27th May 2018

HISTORY RE-WRITTEN IN NEWCASTLE

Pierce Lehane and Scott Sorensen have re-written the Australian karting history books at the third round of the 2018 SP Tools Australian Kart Championship, presented by Castrol EDGE in Newcastle on Sunday.

The pair broke a long held record of round victories in AKC/CIK competition and moved clear of Australian karting legends Bart Price and Neil McFadyen on the all-time winners list.

Sydney-sider Lehane, who has Championship round wins in the equivalents of KA2 and KA1, added X30 to his win column in his first race this season in the category that uses an IAME X30 engine.

He took the lead with a storming pass down the back straightaway and ended up winning by 2.4 seconds. In an emotional podium, Lehane and his CRG chassis won over veteran James Sera and returning veteran Jason Burns. Burns produced a masterclass coming from the rear of the field after misfortune during heats to finish third on his return to the highest level of the sport in Australia.

Sorensen came to Newcastle with a single mindedness to take the win and push himself to the top of the Championship points standings – and that is precisely what he did. Round one winner and Championship leader heading into the weekend, Lachie Dalton showed some true Tasmanian grit in holding the lead through the early stanza of the race and it appeared at one stage as though there would be a six kart fight for the race lead with many drivers line astern on the racetrack.

Sorensen’s Harrington Doyle Racing Arrow chassis came on mid-race and while there were a number of challenges for podium positions, the defending Australian Champion decided he’d had enough and edged past Dalton to push on into the lead. He ended up winning by 1.8 seconds, while from a Championship perspective, Josh Denton got by Dalton to finish in second position. Dalton – who was at the front all weekend – scored third place.

Jimmy Piszcyk wrote his own piece of history in Cadet 12 this afternoon in taking his first ever AKC round win. The South Australian’s win coupled as the first for the hard working EVO Kart chassis that came into the Championship two years ago, becoming the 33rd chassis brand in Australian Championship history to win a round. Piszcyk upstaged Alex Ninovic – who’d been class of the 49 kart field all weekend – right from the start, getting into the lead from the front row.

Ninovic and Joe Fawcett pressured Piszcyk the entire way, but he would not be denied, taking a 0.25 second win over Ninovic, while Championship leader entering the weekend, Marcos Flack, finished in sixth.

Joshua Fife dominated the final in KZ2 for the second round in a row. After changing Energy Chassis overnight, Fife was battling during Sunday morning’s heats, with the advantage going the way of Aaron Cameron. A huge effort from the Tom Williamson Motorsport team before the final paid dividends, with Fife defeating JC Kart’s Cameron by 4.4 seconds.

Making a welcome return to the podium was Queenslander Jason Faint in his SodiKart. Faint had been toward the front all weekend and got to third off the start before an entertaining battle with Troy Woolston and Chris Hays – also surviving a scary moment when Troy Loeskow had a stuck throttle and cannoned across the racetrack between oncoming traffic.

Woolston and Hays received post race front fairing penalties, which elevated Dylan Drysdale to fourth – after starting 16th and Mitchell Mackay to a top five finish.

Another TWM pilot in Jaiden Pope got a breakthrough win in KA2. The Junior star got to the front off the start of the 20-lap final and wasn’t headed, crossing the line 1.8 seconds ahead of James Wharton – who started deep in the top 10 and chipped away to get onto the podium. Taylor Hazard secured his first ever AKC KA2 podium getting home just in front of Jai Brown – the JC Kart pilot starting on the Final pole position after his best weekend in the category.

Velocity Kart Shop COMPKART driver, Cody Brewczynski scored his first AKC win in TaG 125. Current Champion and points leader Brendan Nelson got the early jump before Brewczynski edged past him and started to pull away. Nelson was not expecting a challenge for second, but that is what he got from a charging Jace Matthews, who dragged his Ricciardo Kart from deep in the pack to get his way into second position. Local driver Mark Flood pushed forward to finish fourth.

