’s RPMotorsport Team debuted an all-new look at Round 2 of the Queensland Series at Gympie’s Cooloola circuit last weekend. The level and quality of presentation of all teams continues to improve and RPM are no exception, with a new livery and new team uniforms making this team one of the best-presented in the series. They not only look good, they are posting some seriously good results and 4th last weekend after a lengthy challenge for 3rd early in the race show they’ve got good form both on and off track. Congratulations to Russell, Dustin and Ad’s on behalf of everyone at ProKart.
QLD RACE Report 'Adrenalin Rush' Dominate Gympie 7-Hour The two Adrenalin Rush Karting teams scored a commanding 1 – 2 finish in the ‘Gympie 7 Hour’ over the weekend (March 21 and 22) at the Cooloola Kart Track to win the second round of the Powered by Honda ProKart Australia Queensland Endurance Kart Championship.
Above: Adrenaline Rush leads the way The Adrenalin Rush Karting team not only won the ‘Gympie 7 Hour’ by over four laps, completing a total of 516 laps each (four more than the third placed finishing team) but they also qualified 1 – 2 on Saturday afternoon. This set the tone for a flawless weekend for NSW based Adrenalin Rush Karting team and then they capped off perfectly with their commanding 1 - 2 result. Despite finishing last year’s Queensland Championship with a flurry of round wins, the Adrenalin Rush Karting team ended up finishing third in the championship point standings. This year they are aiming to clinch the victory honours in the championship and after their performance over the weekend the other teams in the championship will have plenty of work to do to match the preparation and strategy of team manager Al Denyer. Their speed, reliability and strategy provided them with an edge all weekend.
Finishing behind the dominance of the Adrenalin Rush Karting pairing in third place was the ResiSales.com.au Racing Team. Team owner / manager and lead-driver Phil Wallis was almost unable to compete the weekend with his regular team drivers unavailable. Two local drivers from the Cooloola Kart Club joined the ResiSales.com.au team late in the week to complete their driver line up. With local track knowledge from their latest ‘recruits’; this team was always going to challenge for a strong result and their podium place was well earned after they found themselves three laps down on the leaders during the early stages of the race.
Above: ResiSales team made the podium Outside the podium finishes were RPM Racing in fourth (505 laps), followed by Team5150R’s # 51 kart (496 laps), BF Racing (488 laps), the # 50 of Team5150R (487 LAPS), Viper Racing (483 laps), Team BAR (474 laps) with PDS Grand Prix finishing in 10th place (458 laps). A number of teams showed early promise and an enthralling battle for 3rd place ensued throughout the first few hours, with 5 karts challenging for the position. The Wollongong City Raceway Jets had to overcome a 15th place starting position to join the battle for 3rd between the # 50 kart of Team5150R, ResiSales.com, PDS Grand Prix and RPM Motorsport.
All of these teams suffered some form of misfortune during the event, with PDS Grand Prix having clutch issues, Team5150R’s # 50 kart breaking a throttle plate and numerous other technical challenges confronting ResiSales.com.au, Wollongong City Raceway Jets and the RPM Motorsport teams.
Above: Team5150R were in contention for third until mechanical dramas Aside from the dominant performance of Adrenalin Rush Karting’s two karts; 7 - 8 teams all displayed similar race pace with their fastest laps all within a few tenths of each other, boding well for some terrific on-track battles as the year progresses. A number of new teams also debuted in the Queensland Championship last weekend and both Viper Racing and BAR were welcomed additions to the field.
Above: The blue & black Team BAR finished inside the top ten.
The third round of the Queensland Championship is to be held on Saturday, April 18 with the running of the ‘Nanango 6 Hour’, which is a technical and demanding layout which will provide enjoyment for teams and spectators alike. Located only two hours from Brisbane, another strong field is expected to challenge the current domination of the Adrenalin Rush Karting duo.
NSW RACE Report WCR Jets Win Back-To-Back Enduro Events The Wollongong City Raceway Jets have continued their stunning start to the 2009 Powered by Honda ProKart Australia NSW Endurance Kart Championship by taking out the ‘Wollongong 1000’ last Saturday down at Wollongong City Raceway.
Above: WCR Jets take the win For the Wollongong City Raceway Jets this was their second victory from as many rounds of the NSW Endurance Kart Championship this year and they have now won the ‘Wollongong 1000’ two years in succession. At the completion of the 1000 laps, run under both day and night conditions, the Wollongong City Raceway Jets defeated the Horsepower Racing and KBC Racing outfits. The Wollongong City Raceway Jets didn’t have a ‘walk in the park’ either throughout the ‘Wollongong 1000’ as they battled for the lead with reigning National and NSW Champions Team Kaos for the first half of the race distance up until they were forced to make an unscheduled pit stop to repair a damaged muffler.
