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ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

Call CURT BOND on

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TORQUE IT UP: FROM THE EDITOR We’re fast approaching the mid-point of the 2011 season and so far it’s been an exceptional year for the Track Safety International ProKart Championship series. With series being held in Qld, NSW, VIC and the ACT and a National Championship across 4 rounds, there is no clear picture yet on who will ultimately take victory in any of the series. In Queensland, we are yet to have a repeat winner in 2011, with BF Racing, KnK Karts, Project 20 and Team5150R winning races already this season. This series has never been more competitive and in the latest event at Warwick, the entire field was covered by less than a second in terms of fastest lap times. Remarkable. A similar situation exists in the NSW championship although some teams are starting to demonstrate consistent race winning pace. It will be fascinating to see who eventually wins the series. Our marquee event—the ProKart 24 hour– is due to be held a little under 2 weeks from now. With over 20 entries this looks like being one of the most fiercely contested 24 hour races ever held. There are a multitude of teams with sufficient pace and reliability to win, including Horsepower Racing, KW Racing, KAOS, Team5150R, Phantom Racing, KnK Karts, PDS Racing and BF Racing, to name but a few. It’s possible that over 12 of the teams entered so far would be considered to have race-winning pace; so this event should be one of the alltime greats! Keep an eye on the weather forecast… seems we’re in for some rain. Don’t forget it’s Tony Pullen’s Birthday this Friday so bombard him on Facebook, email and SMS; he’ll love it! Until next time, keep it on the black stuff… Ian McMah

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Issue 12: March 2011

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It’s Tony Pullen’s Birthday this Friday, June 10, so join everyone at ProKart in wishing Tony the very best on his special day. All we can say is be very thankful you weren’t born a fish!

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Issue 12: March 2011

TORQUE’N TOUGH •

Seems the Frogs have the goods when it comes to muffler reliability. Boss Frog, also known to law enforcement officers as Alan Bilsborough, has devised a series of supports and clamps that he has made available to all ProKart teams for a modest fee. You’ll find Alan at the track or on Facebook!

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Speaking of Frog Racing, rumour has it they’ll be debuting an all-new look at the 24 hour! Keep your eyes open for an even brighter green-machine (if that’s possible!).

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Latest weather projections have incessant rain forecast for the upcoming 24 hour event at Willowbank this weekend. It’s going to be wet!

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A few teams were sighted testing at Willowbank last weekend, among them Team5150R and Dan Pownell from KartEvo

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ProKart hear that one leading team has decided that despite debuting an all-new chassis this year, they’ve elected to revert to their 2010 chassis for the 24 Hour at Ipswich

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Seems there’s some discontent between the Ipswich Kart Club and IKD (International Karting Distributors) and a lot of ‘dirty laundry’ is being aired in public forums. Check out kartsportnews.com or kartbook.com.au for more details...

Guess who has a new toy?? It

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

It’s been some months since we heard a rumour that the team from KnK Scuderia were making plans to rejoin the Track Safety International Queensland ProKart Endurance series. The images on these pages though now suggest that’s far more than just a rumour, with team Principal Adam Clark confirming the team’s return recently via facebook. Since then, the team have taken delivery of the first all-new KnK Dominator chassis, a prototype of which won the most recent ProKart round at Warwick in Queensland in dominant fashion. Since these photos the team has undertaken a secret test day but we managed to speak to Adam Clark who was upbeat about the potential of the all-new chassis. Posting competitive times during their shake-down test, the primary concern facing this team before the upcoming 24 hour event is their lack of track time, and the potential impact this may have on their all-new Honda GX200 engines; which have barely been run in. Towards the end of last season, the KnK Scuderia team were displaying race-winning pace, albeit without the luck to breakthrough for their debut win. If their past form is anything to go by, it’s very likely that KnK Scuderia could achieve the ultimate come-back result and win this weekend’s Willowbank 24 hour event in Ipswich. The entire ProKart community will watch their progress with interest...

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Bell Pipes Racing were proud to display their allall-new livery for 2011, which showcases sponsors KARTBAY, Campstuff and Personalised Favours. We’re sure you’ll agree it looks great!

Issue 12: March 2011

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TORQUE’N TOUGH •

Be sure to watch the upcoming V8Supercar endures to cheer on (or otherwise depending on your team preferences!) David Besnard. I’m not sure which contract is more lucrative or water-tight, but David drives for Garry Rogers Motorsport in V8Supercar and Mark Johnson’s PDS Grand Prix in ProKart.

