Liam Carr made a bold statement in the chase for the KA2 Junior SP Tools Australian Kart Championship with a flawless display in Newcastle, while Troy Loeskow etched his name into the record books with a milestone win in KZ2.

The third round of the Championship, presented by Castrol, delivered high drama from the outset and shaped a clearer picture of key title contenders across several classes.

Carr dominated the KA2 category, scoring maximum points across the weekend before clearing out to a six-second win in Sunday’s Final aboard his Kart Republic entry. Hamish Campbell and Jye Flynn completed the podium.

In KZ2, Loeskow returned to form, taking his first win since Emerald in 2024. The Bundaberg driver now sits alongside Brad Jenner atop the all-time round wins list with 14.

Loeskow inherited the lead early before holding off a spirited charge from DAP driver Scott Chaston, who claimed his first career podium. Jay Coul salvaged third for BirelART, while points leader Dylan Guest recovered to sixth after an early mistake cost him the race lead.

One of the standout performances came in KA3 Junior, where Top Gun’s Luke Nolan claimed a maiden AKC round win after withstanding relentless pressure from Paddy Buckley and Braxton Regan.

Younger brother Brock added to the family’s celebrations with a maiden Cadet 12 podium behind Cooper Clavell and standout winner Oliver Williamson – who now leads the Championship.

In TaG 125, Jackson Souslin-Harlow extended his points lead with a commanding weekend, defeating defending champion Harrison Hoey in the final. A post-race penalty for Mika Lemasurier elevated Kiahn Burt to the podium.

KA3 Senior honours went to Toby Spinks after a tight battle with Zac Heard and Round 1 winner Christian Estasy, who remains firmly in title contention.

Victorian driver Milan Sami took a third-straight round win in Cadet 9 to strengthen his title hopes, edging out Felix Sim, who was a standout across the weekend. Ryder Xiong claimed third.

In X30, Brodie Whitmore bounced back from Round One disappointment with a dominant 3.4-second victory. Max Walton claimed second, while Jett Kocoski was elevated to third following a penalty to Tyler Howard.

The Championship now heads to Ipswich for the penultimate round on 26-27 July before concluding on the first weekend of September in Coffs Harbour.