Revved-up karters bare teeth
IT WILL be the thundering stammer of two-stroke engines rather than barks and growls that reverberates from Dromeside Raceway when it hosts the Mack Trucks Top Dog Challenge.
Queensland's top kart racers will make their annual pilgrimage to Bundaberg this weekend for the prestigious competition.
Organiser Ray Fulcher said the event would resemble a dog fight as competitors mark their territory and bare their teeth in the pursuit of a coveted Top Dog Challenge trophy.
"This series has a reputation for producing a high quality of competition with closely contested races," he said.
"It consistently attracts a strong field of racers, many of whom make the journey from considerable distances."
Laying rubber for Bundaberg in the senior categories will be current Queensland champion Clinton Marcon and former national champions Kel Treseder and Ryan Fulcher.
In the junior categories, locals James Litzow, Jordi Marcon and former state title holder Jeremy Landt are expected to be prominent.
Fulcher said junior categories should feature exciting races for spectators with strong numbers of standout individual performers.
"It will be interesting to see what these young guys can achieve," he said.
Top Dog Challenge trophies become a collector's item and features a genuine Mack Truck bulldog usually reserved for the bonnet of a prime mover.
As well as trophies for the winners of the nine categories in the competition, there will be gold-plated equivalents on offer for overall junior and senior champions.
Fulcher expects the event to be one of the most closely contested in recent history.
"They're coming from all over this year," he said.
"And they're coming to win, nobody wants to play second fiddle, they want to be top dog."
Competitors will test their vehicles in practice laps from noon today, with racing from 9am tomorrow.
