ProKart ProKart Magazine
ProKart ProKart Magazine
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Issue 15: April 2012
ProKart ProKart Magazine
TORQUE IT UP: FROM THE EDITOR The 2012 season is well underway with 1 round of the National Championships and 2 individual rounds of both the Queensland and New South Wales Championships having already been contested. With the National round also counting towards the NSW championship, competitors in that state are more than a third of the way through their championship yet the championship is unbelievably tight with 3 separate winners so far. In Queensland however the situation is slightly different; 2 rounds in and both rounds have been won by the MF-Tech team and their KnK Dominator chassis. After also securing a 5th at the National round in what was their KnK debut with an all-new unraced chassis, the team is understandably feeling quite positive about their season so far. They haven’t had it easy however and there are a number of teams who continue to look like they will win in 2012. The series continues to improve and we’re now regularly seeing grids of approximately 20 or more in both NSW and QLD. It is rewarding to see the work of Tony, Amanda, Gary and the entire ProKart team generating these kinds of fields and they deserve all the appreciation and accolades we can offer them. If it wasn’t for their efforts and commitment none of us could continue to race in the series we all enjoy so much. It’s still 6 weeks away but teams are also starting their 24-hour preparations in earnest. With 20 teams already entered and the relentless pace being shown in all championship events this year, the 2012 ProKart Endurance Series 24-hour race at Tamworth could prove to be toughest yet. One thing is for certain, whoever wins will have thoroughly deserved their place in ProKart history. Until next time, keep it on the black stuff... Ian McMah
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The Prokart community recently lost a friend and true inspiration with the recent passing of Russell Pocock. Russell was an avid online racer as well as long-term ProKart competitor. His true love though was his family and one of his greatest joys was racing with his son Dustin; who continues in the series in a team named in honour of his father—RPM 24. Russell will be fondly remembered by everyone in the ProKart community and will never be forgotten. To the left is a picture of Russell at the only speed he knew—flat out (despite the fact it was pouring and he was on slicks!). RIP Champ. We will never forget you.
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Issue 15: April 2012
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Photo by Ian McMah
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TORQUE’N TOUGH •
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Azzurro Karts are reportedly looking to develop a new endurance chassis for the ProKart series. Azzurro karts have won many races and championships in ProKart competition and their likely return will be welcomed by all. Most competitors are aware that Honda have slightly changed the design and construction of the GX200 engine used by the ProKart series. ProKart are currently working to identify the best way to ensure parity when we introduce this new generation engine in the not-too-distant future.
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A new sponsor has joined the ProKart championship in Qld with AC Delco Power Tools providing prizes for the winners and supporting what will now be known as the “AC Delco Power Tools Hard Charger Award”. ProKart competitors will also be able to purchase discounted AC Delco products.
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With almost 20 teams regularly competing the Qld series is likely to further increase competitor numbers in the coming rounds with at least 5 new teams preparing to join.
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The 24 hour is almost upon us and many teams are working to finalise their driving line up. This event often brings new and high -profile drivers to the ProKart series so it will be interesting to see who takes the grid .
