RACERS from across the country will descend on Swan Hill Kart Club this weekend for a race meet which includes a shot at the title of best in Victoria.
Close to 60 competitors will zip around Swan Hill’s 850m bitumen track in the club’s biggest event for the year, the Sun Centre Titles.
The track, featuring a banked turn named The Thunderdome, will host practice, qualifying and the first two heats on Saturday, before the third heat, finals and presentations on Sunday.
While eight classes of racing will be on offer, the meet is headlined by the running of the 4SS four-stroke Victorian trophy in light, medium and heavy categories.
Swan Hill Kart Club president Paul Forster said with the addition of the 4SS Victorian trophy, the weekend was shaping up “to certainly be big for our club”.
“Twelve months ago, we put Swan Hill forward to be in the running to host this event,” Foster said.
“We were fortunately successful in bringing it to town, and now we are looking forward to putting on a good show.
“The weather was looking a bit iffy a few days ago but it looks like it’ll hold out for us until Monday, which should be good.
“I think the 4SS organisers like having somewhere a bit more regional and want to get away from those city clubs that have hosted the event in the past.
“Some of our draw comes from us having a track that nobody really has a big advantage on, even though we will have a few Swan Hill competitors this weekend.”
4SS drivers will take the chance to knock off the rust in a practice session this afternoon, their Clubmaxx engines screaming into action.
But the racing doesn’t stop with the state title, as other classes including KA3 juniors, Victorian Combined Masters, TAG restricted and Cadets will also be in action.
Forster said spectators would witness some of the stars of Victoria’s kart racing scene, particularly during the battle for the orange plate reserved for the No.1 spot in Victoria.
“Our annual Sun Centre Titles event has been running for years now,” he said.
“That always attracts a pretty strong field – some of those guys compete against the best in the state.
“Four-strokes are fairly new to the karting game; most competitors are used to racing with two-stroke engines.
“But certainly, the competitors in the 4SS titles race at a very high standard. This is bragging rights stuff,
being able to hold the much sought after orange plate as the best in the state.”
Forster said ensuring a weekend long meet was a success took a lot of work from a number of volunteers.
“The work that goes into a weekend like this is immense,” he said.
“There are months of planning and preparation, as well as the work over 12 months ago for our proposal to Karting Victoria and Karting Australia to host the 4SS.
“But it’s also rewarding at the end of it to see all of the people enjoying our facility and the rest of our town.
“We’re all volunteers here – just like any sporting club, we rely on our volunteers. We love the sport and want to see it continue to be successful and help it grow even more.
“I also have to thank our sponsors, because without the massive amount of support they give us, we just wouldn’t be able to put on an event like this.”
Forster said the annual Sun Centre Titles consistently drew big crowds to Swan Hill, but the added state title would bring even more excitement.
“It’s free for spectators to come along and we encourage everyone to come enjoy the weekend,” he said.
“We always find that for every competitor who comes to race, they’re bringing along at least two or three extra people to the region with them, whether that’s friends, their pit-crew or others who will camp at our facility for the weekend.
“There’s no local football happening this weekend so come down and have a look.
“If you’re interested in the sport just come along and have a chat with people around the club.
“We are always happy to share information and explain various aspects of the sport.”
Spectators can enjoy the two day sof racing from within Swan Hill Kart Club Track View Cafe, or trackside in the spectator zone, with no charge for entry, from 8am Saturday, July 5.
