Youngest ever Junior Vortex winner at Australian Kart Championship

At just 11 years of age, James Wharton became the youngest driver ever to win a round of the elite Australian Junior Kart Championship - KA2 - utilising the Vortex DVS motor at the second round of the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship in Albury Wodonga.

The youngster - who swept all before him last year in the Vortex Mini-Rok Cadet 12 category - left it until the last corner of the final lap to take the win in KA2 in the second round of the Australian Championship. South Australian, Blake Purdie led every single lap of the race right until the last corner when he left a small gap for the charging Wharton. The Victorian - driving for his father’s Shamick Racing team didn’t need a second invitation and dived down the inside to get past Purdie. He took fellow category debutante, Jaiden Pope with him - Pope finishing a narrow second having thrown a challenge to Wharton on the short run to the chequered flag. I

n the Vortex DVS-SV category, KA1, Scott Sorensen won his eighth Australian Championship round, equalling the most successful drivers in terms of round wins in Australian Kart Championship/Australian CIK Championship history. He now sits alongside Bart Price (heir apparent to the Australian Arrow Karts empire), Neil McFadyen and 2015 European Rotax Champion, Pierce Lehane. The Queenslander - who drives for the HDR team in the Arrow chassis - struck form this weekend and took a comfortable victory. Broc Feeney in the Paul Feeney Group Race Team Kosmic chassis went one better than last round to finish in second position, while opening round winner, Lochie Dalton took his AWC Motorsport Academy kart to third. All Vortex DVS-SV motors performed flawlessly throughout the course of the weekend.

In the Mini-Rok categories, two new Championship round winners were crowned. In Cadet 9 Mini-Rok - Kart Republic driver, Lewis Francis took his first round win. Francis was supreme throughout Sunday competition in the category for drivers between the ages of 7 and 9. He took a comfortable victory by over five seconds. His margin of victory was flattered by a tremendous four kart battle for the minor positions that raged right throughout the 16-lap final. Twins, Jaxson and Jenson Burns, along with their fellow CompKart driver, Max Walton were having a huge fight with Walton’s Shamick Racing team driver, Peter Bouzinelos. Eventually, Jenson Burns took second with Max Walton in third position.

In Cadet 12 Mini-Rok, Visper Racing Energy Corse driver, Marcos Flack - who finished 23rd at last weekend’s final round of the WSK Super Masters Series at Sarno - broke through for his first Cadet 12 victory, edging out the oversubscribed field of 50 competitors. The 40 karts that lined up for the final produced a terrific race behind Flack, who won by 1.8 seconds. Jesse Lacey got through for second position in his Arrow Kart with Joe Fawcett scoring his first Australian Kart Championship podium in his Formula K.

Australian importer of the Vortex Kart Engines, Paul Feeney walked away ecstatic with the performance this weekend. “It was a brand new circuit in Albury Wodonga for the Australian Kart Championship and it absolutely delivered,” said Feeney. “The weekend from a Vortex perspective was outstanding. “Our engines performed without issue right from the start of the weekend and the racing was some of the best that we’ve seen in these categories. “We’re thrilled with the result to crown some new round winners, along with creating history with the youngest ever Vortex DVS winner in James Wharton in KA2 and seeing Scott Sorensen equal the most successful drivers in Australian Kart Championship history with his Vortex DVS-SV. “The Vortex DVS-SV engines were fantastic throughout the weekend and all competitors have delivered some excellent feedback to us across the weekend after discussions between rounds.”

The next round of the Australian Kart Championship for the Aussie Rokkers will be conducted over the weekend of May 25-27 in Newcastle, NSW - on the cusp of the Hunter Valley Wine District.