11th November 2010

Another ACT region motorsports driver gunning for a world title this month!

Tony Prendergast with Mark Webber earlier this year

Australian Masters Rotax DD2 kart champion, Tony Prendergast from Canberra, hopes the advice of formula one star Mark Webber will help him on to the podium at the Rotax World Championship Grand Final in Italy this month. The event, from November 14-21, will be held at one of the best go kart tracks in the world, La Conca, in southern Italy.

Earlier this year, Prendergast enjoyed a rare opportunity to get some driving tips and racing lines off Webber at the Canberra kart track. The Queanbeyan-born Webber was in Canberra visiting his parents before the Australian GP in Melbourne in March and wanted a practise session at his old kart track where he had raced karts as a boy.

Prendergast had a two-hour session with Webber driving Rotax DD2 karts and the experience was one to remember.

”Mark was fantastic,” Prendergast said. ”I couldn’t believe it when he offered to have a spin around the track with me in the karts. It was an unbelievable experience. Hopefully, I can put his tips to good use on the track in Italy.”

Prendergast, who was crowned the 2010 Rotax Masters DD2 Australian champion at Ipswich in September, is the first driver from the ACT to be part of Team Australia’s assault on the Rotax World Final, and the first masters driver from Australia to be invited. There are only 10 drivers (two Juniors and eight Seniors) that make up Team Australia, with a maximum of 250 competitors over five classes from around the world it is a special honour to make it to the Rotax World Grand Final.

”It’s a great thrill, a real dream come true, to be able to represent my country on the world stage at such a prestigious kart meeting,” Prendergast said. ”We’ve got a great team heading over to Italy and I think we’ll give the other countries a run for their money.”

Over the past two years, Prendergast, 38, has been competing in the National Rotax Pro Tour series in which he competes in a Rotax DD2 (Open Performance, 2 speed gearbox class). The Rotax Pro Tour is a four-round series that is held at tracks along the east coast of Australia, as well as a grand final (Rotax Nationals), which determines the Rotax champions for each year. The winners of each class championship have the opportunity to go to the Rotax World Grand Final, which is held each year at different kart tracks around the world.