Ben Rawlings (left), Neil Rawlings, Hadley Rawlings, Ricky Smith and Emersyn Rawlings with Better Dream. PHOTO: Supplied
TWO Gawler locals have dominated the State Go-Kart Racing Championships, taking home the top prize in their respective classes.
Drivers Josh Denton, 19, and Christian Cowie, 13, were victorious at the event at Bolivar two weekends ago.
The championships attracted top talent from around the country, with a highly-rated group of drivers from Victoria aiming to take the titles back across the border.
Incredibly, Christian won the KA4 junior light class despite driving with a broken arm he suffered just a fortnight prior while riding a scooter.
An orthopaedic surgeon designed a special cast that allowed him to compete, but he said he still felt uncomfortable during the race.
“To win with a broken arm against some of the best in Australia, I had a good race,” Christian said.
“I couldn’t really grip the wheel very well, but I was still able to drive.
“I was driving with one hand.”
Christian won his first three heats on Saturday, but a wet track saw him drop to third on Sunday.
Despite the setback, he stormed home to win the championship race by 1.5 seconds – his fourth state title.
His father, Greg Cowie, said Christian has “natural talent” for driving.
“He’s been driving since he was eight years old, his whole ambition is to keep driving,” he said.
“With racing, you can be taught to drive and all the rest of it, but if you don’t have the natural ability to do it, it’s just not going to happen for you.”
Like Christian, Josh won his first three heats in the KA3 Senior class, despite starting the first two races from fourth position on the grid.
In his final heat on Sunday he faced stiff competition from a highly-rated Victorian driver, but still managed to emerge victorious.
The championship race saw Josh pushed to the final corner by the same competitor, but he was able to pull away and take the win by 1.5 seconds – also his fourth state title.
He said it was fun to be pushed by talented drivers during the championships.
“It was good to have some close racing on the Sunday, that last race really had me on my toes,” Josh said.
“I know a lot of my friends who were there watching said their heart was pumping fast because they wanted me to win and it was really close.”
