29th October 2015

SONS OF GUNS ON THE GRID IN GEELONG THIS WEEKEND

Jack Doohan (middle) enjoying the spoils of victory at Round 2 of the 2015 Australian Kart Championship (Pic: Coopers Photography)

Motorsport fans around Australia will be familiar with the names Mick Doohan, Jason Bargwanna and Steve Richards enjoying success on the racetrack throughout the past two decades.

This weekend the trio will be taking a back seat as their sons line up at the final round of the 2015 Australian Kart Championship presented by Jayco and Castrol EDGE in Geelong.

All three will be in the same class of competition – KA Junior, for youngsters aged between 12 and 16 years old.

Jack Doohan, the son of five-time Moto GP World Champion Mick Doohan, is currently leading the points standings and is on track to claim the National Championship.

While Jack has spent the last three years competing at the national level, this weekend represents the debut on the national scene for third generation racer Clay Richards.

This weekend is Clay Richards’ first race in the Australian Kart Championship

With his father Steve, who won his fourth Bathurst 1000 three weeks ago alongside Craig Lowndes, in his corner, the focus for Clay Richards this weekend is about gaining experience and enjoying the competition at the highest level in Australia.

“This weekend is Clay’s first race at the National level, for him it’s all about gaining as much experience as possible and learning from the best drivers in the country,” said Richards.

“I remember my first National karting event back in 1989 in Orange and one of the lessons that I took from that race was that you never stop learning from watching and racing against the best in the business.”

Former Bathurst 1000 Champion Jason Bargwanna believes karting is just as much about the lessons learnt by his son Ben and his fellow competitors off the circuit as what it is about on-track success.

“As a youngster I grew up around the motorsport scene with my Dad and Uncle racing cars, it provided me with a great grounding for not only racing but life in general,” said Bargwanna.

“While being successful on the track is great, the sport also teaches these kids a lot about car control and driving techniques at a very young age. If you speak to any of the V8 Supercar drivers they’ll all tell you that most of the techniques they use today they learnt during their younger years in karting.

Third generation racer Ben Bargwanna (Pic: Coopers Photography)

“It’s also about the time off the circuit. The kids gain a lot of self-confidence by having to communicate with people of all ages and speak in front of people. This helps them with their communication skills and respect, which is vitally important all throughout their lives.

“Overall, it’s a great family sport and you meet some great people while making lifelong friendships.”

The event gets underway tomorrow with practice for the senior classes ahead of qualifying and the heat races for all classes on Saturday morning. The finals will be contested on Sunday, following which the 2015 Australian Karting Champions will be crowned.

The Geelong Kart Club is located on Broderick Road, Corio. Admission for Spectators is free.