ProKart Newsletter May 2009

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Team5150R offer for sale their No.51 PCR chassis; currently 3rd in Queensland “B� division.

This kart has been fully refurbished at the start of the season and represents an excellent opportunity to join the rapidly expanding ProKart series or simply upgrade your kart

READY TO RACE including Tillet 1/4 padded seat; Edwards Rims, new Righetti Ridolphi brakes. Ph: 0408 335 346

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IN THIS ISSUE: “Torque it up“ This month we’re launching an allall-new ProKart newsletter and probably the only thing familiar will be the cover.

Whilst we’ve tried to retain the look of the outer skin, beneath the surface you’ve hopefully already noticed that the newsletter has taken on a more ‘magazine’ type appearance.

Whilst this means my longlong-suffering but wonderful girlfriend Kate has put up with me working away on the PC every night and not spending time doing whatever it is that she does (that noise you just heard was a shoe being thrown at me!), the simple fact is that a publication like this takes about 100 times longer to prepare than it does to read! I hope you enjoy the revised format and as always, I welcome any suggestions.

There continues to be a lot of exciting developments in the ProKart Endurance Championships and Tony, Amanda, Ryan and the entire ProKart team are to be congratulated for their efforts.

New pit timing loops, race monitoring and timing display systems and a continued refinement of our series means that ProKart’s competitor numbers are growing as the series becomes ever more competitive and enjoyable.

ProKart’s marquee event; a grueling 24 hour race around the clock has been delayed due to a last minute hitch with council; and the event will now be an 8 hour race at what is still one of the best circuits in Australia: Raleigh International Raceway. The 24 is not head however and will most likely become Round 3 of the Australian Endurance series. Keep checking the www.prokart.com.au and the forums for updates,

COVER STORY: As Alan Denyer’s Adrenalin Rush team continue their relentless domination of the Queensland ProKart series, one question remains; can anyone stop this performance juggernaut and beat them this year?

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NEWS ‘TORQUE ABOUT IT’ DRIVER PROFILE: Steve Prokop (Team5150R)

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RACE REPORT: Read all about this month’s 9-hour race, held at Queensland’s Willowbank Raceway.

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REVIEW: Matthew Brabham; third-generation racer and grandson of 3times World Champion Sir Jack Brabham, reflects on his first ProKart event

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RACE REPORT: The race at Nanango, 2 hours north-west of Brisbane saw ProKart visit an all-new circuit at the South Burnett Hire circuit and produced some of the closest racing seen this year...

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RACE REPORT: Windsor produced a first-time winner when the NSW Series headed to the Indy 800 kart circuit at Butterfly Farm, near Windsor just on an hour’s drive north-west of Sydney.

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FOR SALE: Want to buy a kart and start racing? Here’s the best place to start...

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Finally, in closing, I’d like to thank everyone who contributes ideas, material and support in developing our series and this newsletter.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing you trackside!

24 May: F1, Monaco / Indy 500 6/7 June: ProKart 24 Hr 13/14 June: LeMans 24 Hr

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

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COMMENT Such is the dominance of Alan Denyer’s Adrenalin Rush Karting outfit that there’s already talk in ProKart circles that they may win most; if not all; of the remaining rounds this season.

After only 4 rounds of the Queensland Championship, Adrenalin Rush have 3 wins, 2 of which were one-two finishes. The team almost made it a clean sweep of 1-2 finishes and would have achieved this result at the last round in Willowbank been had one of the team’s karts not gone an excruciating 400grams underweight in post-race scrutineering.

The only stutter in an otherwise perfect 2009 season for ARK came at Oran Park, where both karts encountered technical difficulties despite setting the pace early in the event.

With the team now preparing for the upcoming 24 hour race at the Raleigh International Raceway, just south of Coffs Harbour NSW, many team managers and drivers are

The only other team who has displayed a similar level of dominance this season is the single-kart Wollongong City Raceway JETS; a team formed and still owned/run by Trent Warwick.

This is what Trent had to say about his team’s chances next month, when they go head-to-head with ARK and try to win the ProKart 24 Hour; “Of course we can beat them, but everything needs to go to plan for that to happen. A race like this relies slightly less on speed and strategy, and more on reliability and driver management. If the kart is good, and the drivers remain focused then we will have every chance of taking home a trophy. If the ARK and Jets karts make it to sunrise without too much drama then it will be an awesome finish. I suppose it’s up to me and Al to make sure that happens. We get on well with the guys from ARK, in fact the niggling has already begun! They might be getting a few late night phone calls in the lead up to the race!”

With 3 wins from 4 starts this year, including the first round of the National Championship at Oran Park in February, Trent and the WCR Jets are understandably confident heading into next month’s 24 hour.