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Issue 15: April 2012
RPMotorsport 84 tribute decals In memorium of our great friend Russell Pocock and with the exceptional support of Cameron Harch and his team at Custom Decals, tribute stickers were made available to all ProKart competitors at no-cost, to commemorate and celebrate the memory of Russell and his eponymous RPMotorsport team. One of Russell’s greatest joys was to race in the “family” team with his son Dustin and it was indicative of the high regard and love everyone had for him that almost every Queensland team at Ipswich ran the decal and many have elected to run the decals all season. Decals are still available so if you’d like one please contact Ian McMah via email imcmah05@gmail.com
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ProKart ProKart Magazine
Issue 15: April 2012
RACE REPORT: NATIONALS Round 1: EASTERN CREEK
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Round 1 of the Track Safety International ProKart Championship Series was the first round in both the Australian and New South Wales Championships. With a number of new teams and a massive field of 33 entries, it was always going to be a challenge to finish unscathed. It was surprising therefore to see the top half dozen teams challenge for the lead well into the 9 hour event. A late safety car however meant the race effectively came down to a 15 minute sprint, at the end of which Starkey Motorsport’s #46 entry proved to be too good and ultimately won by a small but comfortable margin from Bells Pipes and Phantom Racing. Photo by Starkey Motorsport9
ProKart ProKart Magazine
Issue 15: April 2012
Press RELEASE: EASTERN CREEK Starkey Motorsport win opening National round Starkey Motorsport kart #46 has won the opening round of the Prokart Endurance Championships held overnight on February 18 on the Eastern Creek 1700m circuit. After a very long and busy off season, all four of the teams karts entered were ready to roll out in time for the opening practise session of the season, all running faultlessly in the lead up to qualifying. With 33 entrants into the event, qualifying was always going to be a closely run session with kart #46 ending up in position 2 just 0.011 off pole which was taken by Horsepower #777 with the top four karts being only separated by 0.036! Our #48 kart qualified on the third row, with #45 in p15 and #47 in p17. The race began at 11pm and the pace was quick right from the outset with the majority of teams lowering the benchmarks set from qualifying within the opening 20 minutes of the 9 hour race. The leading 10 karts were separated by no more than a few hundred metres well into the second hour so everyone knew that we were going to be in for a tough night.
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Thankfully as the sun rose we were still well in contention running in p1 or p2 throughout the night and with half an hour to go the safety kart was called out for the stranded kart #6. As the green flag was dropped there were 4 karts separated by less than 2 seconds with half an hour in the race remaining with a frantic race to the chequered flag which we took by just 1.5 seconds at the end of 9 hours! Our other karts of #48, 47 and 45 finished the night in positions 8th, 20th and 27th respectively. After years of hard work, frustration and half a dozen different chassis, Starkey Motorsport were incredibly proud to be able to take our first win in the series using the Prokart F1 Chassis. Our karts never missed a beat all night and we can only put this down to working with such a great product and our very long and meticulous preparations! We would also like to thank our sponsors of Ryan’s Auto Electrical, DKS Race Engines and Tom’s axle repairs for all their support, along with the team at Prokart who run a fantastic series and have given us the inspiration we needed to stick it out and turn the years of frustration into a result!
Photo by Starkey Motorsport
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Photo by Ian McMa13h
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Photo by Ian McM2a3h
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Photo by Ian McMah
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R M What it does and why you need it
What is Race Monitor? Race Monitor is a live data protocol from MyLaps that allows users to view live timing and scoring data directly from the AMB timing system utilised by ProKart. How do I connect? Using your device, detect ProKart’s wireless network. In the last month, ProKart have spent considerable time and funding to boost the range and power of their existing wireless network system (photo of the new portable aerial is pictured right) and this should now mean we have seamless wireless networks at all events. Once you have selected the network, start the race monitor application (available on iTunes or for other devices such as PC’s and Android’s visit www.race-monitor.com). Once the application is open do the following: 1. Make sure that you are on the same wireless network as the Race Monitor
server is on 2. Enter the IP address of the Race Monitor server. You will need to get this information from the track. It will usually look like '192.168.1.1' 3. Enter the Port of the Race Monitor server. You will need to get this information from the track. It will be numeric and is typically 50000 4. Tap connect Is Race Monitor available for BlackBerry? The app isn't yet available for BlackBerry phones but the developers are working on it.
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Next event...
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Photo by Ian McMah
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The RPM24 team exit the fuel bay, as team member Greg Robertson tests his ability to out accelerate the team’s KnK chassis!
