Celebrating a Successful Season
Gabriel had a wonderful 2021 season, winning two Club Championships and placing on the podium for the Queensland State Cup. He achieved podium finishes in over 80% of his races in 2021 at a variety of different tracks and finished in the top 5 for all but two competitions.
1st Place Ipswich Kart Club Championship
Gabriel finished in the top 5 for all of the IKC Championship rounds, achieving podiums in 4 of the 6 race meets, ultimately taking the Championship win! The highlight of the IKC season was Gabriel's amazing drive in the wet to take the "Unofficial Cadet World Titles" and final round for the season.
1st Place Warwick Kart Club Championship
Finishing in 1st Place for the majority of the club championship rounds at Warwick kart club gave Gabriel in a strong lead in the Championship for the 2021 season at WKC, taking the win for the year.
Ron Duffield Memorial Gold Award
Gabriel was honoured to receive the Ron Duffield Memorial Gold Award for 2021. As we all know, racing is a tough gig and being fast is only one part of the equation. As a “Best and Fairest” award, it was a great acknowledgment of the respect Gabriel demonstrates for his fellow competitors.
CCKC Championship Podium
Gabriel came in 2nd for the 2021 CCKC Championship. There was some very tough competition throughout the year and racing at the very fast and undulating Cooloola track has provided him with an excellent opportunity to improve his driving.
Many thanks to Energy Corse Australia, MG Engines, Dave Sera and Kaos Karting for all your support this year.
Scroll down for detailed race reports or click on the links above.
2021 Race Reports
First Race for the 2021 Season...
February 2021
Team 13's first round back for the year was at IKC. It was a tough one, but Gabriel still had a great time racing. Although we were a bit off pace, Gabriel managed to snag 3rd place and take home a nice trophy.
Testing Skills at a New Track
February 2021
Gabriel raced at Cooloola Coast Kart Club for the first time first and he had an absolutely fantastic time trying something different. There was some very tough local competition, but he picked it up pretty quickly and managed to place well throughout the day.
Gabriel qualified 3rd. In the heats he finished 3rd, 2nd, 2nd and came 2nd in the final. Overall, he achieved 2nd place for the day and was very pleased with his result.
Back-to-Back Racing!
February 2021
Gabriel competed in the Australian Kart Championship at Ipswich. He got some great experience working his way up through the field, finishing 8th overall. Although he was a bit disappointed to not make it into the top 5, he learned a lot from the experience.
Gabriel then raced at Lismore the following day. It was his first race at Lismore Kart Club and he did well to qualify in 3rd. Despite a DNF which meant he had to start at the rear of the pack for the final, he finished 3rd.
March Summary
March 2021
Crazy weather mid-March meant that Gabriel only got to compete in three of the four races we had scheduled for this month, but he still had some great success.
Round one at Warwick saw Gabriel place 1st in each race and standing on the top step of the podium at the end of the day. The competition was fantastic and there was some awesome overtaking being done by all of the competitors throughout the day.
Gabriel was a little less fortunate at Ipswich, but he still came away with a decent position, finishing 5th in the final. The competition at IKC, as always, was intense and Gabriel learnt a lot about race craft.
Cooloola Coast Kart Club hosted Kev Davies’ Noisy Tour last weekend, which was an action-packed two-day event. Gabriel qualified in 3rd and finished 2nd in the first three heats. In the final Gabriel managed to put the kart into 1st place on a couple of occasions in the first couple laps, but unfortunately his brakes seized. With such a good lead early on in the race, it took a few laps for him to be overtaken by the competitors behind him as he limped the kart around the circuit until flag fall and he still managed to place 4th.
Naturally, he was disappointed in this result, but luckily, it was all points count, so Gabriel still attained 2nd on the podium at the end of the day.
Top Guns 2021
April 2021
Some of the best in the country turned out last weekend for the Junior Top Guns event, hosted by Warwick Kart Club. It was an exciting two-day event with some tough competition and awesome racing in all of the classes.
