March 2011 ProKart eNewsletter

ProKart ProKart Magazine

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Issue 12: March 2011

ProKart ProKart Magazine

TORQUE IT UP: FROM THE EDITOR Firstly, apologies from myself and ProKart for the delay in producing this newsletter. A few off-track events have slowed progress and meant the newsletter is being published well after its original deadline and I have meant I’ve probably rewritten this column alone more than a half dozen times.

Since our last issue the Australian, NSW and QLD championships have been decided, with Team PINK (formerly the JETS) and PDS Grand Prix taking the spoils. To illustrate just how long it’s been, that very team is now named YBE (details elsewhere in this issue)!

A dominant season by Team PINK/JETS saw them win every National Round and the prestigious 24 hour, whilst also yet again winning the NSW series. Whether anyone can take victory this season against them has been one of the talking points of the off season.

With the first round of the 2011 series already run on the full 1700m circuit at Eastern Creek International Raceway across 9 hours on February 12, a lot of teams were left bruised, battered and down— but not out—after one of the toughest ProKart events in years. Congratulations to eventual winners Horsepower, who overcame a number of challenges to eventually claim victory. I doubt there’s a been a race recently with so many ‘what-ifs’ as many teams could have run for victory had some luck gone their way. A number of changes have occurred during the off season with some teams changing drivers, chassis and this will also create some intrigue as the new season commences in each state.

With 4 championships across QLD, NSW, VIC and the ACT this is shaping up to the biggest year in ProKart history… and I for one can’t wait to get started!

Until next time, keep it on the black stuff…

Ian McMah

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TORQUE’N TOUGH •

In testing one of ProKart’s most technically proficient team managers determined that any of the available jets for the Honda engine will be a compromise with the new Power Pipes, and despite changing the heat range of the plugs with the bigger jet (no good) and an extended period of the day changing valve clearances, plugs, jets and oil they didn’t progress much in time. After 4 changes to the chassis they pulled a constant 3 tenths of a sec .

Their feedback? It’s the same old story: all the time is in the chassis

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2010 Queensland Series champions PDS Grand Prix returned to running 2 karts in 2011

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Speaking of Phoenix chassis, there are now 3 in the Queensland series alone and manufacturer Col Fink has indicated he will focus even more on endurance karting in the future, perhaps even doing a few races himself!

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It seems ProKart’s “must have” item this off-season is an onboard dash panel, with several teams developing unique solutions to the problem of where to mount engine, radio and light switches, radios and other equipment.

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KnK Karts are about to launch an all-new Endurance chassis.

See page 10 for details.

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Santa has suit and is available?

It seems even Santa doesn’t like the off season.

One ProKart competitor found something resembling Santa sitting in something that possibly resembles a kart at his house during the festive season.

As you’d expect, he immediately considered offering him a drive.

From all reports, it was the fact the driver had his own suit that made the decision an easy one.

Looks like his kart might need some work before Eastern Creek though...

ProKart ProKart Magazine

“A little bit of help or the whole package, RacerSupport will help you enjoy your racing” Brian Jamieson, owner of Two-Dogs racing and long-term ProKart supporter (and employee in recent times) has branched out to start his own venture and is proud to announce the launch of RACERSUPPORT.COM.AU RACERSUPPORT can provide Complete Endurance karting Support Services including;

PARTS SUPPLY KART MAINTENANCE KART STORAGE KART TRANSPORT COMPLETE TEAM MANAGEMENT DRIVER SOURCING DRIVER TRAINING For all enquiries please contact Brian at brian@racersupport.com.au or Phone 0400 999 978

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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

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SANTA on track?

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THE DEAL OF THE

CENTURY!

ProKart offered all teams the opportunity to exchange their existing engines for brand new, fully race-prepared and sealed Honda GX200 race engines.

Tony Pullen, ProKart series director developed the “Deal of the Century� for our race teams, further demonstrating his commitment to this growth series.

NOTE: Whilst this deal has concluded ProKart will consider approaches from existing ProKart team owners in exceptional circumstances.

$499 for New Sealed Honda Power plants compliant with the 2011 specifications. Plus $150 buy back for complete previously raced engines.

Prokart is proud to announce a limited offer to all teams entering this years Track Safety International Prokart Australian Endurance Kart Championship.

It has been a busy time over the off season with Prokart working closely with both its suppliers and technical rules committee to formulate a fresh approach. A new vendor for Engine Scrutineering and Sealing has been identified. All engines will now be sealed with 10 seals per motor. The process will be for a teams engine(s) to be supplied to a Prokart representative, these will then be passed on to the appointed Engine Scrutineer, checked, and if found to be compliant, sealed and returned to the team via a Prokart representative.

There will be no direct contact between teams and the Appointed Engine Scrutineer, therefore ensuring an unbiased, non influenceable and level playing field for all. Teams will still be free to use whomever they please to complete engine building work, but no further Engine Scrutineers or Sealers will be appointed. It is envisaged that the cost to teams, for engine scrutineering and sealing, including the cost of the new seals will be around the $200 mark per engine. Prokart will then handle all invoicing and payment for the completed works.

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Teams not wishing to go through the new Scrutineering Process may simply trade in their engine(s) from previous season(s), in complete working order to receive a $150 buy back credit. These engine will go on to power the fleet of endurance karts at the Wollongong City Raceway. Teams are then invited to purchase as many New, Sealed, Compliant Honda engine(s) as they wish at $499.

Engines are supplied in a sealed, boxed, ready to race condition, with standard Honda mufflers, and exclude oil, pulse pumps, fuel lines and engine mounts. All engines are ex works Wollongong City Raceway.

This is a time sensitive offer. To ensure that all New Honda Engines are delivered well in advance of the first meeting of the year at Eastern Creek we require teams to contact Gary Emr on (02) 4260 9333 by close of business Monday January 17 to secure their order.

The entire Scrutineering Process, its costs and the New Engine supply arrangement as outlined above, represent a revenue neutral venture for Prokart Pty Ltd and is offered as a massive incentive to teams to update their gear and allow all competitors an unheralded level of transparency for the 2011.

Please noteRace prepared engines include the heavy duty exhaust valve and springs.

Pick up will be available from WCR or freight charges sorted with teams at time of dispatch.

Engine Seal Clarification Will I need to have my engines resealed before Round 1 at Eastern Creek?

No, all Prokart competition engines are required to be sealed in five(5) places. Providing you have at least one intact seal in each of the sealing points, your engine is “sealed” and there is no need to reseal this engine.

My engine originally had 10 seals it now has 9, will I need to reseal this engine?

No, as you have at least one seal through each sealing point, refer the above question.

Will Prokart continue to use the plastic ROTO seal?

No, there will be no further sealing of engines with ROTO seals.

My engine has less than five (5) seals, what does this mean?

Engines with less than 1 seal at each sealing point, or no seals whatsoever are deemed “unsealed”. These motors will need to undergo the new Engine Sealing and Scrutineering Program.

Will my unsealed engine be required to be sealed prior to Eastern Creek?

No, Prokart is an inclusive not exclusive sport and we will not place an impediment in the way of competitors going racing. Teams that present engines for Pre Race Scrutineering in an unsealed condition will be permitted to race provided they agree to the surrender of the engines at the completion of the meeting for the Engine Sealing and Scrutineering Program.