“Having said that, they aren’t the only team who will be up the front. I would expect Kaos, Horsepower, Illawarra Karts & Parts, PDS & 5150R to all be in the mix there somewhere”.

wondering just what they can do to beat ARK in the ProKart Series’ only race-around-the-clock.

One of the most oft-used adages in any form of Motorsport is that “to finish first, first you must finish”.

Unfortunately for the teams participating in the 2009 ProKart series, just finishing will not be enough, as the Adrenalin Rush Karting team not only demonstrate solid reliability; they are fast—generally qualifying both karts in the Top 5 and setting the pace at every event they’ve contested this year.

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With the ProKart 24 hour only weeks away, it won’t be long before we find out whether ARK are indeed fallible and if so; which team will be the one to end their current winning-streak.

One thing’s for certain—every team will be doing their best and to paraphrase the great Murray Walker “anything can happen and usually does” IAN MCMAH

IS THIS THE TEAM TO DO IT? WCR JETS The Wollongong City Raceway JETS are the only team this year to have experienced success similar to that achieved by ARK. From 4 starts (I write this before this month’s NSW series race at Windsor), both teams have 3 wins from 4 starts; although ARK arguably have the better record having beaten WCR on 3 of the 4 occasions they’ve raced at the same event.

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TORQUE ABOUT IT • Until local council issues saw the 24 hour revert to an 8 hour event, a rumour circulating the ProKart paddock was that a driver with a penchant for white race gear and morse code was joining the grid...

• The Queensland Series had a record field at its most recent round at Willowbank Raceway, near Ipswich just west of Brisbane.

With 19 teams entered and 18 starting the race, this event continued the rapid expansion of the Queensland Series which is, it should be said; only in its 3rd season.

NEWS

What initially appeared to be a fully-fledged return to ProKart competition DQ International made a surprise appearance at the turned out to be somemost recent round of the thing completely different, 2009 Queensland ProKart with the #16 Azzurro of DQ Endurance Championship. actually being entered with

the sole purpose of giving drivers Troy Corones and Josh Townsend track-time before they join Team5150R at next month’s 24 hour event at Raleigh.

• Greg Blackburn continues to make a strong recovery after an horrific motorbike accident earlier this year.

Well liked throughout the ProKart paddock, despite his penchant for form-fitting sportswear that apparently (APPARENTLY!) enhances his performance on-track; news of Greg’s accident was received with a heavy-heart by all.

Greg’s told ProKart that his recovery is well on-track and that he is even eyeing off the sports ‘wear’ in the hope of being able to get back on-track soon.

ProKart extends its best wishes to Greg and his family as he continues to work towards a full recovery.

• Regular ProKart competitors Climatrol Racing debuted an all-new BRM chassis at Willowbank on May 9th.

With only limited testing on Friday night, the team posted it’s best ever result; qualifying and finishing 2nd in an exceptional chassis debut and leaving the team excited about the kart’s potential as they work on developing it throughout the remainder of 2009.

Luke Delaurence found himself back behind the wheel of his beloved Azzurro chassis at Ipswich last weekend, raising speculation that he’s rejoined the team from DQ International after a brief stint with Mark Johnson’s PDS Grand Prix.

Delaurence declined to comment when approached by the editor, insisting his planning for 2010 was well progressed; but reluctant to elaborate on if; or where he’ll be driving next year.

IAN MCMAH

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DRIVER PROFILE Name:

Steve Prokop

Team:

Team5150R

Age:

40

Lives:

Holland Park, BRISBANE

Career:

District Sales Manager, HONDA MOTOR VEHICLES

First racing memory:

Oran Park, about 1977, the Pioneer Torana A9X that had the big ear on the side of it

First race Attended:

Surfers round of the ATCC 1984, Brock was there with the "last of the big banger" VK Group C

First race you competed Pro Kart Raleigh 6 hr 2008. Mucked around with dirt karting in the mid 80's but that does not count in: Favourite motoring moment:

Registering the PRB Clubman that I built on my birthday

First car:

Vauxhall Victor, which I used as a paddock basher, 3 Speed column shift, bench seat, two tone - first oversteer moment on the grass track, caught it sheer bliss!

Idol:

Sir Jack Brabham

What most people don’t know about me:

Well its not me but my Mum was the first female driver that was in a precision driving team that was founded by Lloyd Robertson who started the Holden Precision Driving Team.

Favourite tracks you’ve Le Mans, Monaco and Bathurst ever been to?

Favourite Music:

Hilltop Hoods, Gorillaz, Pink Ffloyd, Presets, David Bowie on and on and on

Listens to:

JJJ

FAVOURITE...

Drink:

mmmm 1664,Guiness

Colour:

Green, or Orange....or Silver!

Number:

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Food:

Steak with Hollandaise sause

Ice Cream:

I once found licorice

Movie:

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Race Car:

Ferrari P4, actually anything from Le Mans in the late 60's early 70's

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Photography: Ian McMah

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Round 5 of the Queensland ProKart series saw the series move to Willowbank Raceway, approximately 40 mins west of Brisbane.

