February 2, 2013 - Practice at KartSport Taranaki

“AJ” was fitted back to the chassis and run to see how fast it was after a full strip-down and technical inspection last weekend in Wellington. The engine was awesome and exactly back on the pace and setting times in the low 32s range. After a few runs, we packed up and went home, happy that the engine was good as usual. The team has entered the Trans-Tasman Twilight Challenge at KartSport Manawatu on 16 February, so is hoping to put in a good performance there.

February 16, 2013 - Trans Tasman Twilight Challenge at KartSport Manawatu

A short drive to Palmerston North on Friday after work and an early night at the Kingsgate Hotel put us in an optimistic mood for Saturday practice and racing. A big field of Cadets showed up for the event, including Taylor Hazard from Sydney. “Tank” was fitted and a couple of sessions were had. The kart didn’t seem very fast even after changing a few things. With only 2 practice runs before racing got underway, the decision was made to change engine and try to be more competitive. The support classes only got 1 x 5 minute time trial and Thomas didn’t utilise the session as he could have, getting caught behind some slower karts. The outcome was that he only qualified 12th fastest which was a shame. More changes to the kart and engine to find some more speed came to nothing in Heat 1, with Thomas becoming a “passenger” in an accident which unfolded right in front of him. This meant slipping from 6th to a 10th place finish. Heat 2 was looking good with Thomas moving to 6th again behind Sam Wright. Unfortunately, with 1 lap to go, Thomas made an error and tagged the rear of Sam’s kart (sorry Sam!) and he slipped back to 11th, meaning he was to start the Pre-final in 10th. More changes and setup issues followed, with the hope of a good result in the Pre-final. The race had some carnage in the very last corner, eliminating 2 drivers and meaning we found ourselves in 8th instead of 10th for the Final. The kart was still not right, so a barrage of changes were made in a last-ditch effort to go faster.

Thomas was determined to get as close to the front as possible so lined up full of optimism. The race began and Thomas drove very well and with a few laps remaining, found himself in 2nd behind a blisteringly fast Jackson Rooney who had a good lead on the field. A great battle was had between Riley Jack and Thomas for a few laps and both boys were outstanding. However, Thomas came out on top in 2nd position and Riley in 3rd. Very happy with a drive from 8th to 2nd!

We had the engine stripped during technical inspection and all was fine, so he received a certificate and some prize-money for his effort. A little disappointed that there were not “keepsie” trophies for the top 3 in each class, as this was a big event and we would rather have secured a trophy than the cash? Either way, Thomas salvaged a great result from what had been a day to forget! Well done to him and thanks to Chris Rooney and Dane Harte for your assistance during the day. Congratulations to Jackson Rooney and thanks to Riley Jack for the awesome battle during the final. Also, congratulations to Liam Lawson for winning the JR class as well. Hopefully, the next time we head to Manawatu we can repeat this form? We drove home straight after the meeting and arrived home at around 1am on Sunday morning.

March 3, 2013 - Round Three, Supreme Kart Supplies WPKA Goldstar Series - KartSport Hawkes Bay

The team arrived in Hastings on Saturday morning after a stopover at Darren and Sue’s place in Taupo on Friday night (thanks guys!). We had to negotiate a million people on bikes competing in the Ironman on Saturday morning. All the physical exercise around us made us feel really guilty, so we stopped just up the road for a breakfast of bacon, eggs and hash browns! Feeling much better, we carried on to Hastings. The weather was great and practise was a great learning experience for us. We were able to back-to-back all 3 engines to see how they shaped up. Happy with the speed in the kart, we packed up and headed back to the Angus Inn for a shower. The Taranaki drivers all met for a nice dinner out and a reasonably early night was had. Sunday morning dawned nice and fine and we were ready for action.

The tuning run was good, all the drivers were eager to get on with the job. Our grid draws were 14, 7, 1 and 20. Heat 1 was a great test of the speed of the kart. We had changed the setup away from our baseline, to test a few ideas. The result was a gain of 11 places to finish 3rd. The second heat was going well, with Thomas getting to 2nd before making a mistake and clipping the rear of Sam Wright’s kart (sorry Sam) and getting a bit loose and striking the kerb, flicking off the chain... a 20th! A new sprocket and carrier was fitted and a slight setup change to be ready for Heat 3. The battle for the lead was good, with Jackson Rooney getting past to take the win over Thomas. Our 4th grid of 20 seemed almost impossible, but Thomas drove an excellent race to get to 2nd! This meant we had enough points to start 5th. Another awesome battle ensued and Thomas was looking good in 1st until the last lap when Sam Wright sneaked past. Thomas then made a slight error a few corners from home and clipped a kerb and flicked another chain!! The disappointment was hard to take, but the points put us in 5th for the day so we retain our 3rd position in the series with one round to go.