What happens if my engine is deemed unsuitable for competition?

The engine will not be sealed. All parts deemed unsuitable will be immediately forfeited.

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ProKart ProKart Magazine Should the engine be submitted for Engine Sealing and Scrutineering during competition i.e. at the completion of an event then no points will be scored for that event, or subsequent events in the championship. The cost of the Scrutineering Process will be entirely born by the competitor.

Who will be involved in the new Engine Sealing and Scrutineering Program?

Prokart will seal new Honda Engines out of the box, this will allow Prokart to pass on the savings directly to teams and allow teams to trade in old engines they no longer require. For engines requiring sealing or purchased new elsewhere these engines will be need to be delivered to Prokart for the Engine Sealing and Scrutineering Program. An independent, qualified, unbiased individual has been found to complete the Engine Sealing and Scrutineering Program.

Can I get my engines serviced or freshened up by the Prokart Engine Sealer and Scrutineer?

No, that would compromise his position. We cannot guarantee the integrity of the program if we allowed Engine Builders within the series to also seal engines. Further to that the Prokart Engine Sealer and Scrutineer will not compete, trade, or work for any team, team member or administrator within the Prokart series. His identity will at all times be protected therefore ensuring an unbiased, non influence able and level playing field for all. $200 seems like a lot of money, will it really be this high?

This entire process is revenue neutral for Prokart. It is however necessary to compensate the Engine Sealer and Scrutineer for his time. As this is a new process for the individual we have budgeted for the strip down, measuring, scrutineering, rebuilding and sealing of an engine to take 3 hours. Should this time allocation prove to be incorrect then a reduction in time will be reflected in a reduction in costs. Volume may also be a factor in reducing the price.

Is there any other way of getting my engines sealed?

We are presently working with the new Engine Sealer and Scrutineer to offer a pre season group sealing event along the following lines. On a date or dates to be determined by Prokart. Teams will be allowed to attend a predetermined location. Teams will be allocated a time of arrival. Upon arrival they will strip down their own engines to a pre determined level.

The engine will the be boxed and taken directly to the Prokart Engine Scrutineer. All measuring and scrutineering will then take place, prior to the engine being again boxed and returned to the team. The team will then under direct Prokart supervision rebuild there engine, at which time a Prokart will place the new seals on the engine. This process will make more efficient use of the Prokart Engine Sealer and Scrutineers time, as he wont have to strip down, rebuild or seal engines, and therefore reduce the cost.

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Issue 12: March 2011

“Gentleman” “Gentleman Jim Richards takes Team5150R’s Shane McMah on the ride of his life at Bathurst’s Mount Panorama… here they can be seen coming out of the esses across Skyline and into the dipper The smile is still on Shane’s face...

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Issue 12: March 2011

YBE RACING Current National Champions YBE (Youth, Beauty, Experience) Racing, the team comprised of Nicky Laskazeski, Tim Gresham and Jared will again race in support the National Breast Cancer Foundation in 2011.

The team has been strong advocates and supporters of the National Breast Cancer Foundation and will once again undertake fundraising in 2011 to hep grow support and awareness for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Nicky Laskazeski, a member of the #1 YBE team was the driving force behind getting the National Breast Cancer Foundation on board.

“In 2010 I was invited by Jets Motorsport to join their team and I thought it’d be a great idea to get the National Breast Cancer Foundation on board and for us to be able to support a worthwhile cause,” Laskazeski enthused.

To find out more information about the National Breast Cancer Foundation visit their official website: www.nbcf.org.au

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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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YBE RACING celebrate!

And why shouldn’t they, they’re NATIONAL Champions!

The team from YBE Racing (that’s Youth, Beauty, Experience—you can decide who’s who in that zoo!) had cause to reflect and celebrate during the off season as they become Australian Champions with a clean-sweep of all National Rounds in 2010.

I asked Tim Gresham, formerly of Midnight Racing and then the WCR JETS, if he could reflect not only on last season but on the team that started the season as the JETS and ended it as Team Pink; only to now be known as YBE—possibly the most descriptive team name thus far!

“The year has kinda just disappeared and its hard to look back as looking back only slows you down. With regards to our F1 kart, Kurt White arrived with a bare chassis at my place in June 06 and we finished 06 with a championship win and in 07 myself and Kurt took out the Queensland light and heavy championship and along with Glen Evans we took out the NSW championship light and heavy and the nationals that was the last year for the Civic Avengers . We are still using the same chassis because the old girl just refuses to die, same engines sealed from new.”

Q: During the course of the season there was a notable change to the lineup with the JETS appearing to morph into Team Pink. Speculation is that the "JETS" as we know it ceased to exist midmid-season and your team is now known as "Team Pink" in recognition of your support of the National Breast Cancer Association. Will the team be known as "Team Pink" in 2012 and will you retain the same line up? It definitely wasn’t a planned change, however after the 12hr at Tamworth we decided to run as ‘Team Pink’ the raise more awareness for the National Breast Cancer Foundation in conjunction with the fundraising. Plus guys look good in pink right?

“The Jets name belongs to Trent and in 2011 we (that’s Nicki, Jarod and myself with team manager Deb) will be running as YBE 2011 racing; that stands for Youth Beauty and Experience . Jarod and Nicki joined our team at the 24 hour and we all like the kart to do the same things so setup is really easy and they are a joy to race with and considering neither had done any endurance racing, they have adapted extremely well.

Q: At this stage, what races are you planning on competing in during 2011? Are you going to defend your NSW and Australian Championship titles? I would like to do as many races next year as we can but without having a good look at the calendar its difficult to decide what lines up. We will be doing the National series and we have already decided to do some Qld rounds. We will only run one kart next year as 2 karts is 3 times the work and our kart is now almost ready for 2011.We hope to be on the track early in January for early season testing.

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ProKart ProKart Magazine Q: To what do you attribute the teams' success in 2010 and do you think you can replicate; or even improve upon it in 2011? Winning both the NSW and National series is remarkable but after clean sweeping the National rounds do you believe you have a chance to cleanclean-sweep both series in 2011?

We definitely had a fantastic year & to be honest it was more fun than anything else. Jarod, myself, Debs & Nicky gel really well together & regardless of our results we are always smiling. We will be doing some preseason testing in January & will hopefully then plan what races we will be competing in for 2011. We will certainly be aiming to defend both our NSW & Australian Championships/ In 2011 we are also looking to venture overseas as a national team to compete in a 24hr endurance race Q: Do you have any advice for newcomers into our sport?

My advice to newcomers is No1 have a good time ( if you don’t enjoy it do something else ), know the rules and use them to your advantage, a smart team manager can work the race from both directions, always give racing room and drive to a pace you are happy with and that you can sustain , ask questions from other teams if your not sure about something, don’t whinge to the officials because they have enough to do keeping you safe. Practise practise practise you will be amazed how lucky you can get.

Q: Do you have any final comments or anyone you’d like to acknowledge that you haven’t already?

As for the year I would like to thank all the people that helped the Jets through the year and congrats to Mickey and Brian on their well deserved awards and of course to you Ian for your massive effort with the news letter. As for next year we are still working on doing a 24 hr overseas race (not the UK it too bloody cold) and hoping for some great racing Thanks Tim, all the best to you and YBE in 2011.

