05/03/2010

CIK STARS OF KARTING SERIES GIVES NEWCASTLE A BUZZ

The atmosphere around the Newcastle Kart Track was a buzz today with the CIK Stars of Karting Series firing into action for practice ahead of round one at the venue this weekend.

The series, that was responsible for fine-tuning the skills of V8 Supercar stars Jamie Whincup and Mark Winterbottom, is making a return to the track this year after a five-year hiatus and the karting community is excited about it's return.

Two of the favourites in the Pro Light (KF1) category are Newcastle drivers Hayden McBride, the defending champion, and Simon Roberts.

McBride was one of the pacesetters during practice today aboard his Gillard kart ahead of Kosmic driver Damen Radosevic (Gwandalan, NSW). Roberts also put some strong times throughout the day aboard his High Roller Energy CRG.

“It is great to have my name on the champions list alongside the likes of Jamie Whincup and Mark Winterbottom but now the focus has turned towards getting back to back crowns in 2010,” said McBride.

“Today was a really good day and I’ve got a good feeling ahead of the weekend. Damien was fast today, and was also fast here last year, and I think Simon will be tough to beat, however, I'm confident and hopeful of starting off the year with a good result”

In the Pro Gearbox (KZ2) category it was young gun James Kovacic (Forresters Beach, NSW) who appeared the fastest driver throughout the day.

Closely following Kovacic was Matthew Wall (Sunbury, VIC) and his JT Team Pacific team-mate Christopher Hays (Gold Coast, QLD) also posted some competitive times aboard his Vodafone-backed Tony Kart.

Today was the first time that the Pro Junior (KF3) drivers took to the circuit aboard the 125cc Vortex KF3-specification engines and it was Sydney drivers Pierce Lehane and Jake Coleman leading the way.

The CRG pair will be looking to continue their pace across the weekend against the likes of Jonathan Venter (Beecroft, NSW), Trent Grubel (Meani, NSW) and Jake Klarich (Mariginiup, WA).

Almost 100 drivers are set to take to the circuit for the opening round of competition across the six categories being contested. In addition to the three Pro categories the up and coming competitors will contest the opening round of the East Coast Title for Clubman and Junior National while local competitors will battle it out in the TaG Restricted category.

Qualifying and heat races will be held tomorrow ahead of the finals on Sunday. Admission for spectators is free.

The Newcastle Kart Club is located on Cameron Park Drive, Cameron Park.

About the CIK Stars of Karting Series
The CIK Stars of Karting Series is the elite level of karting competition in Australia.

The CIK (Commission Internationale de Karting) is the specialised Karting commission of the FIA, the governing body of world motor sport.

Competitors in the series use similar equipment to that used in the European and World Championships.

The 2010 series will be run over four rounds with the opening round in Newcastle (March 5-7) followed by Ipswich (May 7-9), Sydney's Eastern Creek (June 18-20) ahead of the finale at Melbourne's Todd Road circuit on August 6-8.

Running in conjunction with the series will be the Clubman and Junior National categories where competitors will be vying for the honour of becoming the East Coast Title holder. The winner of the Clubman class across the four rounds will receive a trip to the All Japan Kart Championships later in the year courtesy of the Yamaha Motor Company.

There will also be another 'local' class contested at each of the rounds. Former Champions of the CIK Stars of Karting Series include V8 Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup, Mark Winterbottom, Ryan Briscoe, Michael Caruso, Tim Slade, Troy Hunt, Andrew Thompson, Phillip Scifleet and Christian Jones.

Archived News

Local drivers Hayden McBride and Simon Roberts will battle for the Pro Light (KF1) honours this weekend. Pic: photowagon.com.au

McBride behind the wheel of his Gillard kart during practice today. Pic: photowagon.com.au

Matthew Wall and Chris Hays on the front row of a practice for Pro Gearbox (KZ2) today. Pic: photowagon.com.au