18th January 2012

GO KARTING Success for karters - From the Benalla Ensign

GO KARTING Success for karters – From the Benalla Ensign

It’s been a massive season for local karters Ellexandra Best, Zakkary Best and mum Treena Best, who competed in the 10-round Albury and Wodonga Club Championship and finished with fantastic results.

The Best family are members of the Albury and Wodonga Kart Club.

In his third year of competing, Zakkary, 10, competed in the Midget’s category (age seven to 11 years), and was defending his Midgets championship title after winning the past two years.

This season saw Zakkary keep to his winning form, taking out first place in eight of the rounds and claiming a hat trick of three consecutive championship wins.

It was one of many highlights for Zakkary this season, which also saw him competing for the first time in the Victorian Open, and representing Australian Karting Association at the V8 supercars Sandown Round, where he drove on the track with Jamie Whincup and James Courtney, shared breakfast with the drivers and spent time in the Ford pits area.

Twelve-year-old Ellexandra competed in the Rookies division (age 10-13 years), for the second year.

Ellexandra has been racing karts since the age of seven, and in previous years had been runner-up three times and third in the club championship.

Hungry to win the championship this year, Ellexandra started the season off well and continued her outstanding form, winning eight of the 10 rounds to take out the championship for Rookies class.

Having secured the Rookies club championship, Ellexandra moved up to the Juniors division for the October and November rounds where she competed in two classes, Junior National Light and Junior National Heavy.

Ellexandra adapted well to the larger and heavier kart, which resulted in her finishing third outright in the November round in Junior National Light class.

‘‘My favourite event this year was the winning my first ever Club Championship having been runner-up four times and coming third in my second Junior Light race,’’ Ellexandra said.
Like Ellexandra

Zakkary, also took part in the V8 experience, and said it was ‘‘very exciting, spending time with Lee Holdsworth, sitting in his car in the pits, meeting Garry Rogers and driving my kart on Sandown Raceway’’.

She also drove in the Golden Power Series, a state five round championship, travelling to Morwell, Wodonga, Rochester, Bendigo and Puckapunyal, where she placed an impressive 13th.

Not to be outdone, Treena, in her first karting season, competed at the Australian Ladies event in Senior National Heavy class, finishing sixth outright.

She won seven rounds of the club championship, securing the Senior National Heavy Championship and in doing so, broke the track record on two occasions.