3rd June 2015

PRO TOUR DRIVERS FLOCK TO WARWICK

Victorian country driver Kai Allen has delivered consistent performances in the early rounds of Mini Max (Pic: Coopers Photography)

The Rotax Pro Tour will make its first trip to Queensland this weekend as part of the 2015 National Series season, contesting round four at Warwick’s Sandy Creek Raceway. In line with the new series rules, the event, in conjunction with the Grand Finale at Ipswich in October will form part of the Queensland Rotax State Titles, adding more interest to the weekend’s results, with an already strong focus on Rotax rankings after the first three rounds.

The Warwick event marks the first in Australian Karting history that the ‘Micro Max’ class will feature as part of a racing event. After first being established at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in 2012, Micro Max makes its debut downunder with some of the country’s biggest teams fielding drivers in the inaugural group including JT Motorsport’s Oscar Targett and IP Karting’s Jack Westbury.

An ever growing field in Mini Max with 24 entries and series points leader, Bayley Douglas, competing at his first of the year in his home state will be sure to look to extend his lead over nearest rival, Kai Allen. Callum Bishop, Baydon Phillips, Jaiden Pope and James Wharton are all within striking distance of the top three placing’s in the series as the category continues to grow in its presence as part of the Pro Tour.

Reece Cohen continues to hold the lead in the Junior Max Trophy points with one round win to his name (Pic: Coopers Photography)

The round wins have been shared across the opening three events of the Pro Tour season in the Junior Max Trophy category. New Zealand’s Matthew Payne has taken two victories from three starts, however he sits second in the points, with Reece Cohen having snared the top podium placing in Dubbo, holding the series lead by just 300 points. Just 39 points separate West Australian Aaron Love and Lucas Lichtenberger from NSW approaching this weekend, with both drivers on foreign soil, the competition should be close for the third placing in the rankings.

A field of 57 Junior Max drivers will take to the Warwick Kart track this weekend in the largest field of the eight categories, reflecting the ongoing strength in the global junior karting formula in Australia. Reigning National Champion Zane Morse has been almost unstoppable in the last two rounds, setting a high benchmark for success in the competitive field. A string of consistent results for Reece Sidebottom and Joshua Car, in addition to his round win at Todd Road, have the pair attempting to chase down a 1,700 point lead that is held by Morse. New Zealand’s Dylan Drysdale has continued to impress across the year, now holding fourth in the points ahead of Dylan Hollis.

Daniel Rochford leads the rankings in Rotax Light following his full-time return to the Pro Tour in 2015 (Pic: Coopers Photography)

In his full-time return to the Pro Tour, Victorian Daniel Rochford has opened up a slender points lead in Rotax Light after a trio of impressive results in the first three rounds. Less than 400 points separate Rochford and Pierce Lehane who returns after another strong performance for Strawberry Racing in the Rotax Max Euro Challenge in Italy last weekend. After a pair of unfortunate results in Albury, current Australian Champion Brad Jenner has consolidated his position in third in the points, with a hard charging Cody Gillis encroaching on the top three, following a change in chassis brand ahead of the last round.

The dominance of Chris Farkas in recent rounds in Rotax Heavy holds him as the favourite to take the win, with the Queenslander having a myriad of fellow statesman embarking on success at Warwick. Former National Champion Brendan Nelson returns for the first time in the year, while Farkas’ closest point’s challenger, Regan Payne and the current New Zealand Rotax Heavy Champion, Lane Moore will also be amongst the challengers for victory.

Troy Woolston is chasing the lead in series points in DD2 at Warwick (Pic: Coopers Photography)

Victory for Jason Pringle at the last round in Albury helped to cement the Victorian in a strong lead in the Rotax rankings in DD2 as he continues his chase for yet another appearance for Team Australia at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. Early season consistency for Troy Woolston has him battling with Queensland local Ryan Kennedy who stunned the field in Albury by taking pole and a string of race victories for the remaining two seats in the class. Jordan Boys will be looking to rebound from a weekend of mixed results at his home event last time out in an effort to move further up the point’s ladder while Toowoomba’s Will Brown will be on the nearest track to his home city and should be amongst the challengers for the top results.

Victorian Daniel Richert has become the standout performer in DD2 Masters in the first half of the Pro Tour season, opening up a significant points lead over Albury based driver, Danny Wright. Klinton Hancey currently sits third and has traditionally delivered impressive results in his home state with the Queenslander having a close challenger for his third place in the rankings with current number one plate holder, Adam Hunter sitting just 35 points behind Hancey. After taking his first round win in the series in Dubbo and backing that up with success ‘across the ditch’ in the New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge Series, Scott Howard will be out to secure further results at the top end of the field.
Round 4 of 2015 Rotax Pro Tour takes place at Warwick, QLD from 5-7 June.

To follow the event online throughout the weekend, Like Rotax Pro Tour on Facebook, Follow Rotax Pro Tour on Twitter and tune into the live audio commentary via Ustream at www.rotax.com.au/streaming.html