Troy Loeskow and Brad Jenner created history under lights at Emerald Raceway in Central Queensland on Saturday night, matching each other’s SP Tools Australian Kart Championship all-time round winners’ totals.
In sweeping his 13th career round win, Jenner all but has his hand on his fifth Australian Championship, this year in the X30 category. This would be his third Title in the category. He was typically masterful throughout the weekend and took the win by 3.8 seconds over Mika Lemasurier and reigning Australian Champion, Jace Matthews.
Congratulated by his peers on track, and received a standing ovation from his JND team - and team Principal, Supercars race winner, Nick Percat - little did the Victorian know what was to transpire in the very next event that would equal the 13 personal round wins.
The third round of the KZ2 Championship came down to the wire just two corners from home when Troy Loeskow swept underneath his fellow BirelART racer, Dylan Guest.
Three-time Australian KZ Champion, Loeskow has not crested the top step of a round since 2021 and he was able to lead Guest to an emotional 13th personal round win. Completing the podium was Guest’s twin, Sebastian, however a post race technical inspection dropped Dylan to sixth position confirming a BirelART quinella and promoting Leon Cordato to third.
The Championship has been blown wide open with Joshua Fife - who held a commanding lead coming into the weekend - suffering two non-finishes in the heats and he managed just a 10th place finish in the final.
Early final leader, Australian Champion, Sam Dicker dropped back to fourth spot in the final, but amassed a big haul of points through the weekend to position himself well heading to the penultimate round.
If there wasn’t celebration enough in Bundaberg at Loeskow’s win, Calicorse Energy’s Ky Burke took his first KA2 round win. In an extraordinary final just eight of the 28 competitors who started the race, crossed the finish line.
The drama began before the start, with Championship leader and pole sitter, Lewis Cordato expiring before making it to the start line. From there, the majority of the field didn’t make it past the sweeping turn one.
Burke was oblivious to what was going on behind him, cruising to a five second win ahead of two new visitors to the podium - New Zealand racer, Marco Manson and JSH Racing’s Jamie Thompson - who had a breakout weekend even in earlier heat races.
Boost Mobile backed Newcastle racer, Oscar Priest took a hard fought win in TaG 125. Like Loeskow, it has been a long time between cresting the top step of the podium for the likeable racer. After early race skirmishes, he opened up a commanding lead.
Changeable weather conditions throughout the day cost Priest late in the race and it came down to a last corner affair for the SP Tools Championship stalwart - hanging on by his fingernails to take the win by just 93 one-thousandths of a second over the fast charging Kurtis Tennant. Brad Hewson had to chip away throughout the weekend and brought his kart home in a hard fought third place.
A first time winner in KA3 Senior was crowned in Christian Estasy. The young Sydney-sider had been on the pace since qualifying yesterday and had to fight hard to not only get to the front but maintain the lead throughout the 20 lap final.
The second-generation racer was able to do so and took his Rush Racing Energy to the win by seven-tenths of a second over Mika Lemasurier - who for the second round in succession entered two categories and walked away with two podiums. The way things fell throughout the weekend, despite not competing in KA3 at the opening round, Lemasurier will enter the penultimate round in Coffs Harbour next month in contention to win the title!
Also a first time podium place-getter was Hugo Garraway. Garraway has been fast in his Shell kart all season, however luck hasn’t fallen his way until this weekend. The Championship combatants that were equal on points at the top coming into Emerald had a mixed weekend - Benito Montalbano ended the final in his Andrew Starkey Racing machine in 15th position, while Luca Belardo completed just two laps before a technical failure saw him watch from the sidelines.
Queenslander, Isaac McNeill took his first win this season for Evoheat/Empire Kartsport in KA3 Junior after a strong performance. He took the win by three seconds over New Zealander, Zach Tucker.
It was Tucker’s first SP Tools Australian Kart Championship podium. Former Cadet star, Basilio Micale gained his first junior podium at this level having worked away all weekend to finish in third position.
Jay Kostecki took his first ever Cadet 12 win at the national level in yet another victory for the Energy chassis in the Calicorse team operated by three time Australian Champion, Cian Fothergill.
Kostecki will bring himself into the Championship conversation with two rounds to go after taking the half a second win. It was a one-two for the Brisbane-based team with Jack Larsen holding onto his Championship aspirations with a second placing. The runaway leader in the Title race coming into round three, Archie Bristow finished in fifth placing after at one stage looking as though he was going to challenge for three straight wins.
In third position tonight for the BRM chassis was Valentino Giorgella - seeing two West Australians on the podium after round three. It was Giorgella’s second podium of the season.
Second generation racer, Oliver Williamson took his TWM Kart Republic to victory in Cadet 9. Williamson took a lights to flag victory in the youngest category, making amends for what was a scrappy round two last month.
He was able to get to the line half a second in front of Harlen Bell - who made a switch to the Patrizicorse BirelART team for this weekend - and Jarvis Hindle left it until the last lap to get himself into third position over Championship leader coming into the weekend, Oliver Armitt. Lazarus Anonuevo scored his best ever finish in an SP Tools AKC event.
The next round of the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship, presented by Castrol will be held at the newly expanded Coffs Harbour circuit amid the Coffs Harbour cityside sporting complex over the weekend of July 18-21.