Team Kaos didn’t escape drama either during the Wollongong 1000 as they were forced to make an unscheduled pit stop too to repair a broken throttle cable and lost their handy lead of some three laps.
Above: KBC Racing With both the Wollongong City Raceway Jets and Team Kaos encountering drama, the major benefactor from their woes was the Horsepower Racing team. They held down the lead for most of the second half of the race up until the Wollongong City Raceway Jets clawed their way back into the lead and went on to record yet another victory in what was a fabulous recovery. Still coming to grips with their new Go Kart, the Horsepower Racing team didn’t make the best of starts to their race, due to clutch complications early on in the race, but recovered strongly with consistent driving and trouble free pit stops to end up in second place. The KBC Racing team have made a consistent start to the year and once again finished on the podium this time in third place. The opening round of the NSW Championship, the ‘Oran Park 7 Hour’, resulted in them finishing in second place.
In fourth place was the Illawarra Karts and Parts Racing team, followed by the second of the Wollongong City Raceway Jets teams and the Two Dogs Racing in fifth and sixth place. For the second of the Wollongong City Raceway Jets team they scored a very strong result and were very pleased with their efforts. Likewise, the Two Dogs Racing team ended up finishing sixth outright and were the first B-grade team across the finish line. ‘Wollongong 1000’ Pace setters Team Kaos ended up finishing back in seventh place in what was a disappointing end to a promising race. They were without a doubt one of the quickest teams of the race and were unlucky not to have taken out victory or at least recorded a minor placing on the podium. The third round of the NSW Championship is to be held on Sunday, April 5 at Goulburn’s Wakefield Park Raceway in what will be a ‘7 Hour’ race.
CHAMPIONSHIP TABLES Prokart Endurance National Championship 2009 The next round of the Australian Championships will be at Raleigh in June. 7/02/2009
Pos No. 1 3 2 71 3 181 4 86 5 1 6 777 7 5 8 23 9 818 10 84 11 50 12 41 13 661 14 21 15 14 16 51 17 42 18 554 19 25 20 27Q 21 8 22 22 23 2 24 52 25 66 26 101 27 19 28 40 29 6 30 88 31 9 32 98 33 2 34 18 35 16
Name WCR Jets KBC Racing Illawarra Karts and Parts 2 Adrenalin Rush Karting 2 Team Kaos Horesepower Racing 3D Muscat Trailers Bell Pipes Racing Illawarra Karts and Parts RPM Team 5150 Team Kartatak PDS Grand Prix Walkos Shire Racing Two Dogs Racing Team 5150 Civic Video RGC Chorros Kart Blanche ResiSales.com.au UTEC DBR BFRacing 2 BFRacing 1st Timers Racing Damage Bros D Q International 2 Sam Racing Team KPR Dolphin All Birt Racing Starky Motorsport Adrenalin Rush Karting Team SPR BSF Racing D Q International
Total 200 190 182 176 170 164 158 152 146 140 134 128 122 116 110 104 98 92 86 80 74 68 62 56 50 44 38 32 26 20 20 20 20 20 20
Diff 0 10 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66 72 78 84 90 96 102 108 114 120 126 132 138 144 150 156 162 168 174 180 180 180 180 180 180
Gap
Or Total
0 200 10 190 8 182 6 176 6 170 6 164 6 158 6 152 6 146 6 140 6 134 6 128 6 122 6 116 6 110 6 104 6 98 6 92 6 86 6 80 6 74 6 68 6 62 6 56 6 50 6 44 6 38 6 32 6 26 6 20 0 20 0 20 0 20 0 20 0 20
200 190 182 176 170 164 158 152 146 140 134 128 122 116 110 104 98 92 86 80 74 68 62 56 50 44 38 32 26 20 20 20 20 20 20
