ProKart Newsletter July 2009

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Team5150R offer for sale their No.51 PCR Team5150R offer for sale their No.51 PCR Team5150R offer for sale their No.51 PCR Team5150R offer for sale their No.51 PCR chassis.chassis.chassis.chassis. This kart has been fully refurbished at the This kart has been fully refurbished at the This kart has been fully refurbished at the This kart has been fully refurbished at the start of the season and represents an start of the season and represents an start of the season and represents an start of the season and represents an excellent opportunity to join the excellent opportunity to join the excellent opportunity to join the excellent opportunity to join the rapidly expanding ProKart series rapidly expanding ProKart series rapidly expanding ProKart series rapidly expanding ProKart series or simply upgrade your kart or simply upgrade your kart or simply upgrade your kart or simply upgrade your kart

READY TO RACE including Tillet 1/4 padded seat; Edwards READY TO RACE including Tillet 1/4 padded seat; Edwards READY TO RACE including Tillet 1/4 padded seat; Edwards READY TO RACE including Tillet 1/4 padded seat; Edwards Rims, new Righetti Ridolphi brakes. Ph: Rims, new Righetti Ridolphi brakes. Ph: Rims, new Righetti Ridolphi brakes. Ph: Rims, new Righetti Ridolphi brakes. Ph: 0408 335 3460408 335 3460408 335 3460408 335 346

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IN THIS ISSUE:IN THIS ISSUE:IN THIS ISSUE:IN THIS ISSUE:

COVER STORY: July was a month for firsts with Horsepower Racing (NSW) taking their first win in 2009 and Team5150R (QLD) breaking through for their debut series win. In this story we talk to Horsepower Racing’s Frank Kolarik about their success...

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NEWS

‘TORQUE ABOUT IT’

DRIVER PROFILE: Brian Jamieson (Two Dogs Racing) 6 / 7

RACE REPORT: Read all about the 2nd round of the ProKart Austra-lian Endurance Championships, held over an 8-hour race at Raleigh International Raceway.

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RACE REPORT: A full race review of this month’s 6th round of the NSW ProKart Championship, held at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway

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RACE REPORT: Team5150R finally took their long-anticipated debut win at Cooloola this month. A full race report including the mixed week-end experienced by ARK and many other competitors starts on page 31.

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FEATURE STORY: Simon Ham outlines the differences he’s observed from competing in both the United Kingdom and Australian ProKart series

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INTERVIEW: Glenn Firth speaks about his remarkable 2009 season in which he’s won more events than any other driver. The Adrenalin Rush Karting driver is fast becoming “the” driver to have in ProKart.

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“Torque it up“ “Torque it up“ “Torque it up“ “Torque it up“ This month we profile Glenn Firth from Adrenalin This month we profile Glenn Firth from Adrenalin This month we profile Glenn Firth from Adrenalin This month we profile Glenn Firth from Adrenalin

Rush Karting and endeavour to find out what drives Rush Karting and endeavour to find out what drives Rush Karting and endeavour to find out what drives Rush Karting and endeavour to find out what drives

the man that’s driven to more victories in 2009 than the man that’s driven to more victories in 2009 than the man that’s driven to more victories in 2009 than the man that’s driven to more victories in 2009 than

any other.any other.any other.any other.

Since our last edition (and our first in the new for-Since our last edition (and our first in the new for-Since our last edition (and our first in the new for-Since our last edition (and our first in the new for-

mat), ProKart’s had a National Round (combined mat), ProKart’s had a National Round (combined mat), ProKart’s had a National Round (combined mat), ProKart’s had a National Round (combined

NSW and Qld round) at Raleigh International Race-NSW and Qld round) at Raleigh International Race-NSW and Qld round) at Raleigh International Race-NSW and Qld round) at Raleigh International Race-

way and individual State Rounds at Eastern Creek way and individual State Rounds at Eastern Creek way and individual State Rounds at Eastern Creek way and individual State Rounds at Eastern Creek

(NSW) and Cooloola (QLD). Special mention must go to Horsepower (NSW) and Cooloola (QLD). Special mention must go to Horsepower (NSW) and Cooloola (QLD). Special mention must go to Horsepower (NSW) and Cooloola (QLD). Special mention must go to Horsepower

Racing (777) who registered their first victory for 2009 and only their Racing (777) who registered their first victory for 2009 and only their Racing (777) who registered their first victory for 2009 and only their Racing (777) who registered their first victory for 2009 and only their

second ever in the ProKart series. second ever in the ProKart series. second ever in the ProKart series. second ever in the ProKart series.

Speaking of firsts, I was privileged to drive the infamous (and somewhat Speaking of firsts, I was privileged to drive the infamous (and somewhat Speaking of firsts, I was privileged to drive the infamous (and somewhat Speaking of firsts, I was privileged to drive the infamous (and somewhat

daunting) Nordschleiffe (Nurburgring) , do a tour of the Spa Franchor-daunting) Nordschleiffe (Nurburgring) , do a tour of the Spa Franchor-daunting) Nordschleiffe (Nurburgring) , do a tour of the Spa Franchor-daunting) Nordschleiffe (Nurburgring) , do a tour of the Spa Franchor-

champs circuit and visit Le Mans for the 24 hour race during a recent champs circuit and visit Le Mans for the 24 hour race during a recent champs circuit and visit Le Mans for the 24 hour race during a recent champs circuit and visit Le Mans for the 24 hour race during a recent

holiday in Europe. There’s nothing more sobering than tearing over a holiday in Europe. There’s nothing more sobering than tearing over a holiday in Europe. There’s nothing more sobering than tearing over a holiday in Europe. There’s nothing more sobering than tearing over a

blind crest at ‘Nords’where the track’s bone dry on the ascent and blind crest at ‘Nords’where the track’s bone dry on the ascent and blind crest at ‘Nords’where the track’s bone dry on the ascent and blind crest at ‘Nords’where the track’s bone dry on the ascent and

heavy rain greets you at the (blind) apex just over the crest… heavy rain greets you at the (blind) apex just over the crest… heavy rain greets you at the (blind) apex just over the crest… heavy rain greets you at the (blind) apex just over the crest…

To indulge in a bit of shameless team promotion, Team5150R won their To indulge in a bit of shameless team promotion, Team5150R won their To indulge in a bit of shameless team promotion, Team5150R won their To indulge in a bit of shameless team promotion, Team5150R won their

first event last weekend and our #51 kart also won B Divisionfirst event last weekend and our #51 kart also won B Divisionfirst event last weekend and our #51 kart also won B Divisionfirst event last weekend and our #51 kart also won B Division————a great a great a great a great

result for our team and one for which I am thankful to all our drivers, result for our team and one for which I am thankful to all our drivers, result for our team and one for which I am thankful to all our drivers, result for our team and one for which I am thankful to all our drivers,

sponsors and crew.sponsors and crew.sponsors and crew.sponsors and crew.

Despite not being able to run the 24 hour at Raleigh as proposed, Pro-Despite not being able to run the 24 hour at Raleigh as proposed, Pro-Despite not being able to run the 24 hour at Raleigh as proposed, Pro-Despite not being able to run the 24 hour at Raleigh as proposed, Pro-

Kart’s marquee event has been rescheduled and will be held over the Kart’s marquee event has been rescheduled and will be held over the Kart’s marquee event has been rescheduled and will be held over the Kart’s marquee event has been rescheduled and will be held over the

weekend of August 15weekend of August 15weekend of August 15weekend of August 15----16! If you’ve done a 24 hour event you’ll know it’s 16! If you’ve done a 24 hour event you’ll know it’s 16! If you’ve done a 24 hour event you’ll know it’s 16! If you’ve done a 24 hour event you’ll know it’s

something you just can’t miss; and if you’ve never done one then it’s an something you just can’t miss; and if you’ve never done one then it’s an something you just can’t miss; and if you’ve never done one then it’s an something you just can’t miss; and if you’ve never done one then it’s an

absolute must; the true pinnacle of endurance racing. Don’t miss it!absolute must; the true pinnacle of endurance racing. Don’t miss it!absolute must; the true pinnacle of endurance racing. Don’t miss it!absolute must; the true pinnacle of endurance racing. Don’t miss it!