Thomas was gutted with his result and then had to line up for the GP in 12th spot. Another great race unfolded and he drove to 1st place and then opened up a good lead on the others behind. The kart was very fast, with his best lap time being a 37.297, which is over a second faster than 12 months ago at the same track! Thanks to all those who helped us over the weekend, especially the sprocket manufacturers! The engine was fast, which gives us two engine options for the Nationals in 3 weeks time. It’s always a very long drive back to New Plymouth from Hawkes Bay and we arrived home at 12:30am.

February 24, 2013 - Club Championships at KartSport Taranaki

With a pending drought in Taranaki, the weather was always going to be fine and after some practice on Saturday, the karts were good and ready to go for Club Champs. As predicted, the sun shone all day on Sunday as the team descended on the track early. The number of entries was very disappointing, with only two Cadets and 5 in the Junior Yamaha class. We fitted our #3 and got set up. Jess was trying out an engine on loan from Podjursky Motorsport, so we weren’t sure how it was all going to pan-out. Thomas had a good day, winning all 5 heats and becoming the 2013 Cadet Club Champion.

Jess drove well and had a 4th in H1. Things weren’t so good for the Podjurskys, as they seized their engine in H1. Heat 2 was the undoing of Jessica’s day, when the Podjursky engine expired as she crossed the line at the end of the race. Removal of the head showed a melted piston, which was odd. The head temperature never got over 380° and the tune was very rich and the oil mixture was rich as well. The carburettor may hold the key to the failure, so that will get stripped to be checked. Either which way, that was the first failure we have experienced and it wasn’t our engine! The bore looked OK, so hopefully a top-end rebuild will sort it out? So Jessica had to sit out the rest of the day and watch, which was disappointing for her.

Amy Pearce and Aaron de Ridder had a massive crash into the steel safety fence after getting hooked together through the chicane, luckily escaping serious injury, although Amy’s kart is probably scrap metal? Then Matt Podjursky was unfortunate to roll his kart after contact at the end of the sweeper. Matt was taken to hospital in the Ambulance as a precautionary measure and later released home. Apart from being a bit sore, he and his kart escaped serious injury.

March 27 - 29, 2013 - 2013 KartSport NZ Sprint Championships, KartSport Wellington

Robert and Thomas travelled to Paraparaumu to stay the night with Trev and Rachael (thanks guys!). Early Wednesday morning, Barney was collected after flying down to Wellington from Auckland and making his way to Upper Hutt. We arrived at the track and unpacked and began to prepare for the first day of practice. After 4 runs, and trialling different engine and setup combinations, we were left scratching our heads, as we couldn’t find any speed! We left and checked into Harcourt's Holiday Park to analyse where we could improve. The following morning we headed back up to the track to try some new ideas. The fastest engine seemed to be “Tank” and the chassis would not respond to changes. We reverted back to our CIK setup and this was better, but we were still off the pace. After seeking some expert help, we found the engine mixture was the major problem...and the new rubber we had fitted earlier. After re-tuning the engine and fitting tyres which were old and hard, the kart started to come good, putting in 41.3s lap times. Then “Viper” was fitted and things were looking good. We returned to the motel and awaited the arrival of Donna, Jessica and Hannah and prepared for finals day!

The weather was good and we went to the track early to get prepared. The opening ceremony was great and the tuning run was upon us before we knew it. The kart looked good but we still needed more speed. Thomas had a strategy all worked out for qualifying, so we were optimistic of a good result. Unfortunately, he got himself in the wrong place on the track and qualified only 15th fastest, 0.679s behind top qualifier, Reuben Adams from Christchurch. More head scratching followed and another visit to our expert for some more help! Time Trial two was much better, with Thomas recording the 8th fastest time of 41.359s, which was 0.5s behind Reuben again who broke the 41s barrier. This meant Thomas started the two heats from G8. The first heat was excellent, with some great driving to end H1 in 2nd behind Jacob Mitchell from Christchurch. Heat 2 was going great with Thomas advancing from 8th until contact between another kart and him caused them both to get knotted together. The outcome of this meant we ended up in 16th position. The combined results from the heats determined that Thomas had to start the Pre-Final from 10th which was not ideal. The Pre-Final was a great spectacle, with Thomas driving a great race to finish the 14 lap race in 5th. His average speed was 68.926km/hr which was only 0.2km/hr slower than the race winner.