Prokart Endurance NSW Championship Unbeaten so far in the 2009 NSW Endurance Championship, the WCR Jets have a commanding but no unassailable 28 point lead heading into round 3 at Wakefield Park. With 2 podium results from the first 2 rounds, KBC Racing are currently the JETS largest threat and are surely due to stand atop the podium sometime this season. Pos
No. 1 2
Name
Total
Diff
Gap
Or Total Wo Total
400 372
0 28
3 777 Horsepower Racing 4 1 Team Kaos 5 181 Illawarra Karts and Parts 6 14 Two Dogs Racing 7 4 RGC Chorros 8 41 Team Kartatak
360 334 328 298 292 292
40 66 72 102 108 108
12 26 6 30 6 0
9 23 Bell Pipes Racing 10 181 Illawarra Karts and Parts 2 11 21 Walkos Shire Racing 12 6 Dolphin 13 5 3D Muscat Trailers 14 8 DBR 15 19 Starky Motorsport
292 280 244 190 164 152 148
108 120 156 210 236 248 252
0 158 158 134 134 12 182 182 98 98 36 140 140 104 104 54 74 74 116 116 26 164 164 x x 12 x x 152 152 4 62 62 DQ 86
16 77 MOJO Racing 17 40 Team KPR 18 42 Civic Video 19 888 Horsepower Racing Too 20 25 Kart Blanche 21 7 Acquity Racing 22 27Q ResiSales.com.au 23 8 UTEC DBR 24 52 1st Timers Racing 25 27 The Captains 26 66 Damage Bros 27 19 Sam Racing 28 88 All Birt Racing 29 2 Team SPR 30 18 BSF Racing
140 128 128 122 116 110 110 104 98 92 92 86 68 56 50
260 272 272 278 284 290 290 296 302 308 308 314 332 344 350
8 12 0 6 6 6 0 6 6 6 0 6 18 12 6
3 WCR Jets 71 KBC Racing
0 200 28 190 170 176 152 134 122 146
x 0 128 x 116 x 110 104 98 x 92 86 68 56 50
200 200 190 182 170 176 152 134 122 146
x 0 128 x 116 x 110 104 98 x 92 86 68 56 50
190 158 176 164 170 146
140 128 x 122 x 110 x x x 92 x x x x x
200 182 190 158 176 164 170 146
140 128 x 122 x 110 x x x 92 x x x x x
Prokart Endurance NSW Division B Championship Congratulations to Brian and the team at Two Dogs Racing who have assumed the lead of the NSW Division B Championship. After 2 rounds it is a close race between Two Dogs and Team Kartatak with 1st Round winners Bell Pipes Racing in 3rd. Horsepower Racing are in 4th and can never be discounted as the teams prepare for Round 3 at Wakefield Park. Pos
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Name
Total
Diff
Gap
R1 Total
R2 Total
Two Dogs Racing Team Kartatak Bell Pipes Racing Horsepower Racing KBC Racing WCR Jets RGC Chorros UTEC DBR Illawarra Karts and Parts 2
382 372 358 340 316 310 310 294 280
0 10 24 42 66 72 72 88 102
0 182 10 190 14 200 18 170 24 152 6 158 0 134 16 104 14 176
182 200 190 182 200 158 170 170 152 164 158 152 134 176 104 190 176 104
200 182 158 170 164 152 176 190 104
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Team Kaos Walkos Shire Racing Illawarra Karts and Parts Team KPR 3D Muscat Trailers Starky Motorsport Civic Video
256 250 244 220 164 154 146
126 132 138 162 218 228 236
24 6 6 24 56 10 8
116 140 110 74 164 62 146
116 140 110 74 164 62 146
140 110 134 146 x 92 x
140 110 134 146 x 92 x
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Dolphin PDS Grand Prix Mojo Kart Blanche Acquity Horsepower Racing Too 1stTimers Racing Damage Bros The Captains Sam Racing All Birt Racing Dolphin Screens Team SPR
128 128 122 122 116 98 98 92 86 86 80 68 56
254 254 260 260 266 284 284 290 296 296 302 314 326
18 x 0 128 6 x 0 122 6 x 18 x 0 98 6 92 6 x 0 86 6 80 12 68 12 56
x 128 x 122 x x 98 92 x 86 80 68 56
128 x 122 x 116 98 x x 86 x x x x
128 x 122 x 116 98 x x 86 x x x x
Prokart Endurance QLD Championship 2009 There’s an incredibly close and interesting contest for 3rd place in the Queensland Championship at present. After 2 rounds any one of the top 8 teams are looking like they’re capable of competing for the championship this year; although anything can happen at this early stage and no 7/02/2009 Pos No.