Finally, in closing, I’d like to thank everyone who offered support, com-Finally, in closing, I’d like to thank everyone who offered support, com-Finally, in closing, I’d like to thank everyone who offered support, com-Finally, in closing, I’d like to thank everyone who offered support, com-

pliments and encouragement on the back of the newpliments and encouragement on the back of the newpliments and encouragement on the back of the newpliments and encouragement on the back of the new----format newsletter. format newsletter. format newsletter. format newsletter.

The success of this newsletter is how much you enjoy reading it and I The success of this newsletter is how much you enjoy reading it and I The success of this newsletter is how much you enjoy reading it and I The success of this newsletter is how much you enjoy reading it and I

appreciate everyone’s positive feedback. Remember to keep those appreciate everyone’s positive feedback. Remember to keep those appreciate everyone’s positive feedback. Remember to keep those appreciate everyone’s positive feedback. Remember to keep those

suggestions and constructive comments coming in; they’re sincerely suggestions and constructive comments coming in; they’re sincerely suggestions and constructive comments coming in; they’re sincerely suggestions and constructive comments coming in; they’re sincerely

valued.valued.valued.valued.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing you trackside!Good luck and I look forward to seeing you trackside!Good luck and I look forward to seeing you trackside!Good luck and I look forward to seeing you trackside!

rapidly expanding ProKart series rapidly expanding ProKart series rapidly expanding ProKart series rapidly expanding ProKart series

15/16 August: ProKart 24 Hr15/16 August: ProKart 24 Hr15/16 August: ProKart 24 Hr15/16 August: ProKart 24 Hr

13 September: TBA NSW Round

No materials from this publication may be reprinted without the express permission of ProKartNo materials from this publication may be reprinted without the express permission of ProKartNo materials from this publication may be reprinted without the express permission of ProKartNo materials from this publication may be reprinted without the express permission of ProKart

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“While not being able to qualify better than 7th, the drivers felt that the kart was indeed handling bet-ter and were confident that during the race we'd be able to perform reasonably well.” “We took our first pit stop early in the first hour to get free from traffic and we were only losing fractions of a second per lap to the leaders and at the end of the first round of fuel stops, were in 6th pace and performing well.”

The 777 Kart of Horsepower Rac-ing has taken their first ProKart Series win of the 2009 season at Sydney’s Eastern Creek in round 7 of the NSW ProKart series. You can read all about their win in the race report from Eastern Creek on page 24, however team principal Frank Kolarik was suc-cinct when he summed up their race by saying “This says it all ’WE WON!!!’“ Frank was however kind enough to offer his thoughts to ProKart shortly after the meeting; “After the last couple of race meet-ings where we'd only lost out on a podium position due to minor me-chanical problems, the team was determined to reverse the recent form and take a large haul of championship points.” “Practise found the kart to be han-dling extremely unpredictable. There was no consistency lap-by-lap and all drivers were struggling with the setup. A late change in practice saw us change the ride height, steering geometry, seta height and rear end configuration all at once!”

COMMENTCOMMENTCOMMENTCOMMENT

Horsepower wins!

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“The leaders were definitely faster but we persevered with good speed from all drivers and a strategy that enabled us to close up to the leaders under safety car incidents. A safety car during our 2nd fuel stop further helped us and at half race distance, we were sitting in a po-dium position, but still off the pace of the Walko Teams.” “From this point on, it was a matter of keep circulating and seeing where the rest of the teams finished. Entering the last hour we had managed to move to 2nd with kart 21 still ahead. However, a problem with the side crash bar saw kart 21 head into the pits and we were then in the clear with over a lap lead over the rest of the field.”

Photography: Ian McMahPhotography: Ian McMahPhotography: Ian McMahPhotography: Ian McMah

“A final safety car, 15 mins from the end of the race saw us with over a lap lead to kart 3 in 2nd place. During the safety car pe-riod, one motor stalled and the driver was forced to pull over on the track and re-start the motor. We resumed, still in the lead but with the 2nd and 3rd placed karts now on the same lap.” “We held the lead comfortably during the last 10 mins of the race and rolled out eventual winners by 21 seconds, after completing 410 laps or 420 kms! A mistake on our last pit stop had meant that our driver had completed the last stint without lead ballast. It was with great relief that on the weigh scales, our kart and driver combination was found to be 185.6Kgs only 600g over the minimum weight.” “With our recent form not being as we had hoped, the win was a great boost to the team and with further development planned for the set up of the kart, we are hopeful that we can carry the winning form further into the 2009 season.” “A special thanks to Nathan, Phil and Daniel who all drove superbly on the day and thanks to Dion Scott who designed and built the chassis. His help on the day with the set up was also a factor in getting us on the podium.”

FRANK KOLARIK & IAN MCMAH

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TORQUE ABOUT ITTORQUE ABOUT ITTORQUE ABOUT ITTORQUE ABOUT IT • Despite council issues pre-venting the 24 hour from pro-ceeding, ProKart have taken steps to ensure a repeat does not occur in 2010. Except an announcement on the 2010 cal-endar in the coming months, with a few surprises in store! • We’d like to say that Adrenalin Rush Karting’s Alan Denyer was pleasantly surprised to have the entire field sing “Happy Birth-day” to him at the Cooloola driver’s briefing; however he wasn’t! • Team5150R issued a retrac-tion of a press release distrib-uted immediately after the 24 hour, which incorrectly stated they had set the 2 fastest laps of the event. The team had actu-ally set the fastest and 4th fast-est laps, the error due to incor-rect notes manually taken from the timing system. Team 5150R apologise for any angst this er-ror caused.

• There has been an unprece-dented level of interest and new team activity in the Qld ProKart series in recent months, with up to 6 new teams currently pre-paring to or having already en-tered the series.

• A number of ProKarter’s have revealed that they’re avid ‘online’ racers as well, driving a number of computer simula-tions including the now Marcos Ambrose endorsed iRacing, GTR2, rFACTOR and GTR Evo-lution. In fact it seems online racing has become a source of potential ProKart driving talent after Phil Wallis recruited the latest ResiSales Racing driver from a V8Supercars 3 online racing league!

• Team5150R have taken to sourcing their future driving talent in an innovative way, with Ian McMah and fiancée Katy Scherf expecting a baby boy in November! Give him 7 years...

Team BAR have restruc-tured and will now race in the ProKart series under their new name of IPR Scuderia (Ideal Place Rac-ing).

Ideal Place continue their support with IPR Scuderia having finalised their driver lineup. The team willl continue to campaign the ‘06 Benson chassis and remains committed to running the entire Qld

Championship and remain-ing National rounds. With driver/manager Adam Clark, Mitch Ennis, Aaron Keane and Jason Appliton, the team is quietly confi-dent of continued success.

NEWSNEWSNEWSNEWS

The DQ International ProKart race team has disbanded despite a season-long ef-fort to resurrect their on-track activites. With several key members needing to step away from racing in the foreseeable future, a decision to disband was only finalised earlier this month. Several mem-bers of the DQ squad are looking for drives within the ProKart series, with the team’s equipment being offered for sale shortly.

IAN MCMAH

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First Race at-First Race at-First Race at-First Race at-tended:tended:tended:tended:

Oran Park, Toby Lee series 1973. Touring cars, F5000's - sheer wide eyed joy.

First race First race First race First race competed in:competed in:competed in:competed in:

Sprint kart - 1990, Dubbo. National 'J' Speed kart.

Favourite mo-Favourite mo-Favourite mo-Favourite mo-toring moment:toring moment:toring moment:toring moment:

A few road trips as a 20 year old in my '68 Valiant - 'nuff said

First car:First car:First car:First car: 1960 FB Holden. 3-on-the-tree, 2.2litre asthmatic grey six, skinny crossply retreads and drum brakes the size of tobacco tins.

Racing Idol:Racing Idol:Racing Idol:Racing Idol: Allan Moffatt

Favourite Favourite Favourite Favourite tracks (that tracks (that tracks (that tracks (that you’ve visited):you’ve visited):you’ve visited):you’ve visited):

Bathurst, Oran Park.

