ProKart Newsletter September 2009 by Ian McMah

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IN THIS ISSUE: “Torque it up“ This month’s newsletter has a number of features, including an insight into data acquisition and its applications (thank you Brett Francis!) and most importantly a review of all things relating to ProKart’s annual 2424-hour Endurance event; the ‘mecca’ of Australian Endurance Karting and the only event of its kind held in this country. With 18 teams (and around 100 drivers) entering the event, it was remarkable as both an enthusiast and fellow competitor to watch the relentless pace of the Wollongong City Raceway JETS and the Adrenalin Rush Karting team, who shadowed them for most of the event. race-Many ProKart team managers were convinced (as I was) that the race pace of these 2 teams was not sustainable and would invariably result in some form of mechanical failure. It was, and the WCR Jets eventually dominated the event; winning by a margin of 6 laps!

COVER STORY: July saw the Wollongong City Raceway (WCR) Jets record an amazing victory and they ultimately dominated the Powered by Honda ProKart Australian 24 Hour Endurance race at Ipswich. In this month’s cover story WCR Jets team manager Trent Warwick provides us with his thoughts on the team’s incredible performance NEWS ‘TORQUE ABOUT IT’ DRIVER PROFILE: Adam Clark (IPR Scuderia)

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FEATURE: Brett Francis provides us with an informative insight into data acquisition and how it can assist your racing performances

RACE REPORT: IPR Scuderia’s Adam Clark recalls his team’s first 24 hour race, including their preparation, the lead-up and their experiences over the most challenging 24 hours of their racing careers!

RACE REPORT: A full race review of the only 24 hour kart race in Australia; ProKart’s annual 24 hour, raced this year at Willowbank Raceway in Ipswich, Queensland

Next month we’ll be giving you the opportunity to tell us your thoughts about ProKart and it’s competitors. We’re developing a survey to gain your opinions about many things from the ProKart series’ tracks, drivers (and some might say celebrity of some!) and many other points of discussion up and down pit lane. Your responses will remain absolutely anonymous and I’m sure the results will generate a great deal of discussion and conjecture… In closing I would like to draw attention and recognition to the fantastic efforts of Tony, Amanda, Ryan, Garry and the rest of the ProKart management team. Our recent 24 hour meeting at Ipswich was among the bestbest-run meetings I’ve ever participated in; and I laud their continued efforts to improve what is already and exceptional series. The success of this newsletter is how much you enjoy reading it and I appreciate everyone’s positive feedback. Remember to keep those suggestions and constructive comments coming in; they’re sincerely valued. Good luck and I look forward to seeing you trackside!

NSW 13 September: Canberra Rnd 7 QLD 3/4 October: Toowoomba Rnd 8

No materials from this publication may be reprinted without the express permission of ProKart

The JETS win 24 hour! COMMENT: Wollongong City Raceway Jets Team Manager Trent Warwick was kind enough to offer ProKart’s Newsletter his thoughts regarding the team’s recent 24 hour victory; “We had been planning this since December last year. 'We' would be Tim Gresham and myself. It was a fairly frank discussion that took place before Christmas last year where we spoke openly about the season just passed.The WCR Jets won two races last year, which is two more than I had ever won, but it was Timmy's worst season ever and I knew that he wasn't overly happy with the teams' performance as a whole. When I asked him to go around for another season his reply was music to my ears. 'Only if we win the 24 hour...' Since I started in Prokart in 2003, all I ever wanted to win was a 24 hour race. I even promised my Mum that I would give up once I acheived that goal. To me, sports car races like Le Mans, Nurburgring & Spa captivate me more than anything that Formula 1 or V8 Supercars can muster up. The Prokart 24 hour is the closest most of us will ever get to those epic events, so to say that it occupies my mind is an understatement. It controls me, it drives me. This event brings with it emotions that I don't experience in everyday life.

for the really long distance event. Tyre tracking for wear, brake pad measuring, chains, sprockets, bearings. Anything we thought that could go wrong was monitered, double checked, triple checked, and then...checked again. We used a different clutch setting at almost every race this year just so we knew what would work best in pit lane, under green conditions, and of course under safety car. One of the great success stories of our season is our partnership with Headzone Radios. Ours didn't miss a beat for the entire race and still had 70% charge left in them after 24 hours! Needless to say I have Timmy on speed dial. In the weeks leading up to the race we would have spoken 5 or 6 times everyday. Every single day!He had the kart in the trailer and packed away 9 days out, and then proceeded to pull it back out every day just to go over it some more. There is nobody who prepares a better kart than Timmy. The entire team arrived at the track on Friday. To say we were all relaxed was an undestatement with our new guy Jack Rahaley sunbak-

