Four Shepparton youngsters impressed down at the Australian Kart Championship round at Seymour’s Eastern Lions Kart Club.
Photo by
Ben Roehlen/Pace Images
Four Shepparton youngsters represented the city with valour at the Australian Kart Championship round at Seymour’s Eastern Lions Kart Club – as they pitted their wits against competitors from across the country and beyond.
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The AKC has been the breeding ground for future superstars including Formula One ace Oscar Piastri in the past, with more than 350 of Australia’s best kart competitors attending the round between September 4 and 6.
Drivers aged between the ages of seven and 62 from every state in Australia took to the Hume International Raceway at Seymour, alongside talents from New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia.
Tackling the 1064m, 13 turn anti-clockwise circuit in conditions ranging from piercing sunshine to torrential rain, Shepparton’s exports did their home town proud across a host of different race classes.
The city’s Jensen Damaschino, 13, finished seventh in the KA3 junior final and currently sits second in the KA3 Junior Championship after winning at round two in Ipswich and round three in Townsville.
Meanwhile, Shepparton brothers Will Thompson, 18, and Zac Thompson, 20, impressed during their respective appearances.
In the case of younger sibling Will, he qualified fourth, but failed to finish the KA3 senior final, while elder brother Zac qualified fourth, but failed to finish the TAG125 final.
In addition, Mason Martin, 13, showed good pace to qualify for the KA3 junior final, running a measured race to finish 26th.
This was the fifth time that the illustrious championships had come to the Seymour venue.
Photo by
Ben Roehlen/Pace Images
Speaking after the championships captured the public’s imagination at Seymour, Karting Australia’s chief operating officer Lee Hanatschek was delighted that the spectacle had returned to regional Victoria.
“It's fantastic to return to regional Victoria and Seymour for round four of the Penride Australian Car Championship,” he said.
“The Eastern Lions Car Club is one of the best in the country and to have 350 competitors come from all around Australia, New Zealand, Asia, all come and compete on some fantastic racetrack was just incredible across the weekend.
“A lot of people from all across the country came to spend their money here in the region, which is the biggest and most important part for businesses here.”
It is estimated that the event has generated $1.3 million of economic impact for the region of Seymour.
“We look forward to coming back in the future,” Hanatschek said.
He also expressed his hope that the participants from regional Victoria and elsewhere would have gained some key skills for their development over the course of the weekend.
“It was interesting from a weather point of view,” Hanatschek said.
“The weather in regional Victoria, as everyone knows, is very, very fickle at times. And unfortunately on Saturday, it was very, very crazy and unpredictable.
“It was a lot of rainfall and then on Sunday, it dried up and we had some fantastic dry racing all throughout the day.
“And just the skill of the young drivers from seven to 12 years of age, for example, they're racing at 80 to 100km/h, wheel to wheel, and just learning so much, not just about racing, but car control, driving and technique that will help them not only on the racetrack, but for the years to come.”