The Final rolled around at 5:17pm and was to be held over 20 laps. Thomas had a great start and managed to get into 3rd place by lap 2. The final was excellent and the front 3 karts chased each other for a number of laps. Callum managed to get a break on the other two after they battled for position. The final lap was nail-biting and the result saw Callum Hedge become the new 1NZ, Jackson Rooney crossing the line 4/10ths of a second ahead of Thomas. The team was ecstatic with this result! After a visit through the Tech Shed to check the engine and chassis, we were confirmed as 3NZ. Team Boniface Racing would like to thank the following people:

Grandad Barney, Donna, Jessica and Hannah Boniface for your on-going love and support

Dane Harte from Performance Zone for the engine and tuning advice

Murray, Matt and Liz Podjursky for the advice and support all weekend

Darryl, Sally and Jack Bridgman for the advice and moral support of Thomas

Jody Vincent, Mathew Kinsman and the Sodi Kart NZ team for the assistance, fun and great atmosphere in our pit area

Jared and Liam Lawson for your help and support

Shane, Tania and Ryan Wood for your great hospitality

All those other racers, parents, pit crew members for your encouragement, support and very kind words from the weekend, you are all very special. Congratulations to Kaleb Ngatoa for your 2NZ! Also, well done Matthew Hamilton for clinching the KZ2 title and Taylor Harte for a fantastic win in the KF3 class. Well done to the WKS Kart Supplies crew for a very successful weekend. After this great result, the team is really looking forward to the Top Half Series which begins in two weeks time at Mt. Wellington.

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November 3 & 4, 2012 - Round One, Supreme Kart Supplies WPKA Goldstar Series - KartSport Manawatu

Thomas and Robert drove to Palmerston North on Saturday morning, arriving at the track at around 11am...ready for practice. The weather was fairly typical for Palmerston North...overcast and threatening rain. True to form, the clouds opened and the rain made the track greasy. Wanting to save the brand new wets for race-day, we ran an old set and experimented with chassis and engine settings. The kart seemed fast enough, although Tom Greig and Jackson Rooney were quicker. After much analysis of data etc, it was put away. Barney had flown to Wellington and driven up to Palmerston North. We headed back to the motel, had a nice warm shower (Thomas had a spa bath!) and headed to the Palmerston North Club for an awesome meal with Murray and Matt Podjursky. An early night and time to dry all the race gear out for Sunday.

Thomas was determined to rid the “Hoo-doo” of the Manawatu circuit and get as close to the front as possible. We knew Tom and Jackson may be outside our grasp, but he was focused nevertheless!. The rain started for H1 and the track was wet, so a new set of “wets” were fitted to the kart. Thomas was given G3, G8, G12 and G17 for the heats. Starting on G3 was good and he sprinted out to a good lead, only to be slowly reeled in and passed by Jackson Rooney who had incredible pace and was driving really well. In H2, Thomas managed to drive from 8th to 4th after a solid drive through traffic. H3 saw a good drive to 4th again, making up 8 places and Thomas managed to avoid a bit of carnage during the race. Another great drive from 12th to 5th in H4 gave Thomas enough points to be placed 3rd on the grid for the final, behind the flying Jackson Rooney and Tom Greig.

Unfortunately, the Manawatu gremlins were to strike again when on corner 5 on lap 1, Thomas was turned around by another driver. It was a shame as the race had only just started and to make matters worse, the chain came off and damaged a few parts on the kart! I enquired with the officials...but unfortunately no-one saw it. All that happened was that the driver got spoken to and we lost our probable 3rd overall position for the day. We ended up 4th, so not the worst result ultimately. The officiating lacked a bit of consistency at this meeting, as this was only one of a few mistakes made on the day by various karters, leaving some parents in different classes a little frustrated.