So it was with great enthusiasm that we set the team up all season based around this particular race. Well, it was meant to be Raleigh, but thank God we got a crack ata 24 hour this year or Timmy and I would have gone insane. Every race this year we worked on different settings to test

ing with his shirt off andsome of the guys were talking about going to a hire kart track up the road (but no one could be bothered). JV (Jason Varley) and I were feeling more than a little bit guilty for keeping Glenn Firth awake all night (thanks for the accomodation Firthy - and here is your very public apology for leaving you sleepless and your unit in a far from perfect condition when we left) but right now we needed to prepare.

We weighed every driver and both karts and set about adjusting the lead as required. The karts rolled out and we bedded brakes and chains, Chinny (Rohan Collibee) and Jack went out and learnt the track with a few laps each and then we waited for the cold to set in. When it was dark, cold and a little bit damp is when we went back out and got the kart sorted. We were of the beleif that the race could be won and lost in the dark and that's were wewanted to excel. With the kart ready and the drivers confident, all that was left was a good nights sleep and an alcohol free night! Tomorrow was going to be rather important I thought. On to Saturday morning and I don't think I have ever gotten out of bed so early and so easily. We have been waiting for this day for too long, and seeing everyone arrive on time and with excitement in their eyes was so pleasing. Chinny was walking around looking 6 inches taller than normal. He had the job of team leader for the weekend. Nobody in the teamhad done more of these than him and his experience was going to count. It was important that he keep a level head and we had spoken at length about this. Chinny is a fairly exciteable character at the best of times so I thought the best way to keep him calm was to give him more responsibility. Worked a treat! He did an amazing job and hasn't received enough credit this year for our results. He is driving better than he ever has, and I feel there is a little bit more to come. JV was hanging about just being cool, and Timmy was the most relaxed I have ever seen him, offering cups of tea to anyone and everyone. Young Jack was a little apprehensive but he knew he was going

Continued next page...

Photography: Ian McMah

ContinueD: in 4th so had a bit of time to calm down. For the first time all year I didn't feel the need to address the squad before the race. Everyone knew their role inside out and everyone had done more than was expected already. Qualyified3rd - led into turn 1 - and then we had 24 hours to watch everything play out. That, is where the story really ends. Everything went perfectly. Everyone drove within themselves and nothing went wrong. We brought the kart in after 17 hours for tyres and a brake adjustment as expected, but that's it. There was no strategic master stroke, there was no special midnight play, there was just a well balanced kart with a well balanced team. Everyone inmy team was a little disappointed the ARK kart had a small drama as we would have loved to have raced them until the end. They were in front of us when they developed a misfire, but were a couple of stops behind so it was all set for a gripping finish. I told Al Denyer I thought there was 35 seconds in it, he told me that he thought there was 10 seconds in it. After almost 20 hours of flat out racing it is rather impressive the gap was so small (no matter whos data you use) and I would be surprised to see another 24 hour race ever be so close. Despite a bit of niggle, and a few personality clashesbetween the two teams, I have tremendous respect for the Al and the ARK squad. We

know that everytime we race them we are up for a race with a team at the height of their powers. To keep up with them over 19 or 20 hours showed that we are ready to take up the fight in the shorter races also. Likewise, to out race Team Kaos over such a long distance proves to me that we are a better team than we have ever been. We have immense respect for the teams we are racing so that is why this result means so much to us. From memory we officially won the race with about 6 minutes to go. It was a great feeling to relay the message over the radio to JV that the race was ours, and even greater to give Timmy a hug (a very manly hug) knowing that we did the job we set out to do. With that much time and effort invested, any other result would have been unsatisfactory. I know exactly how the teams coming 2nd down feel. We have been there many times, and that is why winning this race feels so special. This particular event does not get won by fluke. To sum it up, I have to relay a short story that happenned on the way home. You see, JV has done a little bit in karting in his lifetime. So imagine him turning to you on the aeroplane and saying, 'Trento, we just won Bathurst dude!' We clinked beer bottles and drunk up, knowing what we just did as a team was special. All the while feeling just a little bit sorry for Timmy having to tow the kart & trailer home...with Chinny in the back seat... So to my poor Mum Jennifer Kay Warwick. I know I promised, but I am not done yet.. I now need to drive in a winning 24 hour team. Then I will give it away...maybeâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;? TRENT WARWICK

