Recapping the FIM MiniGP Australia action from Ipswich

2024 Fusport FIM MiniGP Australia Series
Round Three – Ipswich

Images by RbMotoLens

FIM MINIGP 160 cc & FIM MINIGP 190 cc

The third round of the 2024 Fusport FIM MiniGP Australia Series descended on the Ipswich Kart Track over the first weekend of June.

It was a typical Queensland weekend: rainy one day and perfect the next. Friday’s free practice was the most inclement, as Saturday had intermittent drizzle. Sunday dawned with not a cloud in the sky, providing perfect conditions for the youngsters as they battle for the reward of racing in Spain later this year.

As has been the case in the previous rounds, the lads carried on the record-breaking racing with a mass of remarkable displays of talent throughout the two classes. Not only at the front but the entire FIM MiniGP fields as the youngsters continue to improve on their racecraft and lap times.

The improvements are not restricted to the main classes as the two support classes – the Veterans and Open classes – provided excellent and enthralling racing around the very demanding 1080 metre, 13-turn track.

In the 160 cc class for 10-14-year-olds, Judd “Rocket Ronny” Plaisted continued his winning ways, bagging another couple of victories to keep his perfect winning score intact. If his name hasn’t been inked into your ‘Stars of the Future’ notebook, the entry is way overdue.

In the 190 cc class for 12-16-year-olds, the action was just as intense, with the wins split between series leader Levi Russo and 14-year-old Bodie Paige. Hudson Thompson also came very close to claiming a win.

FIM MINIGP 160 cc Race One

In 160 cc qualifying, Plaisted showed the way with laps faster than last year, underlining his progress.  Sydney-sider Issac Ayad qualified second with another young dynamo in Austin Attard, son of multiple-time road race champion Ben, third. The trio were split by less than half-a-second.

Ayad is in his third year in the class, while Attard is only nine-years-old and was granted special dispensation to compete this year. The same can be said for his Sunshine Coast counterpart Chaz William, and Theo Afeaki from Brisbane, who both commenced the year at the same age but have since moved into the double figures.

The Ipswich round also welcomed an international visitor with young Rehbar Baktoo from India debuting in the series.

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Come race one, Plaisted lived up to his “Rocket Ronny” nickname to bolt from the pack before going on to gap the field at roughly a second a lap. However, it was far from a procession as Williams, Ayad and Attard were embroiled in a monumental battle for the remaining podium spots.

Positions changed constantly, and Ayad’s late-braking prowess at the end of the back straight was mind-boggling. He and his younger brother, Ethan, have been taking lessons from Anthony West, and no doubt they have been listening because their skills have increased dramatically since last year.

Plaisted was Lorenzo-esque in his lap times, with all his flying laps within half-a-second as he stretched the lead out to over 13-seconds after the 17 laps, breaking his own lap record on the second lap in the process.

The trio behind was spectacular, as they tried everything in their expanding book of tricks to usurp each other. However, amongst the intensity, with less than three laps to go, Ayad overcooked it at turn six and crashed out. Attard took evasive action that saw him negate his final charge, as Williams claimed second. Attard grabbed his first podium in third.

FIM MINIGP 160 cc Race One Results

FIM MINIGP 160 cc Race Two

The second leg commenced much the same way as Plaisted led into the first turn and then went about stretching away from the field at roughly the same pace as the first stanza, again breaking the lap record he had only reset hours earlier.

He looked set to crack a 55-second lap, but had asked too much of his tyres, and the performance dropped off as the chasing pack of Ayad, Williams and Attard attempted to close the gap.

They couldn’t bridge that gap, though, and Plaisted went on to win number six on the trot.

Ayad went someway to make up for the disappointment of the first race to claim second.

Williams was third ahead of the extremely rapid-finishing Attard, who battled his way forward after a poor start. To underline his rapid progress, Attard lowered the lap record on the final lap, his 55.840 besting Plaisted’s earlier marker to set a new target for the class. This is remarkable for someone of such tender years and little race experience.

Plaisted won the round with a perfect score. Chaz Williams took second, while Attard rounded out the overall podium.

FIM MINIGP 160 cc Race Two Results

FIM MINIGP 160 cc Round Overall

FIM MINIGP 160 cc Standings

FIM MINIGP 190 cc Race One

While the 160s are in their third year of the concept, it is only the second year for the larger capacity categories.

In both classes, all engines are sealed, and there is a limit of two sets of Pirelli tyres for the two days. However, the 190 cc riders are permitted quick-shifters, Mupo suspension and slipper clutches and run larger 12-inch wheels, over the 10-inch rims of the 160 category.

Although the numbers may be fewer, with only seven competitors on the grid, the racing is as good as anywhere.

Series leader Levi Russo – who is also competing in the Asia Talent Cup – claimed pole from Bodie Paige and Hunter Thompson. Russo set a new qualifying record in the process, eclipsing Cameron Dunker’s time from last year.

Others in the class are Hunter Corney, the younger of the Paige lads, Jake, along with Riley Nauta and Archie Schmidt.

