20th July 2009
Sam Wins 2009 Australian Superkart Championships
Sam has won 6 of the 8 races to claim the 2009 Australian Superkart Championships with his Stockman / Yamaha TZ250 superkart. This is the first time in the 20 year history that the 250 twin championship has been won using a Yamaha powered superkart.
Round 1 of the 2009 Australian Superkart Championship was held at Mallala Motorsport Park, Adelaide on the weekend of 6-7 June. From the outset it looked like a tough weekend for Sam as he struggled for pace to be in true outright round contention from Yarni Harpas (Zip II/BRC) and Gary Pegararo (Anderson/BRC). Sam was struggling with the handling setup of the tight Mallala circuit which was proving to be a difficult weekend.
Race 1 - Qualifying in 4th spot saw Sam catapult himself into the front of the pack at turn 1. This was short lived as local boy Yarni Harpas soon charged through for the lead only to out brake himself into Turn 3. Sam back in the lead couldn't do anything to hold back Gary Pegararo who then had a mechanical issue and handed the race win to Sam. Onboard footage from Sam's kart for the entire Race 1 can be seen on YouTube HERE.
Race 2 - Sam again in the lead couldn't hold out Yarni Harpas who took the victory from Gary Pegararo with Sam finishing close behind in 3rd.
Race 3 - Sam again in the lead from the start was no match for Yarni Harpas who again took the victory from Gary Pegararo with Sam collecting valuable championship points in 3rd.
Race 4 - was a slightly damp track on slick tyres. Sam again in the lead was soon passed by Shane Price (Anderson/SAFE) but Sam had these conditions under control taking the lead later in the race with victory from Shane Price and Darren Hossack (Anderson/SAFE).
2x wins and 2x third places was enough consistency to take home a nice points lead from Round 1, Darren Hossack 2nd and Yarni Harpas 3rd.
1st Sam Zavaglia (Stockman/Yamaha) - 75 points
2nd Darren Hossack (Anderson/SAFE) - 61 points
3rd Yarni Harpas (Zip Eagle II/BRC) - 57 points
Official timing and results for Round 1 can be viewed HERE.
Round 2 of the 2009 Australian Superkart Championship was held at Eastern Creek Raceway, Sydney on the weekend of 18-19 July. With data gained from Round 1, Sam was confident that his setup changes for Round 2 would put him in good stead for the round win. Qualifying saw Warren McIllveen take pole position from Yarni Harpas, Sam Zavaglia and Darren Hossack. The top 4 were only separated by 6/100ths of a second.
Race 5 - Sam managed to take the lead after the 1st lap but hot on his heals for the entire race was Gary Pegararo. Robert Oakley finished third.
Race 6 - Sam was unchallenged in this race when both Darren Hossack and Gary Pegararo did not start for mechanical reasons.
Race 7 - Sam again led from start to finish unchallenged throughout the whole race. Victory in this race meant Sam had accumulated enough points to seal the 2009 Championship. Onboard footage from Sam's kart for the entire Race 7 can be seen on YouTube HERE.
Race 8 - With the championship secured, Sam used this race as a test session to make some bold changes to his setup. Sam still lead from start to finish unchallenged to cap off a perfect score for the weekend.
1st Sam Zavaglia (Stockman/Yamaha) - 85 points
2nd Colin McIntyre (Anderson/FPE) - 53 points
3rd Darren Hossack (Anderson/SAFE) - 52 points
Official timing and results for Round 2 can be viewed HERE.
2009 Australian Superkart Championship Results
1st Sam Zavaglia (Stockman/Yamaha) - 160 points
2nd Darren Hossack (Anderson/SAFE) - 113 points
3rd Gary Pegararo (Anderson/BRC) - 87 points