Photography: Ian McMah

TORQUE ABOUT IT •

•

ProKart’s recent 24 hour race at Willowbank was literally a 24-hour sprint with both the WCR Jets and Adrenalin Rush Karting teams running what was essentially qualifying pace throughout. This reportedly led to one team manager openly pondering their his team’s future strategy for long-distance endurance events. Rumour has it that WCR Jets Manager Trent Warwick was spotted testing Kart 4 at Wollongong City Raceway last weekend and reportedly turned out some impressive lap times! It’s speculated he may make his racing comeback at the Wollongong 12 hour…

•

Jason Varley (WCR Jets) is planning something extroadinary. He wants to do a 6 hour enduro...on his own! The event will take place at Wollonging City Raceway and is penciled in for late September. Not just for fun, JV will be raising money for Cystic Fibrosis and is hoping for a big crowd on the day. While JV is in the gym preparing, you can contact Trent Warwick at trent@sikfx.com for full details and how you can help. Good luck JV!

•

With the recent sale of Team5150R’s PCR and BRM; the Queensland series now has 27 teams…

TEAM NEWS Team5150R are close to finalizing their 2010 plans and have concluded a deal to race Azzurro chassis for the remainder of 2009 and throughout the 2010 season. With 2 all-new chassis to be prepared for and raced in 2010, the team is now busy finalizing their driver lineup, specifically for Kart #51; managed and driven by team stalwart, Steve Prokop. Having recently sold it’s BRM and with Josh Townsend and Luke Delaurence now confirmed as permanent members, the team remains optimistic of continued success through 2009 and into the full 2010 season, when they will again contest both the QLD and National ProKart Championship series.

DRIVER PROFILE Name:

Adam Clarke

Team:

IPR Scuderia

Age:

Lives:

Margate Beach

Career:

Principal and Co-Owner of Ideal Place Property Agents

First racing memory:

Waking up in the middle of the night to watch the Formula 1 with my dad. I loved watching Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell fight it out. Back when the racing was "raw"

First Race attended:

Lakeside in 1988. Dick Johnson in a RS500 Cosworth. I just thought it was the best. From then on, I was hooked. When my dad died last year I planned to scatter his ashes up on XXXX hill overlooking the track and Lake.

First race competed in:

First form of Motor Sport was drag racing, I had a Datsun Stanza with an sr20det producing 320hp, Jamboree in 2005 was my biggest event in that car. My first race in Karts was a National Heavy race at the Gold Coast track in 2006

Favourite motoring moment:

is also my saddest, I remember my dad waking me up when Senna had his crash. I was always a massive fan for as long as I could remember. When news came through he died, that was the only time I saw the old man shed a tear.

First car:

Oh Gawd........ a Ford Telstar. (Keep that quiet!)

Racing Idol:

I don't have idols, but I really admire Ayrton Senna. He is, the best.

Favourite tracks (that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve visited):

Imola (Italy). Lakeside. Melbourne F1 track.

Favourite music?

Mix of rock, country, RnB.

Listen to

Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, John Farnham, etc etc

BF Racing’s Brett Francis gives us an overview of how data acquisition systems can help accelerate the learning curve; or optimize the performance of both drivers and kart setup. In this feature Brett provides us with an insight into BF Racing’s Cooloola meet; where he had the opportunity to compare ‘data’ with series-standout Glenn Firth of Adrenalin Rush Karting, with interesting and insightful results...