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RACE REPORT: NATIONALS Round 1: EASTERN CREEK

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Round 1 of the Track Safety International ProKart Australian Endurance Kart Championship was one of the most unpredictable races in recent memory.

With rain, a 9-hour race that commenced at 11pm on the full 1700m Eastern Creek International Raceway layout and a mix of wet weather, safety cars and multiple lead changes; this was one of the most arduous and exciting races for some time.

Ultimately, the 777 kart of HorsePower Racing were victorious, but it wasn’t an easy win...

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REPORT: EASTERN CREEK Horsepower Racing Triumph in ‘Eastern Creek 9 Hour’ The # 777 Horsepower Racing team took out the winning spoils at Eastern Creek International Karting Raceway over the weekend in the ‘Eastern Creek 9 Hour’ that was the opening rounds of the 2011 Track Safety supported ProKart Australia National and New South Wales Endurance Kart Championships.

The competitors had to battle with a range of mixed weather conditions and it certainly created plenty of challenges, but at the fall of the chequered flag it was the # 777 Horsepower Racing team that emerged on top. The winner was only decided in the closing stages after the # 777 Horsepower Racing team moved by long-time leaders the # 3 KW Racing team in what was a fantastic battle and it kicked off 2011 in the best possible fashion for the Cyclo Automotive Chemicals supported team.

“We had a bit of luck on our side, but the reliability of our kart and the constant hard work of our team were the keys to our success,” commented Nathan Peick from the # 777 Horsepower Racing team. “Our team decided to start the race on slick tyres in the wet, however it didn’t work in our favour, so after an hour we had to pit and swap tyres. After the three hour mark we had to replace one of our mufflers and that cost us some extra time in pit lane, but we managed to have dream run throughout the morning through to the finish and we were rewarded with victory.”

The newly formed # 3 KW Racing team showed that they’re going to be strong contenders this year in both the National and NSW Championships. Although they were deeply disappointed to miss out on making a victorious start to the year, second place was where they finished and it’s certainly given them a good foundation to work from for the remainder of the year.

Another team that had a bit of luck on their side was the # 21 Walkos Racing team. After they had not qualified due to suffering a broken wheel nut at the beginning of the session and they therefore had to start from the back of the 32 team strong grid, Walkos Racing were another team that took

Photo by Ian McMah

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the gamble and remained on slick tyres for the entire race. Apart from losing quite a lot of time in the pits, they also suffered had a chain jump off, but they had also suffered a broken muffler when they had worked their way up to third in what was a strong recovering from the earlier broken chain drama. The second half of the race brought some much needed fortune to Walkos Racing and they were able to charge their way back through the field once again and in the closing laps moved one spot shy of the podium in fourth place. Walkos Racing managed to fight their way onto the podium when they moved into third place over the # 66 Team Kaos only a handful of laps from the finish.

Behind the podium finishes, which consisted of winners # 777 Horsepower Racing, second placed # 3 KW Racing and third placed # 21 Walkos Racing, were # 66 Team Kaos and another new team in # 18 Team Raleigh in fourth and fifth place respectively.

One of the front running Queensland based outfits, # 50 Team 5150R, made their debut with a brand-new, never been tested, Endurance Kart for the event and despite the struggles, which included a tyre gamble with slicks that didn’t pay off, they managed to fight their way through to finish inside the Top 10 in eighth place. This was a result that the team was pleased with considering the circumstances and it certainly fills them with added confidence for the future.

The next events on the 2011 calendar for ProKart Australia include; the opening round of the Queensland Championship on Saturday, March 5 at Ipswich Kart Track, along with the second round of the NSW Championship on Sunday, March 12 at Fairbairn Park Raceway (Canberra, A.C.T), and the second round of the National Championship on Sunday, June 12 for the ’Ipswich 24 Hour’ event at the Ipswich Kart Track.

A complete rundown of the ‘Eastern Creek 9 Hour’ results can be found at www.mylaps.com

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EASTERN CREEK RACE REPORT

By Matt MosseMosse-Robinson

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Issue 12: March 2011 BELL PIPES RACING – Race Report Race 1 – Eastern Creek 9hr (12 February, 2011)

Bell Pipes Racing is extremely excited about the 2011 season. After the teams success in winning its first ever race at Windsor in 2010, and following that up with another victory at Canberra later in the season, hopes are high that the team will be able to seriously fight for the Championship in 2011. Team manager Chris Mosse-Robinson has stepped up his efforts this season and has entered the team into no less than 4 championships across 3 states and 1 territory. Chassis builder and chief mechanic, Dion Scott has also been busy across the off-season developing a new DS Predator chassis for the team, which will be debuted in the next few rounds. The driver line-up was also back to full strength with both Mark and myself returning to the team.

Eastern Creek has never been kind to the team. Over the last few years we have consistently been one of the quickest teams on track and always suffered mechanical difficulties and finished well down the pack. This was a record we were looking to correct and in order to hedge our bets we entered a second kart. In the 23 kart was Dion, Alex and myself and in the 13 Kart was Mark, Josh (from Horsepower Racing) and Mikey (from Team Kaos). The track itself also presented a new challenge with the 1.7km lay out being used rather than the 1km lay out, which most of the team was familiar with.

Practice & Qualifying: They do say disasters come in threes; firstly we had the Queensland floods, then cyclone Yasi and now Bell Pipes Racing’s performance at Eastern Creek. Even practise was eventful with heavy rain greeting the teams as they took to the track. Alex took the kart out and was on track for only his second lap when a kart spun in front of him leaving him nowhere to go. Alex made heavy contact with the stationary kart and bent the steering column and steering a rm and in the process broke his thumb and partially tore the ligament. It was a d isastrous start to the event and our pace wasn’t looking very promising with the 23 kart in 14th position and the 13 Kart in 27th.

With the track drying out the team took the gamble to qualify on slick tyres.

Considering the conditions, Dion did a fantastic job to qualify the kart in 13th position and be the top team on slick tyres. Kart 13 did a good job in qualifying and started from 17th.

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ProKart ProKart Magazine Race: The race started with half the teams electing to use slicks and the other half wet weather tyres. This meant that half the field had made the wrong tyre choice and only time would show which choice was correct. Unfortunately for us we made the wrong call and were forced to change to wet weather tyres when the rain started to fall heavier. Once we had changed to wets we were immediately one of the fastest teams on track. Unfortunately our bad luck didn’t end there.

With Alex bravely driving with a broken thumb we ran out of fuel for the first time in 3 seasons. Running out of fuel is never a good thing but it is even worse on a track that is nearly 2km in length, because the time it takes to get the kart back to the pits is exaggerated. It wouldn’t be the only time during the race that we ran out of fuel, with the same fate falling on myself later on in the race. We have since discovered that the throttle was stuck on and was causing the motor to use significantly more fuel. Our bad luck didn’t end there with the team suffering two chains coming off and having to drive the last 2 hours of the race without any brakes. At the end of the race we finished in 15th position, which was bitterly disappointing given that the kart had significant speed, evidenced by the team setting the fastest lap of the race.

The 13 kart suffered some bad luck of its own with a muffler breaking and a chain coming off. Both Mark and Mikey drove extremely quickly and Josh who was new to both night racing and racing in the wet was consistently improving his lap times and will prove to be a quick driver in the future. The 13 kart finished in 12th and would have been well into the top 10 without any of the problems it experienced.