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DrDamage’s fuel return kits continue to remain popular. Details of the innovative solution to the over-fuelling problem some teams have found in recent events can be found on the ProKart forums at http:// forums.prokart.com.au/ viewtopic.php?t=682

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With Team5150R’s Joshua Townsend currently in Europe, upon his return the team will likely be the only regular ProKart team of which every fulltime member has lapped the infamous Nordschleiffe circuit in Nurburg, Germany. Team drivers Glenn Firth, Ian McMah and Steve Prokop having already done so in 2009 (see pic on right)

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ProKart have almost finalized their 2011 calendars for QLD, NSW, VIC and the National Series. Once confirmed the dates should be announced in the not too distant future.

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Several teams have already expressed their interest in the 2011 Victorian ProKart series. With the series also attracting the interest of manufacturers

Issue 12: March 2011

SANTA on track? N

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If you’re attending this weekend’s 24 hour at Ipswich, read below... It’s going to be wet, wet, wet! So beg, borrow, buy or steal (maybe not that last option) a set or 2 of wet weather Dunlops as it’s almost certain competitors will be faced with inclement weather over the race weekend. GOOD LUCK to all those attending!

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Issue 12: March 2011

RACE REPORT: QUEENSLAND Round 2: COOLOOLA Round 2 of the Track Safety International ProKart Queensland Endurance Kart Championship saw a return of sorts for a team that had once been DQ, then had members join Team5150R and are now re-birthed as Project 20. Whilst Team5150R won the 1-hour sprint race on Saturday, it was without doubt an impressive debut by Project 20 that saw them run away to a dominant round-victory with a win in Sundayâ€™s 6-hour endurance race.

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Photo by Ian McMah 15

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

REPORT: COOLOOLA Team5150R and Project 20 split the wins at Cooloola This race has been won by one particular chassis in the hands of 2 different teams over the past 3 events that ProKart have contested at the Gympie Gold Kart track venue, home of the Cooloola Coast Kart Club. Winning last year in Round 1 were Josh Townsend, Luke Delaurence and Ian McMah in the #50 Azzurro chassis of Team5150R. Later that year, running counter-clockwise, it was the combination of Ian and Shane McMah winning, again in Team5150R colours and again in the #50 Azzurro. Since that race last season, Ian and Shane McMah have teamed up in an all-new Phoenix chassis, keeping their #50 and still racing within Team5150R. Meanwhile, Josh Townsend and Luke Delaurence have started “Project 20”, purchasing the ex-Team5150R Azzurro and now running their eponymous #20. It was ironic then that both of these teams—once a combined entity—both took a race win at Cooloola in Round 2 of the Track Safety International Queensland ProKart Endurance championships, with Team5150R winning Saturday’s 1-hour and Project 20 recovering from a disappointing Saturday to dominate proceedings in Sunday’s 6-hour event; taking the overall round win in the process. Qualifying was over a single lap and was very tightly contested with a little over a second covering the whole field in practice. Ultimately though, it was Scott

Photo by Ian McMah

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Pearce and the #24 Rock Oils sponsored KnK Dominator that took pole position; an advantage lost in the 1-hour event that afternoon as the team faded to 6th after having to serve a pitlane drive-through penalty. Project 20 stormed to an early lead, hotly pursued by the #50 Phoenix of Team5150R, KnK , Phantom, BF Racing and a few others all dicing for 2nd position throughout the first 20 minutes. With a mandatory driver change between the 15 and 25 minute mark, and another one between 35 and 45 minutes, this format of racing provides plenty of action and close racing throughout. Despite their commanding lead, it all went wrong for Project 20 as they failed to pass a mandatory weight-check midway through the race, the ensuing time penalty removing them from contention. From there, the #50 kart of Ian and Shane McMah went on to take the win and with it, the coveted Pole position for Sundayâ€™s 6-hour race. As the teamâ€™s packed up on Saturday evening it was clear that Project 20 were looking to make amends for their disappointing result the following day, with a great deal of work occurring in both their and almost every other team pit for some time after racing concluded Saturday evening...