At least Thomas was able to drive a good race in the Grand Prix and brought the kart home in 2nd. Not a bad start to the Supreme Kart Supplies WPKA Goldstar Series, but not as we had hoped. We’ll look forward to the Taranaki round on 1 and 2 December, with a chance to redeem ourselves. Thanks to Robbie Ngatoa and Maurice Frost. It was great to see all the out-of-district racers keen to do the Goldstar Series who also faired well in the first round. Congratulations to Jackson Rooney with the win and Tom Greig with 2nd.

November 25, 2012 - KartSport Taranaki November Club Day

The team turned up nice and early ready for a good day. Jessica was keen to do her best after some testing of her engine and indicated it was in good shape. Thomas was keen to also do well and the weather had dawned clear. Chris and Jackson Rooney and Gareth had travelled from Palmerston North to have a run which was great. Dylan Frere was running his recently purchased engine and was also keen to do well. As the day unfolded, Thomas couldn’t quite match the pace of Dylan so had to settle for a win, three 2nds and a 3rd. Dylan had great pace all day and drove really well so fully deserved his race-day win. Thomas finished in 2nd place and Jackson was third. Then Dylan romped away with the Grand Prix win and sealed a great day for their team.

Jessica drove well and equalled her personal best. We tried different width combinations and other setup and gearing changes to improve her lap times, but couldn’t quite get an improvement of any substance. Jess finished the day in 5th position even though her lap times were mostly around the high 29 second mark. The GP yielded a good result after some DNF’s by others gifted her 2nd place overall. She impressed with her commitment to driving as hard and as fast as she could, so at the end of the meeting we gave the engine to Maurice Frost for a freshen-up. It was also discovered that 2 of her seat mounts had broken during the 20 lap Grand Prix, so to have been as fast was amazing. Thomas’s kart did not have the speed we had hoped, which leaves us in a predicament for Goldstar Round 2 this weekend. I guess time will tell??

November 17 & 18, 2012 - KartSport Rotorua Club Champs

The team loaded up and travelled to Rotorua on a gloomy and rainy Saturday morning. The weather did not let-up anywhere along the journey to the track 1946 feet up the Mamaku ranges. We arrived just after Murray and Matthew Podjursky and Lloyd and Aaron Marr, who were assembling their karts as we started to unpack. With some large events coming, we decided to run “Tank” as it hadn’t been on the chassis for a while and it was due for some time. Once ready to go, Thomas took to the awesome Rotorua track which is 1241m long and 8m wide. The weather was still poor and we had no idea what sort of times to expect. His first few runs were tentative as he was trying to get his head around some of the technical corners. The kart looked reasonably fast, but we had no benchmark, so had to adjust the carburetor to extract as much horsepower as possible. After much head-scratching and experimenting, we put the kart away to ponder how to squeeze more speed out of the engine at such an altitude. My thinking was less fuel due to extreme height above sea level.

The Marr and Podjursky families TBR met us in central Rotorua for dinner at the Rotorua Club, however the meal was disappointing. Back to the hotel for a quick hot swim, then early nights and drying of wet gear and helmet. Sunday was just as wet and we got to the track at 8am. Before we knew it, time had rolled around for the tuning runs. Some expert advice was sought on the correct tune for a Raket 85 at altitude and we decided to try it. This tune was radically different to anything we had used before, but it was worth a crack. The kart was an absolute rocket around the circuit and we could not believe the transformation from Saturday! Some locals commented on how fast our #3 engine was going and we were surprised too. Thomas was given grids of 6, 5, 2 and 9 for the heat races. H1 was good and he got through to 2nd after a good, solid drive. H2 was another good race, with Thomas negotiating hail and other elements to bring the kart home in 3rd. In H3 there was contact between Thomas and another driver in turn 2. Thomas was able to carry on and win this heat by a very small margin from a strong-finishing Hunter Cheetham. After our first ever visit to the Stewards room, it was determined that no-one was at fault and the contact was a racing incident with 2 racers simply trying their best at the same place.

The racing then recommenced for the Cadets, with Thomas driving from G9 to 2nd in a solid drive. This put him on 8 points equal in first position and G2 for the 5th heat. Thomas was determined to win while not wanting to repeat the scenario of H3. The race was a cracker, with Thomas and the front kart sprinting off to build a buffer to the pack behind. He chased hard the entire race, only millimeters from the rear bumper of the leading kart. The game plan was for Thomas to sit behind and wait until the last downhill straight out of turn 11, then pop out of the draft and try to sneak through for the race and championship win. Going up the last hill into turn 8, however, Thomas got a little loose and slipped about 5m behind the driver in front which then did not allow him to be as close as he needed to be to run under him back downhill into turn 12. Although he was brave and ran the kart down the hill as hard as possible, he got on the brakes a touch late, getting off the racing line around turn 12 and onto the wet grass by the crash bags. With his foot still hard down and rooster tails of mud flying, he power slid for 15m back onto the circuit and finished in 2nd! Awesome race, but just fell short...not through lack of trying. Thomas finished the champs in 2nd. This was great considering the high calibre of the opposition, no previous Rotorua experience and the conditions!