Five-time Australian Champion, Matthew Waters made a welcome return to the top step of the podium in KA3 Senior taking the win by 1.8 seconds. His Kosmic got to the front off the start and he had no major competition once getting into his rhythm. Boost Mobile Kosmic driver, Oscar Priest secured another AKC podium finish finishing second, while James Sera earned a hard fought third placing.

Sera’s third place had additional meaning for the Victorian veteran with category rival and Championship leader, Matt McLean having a coming together which dropped him to a finishing position of 27th. It means the Championship has tightened up heading to the penultimate round in Emerald in July.

KA4 Junior round one winner, Rhys Smith doubled up in Newcastle and has assumed the Championship lead after the perfect weekend. The Scuderia PCR driver was undefeated in any race throughout the course of the weekend and duly won the final after a thrilling five lap run to the flag following a full course caution stabilised the field after a crash.

Kai Allen made a play for the Championship with his second position today while round two winner, Fletcher Harris took his Pentair Water-backed Haase to third position to remain right in the Title hunt.

In Cadet 9, Peter Bouzinelos took his first AKC round win taking a narrow victory in the entertaining 16-lap final getting home 0.7s in front of Jenson Burns. Kart Republic mounted Championship leader, Lewis Francis got himself home in third position.

Thus brings to an end what has been an exciting and dramatic round three of the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship, presented by Castrol EDGE.

The Championship is in hiatus until July 27-29 when it heads north to Emerald in Queensland.

On demand footage from today’s proceedings can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.

2018 SP Tools Australian Kart Championship
Round 3 – Newcastle, NSW

RESULTS: Top 3

Cadet 9
1. Peter Bouzinelos (VIC)
2. Jenson Burns (QLD)
3. Lewis Francis (VIC)

Cadet 12
1. Jimmy Piszcyk (SA)
2. Alex Ninovic (NSW)
3. Joe Fawcett (VIC)

KA4 Junior
1. Rhys Smith (NSW)
2. Kai Allen (SA)
3. Fletcher Harris (VIC)

KA3 Senior
1. Matthew Waters (NSW)
2. Oscar Preist (NSW)
3. James Sera (VIC)

TaG 125
1. Cody Brewczynski (NSW)
2. Jace Matthews (QLD)
3. Brendan Nelson (QLD)

X30
1. Pierce Lehane (NSW)
2. James Sera (VIC)
3. Jason Burns (Singapore)

KA2
1. Jaiden Pope (NSW)
2. James Wharton (VIC)
3. Taylor Hazard (NSW)

KA1
1. Scott Sorensen (QLD)
2. Josh Denton (SA)
3. Lachie Dalton (TAS)

KZ2
1. Josh Fife (ACT)
2. Aaron Cameron (VIC)
3. Jason Faint (QLD)

For the Full Results please CLICK HERE

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
After 3 of 5 Rounds

Cadet 9
1. Lewis Francis 165
2. Peter Bouzinelos 131
3. Max Walton 110

Cadet 12
1. Marcos Flack 163
2. James Piszcyk 159
3. Harry Arnett 129

KA4 Juniot
1. Rhys Smith 163
2. Fletcher Harris 137
3. Hugh Barter 126

KA3 Senior
1. Matthew McLean 155
2. James Sera 134
3. Oscar Priest 119

TAG 125
1. Brendan Nelson 172
2. Cody Brewczynski 145
3. Kody Garland 123

X30
1. Cody Gillis 160
2. Harrison Hoey 124
3. Cameron Longmore 119

KA2
1. Kai Allen 125
2. Jai Brown 115
3. Jaiden Pope 113

KA1
1. Scott Sorensen 168
2. Lachlan Dalton 154
3. Joshua Denton 139

KZ2
1. Aaron Cameron 174
2. Joshua Fife 142
3. Troy Loeskow 116

For the Full Standings CLICK HERE.