Although the forecast was for a fine and sunny day, we certainly received plenty of rain overnight and arrived at the track to find it wet and slippery as the sun rose on Oakleigh’s July Club Day. Qualifying was held on a damp-but-slowly-drying track which led to a few offs and a few surprises up the top of the time sheets – by the time we went racing it was sunny and the track had dried.
Restricted 125 Light
Heat 1 Pole Sitter Kyle King but David Hutchinson through to the lead ahead of Luke Medley on Lap 2, Medley qualifying back in 6th, then a gap back to King and another gap to Stephen Barker, but by Lap 4 Medley was in the lead ahead of Hutchinson and that is where he would stay, pulling well away in the end, King through to 2nd, then Hutchinson and Darren Wade at the flag.
Pre Final and Medley now off the front with King beside him and Hutchinson and Wade behind him and Medley drives off with it, King then Wade and all over.
Finals time and Medley gets the best of the start and goes on with it, King, Wade and Hutchinson in his wake. At the end it was Medley by a good margin, then a battle between King and Wade with King emerging on top to take 2nd; Hutchinson well back in 4th.
KA3 Senior Heavy / Super Heavy
John Reynolds off pole in Heavy followed by Brenden Jenner and Adam Corbett, and Aaron Hocking, Nicholas Drew and David Martin the first 3 in Super Heavy. Reynolds away well and led from lights to flag; Hocking the same in Supers, Martin into 2nd as Drew DNF’d, so Henry Zurek 3rd.
See Heat 1 as Reynolds again to a big lead ahead of Jenner and Corbett; in Super Heavy Hocking, Martin and Drew this time.
Reynolds again gets off to a good start and takes Corbett and Jenner with him but Jenner gets back into 2nd as Reynolds drives off, in Super Heavy Martin leads Drew; Hocking an unfortunate retirement with a problem of some sort. Drama towards the end as Reynolds tangles with a couple of Super Heavys he was lapping but his lead big enough to give him time to recover and go on to the win, Martin the Super victor.
Cadet 12
Joshua Hocking and Joshua D’Ambrosio again the front pair this month and pulled away from Liam O’Donnell who in turn drew clear of Jett Wilson. Lap after lap D’Ambrosio looked like he would have a go at Hocking – lap after lap he stayed put, maybe waiting for the last lap – but not to be in the end as Hocking took the win and D’Ambrosio settled for 3nd.
Once again Hocking and D’Ambrosio and once again D’Ambrosio follows Hocking around, behind them O’Donnell and further back Wilson – Hocking victorious again with D’Ambrosio right on his hammer.
Again we see Hocking leading D’Ambrosio around for a number of laps until the latter pulls into the in grid with a problem with only 2 to go – so an unfortunate DNF after so much promise. Hocking goes on with it to take the win, O’Donnell inherits 2nd and Wilson takes 3rd.
KA3 Senior Light
Jack Bell off pole with Jake Congdon beside him, then Mark Appleby and Ben Mouritz; Bryce Fullwood doing another Oakleigh Club day found himself starting out of 12th after going off a lap or 2 into Qualifying, so some work ahead of the Development Series Driver. Bell dropped back at the start and Mouritz to the lead then Michael Carless through from 6th into 2nd followed by Bell and Congdon, who was also dropping back. Mouritz went on with it, Carless and Bell gained as Angelo D’Ettorre and Appleby dropped back. Then Carless meatballed with a flapping rear bar (D’oh!!) and then Fullwood out of action with what looked like a seize right on the start line. In the end Bell worked back into the lead to take it ahead of Mouritz.
Bell and Mouritz and away we go , but Carless the big mover through to 2nd, then Mouritz, Appleby Caleb Citrine, and by Lap 2 Fullwood was though to 6th after starting 13th and last, so a good recovery from him. Bell went away, Carless held 2nd then Mouritz and Fullwood made it to 4th by the flag.
Bell gets the jump from Mouritz and D’Ettorre and sets about building a lead, Carless doing a good job moving through from 7th after his Heat 1 DNF to find himself in 3rd by the halfway mark. At the flag it is still Bell, but Carless a great performance to go ahead of Mouritz with 2 to go and lead him home in 2nd.
KA4 Junior Light / KA4 Junior Heavy
Callum Potter and Hamish Allan off the front row in Light with just the 2 Heavys: Antonio Cafiso and Jack Martin in that order. At the green Allan away best and Matthew Hillyer follows him through to take 2nd, Potter 3rd, but re takes 2nd spot on Lap 3 passing Allan as Hillyer has taken over the lead. With 4 to go Hillyer is well clear of Potter then Allan, but Ethan Church gets past Allan to take 3rd with 3 to go. In Heavy Martin leads Cafiso home.
