Karratha Kart Club kicks off 50th anniversary year with thrilling first race round at new track

The Karratha Kart Club kicked off their 50th anniversary year with a thrilling opening round of the 2023 Championship season. Competitors from Karratha, Wickham, Port Hedland and Exmouth arrived at the circuit to compete on the newly resurfaced track. The club has a newly upgraded circuit and pit lighting, making it the envy of many clubs in Western Australia. The facility has a busy schedule of racing, which will run from February until November, offering plenty of opportunities for great racing in the Pilbara. The Saturday night event saw some great racing across all classes, from the Cadet 9’s to the Senior Tag unrestricted class. There were some nervous but excited new faces on the grid for the season, and the kids found their groove in the Cadet 9 race, with some classy racing all night. Connor Hemmett took the overall honours from Aydin Rind and Kyrin Batterbee. The club introduced a new KA3 Junior class this year, and it was interesting to see how the juniors would adapt. A great field of eight racers competed in the event, and there was some high-quality racing throughout all the heats on display from the juniors. William Campbell led Coby Hemmett and Dusty Fowler across the line for the podium. The seniors also had their share of great racing on the upgraded track, and some sweaty handshakes followed the clean racing and exciting off-roading. Nth West Medium wrapped up with Matthew Denham taking the final from Brendan Roots and Royce Castano. Nth West Light saw competitors from Karratha, Hedland, and Exmouth competing against each other. Taking the win in the final was the most travelled young kart racer in WA with Riley Watkins from Exmouth taking the flag ahead of Joel Wilks and Gavin Duck from Hedland. The fastest class, Tag 125, provided plenty of entertainment, with Lincoln Drew taking the top step in the final from Tyler Smith and Christopher Smith.