7th June 2011

KARTING ELITE TO TACKLE TODD ROAD NEXT WEEKEND (inc. Entry List)

Jake Spencer is the championship leader in the Pro Light (KF1) category. Pic: AF Images

Australia’s top kart racers will invade the Port Melbourne Karting Complex at Todd Road in Victoria next weekend to contest round three of the CIK Stars of Karting Series presented by Castrol EDGE.

With the June 18/19 event marking the midway point in the five-round series, the battle for the championship titles in each of the Pro Light (KF1), Pro Gearbox (KZ2) and Pro Junior (KF3) categories is heating up.

Fresh from a victory in the most recent round, local driver Jake Spencer leads the way in the chase for the James Courtney trophy, awarded to the Pro Light (KF1) Series Champion.

While Spencer will have the home track advantage next weekend, the JAM Racing driver is very aware of the high quality of opposition that will be snapping at his rear bumper.

“Coming into this year my aim was to win a round.  Winning the last round to take over the championship lead has meant that my goals have now moved to bigger ones and I’m very motivated to stay on top of the points standings,” said Spencer.

“Todd Road is one of the most physically demanding tracks in the country, so I’ve stepped up my training and testing since the last round to make sure I’m fully prepared on my home track.

“It’s going to be very tough to stay ahead of Adam Hughes, who is the reigning Victorian Champion, and Cian Fothergill, who is the reigning National Champion.  There are also a lot of other local Victorians, including my JAM Racing team-mates who know the Todd Road track well.”

Defending Pro Gearbox (KZ2) Champion Matthew Wall Pic: AF Images

Victorian Matthew Wall is the defending series champion in the Pro Gearbox (KZ2) category. However, a disastrous round in South Australia during April sees him now placed third in the standings, 12 points adrift of points leader Kel Treseder.

With the top six competitors in the Pro Gearbox (KZ2) points standings separated by a mere 18 points, the battle for the John Pizarro Trophy is heating up.

“This year’s championship is definitely a lot more competitive than last year with a heap of new drivers who are competitive near the front of the field,” said Wall.

“I’ve been testing a new BRM chassis over the past month or so but I haven’t been able to get the most out of yet, so I’ll be reverting back to the chassis that carried me to last year’s title.  I really need to take full advantage of the home track advantage and get as many points on the board as possible.”

Victorian Thomas Randle has been impressive since making his debut in the elite junior category, Pro Junior (KF3), at the start of 2011 aboard his FA Kart.

Randle continues to close the gap to pre-championship favourites Pierce Lehane and Joseph Mawson along with round two winner Jake Klarich, and with a home track advantage next weekend will be one to watch.

Thomas Randle in action behind the wheel of his FA Kart Pic: AF Images

Also being contested alongside the three Pro categories will be the Yamaha Challenge for Clubman and Junior National categories where Lydon Dodge and James Abela both hold commanding leads.

In addition to the local competitors in the series categories, there will be close to 20 drivers line up in the 125 TaG Restricted class.

Practice for the round will be held from 11am on Friday June 17 ahead of qualifying and heat races on Saturday June 18.  The Round Finals will be contested on Sunday June 19 from 9am.  Admission for spectators is free.

CIK STARS OF KARTING SERIES presented by Castrol EDGE

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
Top Five after Round 2 of 5

Pro Light (KF1)
1.         Jake Spencer – 138
2.         Grant Smith – 120
3.         Cian Fothergill – 110
4.         Adam Hughes – 108
5.         Matthew Waters – 107

Pro Gearbox (KZ2)
1.         Kel Treseder    126
2.         Tyler Greenbury    115
3.         Matthew Wall    114
4.         Scott Taylor    113
5.         Jason Pringle    109

Pro Junior (KF3)
1.         Pierce Lehane – 153
2.         Jake Klarich – 141
3.         Joseph Mawson – 132
4.         Brock Plumb – 118
5.         Jake Coleman – 113

YAMAHA CHALLENGE
Clubman
1.         Lydon Dodge – 160
2.         Aaron Borg – 112
3.         Brett Robinson – 107
4.         Brooke Topp – 101
5.         Brenton Simonds – 100

Junior National
1.         James Abela – 134
2.         Stefan Stankovic – 126
3.         Callum Walker – 106
4.         James Duckworth – 96
5.         Mitchell Kennedy – 93

To view the full championship points please click here

To view the entry list please click here