26th June 2014

Maddren and McElrea finish in top six as Jenner and Andrews impress at Pro Tour Warwick

Birel Kartsport Australia Team Photo at round six of the 2014 Rotax Pro Tour in Warwick, Queensland

Birel Kartsport Australia’s Junior Max drivers Mitch Maddren and Hunter McElrea have both secured top six overall round finishes with Joshua Car managing eighth outright at the latest Rotax Pro Tour event at Warwick’s Sandy Creek Raceway while Rotax Light’s Brad Jenner finished fourth and extended his lead in the rankings with one round in the season remaining.

After qualifying eighth for the three heat races with 43.876 just 0.1 seconds from pole position, Mitch Maddren went on to take third in heat one before a victory heat two and eleventh in heat three under the split grid system of racing, placing the Queenslander on the fourth row for the start of Sunday’s pre-final. Mitch fought for his position in the competitive Junior Max category to secure ninth before moving through the field in the final and securing fourth, thus helping him to rise in the season rankings to fifth.
“Winning heat two on Saturday gave me a big confidence boost. I had a lot of pace and the Birel Kart was setup perfectly. I certainly thought I could place in the top three in the finals although it would be tough, unfortunately our pace wasn’t reflective of our position however I knew I could fight back in the 22 lap final.”

“The goal for the final was to keep out of trouble and get a place on the podium. I really believed we had the pace to challenge the front group. Finishing fourth from ninth overall was great; it’s a real boost of confidence going into Coffs Harbour and the Nationals at Ipswich. I know that I can get a podium finish or even a win at these next Pro Tour events, the Birel Kart is working really well, and the data we are getting from the new Uni-Pro system is really helping with getting the most from the kart and driver,” Maddren said.

Fellow Birel Kartsport Australia Junior Max driver Hunter McElrea experienced a strong finish to the weekend’s racing in Warwick. An issue on qualifying saw Hunter start from the rear of field in the heat races, though his determined driving attitude saw him secure ninth, eleventh and tenth which would see him start 21st in the pre-final on Sunday morning. A strong drive from McElrea saw him move to 13th, gaining eight positions in the race showing the speed that had developed in his Kart throughout the weekend. A further rise by Hunter in the final saw him finish sixth, delivering a large confidence boost late in the season.

“Starting from the rear of the field due to a problem in qualifying made it difficult to get up the front in the heats, however the Birel kart was fast for the whole weekend and no real changes set up wise were needed to the kart for the finals.”

“My goal for the final was to race up the front and secure a top five finish, unfortunately I just missed out however I am still happy to come away with sixth against some of the best junior drivers in Australia. It was definitely a confidence booster to come from the back of the grid to finish 6th in the final, along with the support from my mechanic Matt and the Birel Kartsport team , I believe I will be able to race up the front and hopefully grab a podium by the end of the year,” McElrea said.

Joshua Car ensured all three Birel Kartsport Australia Junior Max drivers finished inside the top ten for the Warwick event after securing eighth in the final. Car qualified eleventh for Saturday’s heat races, only two tenths from pole position reflecting the closeness of the field on lap times. Despite a DNF in heat one, Joshua worked his way to fifth in heat two and third in heat three which would subsequently see him start 13th in the pre-final. After progressing to tenth, he then went on to take eighth in the final which now sees the RK Kart driver sit in eighth in the rankings.

Rotax Light rankings leader Brad Jenner experienced another strong weekend in his RK Kart, qualifying second on Saturday morning with a 43.447, handing him a front row start for the heats. With the three races being highlighted by a second and a victory in the final heat which featured a rain shower mid-race, Brad then went on to finish 12th in the pre-final giving him a big task to move back up in the field in the final. A determined drive from Jenner saw him pick off his opposition before going on to finish fourth, thus extending his lead in the points battle.

On debut in Rotax Light in his RK SK6 Kart, Nicholas Andrews qualified fifth with a 43.499, only 0.1 seconds behind pole position before going to take two fourth place finishes in the first two heat races. Despite finishing eleventh in heat three in the damp conditions, Nicholas started the pre-final from third and a strong launch from the line saw him move to the race lead and pull away toward the finish taking his first victory in senior Karting. A fiercely fought out final saw Andrews take sixth by the fall of the chequered flag and the Queenslander now looks in a strong position as he heads to his home track for the Rotax Nationals in September at Ipswich.

In the Junior Max Trophy Class, Birel Kartsport Australia supported driver Jye Hopkins qualified fifth and continued his strong form into the heat races taking sixth, fourth and fifth before progressing to fourth in the pre-final. Jye then went on to finish on the category podium taking fifth overall for the weekend in the final.

The next event for Birel Kartsport Australia will be round seven of the 2014 Rotax Pro Tour at Coffs Harbour, NSW from July 18-20.