Favourite mu-Favourite mu-Favourite mu-Favourite mu-sic?sic?sic?sic?

Paul Kelly, Amy Winehouse, Blood Sweat and Tears, Eskimo Joe and lots of stuff from the late 60’s and early 70’s

Listen toListen toListen toListen to Constantly channel surfing

FAVOURITEFAVOURITEFAVOURITEFAVOURITE

DrinkDrinkDrinkDrink Beer, with a nice red a close second

ColourColourColourColour Blue

NumberNumberNumberNumber 9

FoodFoodFoodFood “Anything with parents!’

Ice CreamIce CreamIce CreamIce Cream “Yes please“

Movie Movie Movie Movie Duel

Race carRace carRace carRace car Coca Cola Mustang I9: Allan Moffat or anything from that era

DRIVER PROFILEDRIVER PROFILEDRIVER PROFILEDRIVER PROFILE

Name:Name:Name:Name: Brian JamiesonBrian JamiesonBrian JamiesonBrian Jamieson

Team:Team:Team:Team: Two Dogs Racing

Age:Age:Age:Age: 53

Lives:Lives:Lives:Lives: Gymea Bay, Sydney

Career:Career:Career:Career: 35 years in IT, currently with CSC

First racing mem-First racing mem-First racing mem-First racing mem-ory:ory:ory:ory:

Tamworth hillclimb - I could see the track from the back-yard of the family home where I grew up

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thanks the following partners for their continued support

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Team5150R secured their debut victory in the ProKart series last weekend, winning not only won the 6th round of the Queensland ProKart Championship in Cooloola outright, but also won B-Division with their #51 kart, which placed 4th out-right for the meeting. After showing promise a number of times this season, with several pole positions and solidly leading 2 of this season’s 6 races, Team5150R were ecstatic to secure their best-ever ProKart result for both karts last weekend. The team had welcomed 2 new drivers at Raleigh in Josh Townsend and Luke Delaurence, both drivers joining Ian McMah in the team’s #50 kart; while regular pairing Allen Jones and Steve Prokop continued their efforts in the #51 Team5150R chassis. Despite qualifying 3rd and ultimately starting 4th after the sin-gle-lap shootout, Josh Townsend took the #50 kart to an early 2nd place behind the #5 BRM of Climatrol Racing, who had made an early break on the field to lead by around 7 seconds.

With Townsend, Delaurence and McMah sharing equal driving duties the team was ecstatic to ultimately win, setting the fast-est lap of the weekend and almost putting 2 laps on the 2nd place kart by the conclusion of the race The #51 kart however did not enjoy a trouble-free race, loosing a rear crash bar mounting bolt that ultimately led to a loss of several laps while temporary repairs were undertaken. Resuming with a less-than-ideal handling kart, both Steve Pro-kop and Allen Jones put in quick and consistent laps to recover from 11th to their finishing position of 4th outright and first in B-Division. The team again elected to line up for a formation finish and crossed the finishing line together after 7 hours and some 500+ laps, giving the team it’s very first outright win (after several pole positions and near-misses) and the best overall team re-sult (1st and 4th) in the team’s short history.

IAN MCMAH

Win at Cooloola!


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Round 2 of the National Series, which also doubled as Round 6 of the Queensland and New South Wales State series, was held at Raleigh over the Queen’s Birthday long-weekend. Despite the #50 Kart of Team5150R qualifying on pole and dominating the first hour of the race, it was Alan Denyer’s Adrenalin Rush Karting who again greeted the chequered flag in first place...


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With the latest rounds of the Powered by Honda ProKart Australia National, New South Wales and Queensland Endurance Kart Championships coming together as one last Saturday (June 6) at the Raleigh International Kart Raceway, near Coffs Har-bour on the Mid North Coast of NSW, for the running of the ‘Raleigh 8 Hour’ it was won by the Adrenalin Rush Karting # 98 team.

In what was their fourth victory of the year, their first in the National Championship, the Adrenalin Rush Karting # 98 team proved too strong in the end and managed to greet the chequered flag at the completion of the ‘Raleigh 8 Hour’ ahead of defending Na-tional Champions Team Kaos # 1 and the Wollongong City Raceway Jets # 3. After they claimed pole position and domi-nated the early stages of the ‘Raleigh 8 Hour’, the # 50 Team 5051R had their win-ning chances spoiled due to accidental con-tact from eventual winners, the Adrenalin Rush Karting # 98 team. The # 50 Team 5051R had built up a solid lead during the opening hour and looked in fine form to take out the ‘Raleigh 8 Hour’, however it all turned sour when contact was made from the Adrenalin Rush Karting # 98 team, who they had just put down a lap, which caused unrepairable damage and ended their win-ing chances there and then.

The pace of # 50 Team 5051R was so strong that the fastest lap that they had recorded as they paced the field stayed all the way through to the finish. Although disappointed the # 50 Team 5051R have taken their misfor-tune on the chin and are now looking forward to bouncing back at the next round of the Queensland Championship.

RACE REPORTRACE REPORTRACE REPORTRACE REPORT

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Another hard luck story from the ‘Raleigh 8 Hour’ was Horsepower Racing # 777. The Horsepower Racing team had third place on the podium in the bag up until they lost a chain during the final 15 minutes and they pushed them off the podium and they even-tually rejoined the race to finish back in fifth place.

Just missing out on a spot on the podium was the Adrenalin Rush Karting # 86 team. At one stage the Adrenalin Rush Karting team were down in 16th but they fought their way back to finish in a hard fought fourth place. The www.resisales.com.au racing team en-dured similar setbacks to the Adrenalin Rush Karting # 86 team and they ended up working their way back up to finish in seventh which was a satisfying result. After a tough start, the # 51 Team5051R man-aged to finish inside the top 10, ninth, and also recorded one of the quicker laptimes of the event, putting the two Team 5051R outfits within the fastest teams out on the track. The Raleigh International Kart Raceway is re-garded as one of most rewarding, yet difficult circuits on the ProKart Australia calendar and it certainly tested many of the 25 teams throughout the ‘Raleigh 8 Hour’. Now the ProKart Australia Championships will branch off into their own individual champion-ships and the next rounds are: National Cham-pionship (Saturday, August 15 at the Ipswich Kart Track in Queensland), NSW Champion-ship (Sunday, July 5 at Eastern Creek Interna-tional Kart Raceway) and the Queensland Championship (Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19 at the Gympie Kart Track).

DANIEL POWELL & IAN MCMAH


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Stories out of Eastern Creek point toward the WCR Jets expanding their operations perma-nently from the next National round at Ips-wich. As a toe in the water exercise, the crack squad from Wollongong ran 3 karts at Raleigh and despite some logistical nightmares for team leader Trent Warwick they came out of it with some good results. Prokart Newsletter understand that the team have been approached by multiple teams about running under ‘The Jets’ banner, and would re-sult in the satellite kart(s) being run in full factory spec to the two current Jets karts. Trent was overheard talking on Sunday and, ‘…if the money is there we will play…’ was the underlining message of the conversation. He was also spotted in The Captains pit area a number of times during practice, sorting an axle and throttle issue for them. The Captains already use a F1 chassis, and would need to be upgraded to the newer F1-TE chassis if they were to run to Jets spec. Trent wouldn’t give us any specifics when we spoke to him, but did let us know that he thinks 5 karts out of the one tent is not im-possible and is willing to talk to any teams interested in running F1 chassis’.

But can they really do it? For the Jets to speak with conviction is no surprise, but are they talking too much, or taking on too much? Running three karts at Ra-leigh saw a breakdown in communication causing the lead Jets kart to miss the fuel bay (resulting in an extra stop) and many teams witnessed a fiery argument between Trent and Jets pilot Rohan Collibee late in the race. Was it too stressful, or was it a one off blip? A permanent move to 3 or more karts would place more stress on everyone currently involved in the operation, and considering the WCR Jets have been penalised at every single race this year for speeding or contact issues, trying to control more karts could see them lose total control! We wait with baited breath...baited breath…

Jets To Run Customer

Karts!