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Issue 15: April 2012
Warwick Kart Club: Track Sandy Creek Raceway
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Preview A favourite among competitors in the Queensland Championship, the Warwick Kart Club’s ‘Sandy Creek Raceway’ circuit has been extended in the past few years, adding significant character and challenges to a circuit that appeared deceptively simple but was anything but. In this preview we take a look at the circuit, its challenges and the best opportunities presented for overtaking. Many competitors report that this venue requires the most variation in their setups across the entire championship, such is the challenges presented by the circuit layout and track surface. The next ProKart Endurance race is scheduled for this venue on the 19th and 20th of May; only a few weeks from now.
Photo by Ian McMah
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Issue 15: April 2012
Sandy Creek Raceway is located about 10 minutes from the centre of Warwick. Extended several years ago, the circuit is now 1km long and 8m wide throughout.
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On the diagram to the left you’ll see the schematic layout for the circuit. Photos in this article are taken from the position of the red ‘star’ and the arrow denotes the direction in which we’ve taken the image. ProKart run this event in both directions but for May our race will be conducted in a clockwise direction. The straight on the far left is considered the ’main’ straight and the start finish line and control tower are approximately half-way along this section of track as you’ll see in the picture below. This is looking back up the straight as if you were entering the final turn onto the main straight when racing in a anti-clockwise direction.
Photo by Ian McMah
In this preview we take a look at the circuit, its challenges and the best opportunities presented for overtaking. Many competitors report that this venue requires the most variation in their setups across the entire championship, such is the challenges presented by the circuit layout and track surface.
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Issue 15: April 2012
The image below is taken from the pit corner and looks towards the right hander that leads onto the main straight. If you’re running anti-clockwise the right-hander at the end of the main straight that leads into this short chute is flat (in most classes) and the entry to the pit-corner is possibly one of the better overtaking opportunities on this circuit. Braking points are critical here though as the surface is uneven and it’s difficult to find grip off-line. During an endurance race it is critical to ensure you slow down sufficiently because the pit-entry (for anti-clockwise racing) is immediately behind the vantage point the photo below was taken from (as the photo to the right illustrates).
The entry to the pits is critical and it’s easy to lock a brake and find yourself above the maximum pitlane speed of 13kph if you’re not slowed before you reach the white-line that denotes the outside of the left-hand turn here. It is also critical to ensure you stay to the very outside of the circuit on entry and raise your hand to allow those behind you clear and early notice that you’re intending to slow to enter pitlane.
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Entry to the pitlane corner when racing in an anti-clockwise direction is critical. The corner has a slightly late apex and leads almost immediately into a right hand turn to set you up for the run to the ‘new’ section of the circuit. Therefore, your line and speed on exit of this turn are critical as in a ProKart the next corner can be taken at full-throttle provided you have your entry point correct. Be conscious as well that competitors will be potentially exiting pitlane on your left as you reach the apex of this turn. The image to the right illustrates the ideal point at which to position your kart on exit from the pit corner before turning in to the right hander immediately thereafter. As noted above, get the entry point right here and you can take the next turn at full throttle, improving exit speed considerably.
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Issue 15: April 2012
The image below shows the exit of the right hander (remembering we are driving in an anti-clockwise direction) which immediately becomes a left hand kink leading on to the back straight (on the track map this is where the ‘old’ circuit joins the new section. As mentioned on the preceding page, taken correctly this right/left section is flat.
Holding the throttle flat all the way up to the entry of the next corner (pictured below), you need to brake hard but avoid locking the rears as you take the 110 degree right hand turn that leads into a technical left hand double apex turn. Entry is critical here; the track is cambered more here so get it wrong and you’ll find your kart sliding towards the left hand edge, placing you well offline for the entry to the double-apex left hand turn pictured at the top of the opposing page.
