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29th July 2012

HARD CHARGING WIN FOR CIAN FOTHERGILL IN SYDNEY (inc. video highlights)

Maiden Pro Junior win for Thomas Randle as Kyle Ensbey regains the Pro Gearbox lead

Cian Fothergill celebrating his victory in Pro Light (KF1) at Eastern Creek (Pic: AF Images/Budd)

Former Series Champion Cian Fothergill put in a sterling drive on his way to victory at Round Four of the 2012 CIK Stars of Karting Series presented by Castrol EDGE at Sydney’s Eastern Creek International Karting Raceway today.

After being forced onto the sidelines in the opening 25-lap encounter, the Kosmic Racing Australia driver charged his way from the last row on the grid to secure victory in the second Pro Light (KF1) final.

The win in the second main event was Fothergill’s 12th since he made his debut in the elite series at the start of 2010, and ensures that he remains in contention for the James Courtney trophy with one round remaining.

Courtesy of his victory, Fothergill’s name will be the first that will be etched on the Franco Guiatoli Memorial Shield.

“Starting from the back is not ideal but when the race is 25 laps long, you can afford to take your time a little bit when passing people,” said Fothergill.

“While it was disappointing not to finish the opening final, it was good to have the pace that I did in the final to move up the order and become the first driver to win the Franco Guaitoli shield.”

Behind Fothergill, his Kosmic counterpart Daniel Rochford also charged through the field to finish runner-up with reigning champion Jake Spencer ensuring that the Italian chassis dominated the podium.

By virtue of winning the opening final, Adam Hughes was crowned the NSW State Champion and also took over the championship lead for the first time in his career.

Pre-round favourite Joseph Mawson had a round he’d rather forget and was plagued with mechanical issues across the weekend. At the other end of the scale Harrington Doyle Racing’s Brooke Topp continues to impress with a strong run near the front of the field.

Thomas Randle celebrating his maiden Pro Junior (KF3) win (Pic: AF Images/Budd)

Victorian Thomas Randle put an end to Cameron Hill’s run of wins in the Pro Junior (KF3) ranks with victory in both of today’s 25-lap main events.

Randle opened up a gap over the field early in the race before being chased down and challenged by Hill late in the race. While close enough to pressure, Hill was never close enough to mount a serious challenge as Randle claimed a clean sweep of the finals.

It is the first time Randle has won a round of the series, it is also the first time he has finished on the podium.

“Last round I blew an engine in the pre-final and had to start last, but this round everything went to plan and got to front then managed to hold it,” said Randle.

“It feels great to be standing up here on the podium – let alone on the top step!”

Hill’s second place, and mechanical issues for his title rivals, has provided him a handy buffer in the chase for the Jon Targett trophy.

Behind the leading duo, there was a titanic battle for the final place on the podium with Brock Plumb, Lachlan McHugh, Lachlan Gibbons and James Abela. In the end it was Plumb who claimed third by the narrowest of margins ahead of McHugh.

Patrizicorse Top Kart driver Kyle Ensbey leading Lee Mitchener in Pro Gearbox (KZ2) (Pic: AF Images/Budd)

Patrizicorse driver Kyle Ensbey continued his love affair with the Eastern Creek circuit by claiming his second win in as many visits to the Sydney venue aboard a Pro Gearbox (KZ2) machine. The Queenslander, who also regained the championship lead as a result of his victory, finished ahead of Formula K Australia driver Lee Mitchener and CRG driver Tyler Greenbury.

“It’s great to be back in the lead of the championship, it was disappointing to lose it at the last round but now to come back and win both finals and be successful in the heats is great,” said Ensbey.

“I was strong at Todd Road (venue of the final round) last year, so hopefully I can have a win there and walk away with the championship.”

Behind Greenbury came Chris Hays and Jason Pringle, who now sit second and third in the chase for the John Pizarro Trophy awarded to the Pro Gearbox (KZ2) Champion.

The action came thick and fast in the Yamaha Challenge categories, with CRG driver Bryce Davidson victorious in a nail-bighting Clubman final. Davidson, Jason Burns, Nathan Tigani and Brody Chardon swapped the front running on a number of occasions before Davidson emerged as the victor.

Despite enduring a challenging weekend, series leader James Greenwood now enters the final round with an almost insurmountable lead in the standings.

Victorian William Hawkes continues to edge closer to the lead in the Junior National Light standings with victory. Second behind Hawkes was series leader Gus Flynn, who was followed by Jayden Ojeda. In the Junior National Heavy ranks, Mitchell Kennedy snared the win over Reece Davidson and Nicholas Rowe.

