Basso’s Grand Slam at The Ultimate Club Racer
Mathew Basso made the trip interstate to South Australia for the second running of the Karting Australia Ultimate Club Racer.
Basso has had a busy 2022 competing hard all over Australia. Basso has already won a red plate title in the Junior National Heavy ranks and was looking to add the Silver Ultimate Club Racer plate to his 2022 haul.
Junior National Heavy Title
Basso made the most of Friday practice and was showing excellent pace going into Saturday morning qualifying. Mathew was able to quickly put himself to the top of the time sheets, with strong pace putting him in pole position for the opening heats.
Heat 1 saw the young karter take full advantage of his pole, with a clean start to head the field before reeling off a series of fastest laps. The pace and performance saw Basso take the chequered flag a staggering nine seconds ahead of his nearest competitor in a dominant display.
Looking to stamp his authority on the weekend, Heat 2 saw Mathew with yet another clean getaway and was pushing hard to open up the margin in the early stages of the race. In a seemingly carbon-copy of the previous heat, Basso was able to once again drive away from the field to take another nine-second victory for maximum points after two races.
Heat 3 was the final race on Saturday afternoon and the Basso camp was looking to make it a perfect Saturday. Mathew made a great start and once again pulled away from the rest of the field in the early stages, making it made it three from three on Saturday with a six-second victory.
Sunday morning saw the fourth and final heat race of the weekend. Basso had kept his kart in the window overnight and was pulling away from the field in the early stages once again. Mathew kept his perfect record intact going into the final, making it four straight wins for the #18 kart.
Silver Ultimate Club Race plate
The Go Kart Club of South Australia Silver Plate saw Basso a strong contender for the prestigious event. He was able to get a clean start and was immediately pulling away from the field to establish a strong lead. Basso completed the weekend in perfect fashion leading every lap, setting the fastest lap in every race, taking all four heats, and winning the championship final!
“This event was so much fun. Everyone had a great time and winning it was a bonus. I’m looking forward to racing with the Silver Plate for 2023!” said Basso.
Mathew’s father Paul explained that the weekend was part of the team’s preparation for 2023.
“We used this event to learn the track for next year’s Round 1 of the Australian Karting Championship and happily walked away with the win and the privilege of wearing the Silver Plate for 2023. We learned a lot and had a lot of fun at this very cool event. Mathew drove well all weekend with a clean sweep of all four rounds and in the final”.
Mathew would like to thank his partners: Melbourne Kart Centre, Castrol Racing, UNIT Clothing, MEARTH Electric Scooters, NGK Spark Plugs Australia, Atlas Neck Braces, Oakley Australia, Platinum Potions, Mayhem Tools, Ethika, PREPD Hydration, Albek Luggage, SAKA Water, 808 Dude, Secure Max & Co, Bakers Delight, Spark Plugs Direct, Raceline Motorsports Racewear, New Balance, Spark Plugs Direct and MotiV8 Training.