Name Adrenalin Rush Karting 2
Total
Diff
Gap
21/03/2009
Or Total
Co
Total
380
0
0
190
190
190
2 84 RPM
358
22
22
182
182
176
176
3
334
46
24
200
200
134
134
4 27 ResiSales.com.au
334
46
0
152
152 182
5 51 Team 5150 2
334
46
0
164
164
170
170
6 50 Team 5150
334
46
0
176
176
158
158
7 98 Adrenalin Rush Karting
328
52
6
128
128
200
8 661 PDS Grand Prix
310
70
18
170
170
140
140
9
164
216
146
x
x
164
164
10 554 RGC Chorros
158
222
6
158
158
x
x
11 169 Viper Racing
152
228
6
x
x
152
152
12 42 Team BAR
146
234
6
x
x
146
146
13 22 BFRacing 2
146
234
0
146
146
x
x
14
140
240
6
140
140
x
x
15 101 D Q International 2
134
246
6
134
134
x
x
16 111 Climatrol
128
252
6
x
x
128
128
17 22 Poppy One
122
258
6
x
x
122
122
18 16 D Q International
122
258
0
122
122
x
x
19 69 C & R Tint Fx
116
264
6
x
x
116
116
20 252 FSR
110
270
6
x
x
110
110
1 86
3 WCR Jets
2 BF Racing
2 BFRacing
190
182
200
Prokart Endurance QLD Division B Championship Pos
No.
Name
Total
Diff
Gap
1
RPM
400
0
2
Team 5150 2
372
28
3
Team 5150
360
4
ResiSales.com.au
5
R1 Total
200 200
200
28 182
182 190
190
40
12 190
190 170
170
334
66
26
158
158
176
BF Racing
328
72
6
146
146 182
182
6
Adrenalin Rush Karting 2
328
72
0
164
164
164
164
7
PDS Grand Prix
316
84
12
176
176
140
140
8
WCR Jets
298
102
18
170
170
128
128
9
Adrenalin Rush Karting
292
108
6
134
134
158
158
10
Viper Racing
152
248
140
x
x
152
152
11
BF Racing 2
152
248
0
152
152
x
x
12
Team BAR
146
254
6
x
x
146
146
13
DQ International 2
140
260
6
140
140
x
x
14
Climatrol
134
266
6
x
x
134
134
15
DQ International
128
272
6
128
128
x
x
16
Poppy One
122
278
6
x
x
122
122
17
C & R Tint FX
116
284
6
x
x
116
116
18
FSR
110
290
6
x
x
110
110
Legend
1 1st place
2 2nd place
3 3rd place
0 200
R1 Total
176
POSTCARDS FROM COOLOOLA
A quick Q&A with the ProKart “Professor” and Adrenalin Rush Karting boss Alan Denyer After complete domination at Round 2 of the Queensland Championships, Alan Denyer gave ProKart 5 minutes of his time to answer some questions regarding ProKart, ARK and the team’s relentless success… Q. Alan, congratulations on an exceptional weekend. Pole, a 1-2 finish and also the fastest lap of the race. Was this the ‘perfect’ weekend or is there more to come from Adrenalin Rush Karting? A. Yes it’s very satisfying to see all the hard work in preparation and testing come to fruition, although it is not the first time we have achieved the trifecta. Back in 2007 at Port Macquarie we achieved the same result only we won by 13 laps and was also the first time that a team had a 1 – 2 finish in Prokart history.
Q. How did Adrenalin Rush Karting come to be? Can you give us a summary of the team’s history? A. I have been coaching drivers since 1997 and I was looking for a way of giving the drivers more seat time than you get at AKA events. Prokart came to Port Macquarie in 2001. Myself and a couple of the drivers that I was coaching went to have a look. One of the teams had a spare go kart and offered us a drive. I liked the format and could see the potential for coaching. At the end of the day I was the proud owner of a Prokart and ARK was born.