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

REPORT: COOLOOLA Team5150R and Project 20 split the wins at Cooloola

Photo by Ian McMah

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Sunday arrived and with it came a resurgent Project 20, determined to erase their disappointment with Saturday’s events. After starting effectively at the rear of the field, Project 20’s Luke Delaurence set about working his way through a congested midfield to ultimately take the lead well within the first hour of the event. Using a welltimed strategy call, they shot to an unsurpassable lead early on and the only thing that put a dominant risk was the potential for any technical failure; such was their on-track speed advantage. Behind them, Team5150R had made their way into a strong second when at the end of the first hour they lost brakes during their pitstop, a split brake-line taking almost 30 laps to replace and putting them out of contention. Despite this and with a championship campaign In mind, they persisted to ultimately finish 10th. Elsewhere, Phantom Racing were chasing hard, as were KnK, Resi, BF Racing, PDS Racing and the second Team5150R entry of Glenn Firth and Steve Prokop. Eventually, Project 20 went on to a dominant win, with PDS and Phantom filling the podium. Whilst not contesting the entire championship this season, Project 20’s win meant the remaining championship contenders were chasing as many points as possible to minimise the gap. Hurt most was the #50 kart of Team5150R; their Saturday victory totally eroded by their brake-line failure on Sunday and the team now faces a season-long struggle to catch the Championship leaders including PDS, Phantom, KnK Karts and BF Racing. - IAN MCMAH

Photo by Ian McMah

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine Photo by Ian McMah

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Photo by Ian McMah

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Photo by Ian McMah

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Photo by Ian McMah

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Photo by Ian McMah

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

30 Photos by Ian McMah

Issue 12: March 2011

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3Photo 2 by Ian McMah

Issue 12: March 2011

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Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

INTRODUCTION Col Fink of Phoenix Race Karts and K-Racer has kindly provided his permission to reprint the following article on front-end setup. The concepts discussed in this article apply to all karts, not only the Phoenix Chassis. ProKart thanks Col Fink and Phoenix Karts for their support and permission to publish this article. For more information on Phoenix Race Karts, visit www.phoenixracekarts.com.au This article was the very first written by Col for what was at the time the all-new website for Phoenix Race Karts. It concerns one of the most misunderstood, fiddly—and in the hands of the inexperienced, ignored all too often—facets of race kart setup… Front end alignment! Why is front end alignment critical? Racing karts derive a huge amount of their handling characteristics from the set-up of the front end. Let’s go through some of the important design parameters and terminology of kart front-ends. GLOSSARY OF TERMS Camber: The angle of the outside face of the tyre, measured from the vertical. When the tyre leans into the kart (i.e, the top of the tyre is closer to the centreline of the kart than the bottom), the tyres has negative camber. When the tyre leans away from the kart, the tyre has positive camber.

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Caster: The angle of the kingpin, viewed from the side of the kart, measured from the vertical. Caster usually ranges from 12 degrees to about 18 degrees on most karts, and varies according to the intended purpose of the kart.

King Pin Inclination: often abbreviated to KPI, this is the angle of the kingpin, viewed from the front of the kart. Most karts are built with about 10 degrees KPI.

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Issue 12: March 2011

Toe: Toe is the measurement of alignment of the front tyres, viewed from above. When the distance between the outside edges of the tyres at the front is greater than that at the back, the kart has toe out. The opposite condition is described as toe-in. When the distance is the same, the tyres are perfectly aligned and the kart has zero toe

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Track: Track is the overall width of the tyres.

Scrub Radius: Scrub Radius describes the distance from the kingpin to the centreline of the front tyre.

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

Ackerman: Ackerman is a term used to describe the toe-out that occurs in the front end when the steering wheel is turned. That is, the inside front wheel turns more than the outside front wheel. The greater the difference in turn-in for a given steering wheel input, the more Ackerman we have. Note that this is actually quite a simplification of Ackerman steering geometry (which is used quite differently in kart design than in the auto-industry). A complete explanation of Ackerman could take the next four paragraphs, but for clarity we’ll leave it there. Should you wish to learn more about it there are many more thorough explanations to be found on the web. HOW FRONT END GEOMETRY EFFECTS HANDLING There are two major differences between kart design and car design. Karts lack both suspension, and a rear differential. With no differential, the two back tyres are spinning at the same rate, always. But when turning a corner, the inside wheel is running around a shorter arc than the outside wheel. When both of those wheels are touching the ground, a conflict is created. Your kart uses a combination of front end geometry, and flex in the chassis, to lift that inside rear wheel off the ground while cornering. With the negative caster built into your kart, when you turn the steering wheel the inside front wheel moves down, towards the kart surface, relative to the plane of the kart. The outside front wheel moves up, away from the track. The result is that the kart becomes like a wobbly table, which tips up onto three wheels, releasing the inside rear tyre. Without this effect (which we call “jacking”), the two rear tyres would overpower the fronts, and the kart would understeer. Increasing the amount of caster increases this effect. The greater the caster angle, the more wobbly our “three legged table” becomes, and the faster the inside rear wheel is lifted. Increasing the amount of Ackerman also increases this effect, as the inside front wheel “drops” more relative to the kart with the same amount of steering input. Track is probably the easiest, and most commonly adjusted setting, to fine-tune the jacking effect. The further the front wheel is from the king pin (the larger the scrub-radius), the greater leverage it has at any given steering input. As a result, a wider front track will give a kart more steer, a narrower front track will reduce front steer.