With 2 consecutive 1-2 finishes, the only question was whether Alan Denyer’s dominant Adrenalin Rush Karting team could make it 3 in a row...

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RACE REPORT The ‘Ipswich 9 Hour’ race on Saturday (May 9) at the Ipswich Kart track resulted in the #86 Adrenalin Rush Karting team recording their maiden victory of the year in the Powered by Honda ProKart Australia Queensland Endurance Kart Championship during the running of the fourth round.

Playing second fiddle to their #98 Adrenalin Rush Karting teammates so far this year who have dominated the past two rounds of the Queensland Championship, the #86 Adrenalin Rush Karting team (above) were amongst the front runners throughout the ‘Ipswich 9 Hour’. After qualifying on pole position, they managed to take out victory by a comfortable three lap margin over their nearest rivals, the #5 Climatrol Racing team.

In what was their very first appearance in their new BRM chassis, the #5 Climatrol Racing team kept their noses clean during the race and took out a very rewarding and deserved result.

The #5 Climatrol Racing team not only showed strong pace during the race but also in qualifying where they were the second fastest team, starting from the front row and establishing the foundation for a very competitive result.

After winning the past two rounds of the Queensland Championship, the #98 Adrenalin Rush Karting team didn’t have it all their own way and finished third on the podium at the completion of the ‘Ipswich 9 Hour’, a total of 8 laps down on the winning kart.

Qualifying in fourth for the race they were in contention and challenging for the lead on numerous stages during the race although technical issues resulted in extended pit delays and at fall of the chequered flag the best they could manage was third.

Finishing just outside the podium finishers were #19 SAM Racing, a fourth place in their very first Queensland Champion round which was a well deserved and hard earned result.

They were followed by the #22 kart of BF Racing, the #27 www.resisales.com.au team and the #16 kart of DQ International making a welcome return to the series.

The #169 kart of Viper Racing finished 8th with the #84 RPM Motorsport team in ninth and an ‘arrive and drive’ entry of the “Hire Kart Racing Team” finished in a creditable 10th.

It was a big effort by the latter team as they showed great pace in qualifying to record the 13th fastest time and they backed it up with a 10th place finish in the race itself; an outstanding first-time effort.

Not having the best of runs were both the #50 and #51

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karts from Team5150R. The #50 kart qualified strongly in third and they were right up there mixing it with the leaders only to encounter dramas on lap 217 and drop well down the order to 12th.

Things didn’t get any better for them as mechanical issues eventuated in their retirement on lap 311. The #51 Team 5150R finished the race in 14th place with a number of failures capping off what was a forgettable round for the entire Team5150R squad.

Both the #3 Wollongong City Raceway Jets and the #661 PDS Grand Prix had no luck either and finished well down the order in 13th and 15th place respectively.

With their third place finish on the podium, the #98 Adrenalin Rush Karting team managed to maintain their solid lead in the current overall point standings over the #86 Adrenalin Rush Karting team and the #50 kart of Team5150R. The fifth round of the Queensland Championship is to be fought out at over the June Long Weekend (6th and 7th) at Raleigh International Raceway, near Coffs Harbour in NSW, for the ‘Raleigh 24 Hour’ event. It is also the signature event for the ProKart Australia Endurance Kart Championship, with both the Queensland and New South Wales rounds being combined to form Round two of the National Championship.

DANIEL POWELL & IAN MCMAH

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The new BRM of CLIMATROL Racing performed remarkably well in its first event

Photography: Ian McMah

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Photography: Ian McMah

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NEWS Tim Lusty and team from Hydraulink made a welcome return to the 2009 ProKart Endurance Series at Willowbank on May 9th.

With the team’s efforts sidelined so far this year due primarily to work commitments and despite an ‘allnighter’ in the lead up to the race itself preparing the team’s equipment, Tim and the Hydraulink team did an exceptional job to be on-track, let alone racing competitively.

Despite limited track-time hampering their qualifying efforts, both Hydraulink karts ran strongly throughout the event and it was ultimately only technical issues that kept the #6 from finishing well inside the top 10.

Indeed, the #666 kart set the 6th fastest lap of event, illustrating the potential for this team to quickly reestablish themselves at the top of the Prokart leaderboard in coming events.

Pending work commitments, Hydraulink hope to participate in further rounds of the 2009 Championship series.

IAN MCMAH

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TORQUE ABOUT IT

The team from Russell Pocock Motorsport (RPM) were understandably deflated after their fortunes fluctuated wildly during the recent ProKart 9-hour Endurance race at Queensland’s Willowbank Raceway.

After qualifying well within the Top 10; the team from RPM found themselves in 4th position early in the race; holding that position until well into the second half of the 9-hour event.