Q. Are you chasing both Qld and National Series titles in 2009? A. Yes. The team will be at all State and National Rounds provided that my finances hold out. Q. Your team has shown consistently exceptional speed now for quite some time. Without revealing any details, is there one specific area you’d attribute that to? Drivers, kart preparation, testing and development? A. To be consistent it is a combination of everything. Kart prep is the easy part. Its check and adjust everything then do it again before you go to the track. Fortunately for me I have my own track for testing and development. Development doesn’t really come into it as DPE had already done a terrific job. Testing is how to make the go kart fast and look after its tyres. There is a lot of time to be gained in the last two hours of any race. I can make the kart go at least 1 second faster for about 3 hours but after that it goes away badly. I think the Dunlop tyres are not up to carrying 185kgs plus at these lap times. There has been a lot of tyre blistering over the first couple of rounds this year. Tyre pressure has a lot to do with this. There are a few teams out there that have their frames very close to the mark, but tyre pressures are letting them down. Drivers are the backbone of the team. If you can get them to listen and trust the equipment, even better. It makes my life pretty easy to do the strategy for the race. Then all things being equal all you need is a lot of luck. Q. What do you enjoy most about participating in ProKart Endurance Championship? A. The best part about Prokart is there are no politics unlike a certain organisation who is doing their best to drag us down to their level. I know that Tony and others are doing their best not to let this happen. Racing is meant to be fun that’s why you spend the money and participate not be dictated to as seems to be the case with another organisation. Q. Have ARK always run Arrow chassis? These seem an unlikely choice given that Arrow don’t appear to make a dedicated endurance (twin engine) chassis. What made you choose Arrow as your team’s race chassis? A No. The first chassis we ran for 3 years was an F1 frame but at the time I had run out of ideas of ways to make it go faster. I had this idea that sprint kart technology in Rotax frames should work better than Endurance frames. Being an Arrow dealer at the time Arrow was the logical choice and if it worked it was a cheap way of keeping the equipment updated as you could buy bare frames from DPE for under $600.00 at the time. Q. Do you modify the base Arrow Chassis yourself or do DPE or another supplier do this on your behalf? A. I do all the modifications at the workshop.
Q. Is the chassis effectively standard other than the addition of a chassis rail to mount the second engine? A. Apart from the fourth rail and the bearing mount, reversing the brake from front to rear and the seat mounts, the chassis is essentially a standard arrow Bmax frame.
Q. Are you taking both karts to Nanango next month? A. Yes we will be taking both karts to Nanango. However, I might not be able to attend due to work commitments. Thanks Alan, on behalf of everyone in ProKart I sincerely congratulate you on last weekend’s stunning display and will watch with interest (as well as try my best!) to see if any other team’s can get close to your ultimate pace this year.
2009 Calendar The remaining rounds of the 2009 Calendar are listed below. Full schedules for each event are available at
http://series.prokart.com.au/content/section/24/291/
2009 RACE SCHEDULES All 2009 Race Schedules are available by clicking here: http://series.prokart.com.au/content/section/24/291/
NSW Round 3 With no chicane in place, karting’s return to Wakefield Park after several years should see drafting battles of NASCAR proportions next weekend, as teams compete in Round 3 of the NSW ProKart Endurance Series.
QLD ROUND 3 The latest addition to the ProKart calendar in Queensland, the Nanango Kart Track, home of South Burnett Kart Hire will see teams compete here for the very first time on April 18. A flowing yet very technical circuit, Nanango is sure to challenge drivers and crew alike as they find a setup for the undulating layout. A pictorial review of the circuit can be found in this edition of ProKart’s monthly Newsletter.
TECHNICAL With this coming weekend seeing Melbourne’s Albert Park host the first round of the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship, we took the opportunity to provide a race preview (courtesy of AT&T WilliamsF1). The analysis and statistics in this race preview make for interesting reading‌
UPCOMING EVENTS
NSW Series Round #3
www.wakefieldpark.com.au One of NSW's premier motor racing circuits located near Goulburn, between Sydney and Canberra. Wakefield Park will see karts return for the first time in several years on Sunday 5th April.
Full circuit details can be found at www.wakefieldpark.com.au
QLD Series Round #2: NANANGO
Located 2 hours north-west of Brisbane on the D’Aguilar Highway at Nanango, this challenging circuit was only built in 2007. Technical and undulating, the entire circuit is visible from the excellent reception area, which incorporates a café and viewing area. A single day 6-hour event, this race will see teams practice, qualify and start racing in full daylight, before continuing to race through sunset and into the night; the race concluding at 8:25pm. Owned and operated by Alan and Rose Osborne, this facility is among the best in the Queensland ProKart series and is a race meeting not to be missed. A full corner-by-corner preview of the circuit follows on the coming pages…
Circuit preview: NANANGO By Ian McMah
The Nanango circuit is challenging and exciting to drive, with barely a moment’s rest throughout the lap. The following pages offer a corner-by-corner illustration of the layout. The tyres that are shown in the attached images will not be in place during our race meeting and are there solely for hire-kart activity. Turn 1 The approach to Turn 1 at Nanango is slightly uphill, with the entry being slightly cambered on the inside line. At full throttle across the start/finish line adjacent to the pit area, drivers will be at full speed on turn in, the full circuit width being required to maintain your line and speed on the run down to Turn 2‌ Turn 1 back down the main straight at Nanango.