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Camber is adjusted mainly to keep the largest possible contact patch of the tyre on the track. Large amounts of negative camber (the wheels leaning into the kart) mean that the inside of the tread wears much faster than the outside, and therefore also that not all of the tyre is doing the job it is supposed to—provide grip to steer the kart. It’s worth noting that when you adjust the camber in your kart you are in reality altering the KPI, which affects the camber the same amount as the stub axle is welded solid. The camber change is what we are really trying to achieve so generally people will refer to it as “camber adjustment” rather than “KPI adjustment”. On occasion, a bit of negative camber can help. There’s a tyre characteristic called “camber thrust”, which is crucial to the handling of Motorbikes. Simplistically, a tyre that is “laid over” creates a force in the direction it’s leaning. As a result, a bit of negative camber can help the front of a kart turn better, though usually at the expense of tyre wear. Lastly, it’s important that the tyres are facing in the same direction for the kart to behave correctly. In most conditions, Phoenix karts generally perform best with zero toe—perfectly aligned front wheels. Toe-out can increase turn in, but at the expense of stability and speed if the misalignment is too dramatic. You will almost never want a kart with toe-in. SETTING UP YOUR FRONT END The easiest way to accurately measure front ends is with a laser alignment system. Interestingly, two Australian companies, Jet and Sniper, lead the world in the manufacture of these products. Phoenix has no particular affiliation with either of these companies, but we use both with great results (and as a testament to their accuracy, get the same result on each unit when comparing one to the other). If you don’t have a laser alignment system—fear not! - it’s nothing you can’t measure with a tape, it’s just a bit more fiddly. There are products on the market that aid front end alignment without the use of lasers, the best example being the ZTB (zero-toe-bar) from another Australian company—JL Racing Products (again no affiliation with Phoenix Race Karts). So how do we measure caster, camber and toe? Really, what we’re adjusting is angles, but on karts, the easiest way to measure is with millimetres. So “2mm toe-out” means that the rear of the tyres are 2mm closer together than the front of the tyres. Likewise, “4mm positive camber” means the bottoms of the tyres are 4mm closer together than the tops of the tyres. Caster is the hardest to measure, but is usually left in one of three settings—neutral, maximum or minimum. There are laser systems that allow you to measure caster, but the reward doesn’t often justify the cost.

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There’s an important point to make about setting up front ends, and that is to make the distinction between “static” and “loaded” settings. Most people set up their kart’s front end on a stand, and the main reason is—convenience! The problem this creates is that the settings applied on the stand are static settings, which can change dramatically when the kart is put on the ground, and the driver gets in the seat. Of course, when on the track, the kart is under load, so it’s really the loaded settings we want to change, not the static settings. For this reason, it is best to do some experimentation with your kart at home, to find out exactly how the loaded settings change, when you adjust them statically. Some karts will toe-in anywhere up to 3mm or so when loaded. Most will experience negative camber change of anywhere between 1mm and 6mm. This will vary with chassis, driver mass, seat position, and even torsion bar set-ups! This is why experimentation is required to be sure how YOUR kart will behave when YOU get in it. With the kart on the stand, start by setting it up on a “zero-zero-zero” - zero camber, zero toe, neutral caster. If you’re using laser aligners, put them right in on the stub axle, and place the wheels on outside them. If you’re just using a tape, measure from top to top, rear to rear, bottom to bottom and front to front of the tyres—all the values should be the same. Now, place the kart on the ground, fuelled up, with any lead you need to make the required class weight, and sit in it. WHOA! Watch those lasers move! (This step is slightly less exciting when using a tape measure!). Make a record of where the loaded settings ended up when you set the static settings to zero-zero. Next, lift the kart back onto the stand. Assuming your kart toed-in by 1mm, and gained 3m negative camber, now try setting it up statically with 1mm toe-out, and

