The competition in the Slideways Sprint Racing Series is heating up, with strong fields turning out for the fifth round of the year at Slideways Go Karting World, Pimpama.
Once again there were two grids of Cadets for children aged 7-11, a field of Juniors aged 12-15, plus Senior Lights (under 80kg) and Senior Heavies (over 80kg).
The day featured a Terminator 2: 3D movie ticket giveaway, with a handful of the senior competitors winning a host of cool prizes.
Coming up next on the Slideways Race Days calendar is the seventh round of the Slideways Enduro Series on August 20, which will be followed on September 10th by our first ever triple length Enduro, the Pepsi Max National Hire Kart Challenge, where the winning team will be on their way to Melbourne to represent Queensland, with the trip including a day at the Sandown 500.
On the horizon for the Sprint Series is the second annual Monster Jam Race Day, with numerous awesome random draw prizes.
Information on all Slideways race days can be found on the dedicated race days page, or by phoning (07) 5546 6566 between 9am-5pm, 7 days a week.
Senior Heavies
A capacity field of Senior Heavies entered, and while it was the Pete Brown show at the front, there were plenty of mega battles throughout the running order.
Brown claimed his fifth straight win in the class, taking his 2017 total to seven victories, with the success coming on top of his Enduro outfit Global Action Photography claiming the three most recent long-distance races.
Qualifying proved to be a close-run encounter, with Brown’s pole time of 43.400sec slightly quicker than Christian Bishop (43.466sec), Ben Talbot (43.522sec), Joel Dimmack (43.563sec) and Dean Ferguson (43.661sec).
Stefan Russell was next on the grid from James Shields, Leighton Cook, Fraser Ward, Ben Avery, Adam Wood, Clayton Hydes, Jason Chapple, Jayme Hemi and Richard Trevillien.
In the opening race, Brown cleared out to claim victory by nearly two seconds, with the big mover in the race being Dimmack, who climbed up to second at the chequered flag.
Third place went to Ferguson, from Talbot, with Shields leading home a tight battle featuring Bishop, and Ward, with Russell eighth, from Cook, Avery, Trevillien, Hydes, Chapple and Hemi.
The finale saw Brown extend his victory margin to over five seconds, with Dimmack again second from the fast finishing Ferguson.
Shields forged his way through to fourth from Bishop, then Fraser, Wood, Avery, Russell, Trevillien, Hydes, the recovering Talbot after a mid-race spin, Cook, Hemi and Chapple.
Photos
PHOTOS! #Slideways Senior Heavies Racing Series Round 5 >> https://t.co/2ZftwUATQF #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/7254O0YNFR
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 6, 2017
Videos
Green flag: senior heavies! #Slideways #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/TPOqiA7UCl
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 6, 2017
Final qualifying: Senior Heavies #Slideways #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/eozvT0p8D4
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 5, 2017
Cadets
The ever-competitive Cadets class saw Noah Parry score the pole position with a swift 52.936sec time, topping the combined sessions.
In the top 50% qualifiers group, Hayden Quayle cleared off to claim victory in the first race by nearly five seconds, his first win for the season, with Olivia Herbison coming out on top in a tight battle for second position from Hamish Shields, Spencer Myatt and Riley Hill.
Ryan Tame was next home from Christian Jardine, Angus Jardine and Parry.
For the second race, it was Herbison claiming her third race win of the year, with the final margin of victory over Hill being 3.228sec.
Shields was classified third, from Christian Jardine, then Angus Jardine, Tame, Parry, Quayle and Spencer.
In the second group of races, Daniel Sullivan was victorious in the first heat, over newcomer Ocene Colangelo and Lochie Crowther.
Juliette Bogart was fourth, from Lincoln Majikut, Sebastian Gomez, Ryan Jardine and Matthew Scholten.
Cowther made his way forward in the later race to greet the chequered flag first from Colangelo, and Ryan Jardine, ahead of Bogart, Sullivan, Majikut, Gomez and Scholten.