With the team’s best outright finish looking increasingly likely, the team was devastated to experience a technical failure in the closing stages of the race; ultimately electing to shut down one engine and use their remaining unit to circulate until the finish.

Team owner Russell Pocock said “ We felt like we were driving well, but I have to take the blame for the inadequate kart preparation as well as the slow/incorrect diagnosis of the problem, and subsequent time lost due to unnecessarily changing a clutch. (I should have just tightened the chain and sent it straight back out, saving around 10 minutes and maybe a position or two.) “ “My confidence as team mechanic has taken another blow and preparing for the 24 hr race will be a daunting task. There are so many ways to come unstuck in this sport.”

Despite this, many rate the team from RPM as serious contenders for the upcoming race at Raleigh and with a strong mix of driving talent, speed, strategy and a renewed focus on preparation in the workshop; they could be the darkhorse of the event.

IAN MCMAH

• Which team thought they’d be clever and save money on chains and sprockets; only to end up well-and-truly behind in expenditure and race position after 2 clutch failures; a broken chain and a completely stripped sprocket?

As it turns out the failures related to a broken ‘floating’ rear sprocket carrier, but the team’s learnt a valuable and costly lesson...

• Friday night saw 7 karts practicing at the Willowbank circuit with many teams reporting the surface to be quite uneven in places and raising the question of how this could impact on reliability during the following day’s 9-hour race. A season-high level of mechanical failures led one team manager to comment that the 12hour race scheduled for later this year could actually be more taxing on drivers and equipment than the 24 hour event at Raleigh.

• As reported elsewhere in this magazine, Matthew Brabham competed on the weekend with Team5150R. Possibly the biggest challenge for the team was creating a seat insert sufficiently heavy to allow for Matthew’s featherweight status.

• Expect possible revisions to the ‘new-for-2009’ safety car regulations, with discussion ongoing regarding the effectiveness of the rule change and its impact on strategy • Prokart introduced a new pit loop system at the 3rd round of the Queensland championships and, when combined with a new and significantly improved race monitoring system, general consensus was the ability to follow the race was considerably improved.

NEXT EVENT: PROKART 8 Hour @ RALEIGH

www.prokart.com.au

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For sale Team5150R offer for sale their No.51 PCR chassis; currently 3rd in Queensland “B� division.

This kart has been fully refurbished at the start of the 2009 season

READY TO RACE including Tillet 1/4 padded seat; Edwards

www.prokart.com.au

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Third-generation racer Matthew Brabham, driving for Team 5150R, finished 14th in the 2009 Queensland ProKart Endurance race held at Ipswich’s Willowbank Raceway on the 9th of May. Unfortunately the team had to overcome a lengthy pit stop to rectify a brake problem which ultimately cost them a total of 68 laps.

Team 5150R were determined to finish and after fixing their braking problems all the drivers drove flat out to the end and were rewarded with a 14th place and completed 460 laps.

This was Matthew’s first long distance race of any kind and spent weeks preparing himself for the physical challenge with the help of fitness guru Phil Young of GP Human Performance.

Phil was the fitness coach for current F1 Championship points leader Jenson Button.

“I would like to thank Steve Prokop and his team for letting me drive with them for this event.”

“It was interesting and different to what I normally do, so it was very challenging. My Dad and Phil really made me aware of the preparation a driver needs to do before an endurance event and it really helped during the race.”

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Next event...

go to www.prokart.com.au for details...

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To all Prokart Team Owners and Principals, Late last year a Prokart Owners Group was formed following discussions on the Prokart internet forum and also with Tony and Ryan.

The purpose of this group is to work with Prokart for the betterment of the series, and a number of changes have already been made.

The Prokart Teams Group internet forum was created at that time to facilitate discussion within the group. This forum is different from the primary Prokart forum in that membership is restricted to Prokart teams, and no one else can either add to or view it. This allows us to discuss sensitive issues in private without the entire world being able to read it as they can with the primary forum.

Currently there are 16 teams registered with this forum. They are; Bell Pipes Racing C&R Tint Fx DQ International Horsepower Racing 777 Illawarra Karts KOAS666 Kart Blanche KBC Racing Neil Thompson Racing OFIK ResiSales.com RPMotorsport Shire Racing Team5150R TwoDogs Racing WCR Jets We anticipate that in future we may use the owners group forum to facilitate voting when the need arises. To ensure any conclusions are representative of the views of as many teams as possible, I would encourage any teams who have not already joined to do so.

To join, go to http://prokartteamsgroup.myfreeforum.org/index.php click on the "Join" link and follow the instructions.

Please note, when you join, the following standards should apply; 1. Only one userid per team.

2. That userid should clearly identify the team - eg, twodogsracing.

When you join, an email is sent to the forum administrators who needs to approve it before you can use it. You should normally expect that approval within 24 hours, and often much quicker that that. The administrators are Frank from Horsepower 777 and me from Two Dogs Racing If you have any problems joining or other questions please contact me at twodogsracing@optusnet.com.au or via phone on 0400 999 978.