Photography: Katy McMah

Data acquisition... FEATURE STORY The data on the following pages was generated using an AIM MyChron3 XG Log. It was originally used in a Formula Ford chassis, but has been commandeered for use in our Azzurro ProKart. The logger is made up of a Display Unit and a Logger Unit. The Logger Unit is mounted on the floor tray between the seat and the fuel tank. This logger has the provision to accept two wheel-speed inputs, engine RPM, beacon/lap trigger and five independent channels. In addition it also has a 2axis internal accelerometer which measures lateral (cornering) and longitudinal (braking/acceleration) g-forces. This model can also accept an input stream from various ECUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, meaning that anything that is measured by the ECU can also be logged to correlate to the data from the chassis. The logger requires a 12 volt DC electrical source, and if there are a lot of sensors to be connected, this power supply needs to be consistent with little drop-off over the course of a race. At the moment our kart is configured to measure Engine RPM (Right Hand Engine), Rear Wheel-speed, Steered Angle, Throttle Position, Lateral G, Longitudinal G, Battery Volts, Data-logger Temperature, and a beacon input as a lap marker. So next time you look at it and see all of that crap hanging off it, that's what it's for. We figure it's just like lead, only fun...

chance to not only get immediate feedback on our driving through the lap time that flashes up on the Display, but a chance to quantify exactly what speeds we are doing at every point on the track. By comparing that information to a reference lap, it shortens the time frame in figuring out which parts of the track we need to focus on first. Then by using the data from each sensor, we can see the difference in driving style or cornering approach that we should be using to get closer to replicating the reference lap. This was our first time at the Cooloola Kart Circuit, and it's at times like these when the logger can really speed up the learning curve. By trying different lines through the various corners, at the end of a session the driver can look at the data and determine what the best approach is. Naturally this relies on the driver being able to remember what line he was taking on which laps, so the logger doesn't make the brain completely redundant! Even if traffic or a mistake can compromise the individual lap time, each section of the track can be broken

down corner by corner to analyse the best technique. We were fortunate at Cooloola that ProKart Endurance Series Championship leader Glenn Firth agreed to jump in our kart to give us some feedback. To add to our fortune, our team mates in the other Azzurro chassis couldn't make the race meeting, and offered the use of their engines for the weekend. We had thought for a while that our engines (or at least one of them) was our weakest link, and this would give us a chance to test our suspicions. I had done twenty laps and stagnated at a 45.70. Glenn jumped in and on his fifth lap did a 45.56. He then backed off to have a think about the handling of the chassis, figured out the karts strengths and weaknesses, and then proceeded to lower his time to 45.36 a couple of laps later.

The reason we decided to put this unit on the kart, was to help shorten our learning curve. I've been lucky enough to drive all sorts of cars, but never competed in karts. My two team mates have never done any motorsport before entering ProKart, and so for them the use of a data-logger has been invaluable. For all of our team, it's a

Photography: Ian McMah

Apparently this was slightly quicker than what he had done in his own kart! Glenn came in to give us some great feedback on his thoughts: • • •

the kart has slightly more oversteer than his kart, which can hurt the exit speed if you're sliding too much, but it releases off the corner well when you get it right. the brakes don't give a very good feel, and don't work very well. the combination of poor brakes and oversteer means that it is easy to “over-drive” the kart. Trying to brake late will mean arriving at the corner too quick, and then when the oversteer kicks in, the slide from mid-corner to exit will hurt the speed onto the next straight.

When we overlaid Glenn's quickest lap with my own, it quickly became obvious where the differences were. On the graph attached, the blue lines represent Glen's 45.366 lap, my lap is the red lines. The graph effectively shows the track as if it were stretched out in a straight line, and a graph of the Rear Wheel-speed, Steered Angle, Throttle Position and Longitudinal (Braking/ Acceleration) G-Forces. Also at the bottom of the graph is a representation of the Cumulative Time, which is a “Gain/Loss” Graph. When the line is going up, Glen is gaining time, when it is going down I am gaining on Glen, and when it is flat we are even. Straight away at Turn 1, it is obvious that has found that by braking a little earlier, keeping the kart more settled, and carrying more speed through and then out of the corner. By the time we arrive at the first of the two flat-out lefthanders after that, Glen has already gained 2 tenths. Even through these two quick left-handers (Turns 3 & 4), where we are both flat-out, Glenn manages to take a smoother line which doesn't scrub off as much speed as my approach. Glenn's blue line on the throttle trace shows some serious fluctuations, but this is actually the sensor in the process of failing, which it did during Sunday's race. It's barely a tenth of a second gain, but these sort of simple differences obviously add up significantly over a lap, let alone a race distance. At Turn 5 (the over-crest right hander), Glenn stays flat on the throttle, but brakes hard at the same time on the entry before gradually easing off the brake pressure, allowing him to hold the chassis hard to the right down the hill on the approach to the hairpin. I, on the other hand, lift off the throttle to brake hard but briefly, before quickly getting back to full throttle. This pushes me further to the left of the track before the hairpin. Looking at the speed it can be seen that Glenn is quicker into the crest, I'm

