CRG Australia driver Jason Pringle broke a four year drought when he returned to the winners circle at Round Three of the Australian Kart Championship in Ipswich.
Pringle’s victory in the KZ2 class, his first at the national level since September 2011, was a bittersweet for the CRG team after young New South Welshman, Jaie Robson had an engine failure at turn one with just three laps left remaining. He was holding a 0.7s lead over Pringle and Championship leader, Jake Klarich.
Klarich, who won the first two rounds, cemented his Championship lead through his second placed finish, whilst completing the podium was former Australian Champion, Chris Hays in his Energy Corse Australia entry.
In the elite junior class, KF3, Canberra driver Zane Morse wrapped up a clean-sweep of the weekend in the hard fought final.
A group of four karts were at the front for much of the race, with the tense battle going to the wire. Round two winner, Reece Sidebottom staked his claim for Championship glory coming home in second and move into the points lead. Sidebottom’s fellow Victorian Thomas Hughes secured his second straight podium finish with a third placing
Harrington Doyle Racing’s Scott Sorensen fended off the challenges from Holden Kart Team JC Kart driver Liam McLellan to take his second consecutive KF2 win, in the process successfully defending his Queensland Title.
KA Junior fell the way of Victorian Monaco driver, Jordan Caruso. Harrington Doyle Racing’s Declan Fraser took the chequered flag first, however post-race, officials deemed that a collision with Jack Doohan to take the lead was avoidable and handed Fraser a 10 second penalty. This dropped him to third behind Doohan – who extended his Championship lead.
In X30, Daniel Rochford took a hard fought victory in his Monaco chassis ahead local Arrow driver Ben Stewart to claim the Queensland Championship in the process. Stewart, who heads to the United States next Friday for two major events, shadowed Rochford for the majority of the affair before one small mistake slightly dropping a wheel into the dirt cost him momentum and allowed Rochford to pull away.
KA TaG produced some of the best racing of the weekend throughout the heats and local BirelART RK Kart driver, Nicholas Andrews had the perfect weekend, winning every race in comfortable fashion.
Thomas Cooper got the best of the field in the KA12 class after a spirited battle with Oscar Comley and Championship leader Jay Hanson.
The James Sera domination of KA1 came to an end with Toby Pope getting up for a surprise victory.
The Australian Kart Championships presented by Jayco and Castrol EDGE go into a two month hiatus before returning to Newcastle (NSW) over the weekend of September 4-6.