The less talked about Eastern Creek the better. It wasn’t the start to the championship we were looking for, but the team remains determined to win the championship. Fingers crossed we have now got all of our bad luck out of the way. Our next race will be at Canberra on the 12th-13th March. The team will be without Alex ad he has been ruled out with his broken thumb requiring time to heal.

Thankyou once again to all of our partners, KartBay, and Campstuff.com.au. Also a big welcome to our newest partner Personalised Favours (www.personalisedfavours.com.au) who are a leading provider of unique wedding favours, personalised bonbonnieres, party gifts and novelty products.

Matt Mosse-Robinson

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Do You Want to Race in the Prokart Endurance Series?

Racer Action can do it for you What You Get: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Fully race prepared kart Race staff - Team Manager and pit crew.

One set of used tyres for practice, one set of new tyres for the race.

Pit complex 3 mtrs by 3 mtrs including lighting, flooring, seating, tea/coffee, chilled water, sports drinks.

Race suits, helmets, gloves.

Driving tuition available at additional cost Practice day at Wollongong City Raceway (other tracks by negotiation) Pre-event briefing - what to expect. Driving standards, driver etiquette, refuelling, flags, pace cars, pit stops, penalties, disqualification, safety Race briefing as required by event organizer Pre-race briefing - Review organizers race briefing Fully managed race strategy Race monitor in pit - real time position, laps, time/laps to go etc Camera mounted on kart.

Also available at extra cost Promotions package - Sports bag, shirt, cap, framed pic, mousemat, coffee cup.

Manage/book airport transfers, hire car, accommodation etc as required

Contact Brian on 0400 999 978 38

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Prokart Power Pipe : Update (February 2011) Make no mistake, this muffler is the future of ProKart. It not only considerably improves performance, it offers a significant improvement in durability over the standard unit (in racing applications) if installed correctly.

ProKart would like to provide the following series of observations and recommendations to all teams running the new-for-2011 ProKart Power Pipe muffler.

After surveying all teams who have utilised the ProKart Power Pipe, we have reviewed photos of the teams that have reported no trouble with the following items of note: - Teams correctly spaced the brace to the Prokart Power Pipe canister therefore removing vibration, but not putting the header pipe or Prokart Power Pipe canister under any form of tension.

- Some solutions involved a second brace that supported the rear of the Prokart Power Pipe canister.

- Some solutions included a brace that supported the centre section of the header pipe.

Please find below photographs demonstrating various solutions: Kaos

Kaos used both a carbon fibre brace to the rear of the canister as well as a carbon fibre heat shield. Notice the lock wiring of the muffler retaining nuts and cowling.

KnK Karts

Knk used a single aluminium brace to the rear mounting point of the canister.

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ProKart ProKart Magazine YBE Racing YBE supported both the front and rear of the canister with the second mounting point being located in the engine crankcase cover, the spot usually used to attach chain guards. Notice also the holes in the heat shield.

Both YBE brackets were manufactured to hold the power pipe steady, without placing any sideways force on either the canister or the header pipe.

Bells Pipes Racing Bells used a more complex “Dion� type solution bracing both the front and back of the canister using a Y shaped bracket. Whilst also supporting the header pipe in its centre with a brace mounted on the engine crankcase.

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Frog Racing Mr Bilsborough supported both the front and back of the canister using two separate mounts. Plus a third brace supported the header pipe.

He also felt that the use of “mascots� had helped the team with their solution and has trouble understanding why more teams are not availing themselves of the opportunity!

Most failures have been due to installation issues, with one team at Eastern Creek using no bracing at all, and another admitting that their brace had come loose and caused the failure. There is at least one other instance of incorrect fitting.

Having reviewed failed ProKart Power Pipes at the manufacturers we found the following: There are three distinct failure types: - longitudinal splitting of the header pipe (mild steel) - failure of the top of the header pipe close to the Prokart Power Pipe canister - failure of the header pipe in the mid section.

There were no noted weld failures on any of the ProKart Power Pipes.

All of the failures could be best described as work hardening of the header pipe due to vibration. The jagged breaking of the pipe supports this conclusion.

Failures may also be attributed to putting the ProKart Power Pipe canister under "tension" by incorrectly spacing the brace. It is important to support the pipe to remove vibration. But not have the brace pull on the pipe, and therefore accelerate vibration failure.

Over the course of last weekend two separate teams undertook the process of evaluating four different modifications to the ProKart Power Pipes. I would like to thank The Baasterds and Formula Nob, both teams completed 6 hour race simulations with no ProKart Power Pipe failures.

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ProKart ProKart Magazine Pipe One

This power pipe had a single brace welded to the underside of the canister and to the Power Pipe mounting flange.

Pipe Two

Pipe two used a similar brace from the mounting flange to the underside of the muffler. However, a “doubling plate� was used to further support the canister and to spread loads. This was then stitched to the underside of the muffler. The doubling plate had the same inside diameter as the outside diameter of the cansiter.

Pipe Three

The mounting brace in this instance was mounted longitudinally and attached to the inside face of the canister.

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Pipe Three (Continued)

Doubling plates were used to spread load against canister.

Pipe Four Once again this solution has the brace mounted longitudinally but this time to the outside of the canister.

On the left: Detail showing brace mounted to outside of the canister

From the test is was universally agreed that Pipe

Two represented the best solution of those tested. However, all solutions were viable, and passed the testing criteria, with Pipe One representing the most cost effective solution. All braces used in the testing of mufflers was 20mm x 3mm flat mild steel bar.

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Rules Regarding Power Pipe Modification: Teams may brace to both the Prokart Power Pipe canister, the header pipe and mounting flange for the sole purpose of reducing vibration. This may be achieved by either mechanical means or through welding or a combination of the two.

All welds, if used, should be in the direction of exhaust gas flow and be stitched in nature rather than continuous. If welding then it is not permissible to over weld existing welds or materially change the inside of the Prokart Power Pipe.

It is permissible to: - support both the front, back and centre of the Power Pipe canister.

- support the header pipe at any point along its length.

- attach such bracing by either mechanical means or through welding.

Now onto the difficult part of replacement of failed power pipes. For the teams that failed power pipes at Eastern Creek, and only those teams. Prokart has taken the decision to allow for replacement mufflers to be purchased prior to close of business Friday February 25th. The cost of each muffler will be $50. Once this offer lapses it is all teams responsibilty to ensure the correct and proper fitting of the Prokart Power Pipe, should they choose to run on it.

In Future mufflers will be supplied with bracing material for both forms of canister support, though no doubling plates will be supplied and teams will be responsible for the attachment of the bracing. Brian Britton from Kaos has kindly offered to make up braces as seen in Pipe One for all teams interested and Prokart will dispatch these Free of Charge and at zero cost to all teams that order them by Friday February 25th.

We wish to thank all those that assisted with the information, assistance, and testing that provided the results listed above. Also the team at the Wollongong City Raceway worked tirelessly throughout the week, but most importantly all the teams who have supported us with words of encouragement and positive feedback throughout the process.

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Drive BATHURST! The McMah family took to Bathurst’s Mount Panorama to celebrate Ian’s 40th Birthday immediately after the season-ending event at Raleigh.