Brian Jamieson

www.prokart.com.au 21

Round 4 of the 18th of

Approxima hosted 12 P this year.

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Photography: Katy Scherf

f the Queensland ProKart Endurance Championship was held on Saturday April.

ately 2 hours north-west of Brisbane, the South Burnett Kart Hire Circuit ProKart teams as they challenged for victory in the first day/night event 23

RACE REPORT Had it not been for a pit lane violation while re-fuelling, Powered by Honda ProKart Australia Queensland Endurance Kart Championship contenders Team5150R’s # 50 kart might have walked away with victory in the ‘Nanango 6 Hour’ at the South Burnett Kart Track in Nanango, Queensland.

The # 98 Adrenalin Rush Karting team, consisting of Glenn Firth, youngster James Page and Keith Picker ultimately took their second victory of the Queensland Championship, winning the ‘Nanango 6 Hour’ and in the process consolidating their position atop the point standings.

Ultimately however it was the Adrenalin Rush Karting team that claimed their second 1 - 2 finish in succession in the Queensland Championship and reinforced their early domination.

Finishing just behind the winner were their team-mates Adam Briggs and Andrew Mitchell in the # 86 Adrenalin Rush Karting entry, with the very impressive # 50 kart of Team5150R, driven by Darren Familo and Ian McMah rounding out the podium in third position.

In what was the ProKart Australia’s first visit to the South Burnett Kart Track, located two hours north of Brisbane, the ‘Nanango 6 Hour’ was judged a great success with the third round of the Queensland Championship certainly providing spectacular Endurance Kart competition as the top three finishes at the fall of the chequered flag had all completed a total of 474 laps and were only separated by a mere 0.022 seconds.

The single-lap ‘shootout’ qualifying session to establish the starting grid for the ‘Nanango 6 Hour’ saw the # 50 kart of Team5051R post the quickest time around the 930 metre South Burnett Kart Track. With Team5150R’s Ian McMah putting the # 50 kart on pole position, the race promised an enthralling battle with both the # 98 Adrenalin Rush Karting and # 86 Adrenalin Rush Karting outfits posting the second and third quickest times.

Photography: Ian McMah

The latter team can certainly take plenty of confidence out of their performance as they were unlucky not to break through for what would be their maiden victory. Although the # 98 Adrenalin Rush Karting team maintained their lead in the Queensland Championship point standings, the # 86 Adrenalin Rush Karting team moved into second place and # 50 Team 5150 R1 were able to hold down their third place ranking in the overall point standings.

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“It certainly a very tough race and full credit to the # 50 kart of Team5150R as they made us work very hard for our one – two finish and had it not been for their pit lane violation the finish might have been very different,” stated Adrenalin Rush Karting team owner and manager Al Denyer. “Our drivers once again kept their cool throughout the race and remained consistent and that is what Endurance Karting is all about. To post a 1 – 2 finish in the last two rounds is wonderful credit to the whole team and all the effort they put in both on and off the track – because in Endurance Karting, races can sometimes be decided in the pits and not out on the race track so you have to be on the ball in both areas.”

Completing the top 10 finishers in the ‘Nanango 6 Hour’ were the ever consistent # 27 www.resisales.com.au team (468 laps) in fourth place, followed by current NSW Championship pace setters # 3 Wollongong City Raceway Jets (463 laps), # 661 PDS Grand Prix (463 laps), # 84 RPM (461 laps), # 51 Team 5150R (457 laps), # 22 BF Racing (454 laps) and in 10th place was # 2 BF Racing (453 lap).

The ‘Nanango 6 Hour’ started late in the afternoon and finished under night time conditions and the top three teams were just as quick in the day as they were in the night. In fact, the fastest lap of the race, which was set by the # 98 Adrenalin Rush Karting team, a 43.868 second lap (set on lap 284) was considerably faster than the pole position qualifying time of # 50 Team 5150 R1 – 44.464 seconds earlier in the race meeting.

All the teams that competed in the ‘Nanango 6 Hour’ and ProKart Australia officials would like to congratulate the South Burnett Kart Track on the hosting of a fantastic event as both their professionalism and hospitality was second to none. Well done South Burnett Kart Club!

The fourth round of the Powered by Honda ProKart Australia Queensland Endurance Kart Championship is to be held on Saturday, May 9 at the Ipswich Kart Track for the running of the ‘Ipswich 9 Hour’.

DANIEL POWELL & IAN MCMAH

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Photography: Ian McMah & Katy Scherf

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Photography: Katy Scherf & Ian McMah

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TEAM RELEASE: TEAM RESISALES.COM.AU After a mixed bag of results this year we are standing in third in the QLD series behind the ARK karts which i think will be unbeatable in the QLD series.