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Get the entry point to the above left-hand turn and you can gain a lot of speed on your competitors by the time you reach the run down into the hairpin. From this double-apex turn you can be at full-throttle all the way through the left hand turn that leads into the left-right-left kinks on the run to the hairpin. If you get the entry point right, you can hold the throttle wide open for this entire section of the circuit in a ProKart. Get it wrong though and you’ll lose considerable time. The exit of the doubleapex left and the next left (pictured right) both have a moderate fall on the edge of the track surface should you run wide… sufficient that you’ll bottom out your kart. Aside from the loss of speed, this also provides the risk of damage to chains and sprockets and will leave you vulnerable when you reach the hairpin.
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Issue 15: April 2012
Warwick Kart Club: Track Sandy Creek Raceway
The image above shows the series of left-right kinks on the run down to the hairpin. As noted on the preceding page, this section is flat provided you take the right line and in fact you could/should have had the throttle wide open ever since you hit the second apex on the double-apex left hander.
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ProKart ProKart Magazine The main image on this page shows the hairpin and clearly illustrates the entry and exit. In this preview we’re reviewing the circuit in an anti-clockwise direction and in this case, the braking point will be approximately where the ‘witches hat’ is in the photo; the turn in point geared towards an apex approximately 60% of the way through the turn.
Preview
This is arguably the primary overtaking opportunity on the circuit. Conversely though, get the complex before it wrong and you’ll find yourself exposed to an overtake from those behind you. The key to this corner (as with many when racing a ProKart) is to ‘roll’ through the turn and avoid any sudden or significant applications of either the brake or throttle. It is easy to induce understeer here if you ‘touch’ the pedals; either the brake or throttle can make the kart understeer at times by reducing the karts ability to ‘jack’ - or lift the inside rear wheel—for the period necessary to get a clean run through the turn.
The image on this page is of the hairpin and shows the entry and exit. In this preview we’re reviewing the circuit in an anti-clockwise direction and in this case, the braking point will be approximately where the ‘witches hat’ is in the photo; the turn in point geared towards an apex approximately 60% of the way through the turn. This is arguably the primary overtaking opportunity on the circuit. Conversely though, get the complex before it wrong and you’ll find yourself exposed to an overtake from those behind you. The key to this corner (as with many when racing a ProKart) is to ‘roll’ through the turn and avoid any sudden or significant applications of either the brake or throttle. It is easy to induce understeer here if you ‘touch’ the pedals; either the brake or throttle can make the kart understeer at times by reducing the karts ability to ‘jack’ - or lift the inside rear wheel—for the period necessary to get a clean run through the turn.
Photo by Ian McMah
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Issue 15: April 2012
The exit from the hairpin leads you towards the final 180 degree sweeper and back on to the main straight. Get your hairpin exit right and you can hold the throttle flat all the way until the turn-in point for the sweeper. There is generally only one line through the slight kinks shown in the picture below; but if you’re too slow off the hairpin your competitors can (and will) get a run on you. The entry into the sweeper is fast and almost made at full throttle, however many competitors adopt differing lines into this turn and it’s often the location for an unlikely pass should you have not optimised the hairpin exit.
Photo by Ian McMah
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ProKart ProKart Magazine The sweeper itself is a balancing act between throttle, grip and steering input. Ideally you want to place the front wheels about a tyre’s width away from the inside curb and to seek a mid-to-late apex, but this can change depending on track and racing conditions so during practice change your line occasionally to see what works best for you and your kart. Once you reach the apex of the sweeper you should have full throttle and be allowing the kart to gently drift towards the outside of the track in an effort to reduce drag and provide the maximum possible entry speed onto the main straight. This is one of the best presented and maintained facilities we race at; so when we do compete here please take the time to thank any club officials and; most importantly—leave the circuit in the same or better condition than when we arrive.
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Issue 15: April 2012
The FUTURE OF PROKART 2012 is shaping up as an exciting year for ProKart as we continue to bring ongoing development across many aspects of our series, all designed to take ProKart Endurance karting to a level never seen before in Australia and potentially surpassing any karting series in the country for promotion, participation, value, exposure and enjoyment. We are working to resume the broadcasting of all race and qualifying sessions.