ProKart were there as the family took to the track with Bathurst and Australian Motor Racing legend Jim Richards...

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ProKart ProKart Magazine Despite a complete lack of grey hair (what’s a mirror?), it’s surprising perhaps to learn that Team5150R owner and driver Ian McMah turned 40 last November.

In fact, Ian turned 40 on November 11, only a few days before the season-ending 6-hour race at Raleigh.

Having toyed with the idea of going to either Europe or New Zealand to drive an F1 car on the occasion of his 40th, Ian and his family eventually decided to head to Mount Panorama for an experience they’ll never forget—hotlaps with “Gentleman” Jim Richards aboard his Porsche Carrera Cup car.

Despite a 9-hour trek to Bathurst in pouring rain immediately after the flag fell at Raleigh, the smile is still unable to be wiped from their faces when they talk about this ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience...

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It’s 4pm and the flag has just fallen on the Raleigh 6-Hour just south of Coffs Harbour. Our team (Team5150R) haven’t had the best day, being unable to make any ground on PDS Strategic’s number 661 kart for the Queensland Championship; but surprisingly I’m not that disappointed. Not only did PDS thoroughly deserve their Queensland Championship, but I have something else on my mind… something that will surely remove any disappointment, any frustration with not achieving what we’d set out to on this day… I have an appointment with Jim Richards, a 997 Porsche Carerra Cup racecar and the world-famous Mount Panorama circuit at Bathurst.

It’s not every day you get to do race-pace laps at Mount Panorama and there’s even fewer opportunities to do so with a living legend of Motorsport. When my 40th birthday loomed and my wife, family and friends started discussing ideas on how to celebrate, the idea of going to Bathurst had long since faded.

When I was in my early-20’s and made the not-so-startling revelation that I was too-conservative, too-poor and too-lacking in talent to make any serious tilt at a Motorsport career, I decided that my motorsport ambitions would be contained to perhaps racing karts one day and if (IF!) I was ever lucky enough, perhaps do a driveexperience or National level race at Bathurst. I determined I’d try and do this by my 40th Birthday at best, 50th at worst. Considering at that point I hadn’t even sat in a kart it was a lofty ambition; and one I’m yet to realise.

Nevertheless, when it became evident that I had neither the car, track experience or current CAMS licence required to enter an event there during my 40th year of life, my wife determined that I should leave all planning up to her for any birthday celebrations… naturally like any man I took this as an attack on my planning skills and promptly turned around and said “I have an idea, why don’t you plan things?”…

Anyway, with Katy knowing me better than anyone she immediately had a number of ideas in mind; all with a Motorsport theme. If you didn’t know why I married this girl beforehand, there’s just another reason! No ceramic classes, origami, romantic cruises or ’chick-flick’ movies in sight…

So Kate finalised her short-list, which included; Touring Car and F1 driving in Taupo, New Zealand; or F1 driving in Europe, most likely with AGS at Paul Rickard.

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ProKart ProKart Magazine I had only asked Kate for a few things; that the event be memorable, that it include my family and that if at all possible, my friends could have the opportunity to participate.

Cost and time away meant that the F1 options didn’t work out, yet Kate found a great alternative; if you can call Bathurst an alternative!

So that’s how we found ourselves at 4pm leaving Raleigh, headed 800-odd kilometres to Bathurst and with storm clouds looming ahead.

The drive was uneventful if long, until we hit a deluge as we trekked across the NW part of Sydney and started the drive across the mountain towards Lithgow. Due to the Sat Nav settings we ended up heading across a narrow mountain pass, in pouring rain; with my brother Shane and I driving a car each and doing our best to get to Bathurst before F1 qualifying at 1am.

A few dramatic moments and several hours later, we arrived at Bathurst.

Quick check-in; rush to the room and turn on the TV, only to find there is no ONE HD broadcast available here.

Fail. Epic fail in fact.

So we quickly consider alternatives. Use the laptop to watch? Negative, we weren’t aware of any livestreaming sites. Ditto for the iPhone. So the excellent www.formula1.com live-timing seemed our only option until I remembered the trusty car had a TV option. This is why Bathurst locals would have seen 2 grown men in the front seat of a parked car on the side of the highway in Central Bathurst… and I swear that’s the truth your honour!

F1 qualifying and one Mark Webber fail later, it was time for some sleep.

A 6am start, a Porsche and Jim Richards all awaited us at the Mountain...

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5:30am. The alarm goes off. Somewhere, someone can be heard to say “shut that thing off!”. A moment later I realise that voice was mine… I’m barely awake… what are we doing in a motel room I think for a moment; and then I realise why we were here…

Within 20 minutes the entire family; myself, my wife Katy, our son John, my parents John and Pauline and my brother Shane are all showered, packed, checked out and in the car. Must be some kind of record.

We head up Panorama Drive, past the university and for the first time this weekend get our first glimpse of the infamous “Mount Panorama” sign, made from white pebbles on the side of the mountain and synonymous with this venue; widely regarded as one of the Top 5 circuits in the world.

We arrive at the security check point near Murray’s Corner and are given directions to proceed up behind the National Motor Racing Museum, past the newly opened resort (despite being built since 2006) and under the circuit to gain access to the paddock and pit complex.

As we pull into the pits the lack of infrastructure, cars, transporters and personnel compared to a race meeting here reminds you that this is a very special opportunity indeed.

We arrive at the garage where the Jim Richards Racing Porsche’s are being prepared. One is his Targa Tasmania car that he used here earlier in the week for driver tuition and the other is his last Carrera Cup car; now used primarily for this purpose.

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ProKart ProKart Magazine There to greet us are Jim Richards and his wife Fay. Introductions completed, we are advised that we’re the only people with Jim that day and that in the afternoon, once we’re concluded, Jim and Fay will drive the racecars back to Melbourne.

It’s a relief to know then that Jim could make it in ProKart given he’s ok with driving his own gear to and from the track. Legend.

There’s not a lot of delay before we’re being suited up and deciding who’ll go first. John (snr) goes first and comes back beaming. Shane takes to the track and is a flurry of arms, words and actions he replicates certain parts of the track and Jim’s skill. He recounts the fact that they did their part for wildlife conservation on Conrod on their 3rd lap and decided to forever preserve a bird in the front air vent of the Carerra. Who said Motorsport isn’t environmentally friendly?

Kate is next and comes back with one of the widest smiles I’ve seen. I ask her how it was and the reply is not printable in this family publication. It’s fair to suggest she enjoyed it though and it’s only then that my mind moves towards anticipation of getting in the car and experiencing this for myself.

So far, all 3 have been able to recount with uncanny detail speeds, gears and various aspects of their laps. I’m wondering how Jonathan Legard kept his position at the BBC for so long when my wife is so good at describing every bit of her hotlap experience.

Oh that’s right; he didn’t...

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Suit and helmet on, I’m waiting in pitlane while a few systems and mechanical checks are carried out on the Carrera. The smell of hot brakes and rubber permeate the air I’m breathing, heightening my sense of anticipation. I’ve been in and driven plenty of race cars, but this is probably the most anticipation I’ve ever felt before any racing experience. Since I was 6 years old I haven’t missed a Bathurst, either on TV or in person; and it’s been a life-long ambition to at least go around the circuit in a race car. My true ambition to race here will need to wait for another day; but today I at least tick one more thing of the ‘bucket list’ and it shows; I’m like a kid at Christmas just waiting for permission to open my Christmas presents.

