Supercars driver Aaren Russell’s Australian Kart Championship round-one weekend turned out anything but the “bit of fun” he was hoping for.
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The Novocastrian conserved his tyres in Saturday’s X30 heats in appalling temperatures at Cameron Park after a bingle in qualifying had bent his axle and chassis.
He started Sunday’s final at the back of the grid in 39th, climbed to 25th in five laps then was forced out after another kart ripped off his radiator hose.
Formula one star Daniel Ricciardo’s factory team won four of the nine categories.
Bundaberg’s European Championship driver Troy Loeskow won the KZ2 gearbox feature class for Ricciardo Kart, Gold Coast’s Lachlan Hughes the elite junior category, Marc Tulloch the X30 and Jace Matthews the KA1s before leaving the track for a race in Italy this weekend.
The Newcastle crowd cheered local TaG 125 racer Zac van Leeuwestyn to third after a race-long battle for the final podium spot.
AUSTRALIAN KART CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 ROUND ONE WINNERS
KZ2
Troy Loeskow (Ricciardo Kart)
Joshua Fife (Energy Corse)
Daniel Price (CRG)
KA2
Lachlan Hughes (Ricciardo Kart)
Cody Burcher (Kosmic)
Taylor Hazard (Redspeed)
KA1
Jace Matthews (Ricciardo Kart)
Kyle Henry-Smith (PCR)
Daniel Edmonds (Kosmic)
X30
Marc Tulloch (Ricciardo Kart)
Joshua Car (CompKart)
Leigh Nicolaou (Arrow)
TaG 125
Brendan Nelson (FA Kart)
Mitchell Hewitt (OTK)
Zac van Leeuwestyn (Intrepid)
KA3
Kody Garland (Tony Kart)
James Sera (FA Kart)
Dean O’Brien (Arrow)
Cadet 9
Ryan Tomsett (Exprit)
Harry Arnett (CRG)
Marshall Crofts (CRG)
Cadet 12
Rhys Smith (PCR)
James Wharton (CRG)
Adrian Haak (EVOKart)
KA 4 Junior
Zac Crichton (JC Kart)
Kai Allen (CRG)
Blake Purdie (Zanardi)
