Melbourne’s Grand Prix week started off with a bang with the Stars of Karting Event at Port Melbourne’s Todd Road facility on Monday. The short and sharp format saw qualifying followed up by a Sprint race and Feature race for the four feature categories.
The star of the show was in the youngest category, Cadet 12. No less than 10 competitors could have taken the victory, however, it was 10-year-old Jay Kostecki who stole the headlines. The West Australian used his international experience to good stead in a level-headed drive that saw him charge from 15th on the grid to assume the lead late in the 11-minute Feature race to take victory.
Others at the front were battling it out, but Kostecki put on a performance much like have been seen in his European competitions over the last two years to grab another big win. He beat home Jarvis Hindle - another to stage a late race charge - and Jensen Damaschino, who had been at the front of the field from the single practice session held in the afternoon.
Leading the race at one point was Oliver Williamson. Williamson qualified 20th and in the sole Sprint race that would determine the grid for the final, the Wollongong racer earned himself a third row start, he’d ultimately come home in fourth position.
Jac Preston dominated the premier KZ2 Gearbox class. After Toby Dvorak got the early start, Preston took the lead with Nulon/PremiAir Racing Supercars driver, James Golding keeping a close eye on the duo in front. When Preston took the lead, Golding took advantage to get into second, however, didn’t have the pace to chase down the Queenslander, ultimately having to settle for second.
Reigning and two-time Australian KZ2 Champion, Sam Dicker had to work his way through the field, however in the systematic way the Flatout Karts racer goes about his business, he was able to claim third placing, a solid hit out ahead of the first round of the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship to be held at the Todd Road venue the last weekend of this month.
In KA2 Junior and TaG 125, it was the dominators of the weekend’s Victorian Kart Championship that continued their streak just 24 hours after tasting victory in Oakleigh.
Liam Carr has signalled that he is a favourite for the Australian Title this year taking an extraordinary victory in KA2 Junior. After sitting in second in the Feature race for some time, he made a decisive move on another impressive pre-Australian Championship campaigner in Ayrton Dalmaso - who has benefitted from joining Empire Kartsport with an OTK chassis underneath him.
Once Carr got to the lead, there was no question as to how it would end, The Hurstville, NSW driver opening up a three second lead to become the Junior Star of Karting. Dalmaso claimed second.
Finishing the podium was one of the best performances of the day and the best in his KA2 career being local driver Anashe Manyau. Manyau had the best drive of his career to get himself on the podium, driving huge confidence ahead of the first round of the Australian Kart Championship.
In TaG 125, it was ultimately Jace Matthews who added to his two Victorian Titles from the weekend. The TaG Final was intense from the get go - a nine kart incident bringing it under full course caution.
Once the chequers dropped, it wasn’t over, with the first two across the line - Jaiden Pope and Hayden Thompson penalised for a restart infringement handing the win to CXR racer, Matthews. Max Walton was elevated to second with Jackson Souslin-Harlow claiming third.
The Stars of Karting attracted a number of dignitaries, none bigger than Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 rookie, Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The 18-year-old, who will take Lewis Hamilton’s seat at Albert Park this weekend, happily posed for photos as he kept a low profile in the paddock.
Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, the Hon. Steve Dimopoulus got to have a first hand experience of karting when the track was handed over to him; so too Tom Mottram, the Chief Events Officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation. Port Phillip Bay Councillor, Heather Cunsolo showed some aptitude in her first karting experience as did Karting Australia Director Dr. Sarah Ryan while Karting Australia and Motorsport Australia Director Sam Reid got behind the wheel of a kart for the first time several years as a part of a demonstration.
Also on hand were James Wharton - 2017 Cadet 12 Australian Karting Champion and FIA Formula 3 pilot for ART Grand Prix - who will line up for his third F3 race at Albert Park this weekend and Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix ambassador, Aiva Anagnostiadis. Anagnostiadis will be supported by TAG Heuer in the all-female F1 Academy series this year in Europe.
The next major event on the Karting Australia calendar will be back in Melbourne at Todd Road on March 28-30 with the opening round of the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship. Karting’s presence will be prevalent at this weekend’s Grand Prix, with an activation in the Pit Stop Park area of the Albert Park precinct.