But we keep hearing of yet another stay of execution, and racing continues. Either way, the trip up the Hume (which has also been dug up) is worth it... just to play on the rises and falls of Oran Parks perfect curves.

Team Hyper sent a full contingent; Deano, Shaun Trounson, David "Speedy" Sheedy, Chris Jewell and moi. Dean was already pulverising lap records in Friday practice before I'd even arrived.

Saturday morning was spent transversing the entire paddock as various people claiming to belong to the race organising staff moved us from one prohibited pit area to another. We started out on a gravel track next to shipping containers and ended up in a carport so I won't complain.

All photos courtesy of Shauna Smith, Horswell Racing Team

QUALIFYING

Due to those, ahem, organisational issues in the morning, CJ and I joked that the PA call for "Superkarts to the warm up grid" would happen the moment drivers' briefing was over. Sure enough...

Then we sat on the grid for half an hour. Eventually we hit the GP circuit and all the memories came flooding back. I was in the 22's. The light guys were all trailing Deano's 19.3, so considering the weight difference that wasn't too bad. Although, it was inevitable Deano would go quicker. And quicker. And...

But Mr. Jewell, who was to be my nemesis for the day, creamed me with a 21.6.

In NSW they don't split the weight classes. So, with the likes of Deano, Alan Dodge, Andrew Gattellaro, Mark Vickers, Todd Gardner, Dennis Toressan and others, we could expect to be dicing for not much better than 6th.

And then there were those pesky gearbox karts. If they have a bad race, they grid up behind us in the next. Goody.

RACE 1 6 laps

Things have been a little more pleasant for me since the advent of rolling starts. No more fuelling up (mostly). CJ put on a new "no-more-Mr-Nice-guy" race face for this meeting and it seemed to work for him as he blasted away at the start. I couldn't keep Todd Gardner behind me and he pipped me on lap 1 to chase Chris, who Gardner nailed on lap 2.

Story of my day

Up front Deano was cruising away from Dodge and Gattellaro, with Gardner closing in. Some of the other lighter Max's, such as Mark Vickers, didn't make the finish and Dalton Rowell was languishing behind Dennis Torreson behind me, but they'd be a threat later. Poor Dave Speedy was parked on the go-kart track past the bridge, his airbox worked it's way loose and the thing ran a little lean.

I was also battling a misfire at top end. My jet settings, which worked so well elsewhere, didn't like the thicker air here.

Chris exited the last corner onto the straight, did a fancy little jink to the left for effect (he watches way too much motorsport on TV) and crossed the line 2/10ths ahead. I was still in the 1min 22's, which seemed a tad slow. It was Crooke by 12 seconds from Dodge, Gattellaro, Gardner, CJ, and me. 6th place, just as I thought!

RACE 2 5 laps

With my new rubber I figured I could probably go quicker than CJ, especially through the glorious esses and Suttons, but he was getting me at the start. Some of the recovering gearbox karts from race one, namely Cristallo and Shelton in the 125's, squeezed in between Chris Jewell and I, making the gap bigger than I wanted. The richer jet was working better.

The same gearboxes got past Gardner which put him into CJ's clutches. With Torreson, Vickers and Dalton Rowell coming up fast behind this began 3 furious laps of the most intense Rotaxing!

The frustrating bit is the lighter karts are quicker where it is easy to pass (exiting slow corners), and I am quicker where it isn't. Torreson squeezed past at turn 2 after the bridge which left me completely wide open for Vickers and Rowell to cruise on by.

Eventually, Torreson and Vickers dispensed with my Hyper rival. Chris, Rowell and me (7th, 8th, 9th) crossed the line barely 100th's apart. Up ahead was Deano by 7seconds from Dodge, Gattellaro, Gardner, Torresan and Vickers, only a 10th ahead of CJ.

Frightening, fun stuff.

RACE 3 5 laps

It was more of the same in this one. CJ got another cracker of a start. He was causing some huge readings on the Fangiometer today.

Love that final corner. Love 'em all!

Again it was Dalton Rowell, CJ, Me, and Dennis Toresson going hades for hide for the whole race. On lap 2 I posted a 1min20.7, finding almost two seconds since quali, on one brief, clear lap without traffic. But after that it was furious stuff. At the end of lap 4, dropping into the fantastic final corner, Torresson crossed up, letting me past, as he glanced the famous wall on the exit.

I thought that would have been Dennis' race run, but he still came back at me and we crossed the line Rowell, Jewell, Me, Torresson, (6th, 7th, 8th, 9th) all covered by 3/10th of a second. Phew.

Up ahead: Deano again, by 4 seconds (gap closing each race!) from the usual suspects Dodge, Vickers and Gattellaro.

RACE 4 8 laps

I managed to perform a Jedi mind trick on Jewell, convincing him to return to his gentlemanly ways and let me past if I feigned the appearance of being quicker in the final. Either that or he volunteered, I can't remember. The pack of Gardner, Toresson, Rowell were beatable. Dodge, Vickers, Gattellaro and Crooke were not.

One down, with Dodge not getting out of the dummy grid. But again the Jewell got us at the start, hounding Gardner. I hounded Chris until, using the Force, I squeezed past exiting turn 1 going under the bridge. Finally, a clear track! All the excitement was in my mirrors, so I put the head down and tried to keep the gap up. 21.4, 21.4, a 20.7 on the last lap...

this was all I saw up front. Deano, Gattellaro and Vickers. Like this the whole race...

CJ did a brilliant job of protecting me with the (lighter) pack of Rowell, Torresson and Gardner crawling all over the orange machine. I had to back off as 250 gearbox Sam Zavaglia came past and cost me 1.5 secs on the second-last lap, allowing the group to catch, but it was all under control for the Lagler Floor Sanding machine...

Up the road was the grandmother of all battles between Crooke, Gattellaro and Vickers. Which meant I was fourth!

But, out of all the 3,721 fourth places, this was probably my best one. CJ kept the rest behind him for 5th.

Gotcha!! Finally....

MORE OF SHAUNA'S SNAPS

Jason Laker had cause to smile, netting a 3rd outright in 250's despite a couple of DNF's.

Poor Wayne Horswell had a shocker with some misfires. Methinks his old Arrow was sulking at being replaced by the Dean Crooke machine...

Dave Sheedy foolishly takes directions from a deranged old man.

Shaun Trounson also had a shocker, with a blown clutch in race 1, and all downhill from there. Here things start getting fishy with Torresson

If only these Hyper seats were not so comfortable

Dean's performance was seismic...

President Clinton wondering if he'll be impeached

Yeah, it's tough at the top Mr. Brown

The very pragmatic John Pellicano, SWG chief, eyes on the 125 Gearbox trophy

JC's best work yet:

NATSOFT RACE RESULTS HERE