Joel keen for rookies title - From the Morning Bulletin

(http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/joel-keen-for-rookies-title/2444456/)

MIXING IT UP: Some of CQ’s best kart drivers will be in action at Gladstone on the weekend. (Pic: Luka Kauzlaric)

JOEL Jamieson is on track to claim the rookies title as he heads into the fourth and final round of the CQ Kart Series in Gladstone this weekend.

The Rockhampton Formula K Kart Club driver is sitting on top after solid performances at the first three rounds in Emerald, Bundaberg and Rockhampton.

Fellow Rockhampton drivers Ashley MacMaster, Andrew McLeod, Olivia Bell and Ty Spencer could also score podium finishes if they perform well in their respective classes on Saturday and Sunday.

MacMaster, the vice-president of the Rockhampton club, is currently in fourth in the Tag 125 Heavy class.

He said the opening rounds of the series had been closely contested and he was not expecting anything different this weekend.

Drivers complete a qualifying session before competing in four races. Kart tracks are on average 750m and races range from 10km to 12km.

MacMaster said this year’s CQ Series was the largest to date, with an average of 140 drivers competing at each round.

He said race times had been getting quicker and quicker with each round and he expected some red-hot times in Gladstone.

MacMaster has been involved in karting for about six years.

He said he loved the thrill of the contest.

“It is something you’ve really got to experience,” MacMaster said. “Going up to 100kmh, sitting 2cm off the ground, is quite a thrill in itself.”