The SP Tools Australian Kart Championship introduced a special challenge this year – the first ever Australian Ladies Trophy for the growing list of female competitors in all classes – and two Aussie Vortex-Rok competitors are in with a shot of taking it out as the Series heads to round three in Newcastle.
KA1 (Vortex DVS-SV) driver, Taylah Agius leads the Ladies Trophy at the halfway point of the season. She has emerged as one of Australia’s standout junior drivers before moving to seniors this year.
She became the first female driver to win a heat race in the Australian Kart Championship era at the second round of the Series in Albury-Wodonga recently and has finished both of the opening rounds inside the top five.
With backing from international pre-paid mobile giant, Boost Mobile, she heads to Newcastle sixth on the KA1 points ladder, which is currently being led by round one winner, Lachlan Dalton.
Third in the Ladies Title race is Agius’ fellow KA1 pilot, Rianna O’Meara-Hunt from New Zealand. O’Meara-Hunt heads to Newcastle looking for a big round and to advance herself up the points standings heading into the back part of the year.
The third fast femme using the Vortex-Rok DVS-SV in KA1 is Olivia Dalla-Zuanna who is currently equal fourth in the Ladies Trophy race.
The best of the Junior competitors is Alice Buckley from Cadet 12 Mini Rok who is 12th on the points table.
In all, 19 female drivers have scored points towards the Australian Ladies Trophy with, on average, 16 drivers per round entering across all classes.
This weekend’s event in Newcastle is expected to be conducted in cool and mostly sunny conditions, with temperatures going from a cool 5°C (41°F) to 21°C (70°F).
KA1 (DVS-SV Senior) sees Lachlan Dalton hold a three point advantage over reigning Champion, Scott Sorensen with Josh Denton a mere two points behind in third.
Kai Allen’s consistency in KA2 (DVS Junior) allows him to enter Newcastle with a relatively comfortable 26 point buffer over round one winner, Antonio Astuti. Previous round winner – James Wharton – who was the youngest winner in the class since its inception or Junior International equivalents in Australia – heads to Newcastle directly after the European Kart Championship OK Junior British Karting Grand Prix held last weekend at Kart PFi in the United Kingdom.
WSK Vortex Mini-Rok regular, Marcos Flack will be looking to build on his last round win and the 24 point advantage he holds in Cadet 12 – the most strongly contested class in the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship, while Lewis Francis rocketed to the top of the Cadet 9 (Vortex Mini Rok) class at the second round of the Championship, 38 points clear of Max Walton.
In all this weekend, 103 competitors will be lining up in the Vortex-Rok classes chasing the Australian Championship, along with one of the select seats against the world’s best at the Rok International Final at the end of the year.
Live timing from Friday can be followed at www.speedhive.mylaps.com, with livestream and all the information required for the event at www.karting.net.au.
