Winmalee karter Joshua Benaud has had a successful year on the racing circuit for 2019. It was Josh's first year in the Rookie class, after moving up from Cadets at the beginning of the year.
At his home track of Lithgow, Josh, 10, won five of the seven rounds to take out the Combined Districts Kart Club championship in his class for the second year in a row, beating the lap record along the way. Also at Lithgow, Josh finished second in round 3 of the NSW state titles, losing by just a second to two-time national champion Ryan Tomsett. Following his successes throughout the year, Josh was awarded the President's shield, a perpetual trophy awarded to a single karter each year by the president of the Combined Districts club.
Competing at the Picton track, Joshua came home third in the Wollongong Club championship. Further west at the Orange Karting Raceway, Josh placed second at the South Pacific Titles and at round four of the Southern Stars racing series.
Overall, from his 16 starts in 2019 at three different circuits, Joshua earned a top-3 podium finish at 13 events.
Competition karting is running strongly in NSW this year under a new governing body, with thousands of competitors aged from seven to seventy, competing in their precision machines at over twenty kart racing clubs across the state. The Rookie class for 10 to 12-year-olds is one of the most competitive classes, with the young drivers learning their craft at speeds of up to 90km/h, and making plenty of friends along the way.
Racing recommences at Lithgow in February 2020, after the summer break.
