Australia’s best kart racers set for the West this weekend
Australia’s top young drivers will be on show at the Wanneroo International Kartway this weekend, for round two of the 2023 SP Tools Australian Kart Championship presented by Castrol EDGE.
It is the first time that an event in the five-round championship schedule has been held in Western Australia, and it is set to be the largest karting event in the State in the modern era, with close to 400 competitors taking part. Leading the charge for the local Western Australian contingent will be second-generation racer Sam Dicker, who will be competing in the elite KZ2 category.
After finishing runner-up in the Championship last year, the Flatout Karts driver has his sights set on becoming the first National Karting Champion from Western Australia in more than a decade.
“I’m really looking forward to the weekend, it will be a good opportunity to showcase the high quality of drivers that we have here in Western Australia,” said Dicker. “After a challenging opening round, realistically I need to use the home track advantage this weekend to get a good points haul in order to move myself up the championship order. “Having years of experience at the track should certainly help, but it’s going to be a tough weekend competing against the best drivers from all around Australia, and a couple from New Zealand. They’ll all be very hard to beat.”
Sharing Dicker’s quest for glory will be Henley Brook youngster Jay Kostecki, who claimed victory in the opening round of the Championship in the Cadet 9 category last month in South Australia.
2007 Supercars Champion Garth Tander will also be making a return to the Tiger Kart Club, where he spent much of his formative years before heading East to further his motor racing aspirations. Tander will be acting as mentor and mechanic to his young son Sebastian who will be competing in the Cadet 12 category across the weekend.
Official Practice for the event begins on Friday, ahead of qualifying that afternoon. Racing will be contested across Saturday and Sunday with the finals beginning just prior to midday on Sunday. The Wanneroo International Kartway is located on Wattle Avenue, Neerabup. Admission is free for spectators. All of the racing action across the weekend will be streamed on www.watchmysportlive.tv