Silverware up for grabs - From the North West Star

Lagoon Park Raceway will come alive for the final round of the 2014 Mount Isa Karting Championships this weekend.

With the overall points championship already wrapped up, the Mount Isa Kart Club’s annual club championships will provide karters with the chance to take home some silverware.

The unique format for the event will see each class head out on to the track for an all-important five-minute qualifying session, which will set the grid order for the first two heats. With passing opportunities limited around the tight and twisting track, this will be the most important session of the year to date.

Karters as young as seven will compete in the cadets, who will be the first class to hit the track. After showing impressive speed last round, Liam Wise will head into the event as favourite, but he will have his work cut out for him with his main championship rival, Tara Sidnell, hot on his heels and looking to end her 2014 campaign on a high.

After showing great speed in the past few races, Rhys Bond will be the dark horse in the field and will be looking to capitalise on any mistakes from the front pair.

Set to provide plenty of action for spectators to enjoy will be the junior national light class.

After enduring a tough time last race, Anthony Rowsell will be out to make amends and will head into the event as one of the favourites, along with Paul Thirlwall, who will look to continue his strong form from the previous round.

Alissa Sidnell and Anthony English will also be ones to watch out for after both showed they had the speed required to run at the front of the field.

Senior sportsman heavy is expected to be one of the biggest fields of the night with six starters expected to line up.

After showing impressive speed, in what was only their first race meet, newcomers to the class, Liam Crowther and Adam King, will line up against class regulars Trevor Hollyman, Mark Bond and Thomas Glasson, in what is expected to be a close fight between all for the top step of the podium.

Anthony Rowsell and Paul Thirlwall will be back on track again as they contest the junior clubman class.

The class is designed to provide competitors with more power than that of the junior light class.

With the pair showing impressive speed throughout the year, the racing is expected to be tight between them.

In the TAG 100, Guy Hicks, who won the event at the Emerald Kart Club, will start out as one of the early favourites with Trevor Hollyman, Garry Puttock and Mick Molloy all capable of taking the win.

The final class for the night will be the senior open performance class.

A new addition to the schedule, the class uses higher performance 125cc motors with drivers capable of producing lap times up to one second quicker than the regular senior classes.

The favourite heading into the event will be Mark Bond, who dominated the early running of the class.

Paul White and Kevin Rowsell will also be ones to watch out for as they have both pushed Bond all the way for the win in recent rounds.

Qualifying action starts at 4pm followed by racing under lights tomorrow at Lagoon Park Raceway off Bendall Drive.

Admission is free with shaded grandstand seating and canteen facilities available.