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Phil Wallis has revealed that his search for permanent drivers to join the #27 Resisales Racing team continues. This year, the #27 kart has probably had a more changeable driver line-up than any other team and team owner Wal-lis believes that a more permanent driving roster will aid the team’s search for further podiums and potential wins. Phil Wallis has long been known for looking to promote new talent in the series and for this he should be com-mended. When he spoke to ProKart Phil offered the following; “G’day there from resisales.com.au everyone, I would like to say thank you to everyone that has been racing in the QLD series. This has been some of the toughest racing i have ever done. It’s one thing to start a race but to have fast pace all day and finish 1st takes a big effort, so well done to Team5150R on their first win.” “It’s hard to find good fast drivers so I decided to go out and find someone that can drive and was willing to learn. Ultimately I found 14-year-old Caleb (Shedogg) at Gympie and despite having never driven a racing kart before he had spent a lot of time behind the wheel of a simulation system. I’d been racing him ‘online’ for around a year and felt confident he could make a seamless transition.” “Caleb did very well going from 50plus second laptimes in his first practice session down to low 46 second laps in the race. Well done little fella!” “There were a few comments at the start of the weekend about how Caleb might manage the ‘rough and tumble’ of competitive kart racing and I only asked that people give him the opportunity to prove himself and perhaps some on-track consideration. In the end I think people started to think a little different about Caleb and quite a number of teams and drivers were very positive about his ability and on-track conduct by the end of the meeting.” “I am trying to bring new driviers to ProKart and give them a chance at something they may never of thought possi-ble. Last year I also had some guys that raced simulators drive for me and they ended up going out and getting their own kart. Now Caleb's dad is talking about buying one next year and going racing with his son, so I’m proud that the Resisales.com team is bringing new people into our sport. Well done Dad and Sheedogg for coming up to Gypmie, I was proud to race with you!” The 24 hr race will see RESISALES.COM.AU start with a driver line up of 4 simulator racers and two other drivers; illustrating that there is a number of potential ’would-be’ karters racing online all around Australia. Phil Wallis and the ResiSales team wish the very best of luck to everyone competing in next month’s Willowbank 24 hour.


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Round 6 of the New South Wales ProKart Endurance Championship was held on Saturday the 5th of July. Approximately 45 minutes west of Sydney, the iconic Eastern Creek Raceway circuit hosted 23 ProKart teams as series stalwarts Horsepower Racing raced to their first series win in 2009...


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The running of the ‘Eastern Creek 6 Hour’, the sixth round of the Powered by Honda ProKart Australia NSW Endurance Kart Championship, last Sunday (July 5) at the Eastern Creek International Kart Raceway resulted in the victory spoils going to the #777 Horsepower Racing team by the narrowest of margins. In what was their first victory of the year and their first since taking out last year’s ‘Canberra 7 Hour’; the # 777 Horse-power Racing team survived a late scare during the closing stages of the ‘Eastern Creek 6 Hour’, with their kart stalling during the final safety car period with 15 minutes remaining, to take out what was one of the closest ever finishes in the history of ProKart Australia competition. At the fall of the chequered flag for the ‘Eastern Creek 6 Hour’ the # 777 Horsepower Racing team won by a mere 20 seconds over a very gallant # 3 Wollongong City Raceway Jets in second place and in third place, only a kart length behind the # 3 Wollongong City Raceway Jets team, was the # 21 Walkos Shire Racing team. Apart from the stalling their engine during the final safety car period; the # 777 Horsepower Racing team had another scare after the fall of the chequered flag when they just made weight at the post race scrutineering and that cer-tainly left them with their hearts in their mouths once again for a brief moment.

The form team of the NSW Championship so far this year has been the # 3 Wollongong City Raceway Jets and they certainly didn’t enjoy the best of starts to their ‘Eastern Creek 6 Hour’ campaigns as they chased their fourth vic-tory of the year when they lost use of all their brakes within the opening hour. After they lost a total of four laps in the pits, as they fixed the drama, they dropped well down the order. In what was without a doubt one of the comebacks of the year; the # 3 Wollongong City Raceway Jets team fought their back into contention to come only 20 seconds shy of winning.


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It was certainly a nervous finish to the ‘Eastern Creek 6 Hour’ for eventual winners # 777 Horsepower Racing as before the safety car period with 15 minutes to the finish they had a lap lead over their nearest rivals. However, when their engines stalled during a pit stop and they consequently dropped a lap and that set the scene for what turned out to be a very close and exciting finish. One of the leading contenders in the ‘Eastern Creek 6 Hour’, the # 21 Walkos Shire Racing team, enjoyed a strong result to clinch the final spot on the podium in what was one of their strongest per-formances of the year. The # 21 Walkos Shire Racing team made the best possible start to the race by qualifying on pole position with what turned out to be fastest lap of the entire race meeting. To have the top three finishers on the same lap at the completion of six hours of continuous racing around one of the world’s finest karting facilities in Eastern Creek International Kart Raceway is quite unbelievable. Defending National and NSW Champions Team Kaos had a disap-pointing weekend and not through their own doing. Team Kaos set the early pace during the ‘Eastern Creek 6 Hour’ only to have a coming together with the # 12 Walkos Shire Racing team and it re-sulted in the former sustaining damage, a broken front wheel, which forced them to spend a quite considerable amount of time in the pit area. Losing a total of six laps; Team Kaos rejoined the race and fought their way back to finish in sixth place. For their part in the collision with Team Kaos; the # 12 Walkos Shire Racing team were slugged with a one minute penalty. The remaining top 10 finishes were made up of # 12 Walkos Shire Racing in fourth, followed by # 82 Team SPR Racing, # 1 Team Kaos, an impressive # 46 Starkey Motorsport, # 888 Horsepower Racing, # 14 Two Dogs Racing and in 10th was an unlucky # 23 Bell Pipes Racing. The latter team had shown great speed throughout the first half of the race only to be hampered by mechanical issues during the last half of the race and drop down the order. With their sixth podium finish from as many starts in the NSW Championship; the # 3 Wollongong City Raceway Jets team contin-ues to hold down their solid lead in the overall point standings ahead of # 777 Horsepower Racing and # 1 Team Kaos. The seventh round of the NSW Championship is to be held on Sun-day, September 13 at a yet to be announced track. Full results from the ‘Eastern Creek 6 Hour’ can be found at www.mylaps.com


Photography: Peter SteelePhotography: Peter SteelePhotography: Peter SteelePhotography: Peter Steele

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Photography: Peter SteelePhotography: Peter SteelePhotography: Peter SteelePhotography: Peter Steele

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Round 6 of the Queensland ProKart Endurance Championship series saw season-long potential real-ized as Team5150R broke through for their first win with Kart #50, outpacing the thus-far dominant Adrenalin Rush Karting team in the process. With the #51 Team5150R placing 4th overall and win-ning B-Division, the team secured their best ever result after the disappointment of last month’s National Cham-pionship round at Raleigh.


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It may have taken a bit longer than expected but finally, the # 50 kart of Team5150R scored their maiden victory by tak-ing out the ‘Gympie 7 Hour’, which was held last weekend at the Cooloola Kart Track near Gympie in Queensland and represented the sixth round of the Powered by Honda Pro-Kart Australia Queensland Endurance Kart Championship,

On a number of occasions so far in this year’s Queensland Championship; the # 50 kart of Team5150R and drivers Ian McMah, Luke Delaurence and Josh Townsend have been in winning positions only for fate to deny them of the victory spoils. However during last weekend’s ‘Gympie 7 Hour’ eve-rything came together for the Team5150R and at the fall of the chequered flag they scored a commanding victory.

After qualifying fourth, the #50 kart of Team5150R quickly worked their way into second place and when they claimed control of the race lead mid way through the 2nd hour they were never challenged and went on to claim their very first victory as a team in ProKart Australia competition.

In what was a very dominating performance from the victori-ous #50 Team5150R drivers, following them across the fin-ish line in 2nd place were current Queensland Championship pacesetters # 98 Adrenalin Rush Karting, one and a half

laps behind the winner and on the day they had no answer to the dominance of the #50 kart.