quicker just after the crest, but Glenn has put himself in a better position to take the hairpin using a wider radius. He can then brake later, accelerate earlier, and make another half tenth gain. Up the hill and around the flat-out left hand Turn 7, we are evenly matched. But again at the second hairpin, Glenn is able to extract more out of the kart and the grip available. He carries more speed into the Turn 8 hairpin by braking later, smoother and further into the corner. Our mid-corner speed is the same, but Glenn is back to full throttle sooner and getting out of the corner better. With his better entry and exit, another tenth is knocked off the clock. The sweeping Turn 9 is similar to the earlier flat-out Turns 3 & 4, in that Glenn maintains less speed sapping scrub on the tyres to even make gains in the simple parts of the track. The result is an extra 1 km/h over 100m, and another half tenth. When I first looked at the data and studied the different speeds and approaches to Turn 10, it gave me some hope. At the final corner, I had actually made a gain on Glenn! We had braked at the same point, but I braked sharper and shorter, then carried more speed through the corner, got on the throttle earlier, and managed to keep the speed up out of the corner. This one corner had allowed me to gain back 1.5 tenths just like that. But nothing is ever as it seems, and naturally it wasn't that simple. The beauty of data logging is that even if mistakes or other incidents happen during a lap, these individual incidents can be assessed to see if it is a consistent issue, or a one-off. In this case, for Glenn it was a one-off. Looking at the braking G-Forces, we can see that he brakes, releases the brake, and then brakes hard again. He has braked for a fairly long time, and taken off a lot of mid-corner speed, which carries through to a low exit speed. The steering trace shows a lot of lock in the middle of the corner, indicating a tighter line. All of these inputs point to coming up behind a slower kart, braking earlier to avoid it, easing off the brake to get alongside before the corner, then holding a tighter line through the corner to give the other kart room. This is confirmed when looking at Glenn's earlier laps, where his braking and cornering speeds are the same as mine. The reality is that his lap time could have been even better than it was. It only takes a few minutes to look at the data and see how Glenn achieves the faster lap time. Talking with him after his brief stint gives an even better idea about how to get the most out of the kart as it is at the moment. I didn't drive it again until the qualifying session, and then managed to get within one hundredth of Glenn's time. Of course, this was on new Dunlops instead of rubber that had done a few hundred laps around Raleigh. There is still a lot to learn.... BRETT FRANCIS

DQ’s ex A1 Racing Azzurro One of the fastest endurance karts in the series, multiple wins and pole positions • Complete package, ready to win • Trolley • Engines freshly rebuilt over the summer break by Graham Armstrong (A1) • Dent 4-pot brakes • Adjustable pedal box • 2x sets of spare rims (1x slicks, 1x Wets) Various spare parts Results include 1st Ipswich 6hr 2008 1st Raleigh 6hr 2008 1st Toowoomba 1hr Sprint 2008 1st Cooloola 6hr 2009 2nd Toowoomba 6hr 2008 2nd Port Macquarie 6hr 2008 3rd Ipswich 6hr 2008 6 poles and numerous fastest laps Price

$4,200 4,200 Kart Trailer • Currently holds 2 karts but with minor modifications can fit 3 QLD Rego until August 2010

Price $2,500 2,500 or $6,000 6,000 for the kart and trailer Contact Josh Townsend on JTownsend@tweed.nsw.gov.au or 0407 656 974 17

IPR Scuderia manager Adam Clark recounts his teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experiences as they prepared for and then competed in their very first 24 hour Endurance event...