Turn 2 The run down to Turn 2 is very short, with karts still drifting wide as they exit Turn 1; usually still with full throttle applied. The turn-in to Turn 2 is heavily cambered and lead you to believing you can enter the corner faster than you actually can‌
The view from Turn 2 - looking back towards Turn 1
Turn 3
The exit of Turn 2, heading down to Turn 3 The exit of Turn 2 leads immediately downhill into the braking zone for Turn 3, a right hand hairpin with a tightening exit uphill towards another hairpin at Turn 4. Slightly off-camber, it is easy to lock a brake as you approach Turn 3. This will surely be a high-risk overtaking opportunity, with karts on the braking limit as they enter Turn 3.
The run from Turn 2 showing the full hairpin at Turn 3 and the run up to Turn 4
Turn 4 As you exit the hairpin at Turn 3 you immediately move to the right of the track for the short uphill run into another hairpin at Turn 4. This is the slowest point on the track and will punish incorrect clutch settings. A strong run through turn 3 could see another overtaking opportunity on the inside as karts approach the entry to Turn 4
The view of Turn 4 from the apex of Turn 3
The exit of Turn 3, as seen from Turn 4
Turn 5
This is the exit of Turn 4, looking forward towards the kink at Turn 5 and the run into the sequence of corners that make up Turn’s 6, 7 and 8. To the far right you can see Turn 9, as the track snakes back on itself before the run up to Turn 10 and the approach to the front straight. This section is flat and karts that carry good corner speed through Turn 4 should carry that momentum down this back ‘straight’; offering yet another passing opportunity. The approach to Turn 6 is very fast, with karts almost at top speed.
Turns 6, 7 & 8 As you pass through the ‘kink’ that is Turn 5, you continue slightly uphill towards the entry to Turn 6; a tricky offcamber double-apex right hand corner. There is a short but hard brake application just prior to turn in and drivers will have to work hard to optimise their line through this complex and not afford their competitors any opportunity to pass on exit, as it is very easy to lose mid-corner grip and speed.
The braking zone for Turn 6
The exit of Turn 6/7
The exit of Nanango’s turn 7, which immediately switches left through Turn 8
Turn 9
As you exit the switchback from Turn 8, you immediately head downhill on a gradual left turn before approaching the double-apex left at Turn 9. This corner tightens on exit and the approach will provide another passing opportunity under brakes. Turn 10 The image on the left is the exit of Turn 10; a relatively straightforward doubleapex RH turn with a tightening exit that leads onto the main straight.
Below shows the first of 2 apex’s at Turn 10
Turn 10 exits into a quick right-left sequence that leads onto the main straight. The ‘new’ pit entry is not shown on any of these images as it wasn’t constructed at the time of this pictorial, however a more recent photo is on the following page. The right-left switchback onto the main straight is taken flat and will likely be one-kart-wide as teams keep the throttle flat on the run to the start/finish line and the end of a lap of Nanango’s Kart circuit.
The from the inside of Turn 10; showing the kink leading onto the main straight and past the pits
The new pit lane entry and extension at Nanango (March 2009)
FOR SALE
DQ International offer for sale their ex Team BRM chassis, most recently campaigned by DQ Int. at the 2008 ProKart Indy 12 hour. This kart placed 2nd at this year’s 24 hour event at Eastern Creek and remains one of the fastest karts in the series. • • • • • • • • •
Complete package, ready to win Freshly powdercoated chassis Brand new stub axles and tie rods Trolley Spare front rims Developed chassis and setup to achieve endurance success Setup and race assistance from DQ members available Spare Engine Available Numerous other spares
Results include 2nd Eastern Creek 24hr 2008 3rd Toowoomba 6hr 2008 4th Ipswich 6hr 2008 Fastest Lap Toowoomba 6hr 2008 1st 2008 QLD Prokart Championship Price $4,000 including spare engine $3,700 without Contact Josh Townsend on 0407 656 974 or email jtr_16@hotmail.com
FOR SALE
Darren Farmilo offers for sale his ex A1 Racing Azzurro chassis, most recently campaigned by Triple 1 Racing at the 2008 ProKart Indy 12 hour, setting the race
lap record. It is the same brand and design of chassis (late 2007 Azzurro) as that used by DQ International to win the Queensland Series last year, so has a lot of inherent pace and will provide immediate results. • • • •
Complete package, ready to race/win Trolley Very fast kart Setup and race assistance available from Team5150R members
Price $3500 ready to race Contact Darren Farmilo on 0405 698 051 or email daznes@mysoul.com.au