Why there are not more competitors is a mystery.

At the end of qualifying, it was the closest grid in the short history of the class with just 0.810sec separating the septuplet.

In the opening race, Russo blew the start, which allowed Jake Paige to shoot from the second row and into the lead. He almost took to the grass as he overtook Russo to lead him and his brother Bodie.

Jake held them at bay for just over two laps before Russo muscled his way into the lead, Bodie was quick to follow.  After a mediocre start, Thompson got his act together to move past Jake on the fourth lap and set about giving chase.

By lap six, Paige was in second place and was the first to break the old lap record.  Only for Thompson to then immediately break it again as he crossed the stripe. Russo, Thompson and Paige then traded the lap record once again on the following lap as they passed half-race distance.

The trio closed up as they again exchanged the fastest laps of the race and, with a few laps to go, half-a-second covered the triumvirate. Thompson then made a determined move to relegate Paige to third. This seemed to be enough to demoralise the Gold Coaster as he dropped off quickly.

Behind them, Jake Paige and Hunter Corney were embroiled in their own duel as they swapped paint and positions a few times. Ahead of them, the leading pair had now broken away by nearly two-seconds.

On the second last lap, Russo and Thompson swapped the lead five times in as many corners. Thompson grabbed the lead at the first hairpin, and then Russo did the same in the very next corner. A long drag to turn 11 had them side by side as Thompson grabbed the inside line into the final right-hand hairpin.

Russo was having none of it, and for the remaining two corners, they were silhouetted side-by-side. It was breathtaking, but Russo had the right line at the right time to claim the win by just three-tenths. Remarkable, safe, and determined racing.

In the madness of the final laps, Bodie dropped off by three-seconds to claim third from his younger brother, who, in turn, crossed the line half a bike length from Corney.

FIM MINIGP 190 cc Race One Results

FIM MINIGP 190 cc Race Two

Jake Paige had a brilliant start to take the lead early on in the second bout as Russo again had a problem getting off the line. It was short-lived, as the red flag was displayed after Archie Schmidt’s woe continued when he crashed out on the third lap.

There was a complete restart of 17 laps.

Russo blew the start monumentally this time with a gear selection problem and dropped to last place.

The Paige brothers gained the early running before Thompson passed Jake for second place and put his head down to chase Bodie. The three were again nose to tail around the circuit as Russo picked off the opposition one by one as he worked his way forward.

Nauta was an early retirement with an engine problem to make Levi’s s task a little easier.

By half race, Paige led Thompson by over a second, as Jake and Russo were glued together. Eventually, Russo made a ballsy move to get the better of Jake.

A few laps later, Russo muscled his way past Thompson on the 15th lap, but by this time, Paige’s lead was 1.6 seconds. He was determined to put the race one disappointment behind him and claim another win.

And Bodie Paige did indeed do that in style.

Russo gained some other consolation along with his second place after snatching away Bodie’s lap record.

The round win went to Levi Russo to extend his series lead over Bodie Paige, who took second for the round and now trails Russo by 33-points.

Hudson Thompson claimed the final step on the round rostrum.

FIM MINIGP 190 cc Race Two Results

FIM MINIGP 190 cc Round Overall

FIM MINIGP 190 cc Standings

Support Classes

In the Open class, Cameron Dunker claimed four wins from Jai Russo — the elder of the two Russo boys — with Adam Banner third overall.

Hats off to both Russo and Banner. Russo is only competing in the class this year, and Banner, who does a lot of work behind the scenes on the Ohvales and is very much a part-time racer, really lifts to keep Dunker and Russo in touch — at least for the first few laps before the much younger lads break away.

It was no surprise to see Dunker lower the Open class lap record several times. He is another metronomic rider who settles into a rhythm quickly then methodically punches out the laps.

For the Veterans, it is a big weekend. In addition to their four races, many of them cross-enter in the Open class, making it a weekend of 80 laps!

The opening leg was red flagged on Saturday afternoon, mainly because of the downpour that followed a slight shower. The race was declared wet, but when Chris Angelopoulos crashed, it was a fitting time to bring out the red flag and postpone the race until Sunday morning. Chris wasn’t too badly injured, but it was enough for him to withdraw from the meeting.

Additionally, that meant the big kids were to face 70 laps on Sunday, and at a physical track like Ipswich, that would be hard work.

As usual, the Veterans continued the close proximity racing. Nic Angelopolous and the ever-animated mad Italian Alessandro Fogli split the wins and finished on equal points. Fogli won the overall round win, as he won the final duel by just over a tenth.

The next round was to be held at Monarto (SA) near Tailem Bend on the weekend of 17-18 August. However, a date change by the Asia Talent Cup has now made that series clash with the South Australian round of the 2024 Fusport FIM MiniGP Australia Series, and as some of the local boys also compete in the Asia Talent Cup, MiniGP organisers are now investigating options for the rescheduling of round four.

Ohvale Open Class Results/Standings

Ohvale Veterans Round Results/Standings