I lift my leg over the roll cage and get in the passenger side while Jim Richard remains in the driver’s seat.

Funny thing is, I think someone took the steering wheel out; as I’m sitting on the right hand side but there’s no wheel or pedals in front of me. I consider protesting at this obvious atrocity but relent when I realise Jim has a wheel and pedals in front of him; conceding that’s probably a better option than it being with me.

Harness tightened, engine fired and we’re ambling out of pitlane. The rough ride, engine note, gear noise and smell all further heighten my senses and before I know it, we’re exiting pitlane and Jim flattens the throttle as we head up Mountain Straight. A quick yet unremarkable lap later, the car is warm and Jim ups the ante as we cross the start-finish line on the first of our hot laps.

Into 2nd for Hell Corner, Jim turns the car in towards the apex and I’m immediately stunned at how well it grips up and turns in. Clipping the apex, he lets the car run wide on exit and presses the throttle through the firewall as we head up Mountain Straight. 3rd, 4th and then 5th gears come up in quick succession, Jim pulling the sequential shifter back towards the rear of the car to activate each shift.

We crest the rise on Mountain straight and I’m sure I felt the left, then right wheel momentarily lose grip as the car squirrels across the circuit slightly. I question my own judgement as this occurs and am unsure I’ve accurately recalled what happened, but Jim confirms post-session that this is exactly what the car did and does everytime as the tyres scramble for traction as the car crests that rise. We then stay flat before heading up to what was previously known as Griffin’s bend.

I’m surprised how sharp the turn in feels, Jim lifting momentarily on turn in then feeding in the power, controlling the smallest of slides as we head up towards the cutting. You can feel the car working the sidewalls of the tyres, even from the passenger seat.

I want to giggle like a school kid but decide that’s something best done alone and not in the presence of one of the greatest Touring Car drivers in history...

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ProKart ProKart Magazine No matter how many times you visit Mount Panorama, but probably none more so than the first; the exceptional gradient, the sheer climb up the mountain never ceases to amaze people. I’ve walked this track and driven it many times in road cars; yet still the climb from Griffins to the Cutting feels steeper than I recall. As Jim shifts from 3rd to 4th I look across and recall when Greg Murphy and Marcos Ambrose cemented their longheld admiration for each other by having a cuddle during the closing stages of the 2005 Bathurst 1000. I wonder for a moment if they still send each other Christmas cards…

Jim moves the Porsche close to the wall on the inside of the cutting and rapidly feeds in the throttle on exit.

The tyres protest and decide they’ll go on strike, as the rear end makes moves to join the passenger’s door.

Undeterred, Richards floors the throttle and the car gets light as we crest the bump on the ride up to Reid Park, Jim short-shifting the Carrera to limit any over rev and contain traction on the rear. It’s about this point that my senses take the speed in stride and everything slows down. This is a good thing, as there’s a lot going on that I want to remember after the event.

Through Reid Park, across Sulman and into McPhillamy, the car loads up the RH rear tyre and squirms like a fish trying to escape before Rex Hunt moves in for a kiss. As we ascend the small crest on the entry, I remember Brock catching the RHR tyre on the exit curb and winding on maximum lock to contain it in 1987. Jim does no such thing though and the Porsche turns in neatly and effectively bounces on it’s suspension and tyre sidewall all the way to the exit curb as we run towards Skyline at a blistering pace.

I momentarily forget I’m sitting on the RH side as Jim turns into Skyline and I see nothing but, as the name suggests; skyline. I’m certain we’ll hit the wall; which is only centimetres to my right at over 200kph. Once my brain rationalises the situation it seems foolish to have even considered the chance of impact. Regardless, hearing the Porsche’s flat-six bark and crackle on downshift as we head down towards the dipper, I watch Jim deftly operate the throttle and brake to balance then settle the car before we again feel like we’re going to hit the wall on the entry to the dipper. This is passenger Nirvana.

Jim turns right, then sharp left and the LHF of the car unloads, seemingly floating. In reality this probably lasts less than half a tenth of a second, but it feels like a minute. I’ve always wanted to go through the dipper at speed and the moment remains imprinted in my memory forever more.

Disregarding any sentiment, Jim is flat and shifting rapidly up the gears as we travel down at a ferocious pace through the concrete canyon known as the Esses before entering Forrest Elbow.

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Jim isn’t as far right as I thought he’d be entering Forrest’s Elbow and is just a little right of the centre of the track on turn-in.

It might be just my perception, the grip or perhaps some tyre degradation, but for whatever the reason the turn in here doesn’t seem as precise as it was earlier in the lap. The car washes a little speed as the front end refuses to bite but then it eventually grips up and we run towards the exit wall as Jim gives the Porsche it’s run and we go up through the gears, shifting to 6th just before the crest on Conrod.

It’s hard to appreciate the undulations on Conrod Straight on TV; and unless you’ve been to the track it will always seem flatter than it really is.

The car lifts slightly on the crests on Conrod before we move far left on the approach to the Chase, staying in 6th as the car loads up the LH rear suspension before settling under heavy braking as we decelerate and shift back to 2nd. This is probably the hardest braking point on the track and the way the car stops is remarkable.

We exit the chase and head down towards Murray’s one more time, the car definitely on-song and sounding like some form of technical symphony as we pass the pit entry and full speed and set the car up for another

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ProKart ProKart Magazine Heavy brake into the left hander at Murray’s and back onto the start finish straight.

After our run Jim talks about the circuit, the car and our laps, answering any question in such detail that it’s not hard to comprehend how he’s won numerous Touring Car Championships and is second on the list of alltime Bathurst wins behind the great Peter Brock.

Once we’ve returned to the pits and everyone’s changed and refreshed, we head upstairs to the corporate suite where we’re scheduled to have lunch with Jim and Fay. We sit for perhaps 45 minutes, talking, taking photos and generally discussing Jim’s career, his Falcon Sprint Masters Touring Car (which Dad particularly enjoys talking about) and Motorsport in general.

Jim and Fay treated us like family, they were the most accommodating hosts you could ever ask for and made our day far more special and memorable that we ever dreamt it could be.

So much so that I’m not sure what will stay with me longer; lapping Bathurst with Jim Richards or simply spending time alone speaking one-on-one with one of the all-time greats.

To my wife—thank you; best birthday ever! To my family, thanks for being there and to Adrenalin, who facilitated our Jim Richards Experience; thank you.

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Photography: Ian McMah

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ProKart ProKart Magazine Team5150R’s Katy McMah with Jim Richards just before they headed out for a number of race-pace laps on a deserted Mount Panorama.

We can’t repeat Kate’s first words after she returned to pit lane; let’s just say she enjoyed the experience!

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Photography: Ian McMah

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John McMah with Jim in pitlane.

I think it’s fair to suggest John enjoyed the entire day, he wants to go back next year if Jim takes his Touring Car Masters Falcon Sprint and do it all again!

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Photography: Ian McMah

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ProKart ProKart Magazine Ian asks Jim “where’s the steering wheel?”