The fastest Cadet race lap of the day went to Quayle with a 52.898sec.
Many of the Cadet racers hone their craft with tuition at the Sideways Karting Academy, weekly training sessions teaching the tricks to going fast.
The program will shortly be having a major overhaul, with full details to be revealed on this website.
Photos
PHOTOS! #Slideways Cadet Racing Series Round 5 >> https://t.co/tP1JxBvaBA #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/ACpFpW307Y
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 6, 2017
Videos
Cadets Racing is GO! #Slideways #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/kherdYeQVq
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 6, 2017
Cadet qualifying is GO! #Slideways #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/VwggnNwoIP
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 5, 2017
Juniors
The competition in the Junior class continues to tighten, with the pack creeping ever closer to the leaders with every passing event.
Liam Hydes claimed the pole position with a time 43.595sec, just ahead of Jacques Goodman (43.787sec), Euan Shields (43.825sec) and Juliette Russell (43.991sec).
Lewis Spencer qualified in fourth from newcomers Zac Flanagan, Blake Wojtowicz and Stefanie Wilmott.
The opening battle went the way of Hydes, after he and Goodman had a classic exchange at the top of the order.
Shields kept a watching brief throughout to finish third, with the top-three spread by only 1.741sec.
Russell showed that her recent Enduro Series outing for Les Femmes Fatale has only accelerated her learning process, as she finished only 3.235sec off the winner in fourth position.
Spencer was next across the line from Flanagan, Wojtowicz and Wilmott.
Goodman claimed the fastest tour of the 11 lap journey with a 43.614sec lap time, and lowered his benchmark in the second race to a 43.453sec, as he forged to the lead and claimed victory.
Hydes finished in second place ahead of Shields, with Spencer getting the better of Russell, with the results rounded out by Flanagan, Wojtowicz and Wilmott.
Many of the Junior racers participate in the Slideways Karting Academy, with expert instruction from our motorsport professionals continuing to lower their lap times.
Photos
PHOTOS! #Slideways Junior Racing Series Round 5 >> https://t.co/EtXmjwQXA7 #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/8fzEQ81brv
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 6, 2017
Videos
Junior race start! #Slideways #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/jojYzdWbFX
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 6, 2017
Junior qualifying underway! #Slideways #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/T2uAfZvbRh
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 5, 2017
Senior Lights
Michael Seeto returned to his winning ways in the Senior Lights class, with a pair of wins following on from a string of three second place results at recent Slideways Race days.
The tone of the day was set in qualifying, with Seeto claiming pole position with a time of 43.227sec, ahead of Matt Hudson (43.422sec), Clay Seaborne (43.638sec), Alex Heaton (43.841sec), Daniel Bell (43.895sec) and Erin Shields (43.935sec).
Rounding out the field were newcomers Samuel Hayward, Shannon Flemming and Connor Regan.
The opening race went right down to the wire, with Seeto sealing the top spot by only 0.755sec over Hudson, with lapped traffic on the very last lap scrambling the running order.
Heaton claimed the bottom step of the podium from Seaborne, then Bell, who was pushed all the way to the finish by Shields, with 5.792sec covering the top six finishers.
Hayward and Regan rounded out the field, with Hudson scoring the fastest race lap with a 43.432sec time, although Heaton and Seaborne also dipped into the 43.4sec bracket.
In the finale, Seeto managed to draw out a 2.756sec advantage at the chequered flag over Hudson, and Seaborne.
Heaton was fourth from Bell, Shields, Hayward and Regan.
Photos
PHOTOS! #Slideways Senior Light Racing Series Round 5 >> https://t.co/HQW4hkh2L8 #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/qU9iwAAWpD
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 6, 2017
Videos
Off and racing in senior lights! #Slideways #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/T9ucZB0hOm
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 6, 2017
Senior lights off and qualifying! #Slideways #GoKarting #GoldCoast #Brisbane pic.twitter.com/C2gXQhSL1l
— Go Karting World (@SlidewaysWorld) August 5, 2017