A great weekend for the team and a good showing from “Tank”. We’re keen to run it at home this weekend coming to see how fast this tune really is and if it works at Waitara as well. Special thanks to Aaron Marr for being our witness in the Stewards hearing, Lloyd Marr, Murray and Matt Podjursky for support and keeping Thomas motivated and offering driving advice as well. Congratulations to Matt for winning Junior Yamaha and Aaron for dominating the Yamaha Light and Open classes. A great weekend for KartSport Taranaki competitors! The drive back to New Plymouth was fairly uneventful, arriving home at 11pm.

December 1 & 2, 2012 - Round Two, Supreme Kart Supplies WPKA Goldstar Series - KartSport Taranaki

The team was hoping for a good weekend to make up for a Round 1 result which was worse than expected. Thomas and Jessica were both keen to run at home in the clockwise direction. With 18 entries in both the Cadet and Junior Yamaha classes, the key was going to be consistent driving and avoiding any accidents. We arrived at the track on Saturday and got set up to try a few combinations. After trialling 2 different engines for Thomas, we settled on “Tank” as it seemed the fastest of the three engines. Jessica’s normal engine was still unavailable so we were loaned an engine by Maurice Frost...thanks Maurice! Jessica drove really well and got her lap times down to 29.600s, which is only 0.9s off the current lap record and a new personal best for her. It appeared that if the weather stayed fine, the team would have its work cut out to be competitive.

The team was praying for rain on race-day to enable Thomas to be more competitive, although Jessica doesn’t enjoy driving in poor conditions. The rain gods must have been listening because it turned out to be a very wet Sunday! The heavens opened during the driver’s briefing and never let up all day. Thomas drew grids of 5, 11, 8 and 14 and was very keen to do well to improve on his current 4th overall position in the series after round 1. The first race was good and solid, with plenty of carnage. Thomas kept his head and drove to 3rd place. In Heat 2 he got a great start and managed to avoid the mid-race accidents once again to bring the kart home 2nd. Filled with confidence in the setup and a couple of “tweaks” of the carburettor brought another good result from starting 8th to 2nd in H3. Thomas led the race for the last lap until Jackson Rooney managed to get past one straight from home after a great drive. Then, Thomas drove a great race from 14th to 2nd again behind Jackson Rooney...awesome!

Jessica had a bad day, getting turned around in the first corner of H1 and recording a DNF. Then, she was taken off the track by another driver during a poor passing manoeuvre in H2 and stalled. H3 was better and she started in 3rd and finished 14th after a torrid race where 5 karts ended up in the crash bags. During the lunch break, the officials gave all the drivers a “pep-talk” and advised that poor driving would not be tolerated any longer and would be dealt with. Jessica then started on G8, but turned the kart around all by herself and recorded another DNF. A frustrating day for her, as she was only a few tenths of a second off the fastest drivers the day before.

Due to the volume of water across the racing surface, the officials decided to cancel the 5th heats and the Grand Prix races in the interests of safety. This meant Thomas ended up in 2nd overall for the day and this result shifts him to 3rd overall for the series. He is looking forward to the next round in Hawkes Bay on 2/3 March 2013. Jess is also considering racing in this round as well. The next meeting for the team is the Christmas Fun Day on 16 December, which is only a fun day with no points etc. Good luck to Dylan Frere as he moves from Cadet to Junior Restricted. Dylan has always been a great competitor for us and made us work very hard every time we hit the track. With only 2 Cadets at Taranaki, we anticipate a lot more travel to keep learning.