Issue 12: March 2011

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3mm positive camber. Make sure you’ve tightened everything up and place the kart back on the ground. It probably won’t be exact, but your loaded settings should now be about zerozero. For most karts (and I can say with conviction with Phoenix karts), this should be your starting point. Now try dialling in 2mm more static positive camber over your previous setup, and see how that effects the loaded steering. Try lots of things, and keep a record of how each static adjustment effects the final—and most important—loaded result. This means that when you do hit the race track, you can adjust your front-end comfortably in the pits, with a sound knowledge of what you have ACTUALLY done to the kart when it rolls out the gate. Thanks for reading the first technical article from Phoenix Race Karts. There will be many more to come, and all will be written with beginners in mind, and in a way that should allow you to apply the principles to any brand of kart. We encourage feedback, though we can’t respond to every reply as we’ve got a lot of karts to build! The most commonly asked questions will be placed with answers back on our website so that others with the same question can read the response. Col Fink Phoenix Race Karts info@phoenixracekarts.com.au

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Issue 12: March 2011

The FUTURE OF PROKART

ProKart ProKart Magazine 2011 continues 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 already have all race and qualifying sessions broadcast live via the internet and shortly this will be available in FULL HD via a satellite link, enabling full resolution images to be streamed via the internet. Already we have 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

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We also continue to evaluate and develop;

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New Bodywork Lighting packages for karts Television packages to increase series exposure and promotion More durable and cost effective clutches, chains and sprockets

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ProKart are currently investigating and testing a package of measures including new chains and sprockets to compliment a more durable and affordable clutch. The recently introduced ProKart Power Pipe is approximately 1 second per lap quicker and enjoyed zero breakages at the recent 7-hour event at Willowbank. 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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Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

RACE PREVIEW: WiLLOWBANK 24 hour Round 2 of the Track Safety International Australian Endurance Kart Championship takes place this coming weekend at Willowbank Raceway. Doubling as Round 4 of the Queensland Series, it is likely that this will once again be the defining round in both Championship series. Teams are faced with the most competitive field in years. At best, itâ€™s currently looking like there will be changeable weather throughout the event. At worst, it will be a wet, grueling and incomprehensibly difficult 24 hourâ€™s as teams, drivers and equipment are pushed to the absolute limit.

Photography: Ian M4c9Mah

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Issue 12: March 2011

On the same weekend that teams race against the clock for 24 hours at the world famous Le Mans 24-hour, competitors from each of the Track Safety International ProKart Endurance Kart Championships in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory converge to contest their own 24 hour race widely considered the most gruelling event on the Australian Karting calendar. For the 3rd year running this event will be contested over 24 non-stop hours of racing at Willowbank Raceway, near Ipswich and only 45 minutes from Brisbane. With 24-hours of non-stop racing, strategy can often change the race and with variables including driver changes, refuelling and safety cars, it is likely teams will be faced with a variety of conditions and weather to further complicate the challenge of winning Australiaâ€™s only 24 hour Motorsport event. With the race a little under 2 weeks from now on Sunday 12th and Monday 13th June, teams are frantically undertaking their final checks to ensure that their machinery is meticulously prepared to ensure reliability across the full 24 hours. Given an expected entry list of over 20 teams and with most teams comprising at least 5 and often more drivers, it is likely that over 100 individual karters will tackle the toughest Endurance Karting event in Australia.

Photography: Ian McMah

ProKart ProKart Magazine In the past, the key to success in this event was a solid driver line-up, sound strategy and arguably most importantly; strong reliability. This changed in 2010 however when the winning kart from JETS Motorsport competed the event in record time, essentially running at full-speed from start to finish and ultimately winning comfortably as teams around them ran into a multitude of technical issues. Whilst the ‘JETS’ won’t be there to defend their title this year, there are a number of racewinning teams ready to win including Horsepower Racing, KAOS, Phantom, Team5150R, KW Racing, BF Racing, KnK Karts and PDS Racing among many more. This race has significant championship implications for many teams as it comprises Round 2 of the Australian Championship and Round 4 of the Queensland series; marking the halfway point of both. With both championships finding a number of teams in contention, it is likely this event will go a long way towards determine who will ultimately succeed in taking both the Queensland and Australian ProKart Endurance Championship in 2011.

