FAST COMPANY - Media Information - For immediate release
* Josh Hart
Rnd 5
Austrian Rotax Max Challenge
Pannonia Ring
Hungary
Sat-Sun
September 13-14
2008
17-09-08
SECOND WIN FOR HART IN AUSTRIAN KART SERIES
New Zealand karter Josh Hart has scored another impressive win in Europe, this time at the fifth round of this year's
Austrian Rotax Max Challenge last weekend.
The round was held at the Pannonia Ring circuit in Hungary and Hart's dominant performance - he qualified on pole and
won both Final races - has catapulted him to the top of the series points table with just one round to go.
.
Qualifying was close with Hart taking pole by less than 1/10th of a second, however his winning margins in the two
Finals races were just under two seconds in the first and just over two seconds in the second.
It was Hart's second clean sweep in this year's Austrian Challenge series and was a virtual repeat of his superb round
victory at Rothalmunster in Germany last month albeit one harder earned because it was the first time the young
Palmerston North driver had competed at the Pannonia ring circuit in Hungary.
With the win comes valuable points and Hart now leads the 2008 Austrian Rotax Max Challenge series with 270 points from
Hungarian Imre Birizda on 240 points. Birizda, who led the series until the latest round in his home country, carded a
eighth and sixth in the two Finals and with one round remaining (at Pachfurth in Austria over the October 4-5 weekend)
Hart is now in a good position to clinch the series.
The win is also a confidence-booster as Hart heads into the final round of the Rotax Max Euro Challenge series in Genk
Belgium over the September 27/28 weekend.
Hart reports; “We have completed two days of testing at Genk in preparation for this final round because it is another
track that I have not raced at. And it is certainly my goal to end up on the podium at this final round in Belgium.”
So far this season Hart has finished 10th at Wackersdorf in Germany and fifth at Sosnova in Czech Republic so that
podium is indeed a definite possibility at Genk.
ENDS