TKC March Clubday 2017
21 Mar 2017
Tiger Kart Club March Club Day 19th March 2017.
The weather could not have been more perfect for a race meeting at the magnificent Cockburn International Kartway. The race meeting was run in the opposite direction in preparation for the Carnival of Karts. That meeting will be run on the week-end of the 8th and 9th of April 2017.
The highlight of this meeting included the return to the track of Daniel Sprague after a long lay-off. He is back after being away for 14 years.
Also returning were former National Champions, Lloyd Billick and Brad Fitch. These two lads only race a couple of times a year and they have certainly not forgotten how to get around the track the fast way. Fitch raced in the TAG Heavy and KA3 Heavy Classes, Billick in the TAG Heavy class. They were both at the pointy end in all heats. Fitch ruined his day by having an off late in the day and put it down to lack of race miles. A few more laps between now and then will free him up for a full tilt come the Carnival in a few weeks time.
The returning Sprague certainly gave his competition the hurry up on the day. He, Kerry Foster and the others had a great tussle all day. He qualified fastest in the TAG Restricted Light class and won 3 of 4 heats to win the meeting.
It was also good to see Ben-Lee D’Limi back at Cockburn for the first time in a long while. He was racing in TAG Heavy and was extremely competitive and consistently placed in the top five in each heat. He and Sprague, will certainly be in the running come the Carnival of Karts.
A very large turn-out of drivers in all classes, for a Club Run made for some fantastic racing especially in the TAG 125 classes. The KA classes were also well subscribed and the racing proved to be close and exciting.
As the Carnival of Karts will be run in the opposite direction, this meeting too, was run in that configuration. Drivers like running in the opposite direction, especially at Cockburn as it gives them an extra option of sneaking down the inside on the uphill run onto the main straight on the last lap. Sometimes the pass comes off and sometimes it doesn’t.
One of the other highlights of the day was the great racing in the Over 40s Class with Michael Clarke, Roy Tester and John Hill. These guys have been around for a while and showed some of the younger drivers how to go about it. The attempt by the second placed Roy Tester, to get by Michael Clarke on the last lap of the last heat, almost come off. After a brilliant tussle between the two in their final race of the day, Tester ducked inside Clarke going uphill onto the main straight. The move was partly successful. Unfortunately for Tester, Clarke was able to pip him on the line going down the hill.
Another highlight was the clever thinking of the Pappasergio family with the design of the new Tioni Kart decals on the Tony Kart run by young Tioni Papasergio. It took a few people a few seconds for them to decipher the difference. Young Damon Pappasergio has an injury at present. It will keep him out of the seat for a few more weeks. 