- IAN MCMAH

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Issue 12: March 2011

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE:

WiLLOWBANK 24 FAST FACTS: Willowbank International Kart Raceway 2010 Event winners: #1 JETS Motorsport Winning Margin: 27 laps Fastest lap: 57.168 by #3 JETS Motorsport Number of laps completed by the winner in 2010: 1411 Calculated distance travelled by 2010 race winner: 1411 x 1080m = 1523.88km 2010 Pole position: 57.859s by #5 (Random) 2011 Starting format: Le Mans start Confirmed entries as of June 6: 23 teams

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Round 4 – Sunday 12th and Monday 13th June, 2011 Over 29 hours of Track Time – including 24 hours of continuous endurance kart racing with pitstops, driver changes, and refuelling. Timed Practice and Qualifying from 7:00am with Racing from 9.00am. Teams of 4-8 drivers. Trophy presentation to follow racing. Location: Ipswich Kart Club Champions Way Willowbank QLD Phone: Circuit Length: 1100m Circuit Direction: Anti-Clockwise Event Program: Saturday June 11 4.00pm 5.00pm 8:30pm

- 8.00pm -

Gates open & team setup Open practice session Track closes

Event Program: Sunday June 12 6.00am 6.30am 6:50am 7:00am 8:20am 8:30am

8:45am

- 8:55am

9:00am

6.50am 7:00am 8:15am 8:30am 8:45am

Gates open & team setup Registration & scrutineering Driver’s briefing Practice Qualifying Pit Lane Exit closed Grid positioning commences Pit Lane Exit Open Karts released for warm-up lap Race Start 24 Hour

Event Program: Monday June 13 12:00am 9:00am 9:15am

10:00am

Race continues Chequered Flag Parc Ferme Trophy Presentation Depart Circuit

Prokart Endurance Racing Owner Kart Team

$899

Arrive & Drive Race Entry for up to 6 drivers One Race prepared F1 corporate kart Fuel Mechanical assistance Timed Practice/Qualifying/24 Hour of Racing

$POA

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Issue 12: March 2011

RACE REPORT: QUEENSLAND Round 3: WARWICK

Photo by Steve Prokop

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Round 3 of the Track Safety International ProKart Queensland Endurance Kart Championship saw teams head to the Warwick Kart Club’s Sandy Creek Raceway, a technical 1km circuit just outside of Warwick, approximately 2 hours West of Brisbane. After displaying strong speed in both qualifying and racing for some time, Warwick brought a much celebrating debut win to the everpopular team from KnK Karts. It didn’t always look like it would be that way though...

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Issue 12: March 2011

It’s Green Day for KnK as they storm to victory in Warwick 9 Hour It’s rare to hear other teams in pitlane, including those running 2nd, suggest they’d be genuinely happy to see another team win; but that’s exactly what happened throughout Round 3 of the Track Safety International Queensland ProKart Endurance Championship held recently at Sandy Creek Raceway; home of the Warwick Kart Club. In what can only be described as a dominant performance, the KnK Karts team of Scott Pearce, Greg Robertson and Dustin Pocock qualified on pole, won the first 3-hour race then went on to lead practically every lap of the 6-hour race on Sunday by over a lap from the #50 kart of Ian McMah, Shane McMah and Glenn Firth, with a hard-charging PDS Racing in 3rd place with their #661 Phoenix chassis. To reinforce just how dominant they were, they also set the fastest lap of the event with a 50.466. Teams arrived at Sandy Creek Raceway in Warwick early Saturday morning to inspect the recently extended track (now over 1km long) and unanimously gave it a positive review. For a small club, the Warwick Karting Club’s facility is excellent and after a number of competitors walked the track they suggested it would be physically demanding and produce great racing. After practice, it seemed that Phantom Racing had a performance edge over the rest of the field, their best lap some 4 tenths of a second quicker than the nearest competitor. The remainder of the field however was tightly bunched and it looked as though the race for 2nd would be intense with all teams within a second of each other.

