European Vacation Mavericks in Assen

The two young Queensland drivers who have in the last two years shaken up the established order in the Rockpress Australian Superkart Championship, took a small detour on the way the Phillip Island. Defending series champion Jason Smith and current series points leader Russell Jamieson warmed up for the Phillip Island Shannons Australian Motor Racing Nationals by taking their Anderson Mavericks to the Netherlands. The pair linked up with fellow Queenslander now permanently residing in Europe, Carlo Chermaz and under a Team Australia banner joined in the action as the famous Assen circuit for Round Two of the CIK-FIA European Superkart Championships.

"It was a big eye opener how the race meetings are run in Europe and how they run the meeting," enthused Smith. "Racing is a lot closer with more karts on the bigger Grand Prix circuits."

Forty karts, all 250 International twin-cylinder class took to the home of Dutch motorcycling in early August. Smith qualified 21st, Jamieson an outstanding ninth and Chermaz driving his self-developed Superkart Evolutions kart qualified 32nd. Jamieson went on to score championship points and finish 12th for the round.

"There were 70,000 spectators at Assen. We got a lot of attention in the pits. European fans are very knowledgeable." Smith and Chermaz also took in a round of the German championship at the Red Bull Ring, soon to be home of the reborn Austrian Formula One Grand Prix, the weekend went much better for both.

The visit to Europe also allowed both visiting teams to freshen their Anglo-Italian karts. Both Smith and Jamieson have DEA engines in the Anderson Maverick racekarts, the same combination used by the factory Anderson-CSK team.

Jamieson leads the championship heading into the final round in the Coach Design Anderson, 14 points ahead of Victorian racer Gary Pegoraro. Smith is third in the Fuji Xerox/Zahl 1 Karting Anderson, 28 points behind Jamieson. It will be an uphill climb for the defending champ.

"We're all set for Philip Island," continued Smith. "We've got learn the set-up for the new track surface. Possible showers on Friday make the early sessions important." Left unstated is the advantage Pegoraro has, having been able to race on the new track surface. Pegoraro has been so close for so many years and now he has home track advantage and a testing advantage while his rivals were in Europe. Pegoraro, like his two rivals has an Anderson Maverick, although an older model but he has it and the Canadian BRC250 engine dialled in.

Potential spoilers come from many directions. 2011 champion Warren McIlveen has brought the Mac's Marine Stockman MR2-Honda down from Tamworth, and locally based New Zealander Anton Stevens won this round last year in the artmotorsport.com.au/Ciscos PVP-FPE.

The Rockpress Superkarts join the Shannons Australian Motor Racing Nationals for the fastest weekend of the year with Formula 3, Sports Sedans and Radicals all racing this weekend.

Sunday's racing will be streamed live on the internet at:
http://new.livestream.com/itvl/events/2360955 with races 2, 3 and 4 all being broadcast on the Nationals ITVLive.

You can keep across all the action this weekend through the website at:
http://www.superkartsaustralia.org/home.php
and also at the Shannons Australian Nationals website:
http://thenationals.com.au/

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