The heart and soul of Limestone Coast go-kart racing, Glenburnie Raceway is ready to be ambushed by the best drivers in South Australia this weekend.
The fifth and final event of the Karting South Australia Festival State Cup is coming to town for two days of action-packed racing.
With competitors looking to master the technical layout of the Blue Lake city circuit to become state champion, it will be on for young and old.
The state series consists of three metro rounds and two country rounds, with the Mount Gambier edition the season finale.
After the previous round took place at the Southern Go Karting Club there are plenty of story lines and names to look out for across the 12 categories.
Not many Limestone Coast drivers have been able to race at each event, but Shane and Troy Moreland have been hitting the track regularly with pace and could snatch the championship on home soil.
Shane Moreland has been racing wheel to wheel with the best in the TAG Light class and a championship victory is not beyond the realms of possibility.
He currently sits third in the standings having scored a heat win in the second round at Whyalla and seven other podium finishes.
Series leader Joshua Denton leads the way on 5568, which is 824 points more than Moreland, but with 1604 points to be won, the Mount Gambier driver remains a chance with a distant shot.
Much more likely is Moreland stealing second from Jacob Dowson with only 68 points separating the pair.
However, it may be a tall order after Dowson won every heat he has competed in, but Moreland’s home-track knowledge could stop the former’s run of wins.
Troy Moreland has been competing in the KA3 Senior Light class and a consistent run of results has placed him third in the standings behind Christian Cowie and Nikki Watson.
First place may be out of reach, but he will be determined to seal his top-three overall finish by adding to his podium heat tally two.
There will be plenty of other Limestone Coast racers looking to mix it with those who have already set the series alight.
Dominic Mercuri has dominated the Cadet 9 series winning everything there is and will be tough to stop from completing a comprehensive clean sweep.
The Cadet 12 series appears set to be taken out by Noah Enright, who has not missed a podium so far.
A blistering start to the season have Ben Holliday the early ticket to the KA4 Junior Light lead with a healthy gap to Giuseppe and Salvatore Imbrogno, who are in a tight scrap for second.
The KA3 Junior title could go down to the final race with Joshua Elliston and Holliday separated by little more than a win on the points standings, while Brock Harrison appears set stay at the top of the 4SS Light leaderboard.
The 4SS Medium season has been interesting with series leader Joseph Barone enjoying a 582 point lead despite winning a solitary heat.
Ben Edwards and Callum Fry are his nearest competitors, while Tim Murphy is unbeatable in the 4SS Supermaxx Heavy after eight straight wins.
As does Trent Ashman in the TAG Restricted Light class.
Despite missing the second round Paul Pittam is the favourite to win 4SS Heavy from the consistent Harrison.
Although Jedd Stanton has won 12 heats on the bounce, he may struggle to overcome Jack Ryan’s points lead in the TAG Restricted Medium category.
Despite all the excitement for the club finally being given the chance of hosting a Festival State Cup round, Mount Gambier Karting Club president Jason Fewins said it could have been even bigger if drivers were allowed to arrive from the other side of the border.
“Normally we would have a large contingent of Victorian riders, but because of COVID-19 that has made it difficult,” he said.
“Particularly with the fact the borders are going to open next week, so we miss out a couple of days.
“Usually drivers come from Portland, Warrnambool and Horsham, but the event is still well supported from within the state because a lot of people are happy to be on track and get some racing in after the year we have had.”
“We are expecting somewhere between 80 to 100 competitors which is nice and healthy,” he said.
Having already completed the 10-event club season, Fewins said the club had enjoyed a solid 2021, but the prospect of hosting a state round for the first time in five years means it will climb to new heights with plans to become an even bigger part of the season down the track.
“The club approached the state body last year to host a round, but it did not happen because of COVID,” he said.
“This year we have been given the opportunity to tackle it with the final round.
“We have had some support from Adelaide drivers coming down here for a few good club days to get some track time.
“But the good thing about being the finale is that everyone who is in contention has to make the trip down here.
“The plan is for next year to potentially become the opening round in March next year where numbers are replicated, if not increased.
“We are looking forward to showcasing our facilities with lush green grass, so it should be a great weekend.”
Entries to race close at 2.30pm tomorrow, while racing starts at 8.30am on Saturday and 9am on Sunday.