Photo McMah Photo by by Ian Steve Prokop

ProKart ProKart Magazine Qualifying was run as a single-timed-lap and it was Scott Pearce in the KnK Karts #24 Dominator Chassis that took pole in convincing fashion, from Carl Brown in the #661 PDS Racing Phoenix, Simon Ham in the #152 MS Kart of Phantom Racing with Ian McMah in the #50 Phoenix of Team5150R in 4th. Rounding out the Top 5 was the #224 of 2DADZ racing. This event was unique in the ProKart series in that a 9-hour event was broken into 2 components; a 3-hour race on Saturday which continued over the remaining 6-hours on Sunday. Karts were held in ‘parc ferme’ conditions overnight, meaning that teams were not permitted to undertake any repairs, maintenance or even adjustments from the moment they finished Saturday’s 3-hour event, through to the commencement of the 6-hour on Sunday. A 9-hour race with an overnight shut-down essentially. Saturday’s 3-hour commenced with a conventional grid participating in a standing start. Lined up 2 by 2; the first 3 rows made a strong start, with the #50 Team5150R Phoenix driven by Ian McMah getting a particularly good jump off the line as he effectively pushed Carl Brown in the #661 PDS Racing Phoenix all the way to Turn 2, with both karts trying to hold track position on the outside of Scott Pearce in the KnK Karts entry, and Simon Ham piloting the Phantom Racing #152 MS Kart. It wasn’t long though until the race ordered settled down, KnK leading Phantom who were in turn pulling away from PDS Racing and Team5150R. Whilst Phantom and KnK diced continuously for the lead, they still extended the gap over the remainder of the field early in the event.

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

After the initial round of driver stops were made, it seemed as though the order would remain ‘as-is’ up front, with no team demonstrating an ability to close the gap to the leading pair. That all changed though as Phantom Racing’s Steve Thompson found himself the innocent victim of a racing incident, the #2 kart of BF Racing almost climbing over the top of Steve as he found himself and his kart damaged sufficiently to necessitate a pitstop for repairs. That changed the order, and with Team5150R now in a strong second place from PDS Racing, the remainder of the race was uneventful and KnK Karts crossed the line to ‘win’ Saturday’s 3-hour stage from Team5150R; with PDS Racing further back having been required to make an additional stop. It was interesting to note that many teams found a solid strategy opportunity with what was essentially a mandated Safety-car period to denote the end of the initial 3-hour leg of the race. By pitting in the dying minutes of the event, they effectively gained a stop on the leader and all of the Top 5 with the exception of Team5150R were able to take advantage of this. The race on Sunday was a KnK benefit from start to finish, as they sought to extend their lead from Saturday’s 3-hour stage.

Photo McMah Photo by by Ian Steve Prokop

ProKart ProKart Magazine Team5150R conceded early on that they wouldn’t be able to match the pace of the #24 KnK Dominator; their all-new Phoenix (for 2011) still in its early stages of development and lacking a few vital tenths throughout the event. Whilst there’s no doubt they’ll find this pace soon, without mechanical failure or any other unforseen developments the race win was there to be taken by KnK, although a mid-race pitstop to secure an awry Nassau panel, combined with some uncertainty over braking performance and longevity kept hopes alive in the Team5150R pit long into the event. Ultimately though the #24 KnK Dominator of Scott Pearce, Dustin Pocock and Greg Robertson dominated the field to win by over a lap from brothers Ian and Shane McMah and team mate Glenn Firth, who finished 2nd in their Phoenix chassis. PDS Racing spend the entire 6-hour event consolidating a strong 3rd position in their #661 Phoenix, the team of Carl Brown, Mark Johnson and Sarah Harley having fought back after their additional stop during Saturday’s event. 4th place was a well-deserved result for the ever-improving team from 2DADZ racing. Phantom Racing never fully recovered from Saturday’s racing incident and ultimately finished 5th. On pace they could likely have contended for the outright victory, had circumstances in Saturday’s event not resulted in lost laps whilst pitted for repairs. Rounding out the top 10 were BF Racing, the #662 entry of PDS Racing, the ever improving Team Frog in 8th followed closely by the #51 Azzurro of Team5150R and the 015 kart of Outback Racing. By winning the Track Safety International Warwick 9-hour, KnK Karts now find themselves leading the Queensland Series Championship; and undoubtedly have inadvertently become the focus for all other teams aspiring to catch them for outright victory as the season hits some significant events including the upcoming 24-hour at Willowbank.

