Sport
15 March, 2022
Go-karting success at Australian titles
Young Mareeba speedster, Bray Taylor, has once again proved his skill and nerves of steel on the go kart track after he secured a second-place win at the recent 2022 SKAA Australian Titles.
After becoming the number one Queensland racer in the sub junior class, armed with his Q1 plate Bray and his family made the big journey from their farm outside of Mareeba to Mount Gambier for the Australian Titles late last month.
The eight-year-old driver begun racing full time just last year and has already proved his mettle, winning the Queensland Titles last year and nominating to compete in this year’s Australian Titles.
Despite coming second, Bray not only achieved the quickest lap time at 18.535, but he also managed to crack the top speed at a whopping 72km/h.
Bray’s father, Mark, said the top three drivers, including Bray, were well ahead of the pack and kept changing positions throughout the race.
“It was exciting to see, the top three were battling it – they were like side by side,” he said.
Bray was speeding to the head of the pack before a small crash caused him to be put at the back of the race, ending up half a lap behind first with only six laps to go out of the 12-lap race.
This hiccup did not deter Bray or affect his driving skill as he managed to thread his way back into the top three and cross the line.
“I was coming second the whole time and I accidently spun someone out, so I got put all the way to the back of the pack,” Bray said.
“It was like six more laps to go, and I was close to catching up.
“I reckon I would have got first if I didn’t accidently cause the spin out.”
Bray will now be moving up from the sub junior class, which use a restricted 100cc kart, to junior, which use an unrestricted 100cc kart.
The speedster will now once again set his sights on the Queensland Titles due to be held in Cairns in July, with hopes to grab another Q1 plate in the junior division and fully fill his new trophy cabinet with more first place trophies.