Gabriel drove the socks off his KIP FOSTER'S KART FORCE MiniRok, coming in at 2nd, 3rd, 2nd and 2nd in the Final to take 2nd place on the podium at the end of the day. Gabriel certainly put some of Dave Sera’s coaching into action this weekend, evidenced by staying in the top three all weekend and executing some awesome overtakes in every heat. Quite an accomplishment against some top drivers!
First Place @ IKC Round 3
May 2021
It was a mostly wet weekend at Ipswich for Round 3 of the IKC Club Championship. Although Gabriel didn't do his best lap times, he stayed on the black stuff and brought his kart across the finish line 1st place in the Final under challenging conditions. Well done!
New Ride
May 2021
Warwick Kart Club Championship Round 3 saw Gabriel trying out his new Energy kart.
Gabriel was off to a fantastic start in practice on Saturday, busting out some ripper lap times whilst getting a feel for his new wheels. Unfortunately, mechanical issues in quali on Sunday put Gabriel at the rear of the pack for both the first and second heat of the day. However, he worked his way up through the field into 2nd position, but unlucky timing with a back marker just before the chequered flag resulted in him finishing 4th. Gabriel continued his hard work to gain positions in each heat, which resulted in him standing on the podium in 2nd place at the end of the day.
Many thanks to Dave Sera for your ongoing advice and assistance, along with the great resources you’ve made available through We Build Karting Champions. You are a wealth of knowledge!
Thank you to Energy Corse Australia for all your support with awesome the kart and set up. Gabriel is super excited to be in his new rocket and can’t wait to get it back on the tarmac!
A big shout out to all the Officials, volunteers, competitors, Jenny from KAOS Karting, Adam and Tony from DPE Kart Superstore for making race days possible, and Kev “the noise “ Davies commentary the photos and video.
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June Race Report
June 2021
Gabriel had an awesome month of racing on his Energy Corse Australia kart with several trophies to show for it.
Round 3 at Lismore Kart Club was a mixed bag, with some great times in practice, but curious results on race day. Set-up? Engine? Driver? Baffled! However, Gabriel still managed to come home with 3rd place, and more importantly, the resolve to make amends.
Gabriel returned later in the month and dominated Round 4 at Lismore, finishing 1st in every race against some amazing competitors.
Warwick Kart Club hosted the 4SS Triple Crown mid-month which resulted in a huge turn out for all classes. Gabriel qualified in 5th and raced well over the weekend, attaining 4th at the end of the day.
The following weekend Gabriel had a ripper time at Cooloola Coast Kart Club by qualifying 1st. Unfortunately, the first heat began without the pole sitter, who was still trying to catch the pack on the start. Gabriel drove hard throughout the entire race and still managed to finish 2nd in the race. His hard work all day paid off, resulting in a 2nd place at the end of the day.
What an action-packed month of racing!
Bundy Gold
July 2021
It was Gabriel’s first time at the Bundy Kart Club and he had an absolutely awesome time!
Gabriel qualified 1st, placed 1st, 2nd, 1st and won the Final. Needless to say, he was pretty stoked to come home with a trophy on his first go.
Many thanks to everyone at Bundaberg Kart Club for putting on a great event!
Thanks as always to JT Motorsport, Dave Sera and Energy Corse Australia!
Young Guns Winner
July 2021
Gabriel had a massive time at the Lismore Kart Club Young Guns event held this month. He qualified 1st and finished 2nd, 3rd, 3rd and 3rd, but came back in the Final to take the top step.
Unfortunately, Dad wasn't able to be pit crew this weekend, but luckily for Mum there were heaps of great people around to lend a hand. A huge shout out to Cian of Energy Corse Australia for dialing the kart in for Gabriel. Also, many thanks to all the Energy guys and Regan for helping Mum out on the weekend.
September Summary
August - September 2021
Two very successful weekends in the bag! The last weekend of August saw Gabriel race in Cooloola where he qualified 1st in the wet. He raced well all day, coming home with 2nd overall on points.