A tremendous performance by #22 BF Racing Team, led by ex Australian Formula Ford Championship competitor Brett Fran-cis saw them finish 3rd and displaying ominous race-pace throughout the event.

For the BF Racing team this was their very first podium finish in the Queensland Championship and it has been a result that they had been working towards since the beginning of the year. It shouldn’t be too far away before the #22 BF Racing team start to challenge the leaders and they have certainly put rival Queensland Championship teams on notice.

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One of the hard luck stories from the ‘Gympie 7 Hour’ was the # 5 Climatrol Racing team. The # 5 Climatrol Racing Team showed plenty of early pace, by qualifying third and leading the early stages of the race, only to hit some bad luck. Unfortu-nately the # 5 Climatrol Racing team had an off track excursion, while trying to avoid a lapped kart and this consequently dam-aged their kart. Although they were able to fix the damage, they had lost a number of laps on the leaders along with their pace from earlier in the race, and it robbed them of a better end re-sult.

Another team to encounter dramas during the running of the ‘Gympie 7 Hour’ was the # 86 Adrenalin Rush Karting team. They had qualified strongly in second behind their # 98 team-mates and were on track for a podium finish only to encounter a race ending muffler problem around the four hour mark and this put them out of the running and they recorded a rare DNF.

It was a fantastic weekend for the sister #51 kart of Team5150R as they took out the ‘B Grade’ honours with a fourth place outright finish despite breaking a rear bar retaining bolt early in the event and losing a number of laps while they undertook repairs. The #51 kart of Team5150R now has a clear lead in the Queensland B Division Championship after winning their B Division for the second successive event.

Finishing in 5th outright and 2nd in B-Division was the #661 PDS Grand Prix team with the recently rebranded #42 IPR Scuderia finishing ninth outright and securing their first ProKart podium with 3rd position in B-Division.

The Top 10 finishers were rounded out with #27 Resisales.com Racing in 6th; the #3 kart of the Wollongong City Raceway Jets in 7th, #169 Viper Racing in 8th, IPR Scuderia in 9th and round-ing out the Top 10 were new entrants 44,s.

The #98 Adrenalin Rush Karting team lead the Queensland Championship overall points standings and their tussle the sis-ter #86 Adrenalin Rush Kart is becoming increasingly fierce. In 3rd place and still a very realistic chance at winning this year’s Queensland Championship is the ever consistent Re-sisales.com Racing team of Phil Wallis. The seventh round of the Queensland Championship is Pro-

Kart’s marquee 24-hour event, to be held in conjunction with

the third round of the National Championship at the Ipswich

Kart Track, Willowbank Queensland on the weekend August 15

and 16.


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Photography: Ian McMah and Katy ScherfPhotography: Ian McMah and Katy ScherfPhotography: Ian McMah and Katy ScherfPhotography: Ian McMah and Katy Scherf

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Whilst you can read the full ‘interview’ elsewhere in this issue (p. 58), what is noticeable from the outset is that this is a driver who lives and breathes Motorsport. When he’s not racing, he’s either spectating or preparing for his next event. An avid follower of most forms of racing, Glenn lists NASCAR among his favoured series at present; pri-marily because of the uncertainty over the race result each weekend; with any number of drivers capable of taking victory at each round. The same applied to what may be considered his all-time favourite series, the now-merged (with IRL) Champ Car (or IndyCar) series

Glenn Firth (or “Firthy” to many) is a name well known to the karting and motorsport community in gen-eral; and with good reason. After starting in karts aged 11, Firthy competed with success against many of today’s star driv-ers, including Mark Winterbottom and Ryan Briscoe. Ultimately progressing to Formula Vee and experiencing further suc-cess (and racing against ProKart’s own Ryan Stott at times), Glenn is a regular competitor on the ProKart circuit, driving for Alan Denyer’s Adrenalin Rush Karting team. With more victories than any other driver in this year’s series, Firthy is fast becoming ’the’ driver of the series thus far and is always quick, precise and consistent when be-hind the wheel of his #98 Arrow chassis. Glenn was kind enough to offer his time to answer a few questions re-garding his background, his racing and his performances this year...


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which in its heyday was arguably considered the most competitive open-wheel series of the time. Whilst one of the highlights of that series may have been it’s unpre-dictability; the same can’t be said of this year’s ProKart series of late; with Adrenalin Rush and Glenn Firth in particular scoring a number of successive wins. Firthy has won this year with more than one team-mate, a solid achievement and one that adds fur-ther value to his contribution to the ARK team.

Whilst not yet laying claim to this year’s Championship(s); Glenn and the ARK team continue to put in consistent and quick performances that ultimately see them well placed to potentially win both the QLD and Australian ProKart Cham-pionship Series. Glenn is one of a rare breed of driv-ers who are receptive to discussing all aspects of their racing. In fact, Glenn quite often encourages new and emerging drivers through of-fering feedback and advice. It’s also not uncommon to see him asked to jump into another team’s kart to offer feedback and perform-ance tips; something he does regu-larly and willingly. It’s a true reflection of the spirit in which Firthy races that such a highly skilled driver would willingly offer such assistance and as such, Glenn is not only a highly regarded driver, but a very highly regarded member of the ProKart community.

IAN MCMAH

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Did you know…Did you know…Did you know…Did you know…