It’s hard to say were we will finish in the 24hr race because the team is taking on 3 more new drivers for this race. When you have new people regularly rotating through the team it’s hard to know if the drivers are going to always be on race-winning pace.

For me this sport is as much about having fun as it is about being competitive and testing your endurance, strategy and skill as well as outright pace.

So far, even with new drivers at every race this year, the resisales.com team have been lucky to get to where we are in the standings. It must be something about Port Macquarie as the teams from there are holding down the top 3 spots in the QLD series.

While I enjoy the ‘fun’ of the sport, I also enjoy bringing new drivers into the ProKart Endurance Championship and am continuing to search for drivers who can commit to the remainder of the 2009 championship and hopefully through 2010.

Mine and the team’s objective for the 24 hour race at Raleigh next month is to finish in the Top 6. To do so would be a great achievement and something of which I’d be very proud. The race will undoubtedly be very hard on karts so I’m working harder than ever to ensure the kart is as well prepared as possible.

The Raleigh International Raceway circuit is a grueling track to drive and it has never been raced on at night before, so with this in mind and knowing the area I would say drivers and teams will have a number of challenges; possibly even including Kangaroo’s and even cow’s around dusk and dawn.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team at RESISALES.COM.AU and Commercialrealestateaustralia.com.au for supporting our race team this year. Without their invaluable support we couldn’t go racing and I encourage everyone to support businesses who support the sport we love.

To learn more, visit; http://www.resisales.com.au/ or http://www.commercialrealestateaustralia.com.au/

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The entire #27 ResiSales.com team & Team Principal Phil Wallis would like to thank

www.resisales.com.au

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Round 5 of the New South Wales ProKart Endurance Championship series saw a season-long winning streak come to an end as the series moved to the Indy 800 kart circuit near Windsor, approximately an hour north-west of Sydney.

With Streamline taking the win, dominant NSW team WCR Jets finished second, their first time away from the Number 1 position in this year’s NSW championship...

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RACE REPORT The Streamline Motorsport team have brought to an end the dominant start of the Wollongong City Raceway Jets in the 2009 Powered by Honda ProKart Australia NSW Endurance Kart Championship by winning the ‘Windsor 6 Hour’ last Saturday (May 16) at the Indy 800 Kart Track, near Windsor in the Hawkesbury region.

Throughout the ‘Windsor 6 Hour’ the # 57 Streamline Motorsport team stayed at the pointy end of the field after they had started from pole position by virtue of topping the time sheets in qualifying and at the fall of the chequered flag they had completed a total of 440 laps around the 800 metre circuit and recorded a comprehensive victory.

Finishing four laps behind the winners Streamline Motorsport in second place was the previously undefeated # 3 Wollongong City Raceway Jets who had taken out wins in the opening three rounds of the NSW Championship. Despite finishing out of the winner’s circle for the

first time this year, the Wollongong City Raceway Jets maintain their solid lead in the NSW Championship point standings with a second place finish.

Newcomers # 82 Team SPR made an instant impact on the ProKart Australia competition by firstly qualifying strongly in second place and then they proved that their qualifying pace was no fluke when they came on home in third place on the podium at the completion of the ‘Windsor 6 Hour’ with a total of 435 laps recorded.

Current National and NSW Champions # 1 Team Kaos finished just off the podium in fourth place and narrowly behind third place finisher’s Team SBR. Team Kaos completed a total of 435 laps too. Rounding out the top 10 finishers in the ‘Windsor 6 Hour’ were # 21 Walkos Shire Racing, # 9 Team Indy, # 88 All Birt Racing, # 14 Two Dogs Racing, # 777 Horsepower Racing and in 10th place was # 41 Team Kartatak.

Aside from # 57 Streamline Motorsport and # 82 Team SPR; the standout teams were # 9 Team Indy who had qualified back 14th and worked their way up to finish in sixth, # 88 All Birt Racing qualified strongly in fourth place and then finished in seventh and # 14 Two Dogs Racing started from grid position 11 and enjoyed a consistent race to finish in eighth place.

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One team that didn’t enjoy the best of rounds was the # 777 Horsepower Racing and they were far from pleased with their ninth place finish. The # 777 Horsepower Racing team are regarded as genuine top three contenders and it was certainly not their round on Saturday. Bad luck also struck the # 181 Illawarra Kart and Parts team and they finished well down the order in 15th place.

The fastest lap recorded during the running of the ‘Windsor 6 Hour’ was a 46.238 and it belonged to the # 57 Streamline Motorsport team.

In qualifying it was # 57 Streamline Motorsport that paced the field and recorded the fastest lap of 46.059 seconds ahead of # 82 Team SPR, # 21 Walkos Shire Racing, # 88 All Birt Racing and # 3 Wollongong City Raceway Jets in fifth.