January 24 - 27, 2013 - CIK Trophy of New Zealand - KartSport Wellington

The journey to Wellington began on Wednesday night with Robert driving to Paraparaumu to stay with Trev Strang (cheers Trev!). The rest of the team flew to Wellington the next day. On Thursday morning Robert went to the track to set up the trailer and check things out. The weather was pretty bad so the kart stayed nice and dry inside the trailer and Robert drove to the airport to collect Barney, Donna, Jessica, Hannah & Thomas. The weather never really improved so we all stayed at the motel and relaxed. A meal at the Upper Hutt Cossie club was had and some impromptu karaoke singing along with the Yardley's from Christchurch. A great night and not really the early night we were hoping for, but all good nevertheless. On Friday morning we headed to the track and got the kart ready for practice. Thomas was driving well and was putting in some reasonable lap times. AJ was performing great, so we decided to run it for the weekend. Once the day was done and we had completed about 6 test sessions, we packed up and headed back to the motel.

Another trip to the Upper Hutt Cossie club for dinner and another awesome meal followed by a fairly early night in preparation for the time trials on Saturday. The weather was shaping up hot and dry for the weekend, so we were hoping for a good result. The track was looking fast and Thomas was in good shape. The first time trial went awesome, with Thomas driving smart and using the 5 minute window to set the second fastest time of 40.971s, just behind Ben Morrison. This was 4/10ths faster than 3rd place, so a great effort! The second time trial brought a 41.335s due to the amount of sticky rubber on the track from the KZ2 gearbox karts. So, after both time trials Thomas found himself starting the three heats from grid 2.

Heat one was great, with him finishing in 2nd place behind a flying Josh Parkinson (Mt. Wellington). Heat 2 was a better result, with Thomas taking the race win with a best lap time of 41.416s. Heat 3 started well, but a slight mistake by Thomas allowed a few karts to sneak past, meaning that he finished the race in 4th. Unfortunately, the muffler tailpipe of the race winner had fallen off and he was disqualified from the race. Therefore, Thomas was promoted to 3rd position and his points tally placed him on pole position for the Pre-final to be held on Sunday. A great day, filled with plenty of support and encouragement from those around us which was awesome. The temperature got up to 31° and this made tuning, grip levels and managing hydration levels a challenge. A quiet night at the motel followed and some discussion about the strategy for the Pre-final and Final.

The weather dawned hot and dry again on Sunday, and the team drove up to the track to get ready for the big day. The track looked great and the driver was itching to get into the kart and get started. The tuning run was good, the kart looked to be still on the pace, although a little more speed up the long hill would have been great. Thomas lined up on the grid in position 1 and was keen to get underway. He got an average start and got a bit swamped off the line by the keen, hard-charging pack behind him. Nevertheless, he battled away and drove a great race, holding his nerve for the 14 laps and bringing the kart home in 3rd position. This was a more desirable position from the team’s perspective for the gruelling 19 lap final. The final rolled around at 15:31pm and we were looking good. However, as the kart was about to be unloaded on the dummy grid Robert went to start the engine to warm it up. To his astonishment, the engine would not fire. Panic set in and a frantic hunt for a plug socket took place. Luckily, Brad Still happened to be nearby and went to fetch a socket from his pit area. A new plug was found from Maurice Frost and fitted, but the engine still would not go! Thomas was distraught on the dummy grid watching this unfold. Luckily, Brad Still noticed the throttle “didn’t feel right” and a closer inspection found the throttle cable had slipped from its mounting. The cable was quickly refitted and the engine burst into song.....it was music to Robert’s ears!

The kart was placed on the grid and the race began. Thomas started well and got to the lead by the 2nd corner. The pace was furious and he had to make sure he held his nerve for the full 19 laps. Constant challenges came from the karts behind him and the pressure was relentless for the entire race. He drove an almost faultless final and the speed he lacked up the hill was countered by his great pace through the downhill infield section of the challenging track. As the laps counted down, the realisation that he was going to become a champion started to set in. The second Thomas crossed the line in 1st place was the best feeling in the world! Not only had he won his first national title, but he had added another layer of racing maturity, which is brilliant. There are so many people to thank for this victory:

Grandad Barney - for always being so committed to helping Thomas race

Mum/Donna - for her constant love, support and belief that Thomas could secure a big win

Jessica and Hannah - for believing in and encouraging Thomas all the way

Stu Park - for making sure the engines and kart go as fast as possible all the time and for encouraging the team constantly

Murray, Liz and Matt Podjursky - for the support and encouragement of Thomas

Maurice Frost and Brad Still for getting the kart going for the Final and all the other things you guys do for us!

Jared and Liam Lawson for the kind words and support ...congratulations to Liam for winning the Junior Restricted Final also!!