IAN MCMAH

Photo by Shane McMah

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60 Photo by Steve Prokop

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

62 Photo by Steve Prokop

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

64 Photo by Ian McMah

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Photo by Shane McMah

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine Photo by Ian McMah

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine Photos by Steve Prokop

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Photo by Shane McMah

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

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 youâ€™re looking to improve the presentation and professionalism of your team, contact Adam at Adam Clark Racing on 0412 291 364

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

SPORTS PROGRAM KEY MESSAGES EXERCISE AND BREAST CANCER – REDUCING RISK FACTORS Research has shown that regular exercise plays an important part in decreasing the risk of breast cancer, as part of an active and healthy lifestyle Regular gentle exercise can also assist in the recovery & rehabilitation of breast cancer survivors, who may find they have reduced fitness, increased fatigue and their body has changed after treatment Being fit and active also means improved confidence and wellbeing, as well as being part of a wider social network BREAST CANCER FACTS •Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women in Australia. It is estimated that in 2009, 13,698 new cases will be diagnosed in women. New diagnoses are also expected in 106 men •One in 9 women will be diagnosed with the disease by the age of 85 Early detection is currently the best method for reducing deaths from breast cancer ABOUT THE NBCF •The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) is the leading community-funded national organisation in Australia raising money for research into the prevention, detection and treatment of breast cancer. •The NBCF receives no government funding, and is reliant on community fundraising events to fund its research. •Events can be held all year round, but our main fundraising activity is in October, which is internationally recognised as Breast Cancer Month. •Pink Ribbon Day is held on the last Monday of October.

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Issue 12: March 2011

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CANBERRA Race Report By Matt Mosse- Robinson

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

BELL PIPES RACING – Race Report Race 2 – Canberra 7hr (13 March, 2011) Bell Pipes were excited about returning to Canberra following the team’s success at this track last season. During the period between races, the cause of the issues at Eastern Creek had been identified, with a leaking carby being the primary cause of the team’s fuel problems. The team has also invested in a new sticker kit for the kart, designed by Melissa of Personalised Favours (pictures to follow with the race report for round 3). Alex unfortunately remained out of the team due to the hand injury he sustained in Practice at Eastern Creek. This left the driving to Dion, Mark and myself.

Practice & Qualifying: In practice the team was a little concerned that we weren’t as fast as we wanted to be. The kart was handling well but we were lacking the grunt up the straights. We ended practice setting the 5th fastest time, with each driver satisfied with the handling but a little concerned over straight line speed. I was sent out for qualifying for the first time this year. The kart felt good but was still sluggish up the back straight. I managed to set the 4th fastest time and put the team on the second row of the grid. Following qualifying we discovered that we weren’t getting full throttle on either motor and this was the cause of our top speed issue.

Race: Dion started the race for the team and we elected to take a pit stop on the first lap. This put us out of rhythm with a lot of the other teams and meant that we largely had a clear track for most of the first hour. Dion’s stint was followed by Mark, who showed great speed and consistency. Following Mark I jumped in the kart and was pushing very hard to catch kart 80 who I could see and was catching. Unfortunately I was pushing too hard and made a mistake on the fastest corner of the track and the next thing I knew I was buried in the tire barriers. I was winded for a moment but quickly got out of the kart lifted the tires off the kart and got back in and drove off. I honestly thought the race would be over for us, but a credit to Dion and the effort he puts in when building the kart, nothing was broken on the kart apart from the new sticker kit. All drivers drove faultlessly after that and we pushed very hard till the end and brought the kart home in 2nd. This result was largely thanks the both Chris’ strategy and Dion’s immaculate kart preparation. KW Racing was just too fast all day and no matter what we tried we were unable to catch them.

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With our result in Canberra we were able to get our championship back on track. Our next race is at Windsor on the 9th of April. We will be returning to Windsor as the returning champions so fingers crossed we can produce another good result. Thankyou once again to all of our partners, KartBay, Personalised Favours and Campstuff.com.au.

Matt Matt Mosse-Robinson Marketing Manager

ProKart ProKart Magazine Photography: Brian Jamieson

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

ProKart ProKart Magazine Photography: Brian Jamieson

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

ProKart ProKart Magazine Photography: Brian Jamieson

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

ProKart ProKart Magazine Photography: Brian Jamieson

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Photography: Brian Jamieson

Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

Issue 12: March 2011

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In our next issue... •

Features: whoever wins!

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Race Reviews: Ipswich 24 hour

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Driver Profile: whoever wins!

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All the latest ProKart news and much more…

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