The fifth round of the Powered by Honda ProKart Australia NSW Championship is to be held over the June Long Weekend (June 6 and 7) at Raleigh International Raceway, near Coffs Harbour in NSW, for the ‘Raleigh 24 Hour’. This is not only a round of the NSW Championship but also both the Queensland and National Championship.

- DANIEL POWELL

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DRIVER OPINION This month, as part of our cover story research, we took the opportunity to speak to owner/driver/manager of the Wollongong City Raceway (WCR) JETS; TRENT WARWICK ProKart: With both the WCR Jets and ARK teams registering 3 wins from the first 4 starts this season (this stat will change post-Windsor); and with ARK currently holding the ‘upper’ hand in terms of wins when both teams were competing at the same event this year (3 wins v. 1), are you confident of a strong showing in next month’s 24 hour and do you think you can beat them?

Trent: Of course we can beat them, but everything needs to go to plan for that to happen. A race like this relies slightly less on speed and strategy, and more on reliability and driver management. If the kart is good, and the drivers remain focused then we will have every chance of

taking home a trophy. If the ARK and Jets karts make it to sunrise without too much drama then it will be an awesome finish. I suppose it’s up to me and Al to make sure that happens. We get on well with the guys from ARK, in fact the niggling has already begun! They might be getting a few late night phone calls in the lead up to the race!

Having said that, they aren’t the only team who will be up the front. I would expect Kaos, Horsepower, Illawarra Karts & Parts, PDS & 5150R to all be in the mix there somewhere.

ProKart: To what do you attribute your amazing success this season?

Trent: Luck! We broke a seat bolt at Oran Park, a Muffler at Wollongong, and had a king pin come loose at Wakefield. We were lucky in that every other team had bigger, or longer problems.

But I am really proud of the guys, we all

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have a job to do and everybody is going above and beyond. Everyone looks at our team and points out how quick JV is, but nobody has noticed that Rohan is driving faster than ever before, or how our pit stops have been immaculate. I’m on the phone to Timmy daily about ways we can improve. This team consists of a great bunch of guys and includes everyone from the workshop at WCR to the guys driving the kart. It’s 1 team, and everybody wants to win for each other.

We also have a lot more stability than last year – and it shows.

ProKart: Why does the team appear to perform significantly stronger in your ‘home’ races – appearing to struggle somewhat when you race in Queensland? Do you not like our water?

Trent: That’s a fair question, with a really long answer.

Basically, we use a different kart and driver line up in both states. The QLD ‘team’ doesn’t get nearly as much preparation time spent on it as the NSW ‘team’.

My role is minimal, Timmy’s role is minimal. The team is almost run via remote control. The guys up there are doing a great job considering they have a very limited tool and spares kit, and when they join the NSW ‘team’ for the 24 hour (and 12 hour @ Ipswich) then we all benefit.

Last year running both states really took it out of me & Timmy. We got all excited

again at the start of this year, but we all have businesses to run and families to appease so it becomes quite difficult to disappear every 2-3 weeks to go karting!

In hindsight we should have entered the team under a different name so as not to place undue expectations on the team.

The guys up there are itching to get to the National events and run with radio’s, a team manager, new tires etc.

ProKart: If there was one thing that differentiated your race teams from ARK; what would you consider it to be?

Trent: You’re getting good at these questions Ian! I’ve already mentioned speed & strategy.

At the moment I would say the ARK kart has us slightly for speed, whereas I think we understand the strategic element a bit better. If the karts break down then neither of those characteristics are going to matter!

Can I be cheeky? My headset for the radios is newer than Al’s!!!!.

ProKart: Finally; will we see you returning to the driver’s seat at the 24 hour?

Trent: Nope! I won’t get back in until my back is 100%. I missed Raleigh last year because of it, but came back too early.

We won at Taree but I was in a lot of pain, and it was a bit foolish to continue on after that. I miss driving so I will get back in when I can.

IAN MCMAH

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Proudly supporting PDS Grand Prix

Contact Us: PDS Strategic PO Box 716 Spring Hill, Qld 4004 Ph: +61 07 3139 1695 Mobile: 0404 460 453 46

2009 EVENT CALENDAR

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Did you know…

Did you know Tourette Syndrome (TS) affects 1 in 100 boys and 1 in 300 girls?

TS is now recognised to be relatively common but under recognised, and a major cause of hidden disability. TS is a Neurological disorder characterised by rapid, repetitive and involuntary muscle movements and vocalisations called “tics”, and often involves behavioural difficulties. Tics tend to come in bursts or "bouts". These periods are called waxing and waning cycles. In essence the brain is over stimulated with an excess of neurotransmitters that bypass the filters in the brain which would normally be used to control one’s movement, thoughts, emotions and actions.

TS is NOT degenerative, and people with TS can expect to live a normal life span. It most often begins between the ages of 2 and 21, and lasts throughout life in varying degrees of severity. TS is considered incurable, but treatable. TS symptoms may range from mere aggravation to severe debilitation.

