Australia’s representatives in the World Under 18 Karting Championship, Joseph Mawson and Jacob Parsons, believe the lessons they learnt in Portugal will put them in a good position for this weekend’s Castrol EDGE CIK Stars of Karting round.

Mawson, who sits fifth in the World Title chase, believes the lessons learnt at the U18 opener along with the home track advantage will aid him in securing his maiden Pro Light (KF1) victory at Eastern Creek.

“After racing in Portugal I’m pretty excited about getting back behind the wheel on my home track and put what I learnt over there into practice,” said the Fujitsu Cool driver.

“I learnt so much over there, it was an unbelievable experience. The event was a whole different level to what we have here and I was able to learn from the best drivers in the world which will hopefully help me with my racing here in Australia.

“There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to win this round but the competition will be tough with the likes of Cian (Fothergill), Adam Hughes and (Daniel) Rochford set to be three of the toughest drivers to beat.”

After starting the year off by recording a career-best fourth place finish at the opening round in South Australia, Parsons has endured somewhat of a rollercoaster ride over the following two rounds in Australia’s elite karting series.

“I feel as though I’ve been able to make a big step up this year,” said Parsons.

“To finish fourth at round one was very pleasing, but the next two rounds haven’t quite gone to plan. Newcastle I struggled physically and then Ipswich I had a pinched nerve in my neck which made it quite a tough round to get through.

“Overall I haven’t been happy with the past two rounds, despite the issues that I’ve faced, now this weekend I’m aiming for the podium.”

Like his Sydney counterpart, Parsons believes his Under 18 campaign will help him significantly with his racing in Australia.

“The opening round of the Under 18s in Portugal was my first real international event (Parsons raced in New Zealand in January) and I certainly learnt a lot from racing against the best drivers of the world,” said Parsons.

“Having to qualify from 71 drivers for 34 spots on the grid for the finals was a lot more pressure than what we have here.

“The race craft that the Europeans have is very different it here, I learnt a lot about their driving style and I feel more confident with my passing having raced in an more aggressive field. I also learnt a lot about having to ensure every corner perfect every lap because you can’t mess anything up, otherwise you’ll get passed.

“I’m confident that the lessons that I’ve leant will help me this weekend.”

A total of 121 entries have been received for this weekend’s event with the three Pro categories being supported by competitors in the Yamaha Challenge (Clubman and Junior National) and the Australian Leopard Challenge.

Qualifying and heat races will be contested on Saturday from 9am with the finals scheduled to get underway from 9am on Sunday.