Luca Belardo performs well in round two of the Australian Karting Championships

Almost 400 of Australia's best kart drivers and the countries best race teams headed west, making the trip to WA. Luca Belardo, Racing in the KA3 Senior Class, showed great pace in qualifying, setting a time quick enough for the front row, Qualifying in 2nd place, Just 0.028 of a second from pole.

The Griffith teenager was unlucky, with the outside front row meaning he would have to start the heats on the dirty line. Loosing places off the start, Luca was able to finish just outside the top 5 in each of his heats. Being able to maintain a calm head, and starting the final in 6th, Belardo was able to finish in an amazing 4th place, and coming just short of a podium finish.

Luca and his team were very happy.

"Racing and mixing it with the best Kart Racers in the nation and against some tough and experienced opposition, To come away with this result is a fantastic achievement," Luca's dad Sam Belardo said.

Joseph Bianchini, racing with the Alpha Motorsport Team, and the youngest Griffith competitor to travel to the west, was seriously unlucky in Cadet 12 Class, against 56 other competitors, with engine dramas beginning in Qualifying robbing him of a place within the top 10 lining up 25th.

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Engine dramas continued through Saturday's racing causing DNFs in all three heats. Starting from 40th in the repechage Bianchini showed his true promise, racing home to finish in 11th. However he was unable to get enough points to make the final.

Joseph Belardo, raced in the Elite Junior KA2 class, and was able to show some great pace, at the new destination. Qualifying in 16th place out of 41 competitors, Joseph unfortunately found racing incidents in heats 3 & 4 which saw him start the final from grid 26. A turn one incident involving 10 karts ahead of young Belardo in the final, left Joseph with nowhere to go, forcing him to stop.

All in all it was a fantastic commitment from all the local racers, their families and teams to travel so far. These three local Juniors are looking forward to the next round of the Karting Australia, Australian Karting Championship on the 3rd and 4th of June, with a shakedown prior, next weekend, May 13/14.

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