Did you know Tourette Syndrome (TS) affects 1 in 100 boys and 1 in 300 Did you know Tourette Syndrome (TS) affects 1 in 100 boys and 1 in 300 Did you know Tourette Syndrome (TS) affects 1 in 100 boys and 1 in 300 Did you know Tourette Syndrome (TS) affects 1 in 100 boys and 1 in 300 girls?girls?girls?girls? TS is now recognised to be relativelyTS is now recognised to be relativelyTS is now recognised to be relativelyTS is now recognised to be relatively common but under recognised, and common but under recognised, and common but under recognised, and common but under recognised, and aaaa major cause of hidden disability. TS is a Neurological disor-major cause of hidden disability. TS is a Neurological disor-major cause of hidden disability. TS is a Neurological disor-major cause of hidden disability. TS is a Neurological disor-derderderder characterised by rapid, repetitive and involuntary muscle movements characterised by rapid, repetitive and involuntary muscle movements characterised by rapid, repetitive and involuntary muscle movements characterised by rapid, repetitive and involuntary muscle movements and vocalisations called “tics”, and often involves behavioural difficul-and vocalisations called “tics”, and often involves behavioural difficul-and vocalisations called “tics”, and often involves behavioural difficul-and vocalisations called “tics”, and often involves behavioural difficul-ties.ties.ties.ties. Tics tend to come in bursts or "bouts". Tics tend to come in bursts or "bouts". Tics tend to come in bursts or "bouts". Tics tend to come in bursts or "bouts". These periods are called These periods are called These periods are called These periods are called waxing and waning cycles. In essence the brain is over stimulated with waxing and waning cycles. In essence the brain is over stimulated with waxing and waning cycles. In essence the brain is over stimulated with waxing and waning cycles. In essence the brain is over stimulated with an excess of neurotransmitters that bypass the filters in the brain an excess of neurotransmitters that bypass the filters in the brain an excess of neurotransmitters that bypass the filters in the brain an excess of neurotransmitters that bypass the filters in the brain which would normally be used to control one’s movement, thoughts, emo-which would normally be used to control one’s movement, thoughts, emo-which would normally be used to control one’s movement, thoughts, emo-which would normally be used to control one’s movement, thoughts, emo-tions and actions.tions and actions.tions and actions.tions and actions. TS is NOT degenerative, and people with TS can expect to live a normal TS is NOT degenerative, and people with TS can expect to live a normal TS is NOT degenerative, and people with TS can expect to live a normal TS is NOT degenerative, and people with TS can expect to live a normal life span.life span.life span.life span. It most often begins between the ages of 2 and 21, and lasts It most often begins between the ages of 2 and 21, and lasts It most often begins between the ages of 2 and 21, and lasts It most often begins between the ages of 2 and 21, and lasts throughout life in varying degrees of severity.throughout life in varying degrees of severity.throughout life in varying degrees of severity.throughout life in varying degrees of severity. TS is considered incur-TS is considered incur-TS is considered incur-TS is considered incur-able, but treatable. TS symptoms may range from mere aggravation to se-able, but treatable. TS symptoms may range from mere aggravation to se-able, but treatable. TS symptoms may range from mere aggravation to se-able, but treatable. TS symptoms may range from mere aggravation to se-vere debilitation.vere debilitation.vere debilitation.vere debilitation. The aim of the TSAA is to spread knowledge of whatThe aim of the TSAA is to spread knowledge of whatThe aim of the TSAA is to spread knowledge of whatThe aim of the TSAA is to spread knowledge of what Tourettes is, as well Tourettes is, as well Tourettes is, as well Tourettes is, as well as ask for understanding and acceptance in theas ask for understanding and acceptance in theas ask for understanding and acceptance in theas ask for understanding and acceptance in the community and to undo community and to undo community and to undo community and to undo the social stigma created by misinformation.the social stigma created by misinformation.the social stigma created by misinformation.the social stigma created by misinformation. Recent studies have found that Tourettes affects 1% of the popula-Recent studies have found that Tourettes affects 1% of the popula-Recent studies have found that Tourettes affects 1% of the popula-Recent studies have found that Tourettes affects 1% of the popula-tion,tion,tion,tion, where it was once thought to be a rare condition. This is not due to where it was once thought to be a rare condition. This is not due to where it was once thought to be a rare condition. This is not due to where it was once thought to be a rare condition. This is not due to anyanyanyany increase of TS but to the fact more people are being recognised increase of TS but to the fact more people are being recognised increase of TS but to the fact more people are being recognised increase of TS but to the fact more people are being recognised andandandand diagnosed as having TS. Many medical professionals still know very diagnosed as having TS. Many medical professionals still know very diagnosed as having TS. Many medical professionals still know very diagnosed as having TS. Many medical professionals still know very littlelittlelittlelittle about TS. Correct diagnosis is important to children with TS so about TS. Correct diagnosis is important to children with TS so about TS. Correct diagnosis is important to children with TS so about TS. Correct diagnosis is important to children with TS so they canthey canthey canthey can access the right management strategies to help them reach their access the right management strategies to help them reach their access the right management strategies to help them reach their access the right management strategies to help them reach their fullfullfullfull potential in life.potential in life.potential in life.potential in life. TSAA offers telephone and emailTSAA offers telephone and emailTSAA offers telephone and emailTSAA offers telephone and email support, as well as resource materials support, as well as resource materials support, as well as resource materials support, as well as resource materials to assist families, doctors and educators.to assist families, doctors and educators.to assist families, doctors and educators.to assist families, doctors and educators. Educators do not need to be ex-Educators do not need to be ex-Educators do not need to be ex-Educators do not need to be ex-perts,perts,perts,perts, but a certain level of familiarity with thebut a certain level of familiarity with thebut a certain level of familiarity with thebut a certain level of familiarity with the most common difficul-most common difficul-most common difficul-most common difficul-ties is essential, so as part of ourties is essential, so as part of ourties is essential, so as part of ourties is essential, so as part of our Education Awareness Program we are Education Awareness Program we are Education Awareness Program we are Education Awareness Program we are offering every school in Australia a FREE DVD called ’What is offering every school in Australia a FREE DVD called ’What is offering every school in Australia a FREE DVD called ’What is offering every school in Australia a FREE DVD called ’What is TouretteTouretteTouretteTourette Syndrome?.’ Syndrome?.’ Syndrome?.’ Syndrome?.’ Contact TSAA and one will be sent FREE!Contact TSAA and one will be sent FREE!Contact TSAA and one will be sent FREE!Contact TSAA and one will be sent FREE! We have a wealth of materials We have a wealth of materials We have a wealth of materials We have a wealth of materials available as well as personalavailable as well as personalavailable as well as personalavailable as well as personal experience with TS.experience with TS.experience with TS.experience with TS.

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Ever wondered what variances there are between ProKart here in Australia and it’s counterpart in the United Kingdom? Wonder no more, as Simon Ham explains the differences he’s found after racing in both the Australian and the UK ProKart se-ries...

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International ProKart Endurance Racing Recently I had the good fortune to enter the QLD ProKart Endurance Round at Ipswich, this was the first race I had entered since emigrating to Brisbane from the UK in August of last year. Ryan and Ian thought it might be a good idea for me to write an article for this newsletter on the differences between racing in the UK and here based on this experience. Maybe there is something to learn, maybe we should congratulate ourselves on doing things better. I suspect that the answer is, as always, we’re doing a good job, perhaps we could improve what is already a good thing by considering the way things are done by others. We certainly shouldn’t just conform with how things are done elsewhere, we should think about it and consider whether it is right for us, whether what we are doing now is right or whether maybe there is a better solution that we can think of somewhere between what we and others do or by doing something totally different. In this article I am simply going to describe the key differences that I have noticed between the UK ProKart endurance racing scene and my experience on one entry at Ipswich, the hope being that you all consider this in the context of our racing in Aus-tralia and think about whether there are things that we would want to do here to improve what is already a great series for our benefit. Of course, you may well decide that the way things they are now is just right! But, before we dive into comparisons of the differences between UK and Australian ProKart racing there is something that struck me from the race here, that is no matter where you race in ProKart Endurance there is always very close, competitive and fair racing on circuit and a huge sense of a friendly community within the pits and on the track.

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ProKart endurance racing is so much more than just a competition, it is about a bunch of mates going out there and being hugely competitive on circuit and when the racing is done coming in to the pits, packing up and going for a beer with the people that you have been racing against competitively all day. The fact that a team you are competing against may hit mechanical problems and yet you will still help each other out, whether that be with a spare part, an engine or just helping the other guys get their kart fixed and back on track. This is the spirit that unites ProKart endurance racing worldwide and which makes it such a fantastic sport to participate in. The table on the next page describes the key differences in ProKart Endurance Regulations between the UK and Australia, fol-lowing the table there are some details of what the differences mean to the racing. There are of course some other minor differences between racing here and in the UK, but those highlighted above are the most significant. Maybe there is something for consideration in these differences, maybe there is an ultimate desire to race interna-tionally and you want to know the differences that you will have to comply with. Maybe these differences simply confirm that the current regulations operated in Australia meet our needs. Regardless of whether the Prokart regulations change in Australia or not, I think this is a fantastic series with a fantastic group of people, to which I fully intend to commit a team to the QLD and possibly the national endurance series for the next season. Happy racing!

SIMON HAM

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Difference UK Australia Comments

1 Engine Type

Honda GX160 with prescribed modifica-tions permitted – sourced in race prepped form from a selected list of ap-proved suppliers in race prepared form with a maximum sale price.

Honda GX200 – Sealed from approved sup-pliers

Considerable testing and benchmarking was undertaken between the Honda GX160’s and Honda GX200’s for Prokart racing in the UK. The benchmarking concluded that there was negligible difference in the performance of a Prokart between the Honda GX160’s and the Honda GX200’s. The reason for this is that the extra power and torque of the GX200 was counteracted by the extra 3Kg of weight per engine when compared to the Honda GX160. Given the negligible performance benefit it was decided that in the interests of maintaining a greener sport it was better to use the smaller capacity engine to re-duce emissions.

2 Engine Perform-ance

Prescribed modifica-tions –

Air filter removal Bore Preparation Sealed exhaust

system from approved supplier

De-governed GX140 valve

springs Optimised timing Vacuum tapping’s

from crank-case for fuel pump

Prescribed modifications –

Air filter re-moval

De-gov-erned

Upgraded valve springs

Vacuum tap-ping’s from crank-case for fuel pump

The starting point for trying to create a level playing field has to be with the engines that are used, it is important to realise what we are working with an industrial mass produced low power unit in Prokart racing, not a racing engine. Within the intended use of these engines variability of performance is not a great issue and therefore the manu-facturing tolerances are not particularly tight. Considerable dyno test-ing has been undertaken in the UK to establish a method for providing good performance consistency in these engines at a minimum cost. The results of these tests identified the parameters giving rise to big-gest variance in engine performance were 1) The bore quality, 2) The assembly accuracy of the timing gear and 3) The exhaust which over time looses baffle plates which affects exhaust flow and hence per-formance. If these parameters are addressed the result is negligible variance in engine performance between engines. Within the UK the approved engine suppliers undertake modifications to equalise these affects as part of the engine supply and have to supply these engines for a capped price. Fully race prepped engine in the UK is approx. AUD $790 and the Australian Equivalent is AUD$750 at the time of writing this article.