Photography: Ian McMah 19

PREPARATIONS: The preparations for the 24 hour race started straight after the Gympie race. Unfortunately the date clashed with Mitch Ennis (My cousin and other fulltime team member) so we went on the search to find a replacement. I made the call right away to one of my good mates Dylan Hunter from my Clubman days, and he was eager to get involved! The other 2 boys Jason Appleton and Aaron Keane were of course ready to go! We started with a list of components we felt we needed for the kart and also to survive the weekend. Considering how cold it gets out at Ipswich and how tired we thought we would get, we decided a caravan and large shelter tent would be the go as it was supplied with a microwave and fridge, we of course brought a BBQ and plenty of food and drink. As plans were really under way to what we started jokingly referring to the "IPR Media and Hospitality Centre" our attention was soon focused on the kart. Because this being our first 24 hour race and knowing how much effort was going into it, we decided on a very conservative setup and pit strategy, all our focus was just in making a reliable package so we would be there at the end, little did we know at this stage we would be well in the top 10 and even up to 7th at one stage! The Gods were obviously on our side during the kart setup process, during one of my conversations to Adrian from The King of Parts, he asked if I had checked my king pin bearings, I hadn't, when I pulled the RH king pin out, the bottom bearing literally FELL APART!! (Doubt we could have gone 24 hours like that! We now know to check them regularly thanks to Adrian!) With just over a week until the event, we decided a final check over together should be in order. We all met up and went over the entire kart, checking and double checking every square inch. Perhaps the best modification we made on the day was the adjustment of the seat so we no longer need to use the "Forest Gump Leg Irons" (Peddle extensions for Jason and Aaron) and also the fitment of a MOMO steering wheel. We are sure this really helped in our pit stop times, and the bigger wheel certainly made life easier! With all this complete we all felt ready to rock the next weekend! FRIDAY: Friday went like clock work thank goodness, I arrived to the track early to setup the caravan and stock the fridge in time for the other boys to arrive. The rest of the afternoon was spent learning the track, and making the kart easy to drive. We were all conscious of not putting too many hours on the

components as the life of the parts were a real unknown at this stage. SATURDAY: All to the track early for Quali and the race start at 9.30. I would love to report on some last minute changes or drama, but all our preparations the weekend prior really equated to the whole race start going to plan. Only 4 laps in to the BIG RACE we got caught up in someone else's racing incident, however no damage to the #42 kart and we continued, pitting early to stay out of the dramas, at this stage we must have caught the officials unawares as the pit counter wasn't plugged in yet. It was also at this stage we realised our stints were too close together, so we soon restructed our strategy, however IPR Scuderia still pitted 3 too many times. All part of the learning process! The rest of the day went like clockwork, we all felt fortunate enough to get continual visits from family and friends, so the BBQ in the "IPR Hospitality Tent" was almost on longer than the 2 Honda motors on the kart! As dusk was upon us the hard part was just beginning....... SUNDAY: It started well, all full from a massive dinner we decided to leave until 11pm. At about 2.30am the strain of such an enormous event started to really set in. Although sleep would have been great, we all wanted to be awake if anything went wrong, plus, with the excitement, it was hard to sleep. My hardest stint was around 4am, driving down the back straight sometimes felt like I was the only one on this earth, very strange. I also thought I started to imagine vibrations...... As it turned out, when I came in to pit, I did notice one motor vibrating a little, so once again, we took the conservative approach and decided to tighten the engine mount and at the same time, change front tyres as understeer was becoming a real problem. Up until now we had continually made up places and were up to 7th, this stop however brought us back down to 8th where we stayed until the chequer. After the race was run and won, everyone went to the presentation, to our surprise, we finished 3rd in B division, we were obviously very happy with the result. One final BBQ then pack up and home! A special thank you to all the organisers from ProKART, the track for such a superb facility (and also letting us use their electricity) and all the other races! We all agreed, although it was by far the most challenging things we had ever done, it was the most rewarding! Even on reflection on the drive home, I can't wait for next year!

What is Ideal Place? Ideal Place Property Agents is a vibrant, new Real Estate office situated on the sunny Redcliffe Peninsula, 40 minutes north of Brisbane city. Privately owned & operated by Kathy Lynch & her son Adam Clark-Lynch, the business may be new but the family duo are well known in Redcliffe real estate for their friendly, personal approach. Both owners have a very hands on approach & pride themselves on being "out in the field" working hard to achieve great results for their clients. Their Mission Statement is a simple one: to be known as a professional, friendly office that provides outstanding service. Visit them on the web @

www.idealplace.com.au

Round 3 of the National Series, which also doubled as Round 7 of the Queensland State series, was held at Queenslandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Willowbank Raceway on August 15/16. Despite the #86 Kart of Adrenalin Rush Racing qualifying on pole and looking ominous for much of the race, it was the Wollongong City Raceway (WCR) Jets that absolutely dominated the event, ultimately winning by an incredible 6 laps...