Potter gets ahead of Pole man Hillyer then Bradley James 3rd and Allan in 4th; Heavy sees Martin ahead of Cafiso. 3 Laps in and Hillyer and Potter are close out front then a gap back to James and they maintain this formation until with 3 to go Potter DNF’s – so bad luck for him; now James close on the leader Hillyer, but Hillyer hangs on – Martin then Cafiso in Heavy.
James takes off ahead of Hillyer and Church and by halfway is leading Hillyer still in 2nd, but Potter a great recovery to be 3rd after starting 8th and by the flag he is closing on 2nd, but James too good and takes the win ahead of Hillyer.
TAG 125 Light / TAG 125 Heavy
Daniel Griffin and Jack Scanlan the front row and Griffin drives away in Heat 1 with Nicholas Flodstrom who came through into 2nd, Kain Kugimiya and Jamie Westaway behind him with P2 man Scanlan now well back in 5th. Lap 5 and Scanlan and Flodstrom tangle at Tony Kart turn sending them both to the rear, meanwhile Griffin drives away from now Westaway who moves into 2nd, then Andrew Sotiropoulos and Kugimiya. Only the 1 Heavy this month in Richard Matera, and while I didn’t really notice him back in the field he seemed to take all before him in a triumphant victory – not much else you can do when you’re the only one!
Westaway gets to the lead at the start and holds on to take the victory ahead of Griffin and Sotiropoulos; and Matera repeats his performance in Heavy.
Westaway leads Griffin and Sotiropoulos at the start and that’s the way they settle down; 3 laps in and Westaway and Griffin have drawn clear. Towards the end Westaway has it all to himself as Griffin drops off, then with 3 to go Scanlan takes 2nd by passing Griffin, Sotiropoulos back in 4th – Westaway our winner.
Restricted 125 Heavy
Zachary Marshall and Andrew Tabaczynski the front pair and the latter gets away best and draws clear of Marshall, then Gavin Dorning through to 2nd and Nathan Orton 3rd as Marshall drops back, eventually tripping up with Brett Pennington, seeing both of them out in the Dipper. Tabaczynski goes away to a 3 second win from Dorning who is in turn 10 seconds ahead of William Hewett.
Tabaczynski and Dorning pull away from the field with Michael Jones now 3rd then Hewett and Orton, but Hewett moves into 3rd, although a long way back from Tabaczynski and Dorning who cross the line in the order.
Tabaczynski takes all before him and leads Dorning around followed by Hewett, then a gap back to Jones and that’s the way she finishes – Pennington and Marshall out at Tony Kart after a 4 kart tangle from which they don’t recover.
Cadet 9
Only 4 Cadet 9’s this month and Thomas Patching off pole, more than 4 seconds quicker than Giancarlo Arthur, then Nate Young and Hayley Zammit – maybe the drier conditions would suit them better. Arthur got to the lead at the start and led Patching for a number of laps until he finally found a way past and from then on it was all over: Patching, Arthur, Young and Zammit the order to the flag.
No change from Heat 1, Patching to the lead and drives off, Artho, Young and Zammit behind him and it looks like that is how they will stay until Young spins trying to pass Artho on the last lap and this lets Zammit through to 3rd.
The speedy Patching draws away again leaving Artho, Young and Zammit in his rear view mirrors. By the chequered flag Patching has a 30 second lead while Artho, Young and Zammit could be covered with a blanket, but no change in the order as they eventually follow Patching across the line.
TAG Masters
Timothy Martin off Pole then Anthony Westaway, Robert Baldacchino, Robert Barnes, Mick Fisher and Hayden Sinclair, and Westaway best away at the green and took a healthy lead in the end, Fisher working though to 2nd ahead of Baldacchino.
Fisher to the lead as we get going with Westaway, Martin and Baldacchino behind him and that looks like how we will stay until Martin and Baldacchino tangle on the last lap giving Fisher and Westaway a break and Fisher takes the win.
Fisher gets ahead of Westaway who has a slow start and drops behind Martin, but re takes the position a few laps in and sets out after Fisher who’s scarpered while they duke it out behind him. Ever so gradually Westaway is reeling Fisher in and while karts trip up behind them (all 4 remaining karts were involved in one incident at Tony Kart Turn which dropped a couple of them well back) the question was would he catch Fisher? The answer, much to the delight of Fisher, was no. He looked like another lap might have been beyond him once they crossed the line, but Fisher a winner, Westaway had to settle for the 2nd step on the podium today.
The August Club Day is set down for a Saturday day/night on the 27th. I hope you all enjoy it – I’ll be on holidays in (hopefully) sunny Queensland. See you in September!!!