3 Driver Changes

1 compulsory per 6 hours

1 compulsory every hour

In the UK you can theoretically use one driver for a continuous period of just short of 6hrs with stops only for refuel. Safety is governed by the driver making responsible decisions about condition for additional driving in combination with the other team members. Additionally the Race director or Clerk of the course can declare a driver unfit to con-tinue racing if it is considered that the driver is exhibiting unsafe signs of fatigue. Australian regulations require regular driver breaks. With-out knowing the history for this I suspect that this maybe health and safety driven.

4 Driver Stops

Limited by Fuel Tank size of 7.5 litres (max drive time on a tank full approx. 1hr50) Karts need not stop between refuels. E.g. 6 hr race = 3 refuels, 3hr race 1 refuel.

2 driver stops per hour – av-erage of a stop every 0.5hrs. Potentially 2 in quick succes-sion with a solid 55min drive session.

A 7.5 litre fuel tank size limit is used to restrict the number of driver stops in the UK. Australian regulations stipulate approximately 3 driver stops per tank of fuel, There is currently a poll on the Prokart website seeking views about the maximum length of time permitted without a stop, the maximum option provided on the poll is 1 hour, other time durations are the existing 30 mins and 45 mins. Because this is under consideration I suspect that there are a number of you feeling that the number of compulsory stops currently defined does not add value to the racing, Prokart Pty are considering alternatives and it maybe worth opening the doors a little further – maybe there is feeling that 1.5hr or 1.75hr stops would be better. Perhaps safety does ultimately require a lower time cap.

5 Refuelling frequency

When necessary – determined by fuel tank size limit – typi-cally 1hr50 between refuels

Every 1.25 to 1.5hrs depend-ing on race duration

The UK regulations leave the teams to decide when refuelling occurs, this requires team communication, organisation and preparation. The timing of the fuel stop can be used to put the teams kart on circuit out of synch with others and in clear air, it can be used to avoid having to overtake another kart which you know you can’t get past, but they are holding your pace up slightly. Badly timed fuel calls can also result in karts running out of fuel or being parked up waiting behind another kart to get into the fuel bay. Australian regulations are broadly compa-rable with the exception that there is no risk of fuel running out be-cause of the refuel time caps.

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6 Refuelling process

Team exercise - Ap-proach fuel bay, come to stop, turn engines off, remove fuel cap and place in seat, push kart into refuel bay, man the fire extinguisher whilst refuelling mar-shall fills the kart with the amount of fuel instructed by the team and replaces fuel cap. Retrieve kart once the refuel-ling marshall passes the kart back to the team, start the en-gines and get back on track (check fuel cap tightness between fuel bay and pit exit). Driver and weight changes can occur during a fuel stop as long as no obstruction is caused to the fuel bay. Karts are not driven in fuel bay. Team com-munication through-out.

Timed event – all teams refuel for the same length of time. Engines must be off in Fuel bay. Driver coming in to the fuel bay must turn en-gines off and must drive the kart out of the fuel bay after timer releases the kart. Driver mans the fire extinguisher. Driver must check fuel cap for tightness. Driver and weight changes can not occur until clear of the refuel area. No communica-tion to occur between driver and team.

There is a big difference between the UK and Australia, Here the refu-elling is clearly aimed at levelling the playing field by making sure that everybody is held for the same duration in the fuel bay. The UK ap-proach considers that endurance racing is a team event and that refu-elling is part of the race, therefore if the team performs well in the refu-elling process they can make up time and position on track, similarly they can also loose time if they do not perform well as a team. Teams need to consider the availability of the fuel bay as part of this process and communicate this to the driver.

7 Weight Limit

180Kg 185Kg In truth, the difference in weight limits is likely to be as a consequence of the GX 200 engines being 6Kg heavier than the GX160 engines used in the UK. Therefore the weight limits are pretty much the same.

8 Weight compli-ance

Every time you leave the race circuit

Race end Australian regulations only require weigh in at the end of the race, UK requires weigh in every time you leave the circuit. There is the poten-tial under the Australian regulations that teams may run under weight for the majority of the race and make sure that they are up to weight for the last driver session. I suspect that teams generally try and com-ply with the weight limits at all times. By introducing compulsory weight limits every time you leave the circuit you do introduce cer-tainty over compliance with weight limits, however, this has to be con-sidered in light of the extra staffing required to man the scales and the extra cost that would need to be included in the race entry fee to cover the staffing cost.

9 Race Starts

Rolling Various includ-ing rolling, standing and Le Mans style starts

Because of the relative lower power of Prokarts the UK has deemed that rolling starts only are allowed because standing starts have greater disadvantages for karts that are on the heavier side than a rolling start. Conversely, a rolling start will result in a higher first cor-ner entry speed which increases the risk of accidents and tests the drivers skill. Safety needs to be carefully considered for this.

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10 Tyres Bridgestone YDS Dry and

YDK Wet Dunlop SL1 dry and Maxxis WT3KTM OR Dunlop KT6-SLW1 wets

There has been split in the UK Prokart scene on which tyres to use, the toss up always be-ing between the Dunlop SL1’s as used in Aus-tralia and the Bridgestone YDS tyres. The split has been a North / South divide with the North running Dunlops and the Southern and National championships running the Bridge-stones. Either of these tyres are fine for en-durance racing in practice. The Dunlop’s are ever so slightly softer and by consequence tend to get a greater drop off in performance with time, the Bridgestones have a very small amount less grip but are comfortably good for at least 12 hours racing, some have been known to run 24 hours with good results.

11 Hire Karts Owner driver only Owner driver and hire kart Hire karts are provided as an option for par-ticipating in the Prokart endurance races in Australia, but not elsewhere. This is a fantas-tic idea that must promote the sport and help to increase the number of teams. Having tri-alled a hire kart I can say that it exceeded my expectations and it is a great way to let peo-ple who might be interested have a go at the sport. The UK makes no attempt along these lines. Great idea!

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There has been split in the UK Prokart scene on which tyres to use, the toss up always be-ing between the Dunlop SL1’s as used in Aus-tralia and the Bridgestone YDS tyres. The split has been a North / South divide with the North running Dunlops and the Southern and National championships running the Bridge-stones. Either of these tyres are fine for en-durance racing in practice. The Dunlop’s are ever so slightly softer and by consequence tend to get a greater drop off in performance with time, the Bridgestones have a very small amount less grip but are comfortably good for at least 12 hours racing, some have been known to run 24 hours with good results.

Hire karts are provided as an option for par-ticipating in the Prokart endurance races in Australia, but not elsewhere. This is a fantas-tic idea that must promote the sport and help to increase the number of teams. Having tri-alled a hire kart I can say that it exceeded my expectations and it is a great way to let peo-ple who might be interested have a go at the sport. The UK makes no attempt along these