Photography: Ian McMah

RACE REPORT With a trouble free run throughout the ‘Ipswich 24 Hour’, the Wollongong City Raceway Jets were simply in a class of their own. Their commanding victory was attributed to consistency both on and off the track and this was without their best ever victory. “It [the 24 Hour victory] is still sinking in and I can’t believe it,” expressed one of the # 3 Wollongong City Raceway Jets team drivers, Trent Warwick. “Everyone in the team put in a fantastic effort and I feel that we thoroughly deserved to win. In the past we haven’t had the best of runs in 24 Hour events and we certainly wanted to change that. We worked very hard to prepare for this event and all of this effort has now paid off, so it’s great.”

their very best to fight for the win but they were unable to mount a serious challenge. ‘24 Hour’ event specialists in # 1 Team Kaos managed to take the last spot on the podium in third place. However, the # 1 Team Kaos were unable to have a consistent run throughout the whole distant and that denied them a better shot at challenging for the victory spoils. In what was their biggest victory ever; the Wollongong City Raceway Jets team took out a comprehensive victory in the ‘Ipswich 24 Hour’ event at the Willowbank Kart Track in Queensland over the weekend. The Wollongong City Raceway Jets team

Finishing second was the # 86 Adrenalin Rush Karting team behind the # 3 Wollongong City Raceway Jets team and they did

walked away with a dominating victory where they won by a mammoth six laps to their nearest rival team. The Wollongong City Raceway Jets completed a total of 1413 laps and defeated # 86 Adrenalin Rush Karting (1407 laps) and # 1 Team Kaos (1392 laps) in second and third place respectively on the podium.

The # 27 Resi Sales Racing team (1376 laps) finished just off the podium in fourth place, followed by # 777 Horsepower Racing (1374 laps), # 22 BF Racing 2 (1373 laps), # 50 Team 5150R (1366 laps), # 42 IPR Scuderia (1359 laps), # 2 BF Racing 2 (1347 laps) and in 10th was # 41 Team Kartatak (1291 laps). Team’s such as # 51 Team 5150R, # 5 Climatrol Racing, # 98 Adrenalin Rush Karting 1 and # 661 PDS Grand Prix Racing were considered capable challengers for the victory in the ‘Ipswich 24 Hour’, however were hampered by a number of challenges, robbing them of the ability to challenge for the front running positions. Out of the 18 teams that started the ‘Ipswich 24 Hour’ only two teams, # 4 Wollongong City Raceway Jets 2 and # 661 PDS Grand Prix Racing, failed to complete the 24 Hour distance due to mechanical woes. The ‘Ipswich 24 Hour’ also doubled as the third round of the Powered by Honda ProKart Australia National Endurance Kart Championship and the seventh round of the Powered by Honda ProKart Australia Queensland Endurance Kart Championship. Complete results from the ‘Ipswich 24 Hour’ can be found at www.mylaps.com The fourth and final round of the National Championship is set down for Saturday, November 14 for the ‘Raleigh 6 Hour’ at Raleigh International Kart Raceway in NSW, while the eighth round of the Queensland Championship is to be held at the Toowoomba Kart Track for the ‘Toowoomba 6 Hour’ on the weekend of October 3 and 4

