Successful Weekend for BirelART Australia at Monarto

Brad Jenner crossing the line for his second win of the event (Pic: Coopers Photography)

Victorian Brad Jenner has headlined a successful outing for BirelART Australia as part of round two of the Australian Kart Championship at the Monarto Kart Complex in South Australia by claiming the victory and state titles in both X30 and KATAG while Tom Williamson Motorsport local talent Jonathon Mangos managed to secure pole position in just his second outing in the KZ2 category.

Brad Jenner – X30 and KATAG
A positive start to the weekend for Brad Jenner on the back of his round win in X30 at Todd Road saw him qualify second, within 0.02 seconds of pole position with a 43.990. After taking second in heat one, Jenner stepped up to secure victory in heat two and three, therefore placing him on pole position for the weekend’s final. In one of the closest finishes seen in a race all season, Brad secured the win by just 0.04 seconds, handing him the state title and back-to-back round wins in the X30 class.

After claiming pole position by 0.1 seconds in KATAG with a 44.597, Jenner went on to claim a clean sweep of wins throughout the three heat races, thus placing him on pole for the final race of the weekend. In addition to setting the fastest time of the race on lap ten of twenty, Brad went on to take the win by 1.2 seconds in the final, securing his second state title for the event.

“It became an ideal weekend for us, to take the wins in both X30 and KATAG and to also come away with two further state titles to add to my list of career achievements was an incredible feeling. The karts worked so well all weekend and I’m looking forward to getting to Ipswich where I have had good results and top level success in the past.”

Brad Stewart – X30
In his first meeting as part of the BirelART Australia team, Brad Stewart qualified with a quickest time of 44.415, placing him in 16th for the start of the three heat races. The heats the saw Stewart take 14th and 16th in the opening two encounters, before a DNF in heat three soured his beginning to the weekend with the results placing Brad in 22nd for the start of the final. An impressive progression throughout the 20-lap final, including matching his fastest lap time with that of teammate and eventual winner, Brad Jenner, Stewart secured ninth by the race completion.

“We had a mixed weekend, only managing to finish as high as 14th in the three heat races, however we were encouraged with good pace in the final, starting 22nd and working our way to 9th. For the first meeting in the BirelART chassis, I feel as though we have made good progress and are in a good position to progress further in future rounds.”

Josh Smith – KZ2
A very close qualifying session saw Townsville’s Josh Smith secure tenth with a 42.711, just 0.05 seconds from the quickest time. A DNF in heat one was improved upon by Smith by taking 17th in heat two, with a further climb up the order in heat three, taking seventh. The results subsequently placed Josh in 14th for the beginning of the final. A fierce battle within the 25-lap final displayed an array of close racing with Josh picking his way through to 12th by the completion of the race.

“All in all it was a pretty good weekend, I believe our pace was quite good however we just lacked track position all weekend. We had mixed results in the heats, improving in the final run before the final, though the pace seemed to drop off for us a bit in the final on the new tyres but overall I’m really happy with the team and the reliability of both the kart and engine and definitely have the speed to be running at the front so I’m really looking forward to the next round in Ipswich.”

Jonathon Mangos – KZ2
The perfect beginning to Jonathon Mangos’ hometown KZ2 debut came with pole position in qualifying, recording a 42.664, placing his BirelART on the front row for the weekend’s three heat races. Despite a DNF in heat one, Mangos returned to secure second in heat two and fifth in heat three, placing himself in seventh for the start of the final. Mid-race pace for Mangos saw the South Australian record his quickest time on lap eleven of the final with a 42.892 before settling to take eighth to cap off a successful weekend.

“I’ve put a lot of effort into the lead up to the Monarto round, focussing in particular on my physical fitness to ensure it is where it needs to be. We worked really hard as a team and to achieve pole position was incredible for myself, Tom Williamson Motorsport and BirelART Australia. I can’t thank the whole team enough and I’m looking forward to the next round.”

Steve Macken – Team Principal
“It was a great weekend for the whole BirelART Australia team. Brad Jenner was a standout, taking the wins in both X30 and KATAG and for Jonathon Mangos to take pole position at his home track was a great spectacle. It was great to see success for our two Tom Williamson Motorsport drivers throughout the three days. Our whole team learnt so much and we look forward to putting it all into practice at the next round in Ipswich.”

The next major event for BirelART Australia is round four of the Rotax Pro Tour that takes place at Warwick, Queensland from 5-7 June.