OzRacingWrap

Inox Lubricants supported, James Greenwood may have placed second to Rockhampton’s Brenton Simonds at Gladstone last weekend, but he secured Harrington Doyle Racing’s third successive outright victory in the annual Super Cheap Auto Kart Series and his first own SCAKS Series Title.

The 22yo electrician went in to the final round at Gladstone with a unassailable lead in the Series Points for the Pro Clubman class, but wasn’t too smug, as he knew that the North Queenslanders Simonds and Craig Butler were keen to show him up at any chance they had in their home track area.

Greenwood set the opening marker in Saturday’s brief five minute qualifying session by recording a time nearly 2 tenths quicker than his closest rival, Rockhampton’s Brenton Simonds.  The North Queenslander immediately countered in Race 1 with a strong but narrow race win over Greenwood, as Craig Butler was relegated to the sideline after a concertina incident between the leading Karts in the opening stages of the race.

Determined to lead from the front, Greenwood made the best of what soon became strategic starts, but he and Simonds battled it out for much of Race 2 only centimetres apart.  Greenwood scarcely regained the lead in the final few laps to take the chequered flag ahead of Simonds by ½ a kart length, followed by Butler.

The third and final race for the weekend pulled the crowd to the fence, as Simonds and Greenwood again went wheel to wheel, lap after lap for 21 circuits of the 720 meter undulating Formula K Raceway.  Although Greenwood lead for much of the journey, it was Simonds who was proving to be the challenger, taking it right up to Greenwood on several occasions.  The pair swapped the lead within the same lap a number of times.  Simonds took the advantage of a small but useable gap that Greenwood left open seven laps from the finish line.  Simonds capitalised on this opportunity and drove a determined race to the chequered flag, keeping out all of the late charge attempts by Greenwood.

“I thought I had Simo there in the 2nd last corner,” said Greenwood.  “If I’d gone just that little bit deeper, I reckon that I would have made it stick, but hats off to him, he drove really well.  It’s always good to race hard.  It’s personally rewarding.  Whilst he takes away the Round victory for the North, we collect the overall Series win for the South.  It’s a good day all around.”

Pleased that James continues to be ever competitive, HDR Team Manager, Craig Doyle said, “It’s a fantastic day for the Harrington Doyle Racing Team with not only James securing his first, but our Team’s 3rd successive Super Cheap Auto Kart Series Championship.  We [HDR] are one of the many great foundation Teams that have supported the Series since its inception and to walk away from Gladstone this weekend knowing that a Blue/Green Kart has won all 3 SCAKS Pro Clubman Championships in the past 3 years is a pretty good feeling.  Disappointingly entry numbers were down a bit this year, but that’s to be expected in tough economic times and the ever growing CIK and Rotax Series drawing Karters interstate.  That said, Brenton, Craig and all of the other Queensland Pro clubman drivers persisted with us to keep the Yamaha flags flying in the Super Cheap Auto Kart Series.  I just want to say thanks to them for making us earn it and to the promoters and clubs that made the Series available and enjoyable.”

Greenwood collected a new Go Pro Camera for his Series win from key Series Sponsors, Go Pro Technology, in addition to a fantastic Super Cheap Auto Trophy Cup and a Super Cheap Auto Racing Ride Day Experience.  Several Yamaha and Leopard engines were won by other competitors in daily lucky draws, together with hundreds of smaller prizes sponsored by the Series Supporting Partners.