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Ian McMah (right), Shane McMah (centre) and Ian and Katy’s son John (left) in the pitlane garage complex

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The FUTURE OF PROKART

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ProKart ProKart Magazine 2011 will 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 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

•

We also continue to evaluate and develop;

• • •

New Bodywork Lighting packages for karts 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 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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Call CURT BOND...

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TECH TORQue!: REAR TAIL LIGHTS Simple to Build Kart Light - or Buy it Ready To Go In response to some concerns raised recently about the durability of bicycle lights as kart tail lights and the possibility of being black flagged for a faulty light, Prokarts Brian Jamieson has developed a simple and reliable light suitable for use on karts. It has no moving parts and a battery life proven to be in excess of a week and likely to be much much longer.

It consists of a strip of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) and a battery. It can be easily enclosed in a hobby box. The LED strips Brian has used can generate red, blue or green light. By combining all three you also get a white light. All components were bought from Jaycar.

The photos show how simple the device is. To build your own simply solder the battery leads to the LED strip and plug in a battery. You can then either attach it to your kart as is (series debutant team SCR did the that on their way to 6th place at the opening round of the NSW series) or put it in the enclosure of your choice. It is that simple.

If you don't want to build your own, Brian will have ready built lights for sale at race meetings throughout the year, including the first round of the Qld championship in Gympie. Cost will be $20 for the a light with an enclosure, $16 for the bare light and battery cap. A battery is included will all lights.

9 lights are currently on order for various karts and Brian will be experimenting with other applications for them on his TwoDogs kart. Maybe even brake lights???

Although they run successfully on any voltage from 9 volts to 32 volts, they are listed as 12 volt items. This means that if you run a 12 volt battery on your kart (for radios etc) you can provide power to the light directly from that battery. Brian will happily work with you to build a unit specifically for your needs.

Watch future newsletters to see when the test light - currently running 24 hours a day 7 days a week - eventually manages to flatten the battery. Brian reckons early May.

Photo by Brian Jamieson

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RACE REPORT: QUEENSLAND Round 1: WiLLOWBANK Round 5 of the ProKart Queensland Endurance Championships saw teams venture to Formula K Raceway in Rockhampton, around 600km north of Brisbane.

In one of the closest Queensland rounds ever, 4 teams were within 20 seconds of each other after 11-hours of endurance racing and any one of them had a chance to win the 12-hour event...

Photography: Ian M8c3Mah

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REPORT: WILLOWBANK The BF Racing Azzurro of Brett Francis, Michael Hutton and Matt Taylor crossed the line a mere 9 seconds in front of Phantom Racing in an exciting and frenetic opening round of the Track Safety International 2011 ProKart Queensland Endurance Karting Championship, held at Ipswich’s Willowbank Kart Raceway on Saturday, March 5.

In what was essentially a 7-hour sprint race punctuated by only one safety car period, the gap between the 2 karts challenging for the lead was as close as 4 seconds in the closing hour, with both teams scything through lapped traffic in an effort to gain an advantage on the other prior to their final pitstop, which by regulation must occur in the final hour. The racing was exciting and visually spectacular as teams commenced racing during the afternoon and continued well into the night.

Competitors in the opening round of the 2011 ProKart Queensland Endurance Karting Championship were greeted by rain and overcast skies as they arrived at Willowbank Raceway. By the commencement of practice however the rain had stopped and really never returned for the duration of the event, despite threatening skies throughout.

Practice provided an indication of what was to come; with the majority of the field registering times well within a second of each other. In qualifying this gap was further reduced with the Top 11 qualifiers within 1 second of the fastest lap of the session, reinforcing just how competitive this series is.

After a 30 minute qualifying session it was the Phantom Racing team of Simon Ham and Steve Thompson who qualified on pole position with a lap of 57.781 seconds, some 3 tenths of a second clear of the rest of the field.

With the next 10 karts all within 7 tenths of a second, the battle for grid position was one of the closest in recent ProKart events and provided a thrilling start to on-track competition.

The only safety car of the entire event ultimately proved to be the defining moment of the race. Having led most of the first 6 hours of the event, the #152 MS Kart of Phantom Racing was fending off the hard-charging #2 Azzurro of BF Racing, Matt Taylor at the wheel doing everything possible to pass the leader and place themselves back on the lead lap. His efforts would reap the team a significant reward not long after.

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In ProKart competition, whenever a safety car is on-track it will ‘pick up’ the leader of the event, with all karts behind following in single-file until the safety car period is concluded and the race resumes. Any kart however that is in front of the leader on the circuit is ‘waved around’ to rejoin the single-file queue behind the safety car (and behind the leader); essentially able to regain the majority of one lap. This process ensures the leader of the event is the first kart to take the green flag when racing resumes, but can offer teams a chance to regain lost ground if they’re on the same la eader of the event when a safety car is deemed necessary.

The intervention of the safety car brought a change in fortune for the #2 kart of BF Racing, as team principal Brett Francis explains. “For most of the night we thought we were racing kart #50 of Team5150R for second place. And before Team Faith had their problems, we thought we were racing for third. Phantom had done such a good job pulling out an early lead, and showed no sign of slowing, whereas we didn’t really have the pace of them. Plus we started having to contend with a sticky throttle pedal fairly early on. Thankfully I think the combination of using clutches, and not having a whole lot of horsepower, meant that we could push the brake pedal that little bit harder and the sticky throttle wasn’t as much of an issue.”

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“When Matt managed to overtake the Phantom kart just after the 5 hour mark to put us back on the lead lap, we were just pleased for him that he had the pace to overtake the Phantom boys. Little did we know that it would be the moment that turned the race for us! I wasn’t even paying attention when the Safety Car came out a few laps later. I just happened to look over and see this intruder on the circuit. I went over to see why, and realised that Matt was still in front of Phantom, and that he was just about to be waved past the Safety Car to join the back of the line. A fifty second chunk that we were never going to be able to make up had just been wiped off Phantom’s lead. I can’t really describe how that made me feel…Because Matt was showing such good pace, at the restart we decided to bring him in for a Stop-Go to get one of our stops out of the way. He could then rejoin on some clear track to work his magic. And he did just that – keeping us on the lead lap, and one stop up on Phantom. It was only then after Mike and Matt had done two awesome stints that I thought we could go for a win.”

And win they did, their first place finish registering the second outright victory for the team from BF Racing and demonstrating that they are clear competitors for the 2011 championship.

A rejuvenated Team Faith in their #27 MS Kart demonstrated they will also be outright contenders this year. Consistently quick, they often led the race throughout the first half of the event. Ultimately however, Phil Wallis and the rest of Team Faith experienced brake issues which saw them lose 20 minutes whilst the team scrambled to affect repairs. This team demonstrated genuine pace and will undoubtedly be a consistent contender for race wins and possibly even the championship this year.

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rd

Finishing 3 was the #50 Phoenix of Team5150R, with brothers Ian and Shane McMah setting a solid pace and running reliably throughout the event. Normally capable of contending for outright victory, the team has only recently changed chassis manufacturers and will certainly increase their competitiveness as they develop their new Australian-made Phoenix.

In 4th position were the Rock Oils sponsored team from KnK Karts. This team is consistently one of the fastest in the series and once they find improved reliability will surely be a contender for outright victory. Look for the team to have a new and further developed KnK Chassis at the next round of the series in April.

