I was having a laugh with someone prior to the round that I'm sick of coming fourth all the time- fourth in heats, fourth in overall round results, fourth in series. They suggested next time I'm coming fourth I should back off and come fifth just to avoid seeing "fourth place" on the results. Or, another idea was that I could try and hit the top three. Well, okay...whatever.

Most eyes were looking skywards at the Island with ominous clouds looming most of the day. The good news was we were having a fourth heat counting for points, thanks to some democracy in action. The bad news was, we were back to mixed gearbox/ non gearbox races. Still, from my experience the PIARC flaggies are top notch and those blue flags are there when you need them.

Colin McIntyre was having a go at Rotax Fats once again, more was the pity for the rest of us. The sharp end would no doubt feature him, Rod Clarke in the blingy #27, my Hyper Brother Chris Jewell with fresh sponsorship from NGK plugs, the usual suspects from the Filliponi-Byrne mob, and Mr. Consistency Michael Smith. Added to that was green boot man Andrew Jackman, back after some ongoing knee dramas. John Bartlett made the trip from Adelaide once again to run with the Vics, and this time he brought two more South Aussies, Doug Savage, and Matt and Shaun Pannowitch.

People lined up when I claimed to have documents proving the identity of The Stig. Pic courtesy Gary Trounson

In the featherweight division Dean Crooke was looking good as always, along with the Gazolla brothers and Brad Stebbing. Sean Whitfield had dropped in from Canberra to run in Juniors, and since he was the only one we suspect Nationals testing was more the goal. Sean brought his Dad John along for support.

Barlett enjoyed the Island and got his eye in for the forthcoming Nationals. Pic courtesy Gary Trounson

As famous and picturesque etc. as Phillip Island is, it's traditionally been my bogie. My bugbear is lack of bottom end grunt exiting the two slow corners, Honda and MG, giving away loads of speed for the straights. However, out of a big heavies field I managed fifth, which was encouraging. Pole was Jewell, with McIntyre second from Clarke.

I've said it before- two-stroke tuning is not my forte. In fact, my recipe consists of a) rattling the plastic case containing all the carby main jets and b) picking whichever one falls out. A bit like Oz Lotto without the bored-looking adjudicators. BUT...that bottom end grunt I was searching for had to be around the corner, pardon the pun...so I fiddled a bit.

RACE 1

Rolling starts again, to the pleasure of all concerned. I was right up there. At Honda some Lightweights went synchronised spinning, spreadeagling the rest of them, including Dean Crooke and Sean Trounson. By the time us heavies arrived it was less chaotic but I still had to take the wide line and lost about five positions to all the other fatties. I caught the first group, Mick Treloar, Matt Palmer and others. After clearing them, up the road a bit was Filliponi in 6th. I caught him, got past, and by the southern loop I'd managed a gap.

Pic courtesy Gary Trounson

Brendan Luneman, Rod Clarke and Chris Jewell were up ahead, and I seemed to be closing a bit (I'll happily take that back when I see the lap charts!). Running out of laps, I finished sixth. Job done- I didn't come fourth. Still a little slower than Chris but I'd cracked the 2.02's for the first time. Huzzah! Chris Jewell was in the 2.01's, setting fastest lap but couldn't catch a break with the incidents and traffic, which turned out to be the story of his day.

The "overweight" Mark Wicks took a stunning win in Lights, with Dean Crooke putting on a comeback which was probably unnoticed and definitely unrivalled- passing over 20 karts in two laps for an eventual fifth.

Wicksy yet again proves he's worth every cent of his $250,000 salary at Hyper racer. Pic courtesy Gary Trounson

RACE 2

There was more traffic this time, and I was still a little gun shy from the beating at Calder park so I wasn't taking any chances. Luneman, Clarke and I had a ding dong battle for second, with the annoyingly brilliant McIntyre up ahead, having made more opportunity from the traffic. Still, he wasn't miles ahead.

I held down second place on the penultimate lap but in a drafting formulae this is never a good idea. Luneman outdragged me out of MG and down the final stretch to second place. Clarke also pounced on the line but I beat him to third by 1/1000th sec, or about a coat of silver paint. That's the highest heat finish thus far for the Lagler machine! Perhaps the fiddling had worked. Last year in round 1 I was beaten to third place by the same margin. So again, I avoided that fourth place- this plan was working out.

Leading the charge of the heavy brigade. Pic courtesy Gary Trounson

Not far behind was SA's John Bartlett in a solid fifth place. Dean Crooke won Lights by a long way, with some early resistance from Gazolla.

RACE 3

McIntyre had some dramas and started from pitlane. So, it was left to Clarke and me to fight out the lead for the whole race, with Michael Smith mixing it with us early.

Pic courtesy Gary Trounson

This time, for a change, I was getting out of the slow corners faster. When Clarke passed me up to the hayshed on the last lap I wasn't too fussed. But it all went banana shaped going over Lukey Heights as the gearbox karts came flying past. One nipped in front of Rod in the braking area. Rod locked up to avoid him, I cannoned into the back of Rod, who kept going, while I ended up backwards at the base of MG watching the whole field appear over the rise, screaming towards me with eyes as big as plates, including a quick-thinking Sean Whitfield in the thick of the action.

I rejoined and staggered home 9th. With much attrition behind me it could have been worse, but having said that, the win I was so close to, or second place, would have been much better. Well, no dreary fourth place again...

John Bartlett benefitted with a satisfying third place. In Lights it was Gazolla from Dean Crooke, who lead until the last corner.

RACE 4

Blackening skies loomed, and I gridded up 4th (D'OH!!) but in with a chance for a top three overall result. The three in front were: McIntyre (no chance), Clarke, and Michael Smith. A finish ahead of Smith would be just the ticket.

That was the order for half a lap, and I got past Smith. Then it rained, and I got past Rod. McIntyre had vanished up the road in a rooster tail of pure skill. The McIntyre family were major Ayrton Senna fans, and Colin clearly has the Senna-rain driving DNA. Dean Crooke, meanwhile, was doing the same thing in Lights.

All hail is about to break loose...

Then it hailed. Hailed! It was a new experience going over Lukey Heights with hail bouncing off the road and the visor. I was in second, until a moment at Honda where grip failed me and I went grass tracking, with Andrew Jackman sailing past (literally). But third was in the bag when the red flag came out.

Normally the race would be called from the previous lap so my second place should have been safe. But in this case it was decided the race has to be a minimum distance, so this race didnt get counted for points at all*.

This meant my overall third place was shot, pipped by Michael Smith with more consistent results in the first three heats. So where was I? Yep...fourth place.

*Post note: since the Superkart Standing regulations do not stipulate a minimum distance for a race to be counted, it appears this may not be the end! Watch this space...

MORE PICS by

Sean Whitfield loved the wet. That's a good sign...


Carnage at Honda in race one, with Crooke down the escape road and fired up...

In the morning practice/ qualifying...damp but not deluged...yet .

Since when has there been a golf driving range next to the circuit?

Those 'Meet the Drivers' sessions can be awkward, hey Dean!

(With my apologies to Kerryn and son Jamie. Thanks for dropping by the site!)