Round 1, 2009 Supercheap Auto Series 30-31 May
LEOPARD CHALLENGE SANCTIONED EVENT - Race Report

Full results on mylaps HERE

Yesterday’s Round 1 of the new 2009 Supercheap Auto Kart Series saw 124 nominated entries across 7 classes take to the newly resurfaced 1,080 metre Willowbank Raceway track.  The Ipswich Kart Club in conjunction with the AKA Qld and SpeedFM also broadcast the event live over the internet to 38 countries around the world

The first round of the Leopard Challenge sanctioned event in Queensland was a huge success.

Click here for photo of Brendan Nelson ahead of John Grother in Leopard Light on track in qualifying.

LEOPARD LIGHT
Qualifying & heat 1
Brendan qualified in 5th position a mere 0.17 seconds behind the pole sitter John Growther.  Nelson  would come from position 5 on the grid to challenge Ryan Wlodzinski for the lead on the final lap.  The pair would tangle and take each other off the track on third last corner.  Nelson would recover to take 6th place across the line with a severely bent rear axle.  He would later lose this placing post a stewards hearing.

Heat 2
Determined to continue their hard racing, Wlodzinski (DNF Race 1) and Nelson would start from the rear of the field and drive through the entire grid to finish Race 2 in 1st and 2nd respectively.

Heat 3
This heat promised to be a battle royal with Wlodzinski and Nelson starting from the front of the grid under the Supercheap Auto Kart Series format, which sees your previous race placing as your next race grid

Nelson determined to make up for lost ground in Race 1 would bolt away in the first few laps to establish a commanding lead.  Fothergill and Wlodzinski would work hard to reel him in, but Brendan would take a convincing win some 0.571 seconds ahead of Fothergill, followed by Wlodzinski, Grother, Justin Garioch and Trent Mercer.

Due to being classified as a non-finisher in Race 1, Brendan completed the round in 8th on 74 points


LEOPARD HEAVY
Congratulations to Paul Vuichoud who won Leopard Heavy (race report for leopard heavy will be added shortly)

Series Organiser John Lane was pleased with the support of the series shown by karting competitors from all across the state.

"In the end we finished with 126 entries across the seven categories, which was a great result and every one of the drivers thoroughly enjoyed racing at the Ipswich track," said Lane.

"The series uses a race format which is new to Australian karting but all of the competitors seemed to give it the thumbs up and I'm looking forward to the next round in Gladstone during June."

Round 2 of the 2009 Supercheap Auto Kart Series heads to Gladstone next, on the weekend of June 20 & 21.  Doyle’s Racing Kartsport and Harrington Doyle Corporate Resources look forward to being a part of all of the action


(Excerpt from AKA press release)