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The series has already introduced; • • • • • •
Revised and improved engine sealing Track Safety International LE D Safety Lighting systems The all-new ProKart Power Pipe Muffler Live timing Live broadcasts On-location multiple race timing screens
We also continue to evaluate and develop; • •
Television packages to increase series exposure and promotion More durable and cost effective clutches, chains and sprockets
ProKart are currently investigating and testing a package of measures including new chains and sprockets to compliment a more durable and affordable clutch. The ProKart Power Pipe introduced earlier this year is approximately 1 second per lap quicker and is now very reliable. Faster and more durable, these pipes have significantly improved performance and drivability. As exciting as these developments are; most importantly ProKart are aware that changes cannot be introduced in an ad-hoc or poorly timed manner and will keep competitors regularly updated as developments continue. ProKart has never had a brighter or more exciting future!
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Several members of MF-Tech Racing recently visited the Ipswich Gallery to view the “RevHead” exhibition, showcasing “The motorsport art of Eamon O’Toole”. As you’ll see by the following photos, Eamon’s ‘art’ is a unique blend of hand moulded plastic, hand carved and shaped materials (such as foam and rubber) and an external hand-drawn series of images on the subject which are used to create a detailed aesthetic that simulates wiring, signage, bolts and retainers among a myriad of other details. This exhibit is closing shortly so for those who couldn’t view it, the team from MFTech have enclosed a few images of their recent trip. In the image on this page, John McMah (aged 2 years and 5 months) stands in front of a sculpture of the McLaren MP4-4 (perhaps his Dad influenced his choice)
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RACE REPORT: Queensland Round 1: WILLOWBANK Round 1 of the Track Safety International Queensland ProKart Championship Series was a story of ‘what if’ for NEXUS Force KNK as they did everything they could to beat eventual winners and fellow KnK team MF-Tech Racing. Rather than our traditional race report, the following pages contain quotes from selected team managers about their teams’ race weekend at Willowbank International Kart Raceway, about 45 minutes west of Brisbane.
Photo by Ian McMah
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Issue 15: April 2012
At Phantom Racing we’re still getting to grips with our new MS chassis and QLD Rd1 confused us. The day started well, we seemed to have the pace. In practice 2 we were 0.9 secs quicker than Ian who set the 2nd quickest time. But..... as the day continued our pace went South. Once we strapped on a new set of SL1’s there was about 1 second had disappeared off our lap times. We gave it our all in qualifying and were sitting in 2nd place until just before the end when Simon gave everything he had and somehow pulled pole out of the bag. The race started, our strategy was different to most and as planned we rapidly fell down the field. We then carried on the race seemingly not quite on front runner pace but holding our own for a potential top 3 finish. Sadly Simon must have been having a numpty day, at one driver change as he left the pits he clocked 15kmh on the way out the pits. He duly came straight back into the pits to serve his drive through penalty, which he did at 14kmh earning a special reward of another penalty... a drive through with a 30 second hold in the pits. I think this is the 1st pit speeding penalty that Simon has ever had and he was really disappointed with himself. Steve drove consistently and with good pace all the day... good on ya mate! Somehow, we think it might have been just driving consistently at something near front runner pace, we managed to claw a 4th place out of this. Not the start to the QLD season we hoped for and we’ll be trying our best to return to our old form for the remaining races. Great and deserved win to MF-Tech on their KNK. Clearly there is going to be stiff competition this year.
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RACE CommenTS:
Photo by Ian McMah
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RACE CommenTS: 2DADZ RAC
Overall we had a really good run and I don’t think there is anything that we would have done differently. The kart pe and the only concern we had was with brakes as we were running out of pad material towards the end of the race. B concentrated on staying out of trouble and giving the new teams plenty of racing room. We pretty much stuck to ou pushed on for the whole race. We were reasonably surprised when we checked with Tony and Amanda at the 5 hou we were in 3rd and still on the lead lap – this was a first for us. That info certainly kept us inspired to push on to the fi it was great days racing, the track was in good condition, the weather was fine and the racing was clean and incred from qualifying until the end of the race.