DANIEL POWELL

Photography: Ian McMah

Photography: Katy McMah

Photography: Ian McMah

Did you know… Did you know Tourette Syndrome (TS) affects 1 in 100 boys and 1 in 300 girls? TS is now recognised to be relatively common but under recognised, and a major cause of hidden disability. TS is a Neurological disorder characterised by rapid, repetitive and involuntary muscle movements and vocalisations called “tics”, and often involves behavioural difficulties. Tics tend to come in bursts or "bouts". These periods are called waxing and waning cycles. In essence the brain is over stimulated with an excess of neurotransmitters that bypass the filters in the brain which would normally be used to control one’s movement, thoughts, emotions and actions. TS is NOT degenerative, and people with TS can expect to live a normal life span. It most often begins between the ages of 2 and 21, and lasts throughout life in varying degrees of severity. TS is considered incurable, but treatable. TS symptoms may range from mere aggravation to severe debilitation. The aim of the TSAA is to spread knowledge of what Tourettes is, as well as ask for understanding and acceptance in the community and to undo the social stigma created by misinformation. Recent studies have found that Tourettes affects 1% of the population, where it was once thought to be a rare condition. This is not due to any increase of TS but to the fact more people are being recognised and diagnosed as having TS. Many medical professionals still know very little about TS. Correct diagnosis is important to children with TS so they can access the right management strategies to help them reach their full potential in life. TSAA offers telephone and email support, as well as resource materials to assist families, doctors and educators. Educators do not need to be experts, but a certain level of familiarity with the most common difficulties is essential, so as part of our Education Awareness Program we are offering every school in Australia a FREE DVD called ’What is Tourette Syndrome?.’ Contact TSAA and one will be sent FREE! We have a wealth of materials available as well as personal experience with TS. 35

KAOS’ Team Manager Brian Briton offered an insight into the team’s history and a summary of their 24 hour race as they endeavoured to defend their 2008 Australian Championship title... Kaos entered Prokart in 2005 with a used Benson kart; 2nd in championship. We won the Dubbo 24hr despite having mostly raced speedway before. We built the first Kaos endurance kart in 2006, (dozens of dirt karts before that) and our current kart is mark IV. I make my own frames but they are not for sale. Building them is the only way I can get what I want. The Damage Bros 66 kart is essentially a development mule for the 1 kart, manned by brothersin-law, nephews and hangeronerers. Their main purpose is to test new ideas and reduce my inventory of spares, which they do very effectively. They have blown two engines and destroyed a multitude of clutches, chains, mufflers and engine mounts. But they have had a lot of fun doing it! We have been second every year until last year when we clean sweeped the championships. I am a firm believer that races are won in the workshop and there are few secrets here; I readily share with other teams. I also do repairs for a large amount of teams in Prokart and other karting series.

Team Kaos has entered a total of five 24hr races with 3 wins and 2 thirds. We have finished 3 times without putting a spanner to the kart. THE RACE To say we were confident going in to this race would be an understatement. Our 41 lap victory last year was probably the biggest winning margin known to man, we just kept motoring on while everybody crashed and burned around us. Even Trent had us short priced favourites to win this one. Preparation was completed well in advance and the kart was despatched with the Horsepower team on Thursday ready to go. Dan Baker missed pole by a miniscule margin but that didn't matter, we knew he could go with JV and the Jets, and he sat in 5th for the first hour with orders to keep in touch but don't engage. The next 12hrs were much the same staying within a few laps of the lead pack waiting for gremlins to kick in. Around 3am I remember sitting around the big monitor with several other team managers staring in amazement at the times the Jets and the ARK karts were doing. They were still going at qualifying pace, seemingly hell bent on breaking each other. We sat back in 4th expecting just that to happen but they just kept pulling away. Dan could match them but the rest of us could not. It looked like Trent was putting JV in every other hour, I wasnt game to use up Dan like that so I opted to stay out of the dogfight and run our own race. At about 21 hours the ARK 98 blew a engine, bumping us up to third, but the leaders just kept going without a problem and the rest is now history. Our race went absolutely to plan but the Jets and ARK’s #86 dealt us a smacking we will never forget. Well done guys. -Brian Briton.

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Hotshotsâ&#x20AC;Ś or not... Cooloola in Julyâ&#x20AC;Ś cold, foggy and; well; cold.

Photography: Kate Scherf

In our next issue... •

Features: AMB timing system

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Race Reviews: Canberra and Toowoomba

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Driver Profile: Brett Francis

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All the latest ProKart news and much more…

All submissions welcomed imcmah@netspace.net.au 48

$4,200 4,200 Kart Trailer • Currently holds 2 karts but with minor modifications can fit 3 QLD Rego until August 2010

Price $2,500 2,500 or $6,000 6,000 for the kart and trailer Contact Josh Townsend on JTownsend@tweed.nsw.gov.au or 0407 656 974 49