In the Australian Leopard Challenge, local driver Pierce Lehane proved too good for his opposition in the Light category. The Exprit driver was nothing short of dominant on his way to victory ahead of Arrow’s Ben Stewart and series leader Jedd Stojakovic.

Despite having issues in qualifying that forced him to start from the rear of the grid in the heat races, CRG driver Jason Hryniuk used all of his experience to claim the win in the Heavy category ahead of Queenslander Kris Walton and Michael Griffiths.

The fifth, and final, round of Australia’s elite karting championship will be contested at the Port Melbourne Karting Complex in Victoria on September 22/23.

2012 CIK Stars of Karting Series
presented by Castrol EDGE

Round 4 of 5 – Eastern Creek, NSW

RESULTS: Top Five

PRO LIGHT (KF1)
1. Cian Fothergill (Gladstone, QLD) – Kosmic/IAME
2. Daniel Rochford (Narre Warren, Vic) – Kosmic/IAME
3. Jake Spencer (Wantirna, Vic) – Kosmic/IAME
4. Adam Hughes (Mentone, Vic) – Kosmic/IAME
5. Matthew Waters (Horsley Park, NSW) – Kosmic/IAME

PRO GEARBOX (KZ2)
1. Kyle Ensbey (Sunshine Coast, QLD) – Top Kart/TM
2. Lee Mitchener (Greensborough, Vic) – Formula K/Maxter
3. Tyler Greenbury (Toowoomba, QLD) – CRG/Maxter
4. Chris Hays (Gold Coast, QLD) – Energy/TM
5. Jason Pringle (Essendon, Vic) – CRG/Maxter

PRO JUNIOR (KF3)
1. Thomas Randle (Narre Warren, Vic) – FA Kart/Vortex
2. Cameron Hill (Canberra, ACT) – Top Kart/Vortex
3. Brock Plumb (Forrest Lake, QLD) – Arrow/Vortex
4. Lachlan McHugh (Gold Coast, QLD) – Intrepid/Vortex
5. Lachlan Gibbons (Kings Langley) – Kosmic/Vortex

YAMAHA CHALLENGE
Clubman
1. Bryce Davidson
2. Jason Burns
3. Nathan Tigani
4. Brody Chardon
5. Gordon Wilson

Junior National Light
1. William Hawkes
2. Gus Flynn
3. Jayden Ojeda
4. Russell Whittaker
5. Anthony Colombrita

Junior National Heavy
1. Mitchell Kennedy
2. Reece Davidson
3. Nicholas Rowe
4. Brodie Tilbrook
5. Samuel Schwarz

AUSTRALIAN LEOPARD CHALLENGE
Leopard Light
1. Pierce Lehane
2. Ben Stewart
3. Jedd Stojakovic
4. Adam Mercer
5. Mitchell Hewitt

Leopard Heavy
1. Jason Hryniuk
2. Kris Walton
3. Michael Griffiths
4. Matthew Boylan
5. Elle Brydon

The full results can be found by clicking here.

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS – Top Five after round 4 of 5

PRO LIGHT (KF1)
1. Adam Hughes 510
2. Daniel Rochford 501
3. Jake Spencer 476
4. Cian Fothergill 469
5. Joseph Mawson 431

PRO GEARBOX (KZ2)
1. Kyle Ensbey 498
2. Chris Hays 485
3. Jason Pringle 479
4. Tyler Greenbury 467
5. Lee Mitchener 438

PRO JUNIOR (KF3)
1. Cameron Hill 535
2. Jake Coleman 473
3. Brock Plumb 458
4. Joseph Burton-Harris 452
5. Thomas Randle 437

YAMAHA CHALLENGE
Clubman
1. James Greenwood 303
2. Brenton Simonds 224
3. Samantha Millar 187
4. Daniel Nolan 185
=4. Chris Farkas 185

Junior National Light
1. Jayden Ojeda 217
2. William Hawkes 206
3. Justin Ford 173
4. Russell Whittaker 142
5. Drew Ridge 113

Junior National Heavy
1. Torey Blanch 173
2. Mitchell Kennedy 151
3. Reece Davidson 140
4. Thomas Chitty 128
5. James Duckworth 125

AUSTRALIAN LEOPARD CHALLENGE
Leopard Light
1. Jedd Stojakovic 282
2. Adam Mercer 233
3. Iain McDougall 226
4. Ben Stewart 224
5. Adam Willison 221

Leopard Heavy
1. Michael Griffiths 288
2. Matthew Boylan 230
3. Travis Martin 227
4. Gaven Whitmore 209
5. Michael Hazelton 207