On Father's Day weekend Gabriel and Dad had a ripper of a time at Ipswich. It was a random grid, with Gabriel starting mid pack in 7th. He worked his way up through the pack in each heat and was battling for podium places most of the day, finishing 5th in the final. He made some great moves and had a very successful day against some stiff competition.
In mid-September Gabriel dominated the double header at Warwick Kart Club and came home with 1st on the podium in both events. He was super focused and raced well in each heat, winning all but one heat race over the two days.
Our Emerald Adventure - QLD State Titles
October 2021
Gabriel participated in the Queensland State Championships held at Emerald Karting Club over the school holidays. It was a great opportunity to not only race a different track, but also go on a road trip. There was sapphire mining, historical sites, cave tours, a trip to the zoo, pool rugby, wild emus and, of course, racing!
Gabriel drove the socks off his kart, qualifying 4th, with only hundredths of a second away from P3.
He got off to a great start in Heat 1, driving himself into 3rd place. Unfortunately, contact in the rear caused him to come off the track and drop to 13th, but he was able to make up one place before flag fall.
The rest of the weekend saw Gabriel race hard and pump some great times, trying to make up the lost positions. The remaining races, however, weren’t without their challenges. A stuffed chain made progress difficult in the pre-final and there was a lot of work to be done to get the kart flowing again.
Gabriel started in 7th in the Final and pushed hard in the opening laps, gaining several positions with some great overtakes, working his way into 4th position. There were further issues with the kart and although he finished 8th overall, there were a lot of positives to take away from the weekend and he had a great experience.
Winner of the Unofficial Cadet World Titles
(AKA Ipswich Club Round 6 - Cadet feature class event)
October 2021
It was the last Club Championship round at IKC this weekend and it was a cracker! Gabriel qualified 3rd, with only a couple of tenths between the top three drivers. He maintained his grid position throughout the day by driving well in each heat, putting him into 3rd on the grid for the Final.
Then, the storms hit. There was thunder, lightning and the rain came down, down, down!
Two storms later, it was finally time to hit the track for the Cadet 9 Final. Gabriel got off to a great start in the wet and quickly hunted down first place, overtaking and pulling away, drawing a massive lead on the pack. About halfway through the race there was need for caution overtaking some back markers, which closed the gap significantly, but Gabriel was able to once again pull away to take first place. It was time to shine in the dark and rain, and that he did. Congratulations!
State Cup Shakedown
November 2021
Gabriel was on the top step for the QLD State Cup Shakedown meet at Warwick Kart Club in November. He had some great pace and got the fastest lap times in two of the heats.
Special thanks to Cian Fothergill of Energy Corse Australia, MG Engines, KAOS Karting and Dave Sera. Thank you to WKC and all of the volunteers and officials for a fantastic race meet. Looking forward to next weekend!
QLD State Cup Podium Finish!
November 2021
Last weekend saw Gabriel race in the Queensland State Cup held at Warwick Kart Club.
He got off to a great start, qualifying 3rd, only hundredths of a second behind 2nd place. It was elbows out racing in the heats, but Gabriel managed to stay on track, finishing 4th, 3rd and 3rd in the Pre-Final, taking a respectable 3rd place on the podium for the Final against some very tough competition.
The Capri Cup
December 2021
The 4th of December was a special day at the track for Gabriel. Yes, he won the Capri Cup, which he was very pleased about, but it wasn't just about winning a race. To Gabriel, winning this event was about honouring a great man, Alf Capri, and showing his appreciation for the contributions that Alf and his wife, Maureen, have made to the karting community over the past 60 years. This year was the first time Alf has not been with all of us at IPSWICH KART CLUB for the Capri Cup and we missed him dearly.
Those who knew Alf would tell you that he was a generous, knowledgeable, kind person and a true gentleman. He always took the time to help others, share his experience and encourage the young drivers. He often stopped Gabriel in the paddock to have a chat and offer his advice and encouragement. Alf was a valuable member of the karting community who will always live on in our hearts.
Thank you to Alf and Maureen for everything you have done for so many. We hope you enjoyed the race!
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