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Newly crowned karting World Champion, Paolo de Conto has struck success in his first race after winning the Title in Sweden, taking a narrow victory at the Race of Stars on the Gold Coast today.
The 24-year-old Italian star was locked in a race long battle with defending Race of Stars Champion Davide Fore and Gold Coast-based Dutchman, Marijn Kremers.
It took until two corners from home for de Conto to make the decisive move in his Team CRG Australia chassis, edging his way past Kremers in his Ricciardo Kart.
The leadup to that produced one of the best races seen in Australian karting with the trio of European stars swapping the lead at will right around the Xtreme Karting complex on the Gold Coast.
The first Aussie home was 14-year-old sensation, Tomas Gasperak. The KZ2 debutante was sublime throughout the course of the weekend in his Maserati Brisbane Gold Kart and he used the knowledge learnt from team-mate Fore to his absolute best.
In the lead junior category, KA2, it was Jace Matthews who took the biggest win of his career for Ricciardo Kart, leading home a determined Broc Feeney (Kosmic) and Harrison Hoey (CompKart).
Christian Pancione and Lachlan Hughes were also heavily in the fight which delivered some of the best racing from the class this season.
Australian Champion, Brendan Nelson walked away with the TaG 125 surfboard. The Gold Coast-based Toowoomba product had to fight hard for the win with former Junior star, Joshua Rogers really taking the fight up to the FA Kart driver.
Nelson in the end got the win and Rogers second whilst Marc Tulloch came home third.
Declan Matthews completed a good weekend for the Ricciardo team taking out the new KA3 Junior category. An unexpected victor, Matthews won by the barest of margins crossing the line mere millimetres in front of Reece Cohen. Oscar Priest was able to complete the podium, whilst Jace Matthews completed his good day finishing fourth.
Another Declan in HDR Arrow’s Declan Fraser took out the KA3 Senior category. It was a typically epic KA3 battle with any number of drivers in with a shot of victory. Fraser got the job done in narrowly beating home Thomas Fraser in the PIRTEK Arrow whilst Beck Connell completed the podium. She led at stages during the race and was looking likely for the win throughout various parts of the race.
Joshua Smith took out KA4 Junior after a great battle with Emerson Harvey. The pair skipped away from the field and were having their own fight. In the end the duo crossed the line comfortably in front of Jai Brown, who emerged in third position after a tough fight for the minors.
Adrian Haak took his EVO Kart to victory lane in the Cadet 12 category. A brilliant race yet again, Haak got the best of the opposition to take the biggest win of his career to date.
He led home a pair of South Australians in Blake Purdie and Christian Cowie, both of whom had their own epic battle with a number of racers to complete the podium. Oscar Targett qualified on the pole and was right in the fight for the win right up to the end aboard his JC Kart.