The team wish to thank the fellow ProKart teams, drivers and officials for a great race.
Photo by Ian McMah
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CING
erformed flawlessly Both Craig and I ur race plan and just ur mark to find that inish. All in all I think dibly close right
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Issue 15: April 2012
Well that was fun! This was our first state round in our all-new KnK Dominator chassis and to be honest we couldn’t be happier. From the moment we’ve put this kart on the track it’s been very responsive to changes and has been quick straight ‘out of the box’. We chased the track a little bit during practice but ultimately came back to our base setup and this proved to be quick enough as in the final practice session we lapped within a few hundredths of the exceptional time done by Simon Ham in the Phantom Kart a little earlier. This left us feeling confident for qualifying and the race. During qualifying we found we had a leaking front wheel and a quick replacement meant we were still able to make the grid for the race. We were running strongly in first when we had an incident with a lapped kart (who was involved in his own incident) coming back on track and literally running straight into the front wheel of the kart, bending the tie rod and resulting in quite a lot of toe out, and a subsequent loss in straight line speed. To be honest we were going to just consolidate and pace ourselves to finish in the top 3, but as the temperature went away and the track cooled down the kart improved sufficiently, despite the damage, for us to continue to race at the front. Some great stints by Shane McMah, Glenn Firth and Ian McMah kept our team at the front for the final few hours and we were very happy to open the Queensland Championship with a race win. One thing is for sure though, the pace has increased yet again this year and there are any one of probably 8 karts that can win any race on pace alone. Congratulations to Tony and Amanda and all the ProKart crew on putting together such a great series—and thanks to Guy from KnK Karts for all his help!
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RACE CommenTS:
Photo by Ian McMah
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RACE CommenTS: NEXUS FORCE KNK
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ProKart ProKart Magazine FINALLY a podium! After gaining factory support mid 2011 and using the final races as development for 2012, the pressure was really on to perform this year. Although wins are the main aim for the #88 team, we are pleased, and proud of our 2nd place result. It has been a long time coming, but finally we feel things are beginning to click within the team. Our whole aim of this round was to run our own race. Being tall and heavier drivers, we had a VERY tight fuel strategy, in fact we finished with 500mil of fuel in the tank! We were amazed at the pace of the race too, we all commented we needed to drive each stint like a qualifying session, this proves how competitive ProKart has become, no longer can you make a mistake and recover. To have the top 3 on the lead lap after 7 hours of racing is amazing! Our only issues were a broken tail light that needed to be replaced in a pit stop that cost us 25sec, and an alignment issue after an early tangle with a backmarker early in the race. We were so impressed with the quality of the field, every kart was presented perfectly and the new guys did a great job of making our life easier in the closing stages of the race. The team wish to thank the fellow ProKart teams, drivers and officials for a great race. We personally need to thank Nexus Plumbing Service for their financial support, X-treme Racing for our race suits and Glenn Powells Designs for a great looking sticker kit for this year. Above all, HUGE thank you to KnK Karts for the buggy to race, they have stuck buy us, and trusted our feedback and determination to get to the top. Together we plan to keep pushing for the 2012 year and hopefully beyond. With 3 KnKs in the top 5, who would have thought the little green team from India would be dominating Qld ProKart in 3 short years. Bring on Cooloola!
Photo by Ian McMah
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Adam Clark Racing is proud to announce that they are now an agent for X treme racing, and to celebrate are offering 20% off retail to all new or current ProKart teams wanting to upgrade their look. (* conditions apply) So if you’re looking to improve the presentation and professionalism of your team, contact Adam at Adam Clark Racing on 0412 291 364
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Issue 15: April 2012
RACE REPORT: Queensland Round 2: Cooloola
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ProKart ProKart Magazine Round 2 of the Track Safety International Queensland ProKart Championship Series was held at the Gympie Gold Raceway, home of the Cooloola Kart Club, on March 21 and 22. This event is a favourite among competitors as it offers a total of 7 hours racing with a 1hour sprint event on Saturday afternoon before a 6 hour endure on Sunday. With both races counting for championship points there is always plenty of action on both days and this meeting didn’t disappoint...