The aim of the TSAA is to spread knowledge of what Tourettes is, as well as ask for understanding and acceptance in the community and to undo the social stigma created by misinformation.

Recent studies have found that Tourettes affects 1% of the population, where it was once thought to be a rare condition. This is not due to any increase of TS but to the fact more people are being recognised and diagnosed as having TS. Many medical professionals still know very little about TS. Correct diagnosis is important to children with TS so they can access the right management strategies to help them reach their full potential in life.

TSAA offers telephone and email support, as well as resource materials to assist families, doctors and educators. Educators do not need to be experts, but a certain level of familiarity with the most common difficulties is essential, so as part of our Education Awareness Program we are offering every school in Australia a FREE DVD called ’What is Tourette Syndrome?.’

Contact TSAA and one will be sent FREE! We have a wealth of materials available as well as personal experience with TS. 49

Call CURT BOND...

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SPR RELIVE THEIR PROKART DEBUT My name is Paul Hunter and i am from a new team in the ProKart Series called Team SPR. Our first round in the series was Windsor last weekend.

We went there not knowing what to expect. As you could imagine starting a new team from scratch takes a hell of a lot of planning and organisation.

The drivers consist of: Scott Rowe, Peter Francis and myself Paul Hunter.

Scott came from Go Karts, Peter raced Speedway and I own a drag car.

We wanted to present ourselves as professional racers so we all purchased new race suits (Alpinestars), gloves, boots helmets etc most of which were ordered from Acceleration Karting in the USA. Once we had the gear we focused on getting to the track. The trailer was next on the list which hadn't been used in over 10 years!!! Bearings, tyres and lights were just the beginning.

We initially wanted to "have a go" in the Arrive and Drive package at the Oran Park 6 hour in November of last year. We qualified 6th and thought we would be strong in the race however due to poor kart preparation and many breakdowns we finished 19th or 20th.

Tony and Ryan could see that we disappointed with the result so they made an offer we couldn't refuse. Mid way through April we picked up our new F1 ProKart and began the long road of kart preparation and refinement. After many days testing and sorting out the reliability issues we headed to Windsor for the 6 hour.

Free practice was surprising with Scott the quickest guy out there. In Qualifying we used Scott in the first session, myself in the second session and Scott again in the third. At the end of the qualifying we were wrapped to be on the front row!!! A great effort all round. We were excited and concerned at the same time as we had no idea if the kart would last the whole race.

We ran with a basic pit stop strategy, stopping every 30 mins for a driver change and every 1h 30min for a fuel stop. No double stints for us at this stage. We were concerned at different stages of the race as we had slipped back to 5th or 6th due to pit stop strategies. However in the final hour, once it all panned out and the stops had been completed, we were on track for 2nd place till we lost our nose cone trying to pass a slower kart.

Scott thought the other kart was opening the door to let him past going through the fast left hand sweeper on the back straight. This wasn't the case and the door closed as soon as it opened. Our nose cone got caught between the other karts rear wheel and his crash bar, ripping the nosecone off its mounts. It didn't just dislodge it, it tore the plastic mould off the nosecone!!!

This unscheduled stop put us back to 4th and many thanks go to the team manager at Team Kaos for lending us their spare nose cone. Without it we would have had to stick our nose cone on with tape which is outside the rules (I’m sure it states the nose cone must be held on by clamps or fasteners).

Both Wollongong Jets and Team Kaos jumped us while we were fitting the nosecone. When Scotty got back out on track he put his head down and went about regaining those positions. He chased down Team Kaos with 5 mins to go!!! He took the final podium position from them relegating them to 4th.

To our surprise the Jets were only another 8 seconds up the road, however time had ran out.

Our first race with our new team and we had finished 3rd. We also just scrapped in with the minimum weight requirement. Our final weigh in saw 185.7kg!!!! We didn't anticipate how low the fuel level would be at the end of the race; still, we just made it.

Where to from here you ask? To win our first race before the end of the season!!!

Bring it on‌ PAUL HUNTER

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Hotshots...

DQ International’s Josh Townsend swaps his Azzurro for something with a few more kW...

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Photography: Ian McMah

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For sale Price $4,000 4,000 including spare engine, or: $3,700 without

Freshly powder coated chassis •Brand new stub axles and tie rods •Trolley Spare front rims •Developed chassis and setup to achieve endurance success •Setup and race assistance from DQ members available •Spare Engine Available plus numerous other spares

Contact Josh Townsend on 0407 656 974 or email

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In our next issue...

•

Prokart comparison: Australia v. UK

•

Race Review: Round 2 of the Australian Championship from Raleigh International Raceway

•

Driver Profile: Brian Jamieson

•

All the latest ProKart news and much more…

All submissions welcomed… imcmah@netspace.net.au 55