Karters chase state titles

THE karts are polished, the engines tuned and the karters are ready to race this weekend's Queensland titles.

About 15 of the area's finest head to Gympie for the event and a chance to pit their skills against the best from around the country.

Local ace Matt Dicinoski is realistic about the chances of local karters when they take on the best.

“It's a fairly strong contingent,” he said.

“The club's (Rockhampton Karting Club) is really stepping up.

“There are a lot going with a chance of getting somewhere.”

Dicinoski knows that a placing in the top 10 is a good result and that is what he has set his mind on achieving in the Leopard Light races.

Not all of the work is carried out on the track and Dicinoski points out that work done in the pits setting up a kart can alter its performance by a valuable fraction of a second.

“With 400 karts (in total) the track's grip level changes,” Dicinoski said.

Two members of the Smart City Vocational racing team will take to the track for the titles, Dicinoski and Scott Dagan, but the third member, Mark “Chooky” Edwards, misses this year's meeting.

“Chooky is still a novice but he's coming along strongly,” he said.

If everything goes to plan Dicinoski rates Dagan as a top-15 chance while he said if his own kart continues to perform as it has in recent weeks, he will be pushing for a place in the top five.

“I got a third in the Super Cheap series and so I'm really happy with the way I'm going,” he said.

The man they will be trying to beat in the Leopard Light races is Gladstone's John Grother while in the Leopard Heavy division competitors will be up against the best around in Bundaberg's Kel Treseder, the current national champion.

Dicinoski believes there are at least two more Rockhampton racers in with a chance of good placings, naming Michael Doherty and Graham Prajbisz in the Leopard Light as possibilities.

“Graham has been showing a lot of presence and pace, so he will be looking for a top-ten finish,” Dicinoski said.