In 5th was the #51 kart of Team5150R; giving the team a strong start to their 2011 Championship campaign. Despite some early technical issues including a wayward rear bumper, the team recovered to put in a solid performance as they welcomed new recruit James Page to the team.

Behind the Top 5 in 6th place was the team from Atlas Racing in their #22 Azzurro chassis. Not having had much opportunity to test their kart prior to the season opener the team recorded a solid result and have every reason to be optimistic for the next event at Cooloola; where they have often been closer to the front.

In 7th were the current Queensland series champions of PDS Racing. Driving the #661 kart for this event were Mark Johnson, Carl Brown and production car competitor Sarah Harley. Despite their undoubted pedigree, the team struggled with understeer throughout the event and look forward to some testing and development of their all-new Phoenix chassis prior to Round 2 of the series. Never to be underestimated, it is certain that the team from PDS will rejoin the leading group in the not too distant future.

Finishing 8th were the recently reformed team of 2Dadz Racing. Without doubt the ‘best presented’ team of the event, 2Dadz demonstrated they not only know how to present themselves, they showed genuine on-track pace and reliability and signaled to everyone that they will be a competitive force throughout the year. The team’s immaculate presentation earned them the ProKart “Best Presented” award and the admiration of competitors and spectators alike. This team is fast establishing a new benchmark in the ProKart series.

Rounding out the top 10 were the #14 kart of 2 Dogs Racing in 9th and the team from Frog Racing 101 in 10th. For Frog Racing this event represented a further gain in their consistent improvement, both in speed and results. A lot of work in the off-season has found the team increased speed and a greater understanding of the technical aspects of their kart.

Exceptionally committed and universally lauded in the ProKart series, Frog Racing are sure to continue their march up the leaderboard as the 2011 series progresses.

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WINNING! We asked Motorsport and in particular ProKart icon Brett Francis a few questions immediately after his team’s recent win at Willowbank and what resulted was a frank, and at times entertaining dialogue.

Quick on and off the track, Brett appears to have answered honestly to all questions; perhaps too much so in one instance!

Read on…

BF: G’day Ian, thanks (ed: on congratulations for the win) – we know that things really went our way for this win to happen. Phantom had the pace over us, but we got very lucky with the Safety Car. But, to quote Lefty Gomez – “I’d rather be lucky than good!”.

IMc: At what point during the race did you think "we could win this"?

BF: For most of the night we thought we were racing kart #50 of 5150 for second place. And before Team Faith had their problems, we thought we were racing for third. Phantom had done such a good job pulling out an early lead, and showed no sign of slowing, whereas we didn’t really have the pace of them. Plus we started having to content with a sticky throttle pedal fairly early on. Thankfully I think the combination of using clutches, and not having a whole lot of horsepower, meant that we could push the brake pedal that little bit harder and the sticky throttle wasn’t as much of an issue.

When Matt managed to overtake the Phantom kart just after the 5 hour mark to put us back on the lead lap, we were just pleased for him that he had the pace to overtake the Phantom boys. Little did we know that it would be the moment that turned the race for us!

I wasn’t even paying attention when the Safety Car came out a few laps later. I just happened to look over and see this intruder on the circuit. I went over to see why, and realised that Matt was still in front of Phantom, and that he was just about to be waved past the Safety Car to join the back of the line. A fifty second chunk that we were never going to be able to make up had just been wiped off Phantom’s lead. I can’t really describe how that made me feel, but I almost came.

Because Matt was showing such good pace, at the restart we decided to bring him in for a Stop-Go to get one of our stops out of the way. He could then rejoin on some clear track to work his magic. And he did just that – keeping us on the lead lap, and one stop up on Phantom. It was only then after Mike and Matt had done two awesome stints that I thought we could go for a win.

IMc. How does it feel for the team to have now won 2 events outright against quality fields?

BF: Stating that we’re trying to make the kart fast and reliable doesn’t exactly require the abilities of Captain Obvious. But that is all we think about going into a meeting. At no point have we arrived at a track talking about how we might go for a placing let alone a win. We get through the first 75% of a race as efficiently as possible, and then we might start looking at who we’re racing.

We just set ourselves some smaller goals to keep aiming for. Our first is to always finish without having any mechanical dramas – we haven’t fully achieved that yet, but we’ve certainly scaled down our disasters in general. I’m sure there will always be something, it’s still motor-racing after all, but building and maintaining a reliable machine is always our first aim.

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Finding extra pace was probably more difficult for us, because none of us had a karting background. Naturally I come into contact with a lot of karters through my Formula Ford and Formula 3 links, but anything suggested by ex-sprint karters didn’t seem to translate to the heavier karts we use in the ProKart Endurance series.

Thankfully pretty well all of the teams in the ProKart series are very approachable and don’t hold back when you ask for a bit of advice. The biggest change we found was changing our seating position – it completely transformed the kart. After that it was simply a matter of smoothing out our driving styles to get the most out of it.

The rules are written in such a way that I don’t think anyone can come up with a real “technical advantage”, and that results in lots of sharing of ideas in the paddock to pass on solutions to make the karts more reliable.

The upshot of this is more teams finishing each race with everything intact, which means they can then turn up at the next one rather than having to sit out a round while they make repairs or save money to buy parts. It’s a pretty unique situation in any motorsport series that competitors are so open with each other about how to improve the machinery, but it’s because everyone wants the series to grow even further. The more karts on track, the more people there are to race, and the closer each event it likely to be. And having a good close race is what we’re all there to see and be a part of.

3. Are you targeting to be at all rounds and do you hope/believe you're a chance to compete for the series championship (silly question when you're on the top of the pointscore but still...)

3.

We should be able to make all the Queensland rounds this season. Personally I have a couple of clashes with other race meetings I have to be at, but I’m pretty sure Mike and Matt can make those. We may have to draft in extra drivers here and there to do this, but we know a few guys from within the series who haven’t got drives at the moment who could fill the role, and a number of guys who would be new to the series as well. One of my F3 drivers, Ben Gersekowski, helped out Atlas Racing this weekend, and did a great job, so it won’t be hard to find capable steerers to support Mike and Matt.

As for the Championship, we’ll just take it race as it comes and focus on the small things. In my experience Championships look after themselves when you get everything right. We’ve still got a long way to go before we would consider ourselves serious contenders. There’s so many teams that are quick week after week, and with more experience than us, who are still getting to grips with their new karts. Once they do that, I’m sure we’ll be playing catch-up at most races. Plus those using their chassis from last season, like Phantom and Faith, who we’ve seen are quick everywhere - I think those two teams in particular are shaping up to be the ones to beat. And of course there’s still Climatrol to make their return, who will no doubt come out firing. It’s going to be a tough season, and one to really look forward to.

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THIS IS THE LIKELY NEW L Like it? Let us know what you think

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LIVERY FOR FROG RACING by emailing imcmah05@gmail.com

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In our next issue...

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Features: RacerTV ( finally! No really...)

TRACK SAFETY INTERNATIONAL LIGHTING SYUSTEM

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Race Reviews: NEWCASTLE, COOLOOLA

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Driver Profile: MARK JOHNSON

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All the latest ProKart news and much more…

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