IT was a big weekend for the Swan Hill Kart Club as they held the 2023 Sun Centre Titles at the club’s Swan Hill Motorplex track.
More than 60 entrants from across Victoria descended on Swan Hill for the event.
The two-stroke Italian-built motors can rev up to 20,000rpm and reach speeds of 110km/h down the straight.
Swan Hill Kart Club committee member Paul Forster said even junior classes could reach speeds of up to 95km/h.
“All weekend drivers are always chasing the extra 10th,” Forster said.
“We talk in tenths of seconds in the sport, so racers are always adjusting things on the kart, trying to make it quicker.
“In addition to tuning the engine, racers can tune their driving style to suit the track.
“Go-karts are all about setting up to run on three wheels around the corners, to keep up the pace as you go through the corners.
“The idea is to lift the inside rear wheel so that it doesn’t bog the engine down as they run on a live axle and don’t use a differential.
“Anybody can be quick down the straights, but it’s the corners that make the difference.”
Swan Hill’s circuit has one of the most serious corners of all the tracks in Australia.
The unique 15-degree angle half-circle corner is known as the “Thunderdome”, which can be challenging for racers with g-forces up to3G, which equates to three times your body weight pushing onto the seat.
Mildura racer Hugo Garraway, 14, has enjoyed the sport for more than a year and a half, travelling around the state and taking part in competitions or club events most weekends.
“Go-karts are so complex, you can spend hours just trying to change things,” Hugo said.
Also from Mildura, Will Sparks, 13, has been involved in the sport for over two years.
“You learn a lot in go karting, like about the motors, and it’s great fun to go out on the track for a good drive,” Will said.
“I’m always trying to improve on my times.”
Forster said Swan Hill had been able to secure the 4SS titles in October.
“They are the four-stroke categories which are fairly new to the sport,” he said.
“This is a big coup for our area because there are lot of tracks that put in for it and Karting Australia have seen us as a worthy recipient of that event.
“We are expecting more than a hundred karts, everything from cadets to seniors classes.
“Although there are no four strokes in our club, we will be putting on a good event and we will see some good competitive racing, and everyone enjoys themselves.”
