1st October 2014

Success for Rochester drivers - From the Riverine Herald

Five riders from the Rochester Go Kart Club returned from the recent Australasian Go Kart Titles with red plates.

Rochester Go Karting enthusiasts (from back left) Jason Archer, Rod Campbell, Gerry Westerveld, Stefan Moore, Pete Sloan, Daryl Buck; (front) Fletcher Harris.

Drivers from across the country, including those from Rochester, met at Numurkah recently to burn rubber at the Australasian Go Kart Titles.

Five riders from the Rochester Go Kart Club returned with red plates, while many competitors had podium finishes or placed in the top 10 in their respective classes.

Reigning sportsman restricted over 40s at 170kg champion Rod Campbell said he was under a wall of pressure to perform well at the event.

But the veteran rider came home with the goods.

‘‘I was a little bit nervous about defending my title,’’ he said.

‘‘But it was my third time at the event and I think the day went fairly well.

‘‘There wasn’t too many bumps or hiccups in the road for me personally.’’

The competition is a breeding ground for young karters to gain experience ahead of national and state titles.

And Campbell said it was impressive to see so many competitors from Rochester, in particular young drivers, hit the track.

‘‘I reckon we had about 15 to 20 (from Rochester) competitors head down to the event,’’ he said.

‘‘Boys from the age of nine competed which is great.

‘‘Little Fletcher Harris is our youngster and he does really well and finished fifth in the cadets.’’

Other Rochester Red Plate victors were Gerry Westerveld (junior national light), Pete Sloan (sportsman restricted super heavy), Stefan Moore (sportsman restricted light) and Hayden Dodman (tag 125 light).

Daryl Buck finished second in sportsman restricted over 40s at 170kg, Jason Archer placed third in junior national light and Regan Clapham was fourth in junior clubman.

Campbell said the next karting event on his calendar was the Golden Power Series in Puckapunyal which takes place in early November.