Who is in contention for national titles as Melbourne hosts finals kart round
The Australian Karting Championship heads to Melbourne for the final round this weekend. We list the Victorian karters to look out for.
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Dreams will be made and others will be shattered when the final round of the Australian Karting Championship is held at Todd Road.
Melbourne will play host to the final round of the series, which will see eight classes fight each other to be the best in the country.
Victorians are among the chances to secure national titles in a few categories with the highlight to be the KA3 Junior class, which has three locals set to the fight for the title.
We list the Big V karters to look out for as the next Craig Lowndes, James Moffat or Peter Brock could be in action.
Aiva Anagnostiadis, TAG 125
A star of the rise who will be competing at home at Todd Road in the TAG 125 class. Anagnostiadis represented Australia in the FIA Motorsport Games last year and is part of Formula One team Alpine’s academy. Anagnostiadis has only competed in a couple of rounds this season and should be among the drivers to beat with Todd Road her home track.
James Anagnostiadis, KA3 Junior
Has been on a charge in the KA3 Junior series in recent rounds with changes to his kart providing a valuable confidence boost. Anagnostiadis won the last round in Ipswich, winning the final and is within striking distance of the championship lead.
Archie Bristow, Cadet 12
The Ballarat junior won the first round of the Cadet 12 championship in Murray Bridge and is one of the rising stars on the scene. He finished seventh in the last round in Ipswich and would favour his chances of doing well at one of his home tracks in the state.
Pip Casabene, KA3 Junior
Will be heading off to compete for a spot in the Ferrari Driver Academy later this year for Oceania and Asia. Currently second in the KA3 Junior title race, Casabene has been consistent in all four rounds finishing inside the top-10. In three of the four rounds he has finished second. Will need to probably win the round to claim the title but his form and being on the home track will help.
Bradley Jenner, X30 class
Another driver who won the first round of the series at Murray Bridge but has been unable to replicate the form since. Currently, Jenner is sitting second in the series but is 68 points behind the leader and unlikely to catch Queensland’s Jace Matthews. Jenner recently competed in the City of Melbourne titles, at the venue for the last round, and finished second to Matthews who won by less than a second in the final. Expect Jenner to be there abouts at the pointy end in the class at Todd Road.
Henry Johnstone, KZ2 class
On track for his third straight top-five finish in the KZ2 class at the national championships. He’s currently fifth in the standings and led the championship after winning the first round in Murray Bridge in South Australia. In 2021, he finished second in the series and was fifth last year. Johnstone is in good form after recently winning the City of Melbourne title in the KZ2 class. Expect him to perform well at home.
Cruz Kelly, Cadet 12
No relation to Supercars drivers Todd and Rick Kelly but he’s forging his own path to get to the top. Kelly last year won the Cadet 9 national title and made the move to the next series, Cadet 12, over the past few rounds with immediate success. In his debut in round three, he finished seventh in the final and with his home track coming up, expect Kelly to perform well.
Joel Macpherson, KA3 Senior
Currently fourth in the championship standings but will not be in contention for the KA3 Senior title heading into the final round. Macpherson had a strong start to the season, finishing third and sixth in the first two rounds, before struggling in the final two rounds. The karter will be looking to bounce back in the final round at a track very familiar to him.
Bradley Majman, KA2 class
The Victorian is on track to finish in the top five in the championship but won’t be able to win the national title with Queensland’s Max Walton wrapping it up with one round to go. But it hasn’t stopped Majman having a great season. He won the first round in Murray Bridge, claiming the final before finishing third in the final in the last round in Ipswich. The teenager could finish inside the top two if he performs well at his home track.
Hayden Millington, TAG 125
One of Australia’s rising karting drivers. Has been recently named in the Ferrari Driver Academy selection process for Oceania and Asia and is one of 25 in the shortlist to be picked to race overseas for the famous brand. Millington has been competing in the TAG 125 series this year and will be looking to do well at home.
Leigh Nicolaou, TAG 125
Finished second last year in the series and is having another solid year in the series. One of the favourites to take out the round and with a championship battle going on ahead, he might be able to take advantage of other karters being focused on the title.
Hunter Salvatore, KA3 Senior
Has finished inside the top 10 in two rounds in the KA3 Senior championship and is in good form heading into the Todd Road round. Salvatore won the KA3 Senior Light event at the City of Melbourne titles and would be full of confidence of a good performance at home.
Jake Spencer, TAG 125
One of four karters in the TAG 125 class in contention to win the championship in Melbourne. Spencer has had a great season, winning the first round in Murray Bridge before finishing third in the final at Newcastle. Heading into the final round the karter is 15 points behind the leader, Jackson Souslin-Harlow, and is every chance of recovering the margin to win. Spencer finished second at the City of Melbourne titles recently on Todd Road, losing to Souslin-Harlow who won the title. The Melburnian will need to beat him to claim the crown.
William Thompson, KA3 Junior
The leader of the KA3 Junior series right now but will face some stern tests from his fellow Victorian kart rivals to keep hold of it in the final round. Thompson won the second round of the series and also finished in third in the third round. From Shepparton, Thompson will be looking to hold off his rivals and win his first ever national title.
Zackary Thompson, TAG 125
The older brother of William, Thompson might not win the TAG 125 series this year but he’s impressed throughout. Currently top five in the standings, he won round two in Perth, beating Supercars race winner Nick Percat during the weekend. He and his brother William also created history becoming the first siblings to win a class each in one round. A rising star in the sport.
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