Photo by Shane McMah
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Issue 15: April 2012
MFMF-Tech win 2 in a row A total of 19 teams entered Round 2 of the Track Safety International Queensland ProKart Endurance Championships on the weekend of April 20 and 21, a record field for the series at that venue. After a number of teams made claim to strong results at the first round in Ipswich, this event was looking to be a close tussle between Round 1 winners MF-Tech, the team at Nexus Force KnK, AC Delco Racing, Phantom Racing, 2DADZ Racing and RPM24 among many others. Such is the level of competition in the series at present that the close times in practice at Ipswich would be even closer at the Cooloola Coast Kart Club’s Gympie Gold Raceway, with literally thousandths of a second separating teams on the timing charts a number of times across the weekend. Saturday’s qualifying session followed a format not-dissimilar to Formula 1; with all competitors taking to the track for a 15 minute session; at the end of which a number of competitors were eliminated before the remainder contest another 15 minute session. At the end of that, only 10 teams were left to contest the final session and the opportunity to gain pole position. A scintillating lap by Brett Francis of BF Racing ultimately put them on the pole for Saturday’s 1-hour sprint race; their 43.902 second lap just shy of the quickest recorded for the entire event and barely 15/100ths quicker than second placed Phantom Racing. In fact hundredths of a second separated positions 1 through 5; with 5th placed MF-Tech only 2 tenths off the pole. Remarkably only 8 tenths covered the top 9 grid spots. The 1-hour ‘sprint’ race format is unique in ProKart competition and is generally only held at the Cooloola venue. In this particular race, which still counts for championship points; competitors are required to make a driver change between 15 to 25 minutes into the event, then again between the 35 and 45 minute mark. At the start of the 1-hour BF Racing’s Brett Francis took off from the pole with Phantom Racing in close pursuit. They encountered lapped traffic early on and it was only when a backmarker was encountered in a challenging location that the Phantom Racing entry with Simon Ham behind the wheel dropped back into 5th amongst the chasing pack of AC Delco Racing, MF-Tech, Force Nexus KnK, Phantom and RPM24 as they all took advantage of the situation.
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ProKart ProKart Magazine Phantom Racing set about re-gaining position and after a few laps managed to negotiate their way back past the #5 of MF-Tech and into 4th position only to blow an engine half a lap later, which dropping them out of contention for Saturday's event. Remarkably, they managed to effect an engines change in under 5 minutes; however the damage had been done and they spent the rest of the 1hour sprint trying to recover. Whilst the ensuing battle was taking place amongst the chasing pack, the Azzurro chassis of BF Racing driven by Brett Francis pulled away never to be headed for the remainder of the Saturday Sprint. Nexus Force KnK succumbed to a dropped chain whilst pushing hard to keep a top 3 position. A quick re-alignment and they were back on track but out of contention. Once the first pitstop cycles were complete MF-Tech had assumed second place and worked to close the considerable gap opened up by Brett Francis and the BF Racing team. The second pit-stop phase went relatively smoothly for most teams and there were a number of challenges occurring in the field as the race wound down. 2 particular dices for position kept the crowd well entertained, with Alan Gurr of AC Delco Racing hotly pursuing Ian McMah in the MF-Tech kart, while the 2DADZ Racing entry was having a titanic battle with the #64 entry of KnK Tigers. The battle for second place was on in earnest with around 4 laps to go as Alan Gurr passed Ian McMah into the hairpin, McMah having defended for a lap or 2 while Gurr worked to find an opening. Not willing to settle for 3rd place, McMah and Gurr swapped places several times in the closing laps, before the #5 KnK of MF-Tech made a late move under brakes into Turn 1 to regain 2nd position. The 2 karts were nose-to-tail entering the last part of the final lap and Alan Gurr in the #47 MS Kart of AC Delco Racing looked to go down the inside into the final turn, both karts touching slightly and running wide—the MF-Tech entry at full throttle with all 4 wheels in the grass and somewhat fortunate to maintain sufficient grip to reach the line just ahead of a determined Alan Gurr. While the battle for 2nd was on between AC Delco Cordless Tools and MF-Tech, a similarly intense battle was occurring between 2DADZ Racing and the KnK Tigers for 5th place, their jostle for position also coming down to the final series of corners in the race.
