19th June 2014

Macken on double duties as Kennedy and Andrews make switch to Birel - From Birel Kartsport Australia

Queensland’s Mitchell Maddren is currently the highest placed Birel Kartsport Australia driver in the Junior Max rankings (Pic: Coopers Photography)

Birel Kartsport Australia has increased its presence on-track ahead of the sixth round of the 2014 Rotax Pro Tour with James Macken set to contest both DD2 and Rotax Light, while fellow Queenslander’s Ryan Kennedy and Nicholas Andrews have made the switch to the Birel and RK Kart chassis respectively under their G-Force Karting banner as the first round of the season in the sunshine state approaches.

Macken will contest the DD2 races in the Birel chassis and Rotax Light in the RK Kart and he admits it will be a busy weekend as he faces two qualifying sessions, six heat races and four finals across the two days. In the last appearance of the Rotax Pro Tour at the Warwick circuit, James qualified third in Rotax Light and second in DD2 before finishing fourth in the two speed gearbox category.

“I will certainly be kept busy over the two days, I’ve had some good results in the past few years at Warwick including taking victory in Rotax Light back in 2011. Warwick is one of my favourite tracks and our testing has us showing some promising speed ahead of this weekend,” Macken said.

Ryan Kennedy currently sits third in the series rankings for Rotax Light with two rounds aswell as the National Championships remaining and the Queenslander has made the switch to the Birel chassis. In addition, team mate Nicholas Andrews who steps up to Rotax Light at Warwick has made the switch to the RK Kart chassis while also competing with the G-Force Karting team.

Victorian Brad Jenner is hoping for more silverware this weekend having taken victory at the last round in Geelong, subsequently extending his lead in the Rotax Light rankings.

Veteran Troy Bretherton returns to the seat this round as part of the Birel Kartsport Australia team competing in the DD2 category and he is hopeful of a quick return to the fast paced form he has previously experienced.

The trio of Joshua Car, Hunter McElrea and Mitchell Maddren are set to compete in the Junior Max category after mixed results in Geelong. For McElrea and Maddren, it’s their first Pro Tour round of the season on home soil in Queensland and the pair will be looking to use their experience at the Warwick track to progress up the field. Birel Kartsport Australia supported driver Jye Hopkins will also be in the Junior Max Trophy Class at Warwick.

The schedule for the weekend consists of practice on Friday, with one eight minute qualifying session and three 12 lap heats on Saturday before an 18 lap pre-final and 22 lap final on Sunday.

The next event for Birel Kartsport Australia will be round six of the 2014 Rotax Pro Tour at Warwick, Queensland from June 20-22.