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Rogers, Wicks and Whitfield Crowned Superkart Champions

Posted by Mark Jones, 11 August 2008, 12:02 PM

The Australian non-gearbox Superkart Championship came to a close after the fourth and final race with Melbourne based South Australian Michael Rogers and Canberra's Sean Whitfield successfully defending their Rotax Light and Junior Max titles respectively while Victoria's Mark Wicks overcame a final race that threatened to spoil his campaign to take the Rotax Heavy Championship at Round 6 of the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships.

The final race of the weekend was shortened to four laps after a succession of delays to the program saw rapidly fading light threatening the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. With the track drying, teams had been in two minds over whether to run wets or dry tyres until a sudden downpour drenched the field immediately before the start.

Tim Scarman made his best start of the weekend in the Jones Kart Developments/St. James First Aid Viper, building a gap over Rogers, Shaun Jones and a fast starting Colin Moore in the Impact Flags and Banners Arrow. As they had throughout the weekend, Scarman and Rogers gapped the field and Rogers in the Ia Williams Tuning Arrow started stalking Scarman, pulling alongside Scarman on the run down Wayne Gardner Straight to start the last lap. Scarman faded slightly on the final lap as Rogers clean-swept the championship, retaining the title he had won at Mallala last year.

Shaun Jones (Viper Superkarts/Jones Kart Developments Viper) raced home for third position, taking third in the title behind Scarman as his points rival Jason McIntyre fell off the pace at the end of the day. Peter Strangis drove his best race of the weekend in the worst conditions of the weekend in the Racecentre Arrow to finish fourth ahead of Superkarting's veterans veteran, Colin Moore.

In the Rotax Heavy division Mark Wicks points lead was under immediate threat as he speared off on the opening lap of the race in the kartsportnews.com Hypermax. He twice fought back through the Heavy pack to be second at the finish as recent senior graduate Brendan Luneman took his first class win in the heavy rain just ahead of Wicks. Colin McIntyre (BF Racing/Marron Excavations Monaco) took third, his best result of the weekend ahead of Ryan Felmingham in the Enzed Australia Omega who took enough points to secure second in the championship, with Luneman's race 4 win snatching third place away from the Trimworld Racing Arrow of Rod Clarke.

Thirteen-year-old Sean Whitfield (Wild Digital Phoenix) led home Mitchell Abbott (AMG Racing Arrow) in the final race, overcoming engine failure and collision to retain his Junior Max title. Rhys Newman (Ian Williams Tuning Arrow) was third but was unable to fight his way back onto the podium after losing the first race of the day to contaminated fuel.

Driver Quotes:
Pole Position Rotax Light: Michael Rogers (Ian Williams Tuning Arrow): "It was a really enjoyable weekend, some really close racing and quick lap times. The biggest challenge was the weather for today, you didn't really know what it was going to do. Luckily the set-ups that we tried worked pretty well, my Arrow chassis handled brilliantly for the conditions and the engine, prepared by Ian Williams Tuning just pulled strongly all weekend. We tried the Dunlop wets for the first time this weekend the worked an absolute treat. Have to thank my Dad and Ian Williams for all the work they put in."

Second Rotax Light: Tim Scarman (Jones Kart Developments/St. James First Aid Viper): "The smile speaks for itself, I'm rapt, absolutely rapt. We were competitive and that's what I was happy about. Had a good dice up in the lead with Michael Rogers who is out champion now. Really, really happy."

Third Rotax Light: Shaun Jones (Viper Superkarts/Jones Kart Developments/St. James First Aid Viper): "Weather was a bit down but you;ve got to expect that coming to Phillip Island in August, but other than that pretty happy with what we did. Second last year, third this year, one year I'll win it. the future's there, we'll kepp coming back."

Champion Rotax Heavy: Mark Wicks (kartsportnews.com Hypermax): "The kart's been really strong all weekend and we had some really close racing in the first heat and the final it was really tight and a lot wetter. I actually ran off the track at the second turn, put two wheels in the dirt and dropped back to about fourth. Got back into the lead and got baulked into Siberia and dropped back to fifth but got back into second on the line! Once it got up to speed it was just a rocket down the straight and the handling and the tyres were really good. A good weekend."

Champion Junior Rotax Max: Sean Whitfield (Wild Digital Phoenix): "I had a really good weekend, Saturday wasn't too crash hot but we got there in the end, lost my good engine on Saturday after qualifying, then in the Saturday race I got taken out by a Senior, but Sunday won all of the races, that was really good. It feels heaps good to have come back from all of that to win."