Photo by Shane McMah
Photo by Starkey Motorsport 91
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Issue 15: April 2012
At the end of the 1-hour though it was a resounding win by BF Racing, some 7 seconds ahead of MFTech, AC Delco Cordless Tools, RPM24 and the KnK Tigers just beating 2DADZ Racing into 5th. Sunday’s 6-hour saw competitors in grid positions determined by the finishing order of Saturday’s 1hour sprint race. From the pole, Brett Francis again took an early lead but this time the #5 kart of MF-Tech Racing with Ian McMah behind the wheel followed him closely, the 2 drivers extending their lead on each lap until they had a clear gap to the rest of the field. The MF-Tech team seemed to have a small pace advantage on BF Racing in Sunday morning’s cooler conditions, however a savvy move to pit mid-stint as BF Racing's Brett Francis came up on lapped traffic caught the MF-Tech team unprepared and BF Racing had managed to establish a 6 second lead as the first round of stops were completed. On lap 77 the MF-Tech Racing team took the lead of the event , a lead they would not relinquish again other than during differing pit-stop cycles. In hot pursuit throughout were the BF Racing team; with Force Nexus KnK and the team from RPM24 also looking as though they would challenge as the race continued. Towards the end of the 6 hours a number of teams started to experience some engine issues; Frog Racing and OutBack Racing in particular slowing to ensure their karts could make it to the end of the event and in the process provide them both with much-needed championship points. At the front BF Racing kept most of pitlane guessing as they appeared to lead comfortably with a little over 90 minutes to go; however at that point they had not completed their final fuel stop and most of the other leading teams had. Once BF Racing pitted for their final fuel stop, MF-Tech resumed their lead which by now was extended to almost 2 laps and they remained there until the finish, winning the Cooloola 6 hour by a solid margin from the ever threatening team of BF Racing.
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ProKart ProKart Magazine Nexus Force KnK put in another strong performance to claim their second straight podium and are surely looking likely to win an event this year. Phantom Racing’s Simon Ham and Steve Thompson are the reigning champions and their efforts throughout Sunday’s race demonstrated why and how they won the championship in 2011. After losing an engine in Saturday’s race (and replacing it in a remarkable 4 minutes), the team rallied from a relatively low starting position on Sunday to still come home a strong 4th place, with RPM24 rounding out the top 5 place getters. The RPM team were also the recipients of the AC Delco Cordless Tools "Hard Charger" award, which recognises teams who made the most amount of gain in the race after their positions at the end of the 1 hour mark. The entire RPM24 team put in such a strong performance that their 5th place finish could have been much higher had they not have encountered early problems. MF-Tech Racing now lead the series by a slim but healthy 32 point margin, having won both rounds in the series this year in their new-for 2012 KnK Dominator. The next round of the Qld series is at Warwick on May 19/20.
Photo by Ian McMah
Photo by Starkey Motorsport 93
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Scott Pearce of the RPM 24 team accepts the AC Delco Cordless Tools “Hard Charger� award on behalf of the team after their team charged back through the field to ultimately claim 4th place.
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MF-Tech Racing’s Glenn Firth and Ian McMah discuss potential strategy options before the start of the race
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