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HORSEPOWER RACING HORSEPOWER RACING HORSEPOWER RACING HORSEPOWER RACING –––– ENDURANCE KART RACING TEAM ENDURANCE KART RACING TEAM ENDURANCE KART RACING TEAM ENDURANCE KART RACING TEAM The team was formed at the start of 2006 between sprint kart drivers (both Over 40s) Frank Kolarik and Paul Ly-saght. The team started with an Omega chassis and the fabled #777 soon became a common sight at Endurance Race meetings. After spending a couple of years learning the trials and tribulations of Endurance Racing, the team joined the Prokart competition at the end of 2007. At the start of 2008, a second kart (#888) was added to the Race Team. With Paul being owner and manager of 888 and Frank remaining team principal and owner and manager of 777, the team had their sights firmly on a good season in 2008. The teams’ first outing for 2008 was at the Canberra circuit. Right from the start of practice the kart was in good form and this resulted in the teams’ first outright victory, being more than two laps clear of the field. This victory finally gave the team the feeling that they were making headway and could be a team to challenge for podium finishes. Unfortunately the team was unable to gain another outright win in 2008 but consistency and prepara-tion during the year helped the team stay in touch with the championship leaders. At the end of the 2008 season, Horsepower Racing was able to claim 2nd outright in both the NSW Prokart Endurance Series and the Prokart National Endurance Series. From 2006, Horsepower Racing has been supported by Cyclo Automotive Products who supply cleaners and chain lube and other products that assist the team in their winning form. In 2009 the team has been close to the podium at every race meeting, but has suffered some minor mechanical problems at each round. With the competition now so close between teams, any mishap usually leads to a poor result, due to the caliber of all drivers and teams’ preparations. At Eastern Creek In July the team finally found form, and though not the quickest on the day, managed to stay out of trouble and bring the kart home in first po-sition outright. With new sponsors Summit Vehicle Leasing on board this year, the win was especially pleasing as our sponsors had come out to see what they had hoped would be a strong result for the team. With #777 usually being driven by Nathan, Phil and Daniel and 888 being driven by regulars Brett, Alan and Mick, both teams believe they are strong in kart setup, preparation, strategies and driving skill. With the prospect of the 24Hr race next month, and several more rounds in both National and NSW Championships to be run this year, the make up of the championships are still wide open. This team hopes that they will be able to continue their recent good form and end the 2009 series in a strong outright position.

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2009 EVENT CALENDAR

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You’ve won this year with a number of different co-drivers. Has having different drivers changed your approach to each meeting? Not really. I trust the guys that race with me in the team, other-wise I wouldn't be there. The last few years I was running in the 86 kart cause I couldn't run a full series and a lot of the time didn't know who I was driving with until they arrived at the track. This year we tried to organise a core group to drive the kart that were reliable and would bring it home for a good result. As a driver with Adrenalin Rush Karting, the most success-ful team in the 2009 ProKart championship; how much in-put do you have to kart setup and strategy? Kart setup wise we haven't really changed the 2 karts over the last few years apart from tyre pressures and 5mm here or there in the front end. A lot of time and laps were put in at the Port Macquarie track over the years to get these things the way they are. It makes it easy when we arrive at the track. Strategy wise I do those during the week before the meeting, and then we do our own thing separate to the 86 kart once we get to the track. We still share info but they are still our competitors as well. Ei-ther my Dad or most of this year my brother in law, Dan has been keeping the strategy on track during the race which leaves Alan to run the 86 kart and worry about everything that could go wrong.... Can you recall the best lap you ever think you’ve driven? Best lap in karts was actually a number of laps. It was a CIK meeting at Raleigh and I was running in RESA. I qualified on pole and led every lap of every heat and final and set a new lap record. Best lap in the Formula Vee was on my way to my first win at the State Championship round at Wakefield Park. There were 4 of us that could win the championship going into that last race at the last round. I passed Ben Porter for second around the outside of turn 1 and ran side by side all the way up the hill through turn 2 and 3 before I managed to get in front through turn 4 for the run back down the hill. I then pulled the leader in who was 3 seconds ahead in the next lap to pass him and take the win. Wasn't enough to win the championship but that lap was like being in a different zone. Aside from ProKart, what’s your favourite Motorsport series (as either a competitor or spectator/follower)? I watch most motorsport events, generally on TV. But the best series that I followed was probably the Indycar/CART series in the late 90's when any one of 10 or 12 driver could win. I guess at the moment I'm enjoying the Nascar thanks to One HD for the same reason that you don't know who can win.

When did you start racing? What prompted you to start? Where was your first event? I first started racing karts when I was 11 years old. Dad had been involved in club motorsport in Sydney and when we moved to Port Macquarie my parents got hold of an old kart that my cousins had (was actually a historic kart) After thrash-ing that round our back yard they bought me a Delta Hornet with a J engine to start racing in Rookies. My first race meet-ing was at Wingham on the old dirt track (for those that are old enough to remember, yes we raced on dirt tracks that were soaked in 44 gallon drums of old engine oil) I won every race that day which was good but then I expected to win everything from then on..... Aside from karts, what else have you driven and/or raced? Apart from racing sprint karts and ProKart's I raced Formula Vee for a few years. I even remember a certain Ryan Stott causing some havoc in his first few meetings as he was still learning what you can and cant do in a race car. I did race re-mote control cars when I was about 8 but that was no fun as I was standing still while the car was racing. What do you consider to be your greatest racing achieve-ment? Greatest racing achievement is probably racing the majority of my racing career on very limited budget and still getting re-sults. Most of my karting until I started working was out of Dad's pocket which wasn't much compared to say the Ryan Briscoe's or Mark Winterbottom's that had spares of every-thing, testing etc, so to beat those guys on occasions was like a win. Aside from racing, do you have any other hobbies/pursuits? I probably should....even my holiday in September is pretty much all motorsport. I enjoy a game of golf occasionally and used to have a jet ski, but now get out with some friends wakeboarding during summer. Turning to this year’s ProKart Series, You’ve won more races than any other driver this season. What do you at-tribute this to? Alan's kart preparation is the first thing. He has stepped it up this year compared to previous years which I think is showing with having both karts generally in contention at each meeting. The other is staying calm and taking things as they come. They are endurance races, so there is no point trying to race flat out for the first 5 laps cause there is always time to be made or lost over the next 6 hours or so.

INTERVIEWINTERVIEWINTERVIEWINTERVIEW

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What inspired your helmet design? Over the years I have lost count of the number of helmet designs that I have had. I used to change it every few months at one stage when I was running sprint karts. I guess it was the design aspect that I loved hence my job now in architecture. When I got my last helmet I decided to stick with the one de-sign and saw the basics of it in a karting magazine from Europe. I liked the simplicity of it as well as being bold without too much fancy detail. You debuted a new helmet at Raleigh with an updated design – what motivated the change? Well my old helmet had seen quit a number of laps around many circuits and was due for replacement. So I decided to get a new one but to get it painted as I don't have the patience now to sit and do it in adhesive vinyl like the other ones I have done. So after much deliberation I decided to just reverse the colours of my old helmet and got Krals' Creations in Melbourne to paint it. Favourite or more memorable race this sea-son? They have all been good, but if I had to pick one would probably be Gympie earlier in the year as it was my first meeting since Indy last year which was 5 months without even sitting in a kart. James and I won that fairly easy including 2 spins into the woodchip by myself in the rain trying to find the limit, as well as an extra pit stop (too long away from the game and stuffed the strategy).

After answering our questions, Glenn added the following; “for those that want to know, yes we can be beaten and have no problem being beaten, but yes we do enjoy winning and are not going to hand it to anyone. I have had my fair share of second places or DNF’s over the last 20 years I’ve have been racing, so as they say ‘s**t happens’ and in motorsport what goes around comes around. As most people will know, either Alan or myself are more than happy to help anyone out with setup or advice so if you are having troubles and need some help don’t be afraid to ask”.

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Hotshots...Hotshots...Hotshots...Hotshots... Team5150R’s Steve Prokop and Ian McMah gear up to lap the Nurburgring...Team5150R’s Steve Prokop and Ian McMah gear up to lap the Nurburgring...Team5150R’s Steve Prokop and Ian McMah gear up to lap the Nurburgring...Team5150R’s Steve Prokop and Ian McMah gear up to lap the Nurburgring...

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Photography: Kate ScherfPhotography: Kate ScherfPhotography: Kate ScherfPhotography: Kate Scherf

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In our next issue...In our next issue...In our next issue...In our next issue...

• Features: AMB timing system and data acquistionAMB timing system and data acquistionAMB timing system and data acquistionAMB timing system and data acquistion • Race Review: Prokart 24 hourProkart 24 hourProkart 24 hourProkart 24 hour—Willowbank QLDWillowbank QLDWillowbank QLDWillowbank QLD • Driver Profile: Adam ClarkAdam ClarkAdam ClarkAdam Clark • All the latest ProKart news and much more…

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Documents

ProKart Newsletter July 2009