Two Directions, Double the Fun at One Raceway
21 June 2026 / Story by Bryan Shedden, Photos by Anthony Tsikas and John Karayannis
On Sunday 14 June 2026, 27 club members enjoyed a unique day of competition at One Raceway for Round 4 of the 2026 CSCA Supersprint Championship / MX-5 Club of NSW Sprint Championship. Competitors tackled the clockwise Wakefield Circuit in the morning before switching to the anti-clockwise Shelley Circuit after lunch, with Round 4 treated as a single event and half-points allocated for each layout.
Light rain on the drive to Goulburn left the track damp for the opening runs, prompting cautious early laps as drivers searched for grip. As conditions improved, lap times quickly began to fall. Thanks to some successful lobbying by John Karayannis, most MX-5 competitors were allocated to just two run groups, making life much easier for those sharing cars and providing ample time for driver changes.
Finding a clear lap remained a challenge throughout the day, however. Large speed differences across the field created plenty of traffic, leaving few opportunities to piece together a perfect run.
One of the lighter moments came courtesy of father-and-son team Bryan and Alex Shedden, who shared Alex's NB8A. Their day ended on a memorable note when Bryan put a sizeable flat spot on the tyres under braking into the fish-hook during the final session. Once the laughter subsided, Bryan reminded Alex that they were his tyres anyway. Alex still had the final word, however, finishing ahead of his father on the Shelley Circuit.
Mechanical gremlins also made an appearance. John Karayannis' NC became stuck in neutral after the final run and was left awaiting recovery, while Leo Ascone's NB SE suffered a separate issue. The Muir brothers' modified NB also spent the day battling a troublesome throttle body. As always, club members rallied around to help. Gerardo Martin assisted with repairs to Leo's car, Leo and Janine provided transport home for Charlie and John, and Ian Combes helped recover John's car later in the week.
Although MX-5s made up a significant portion of the field, the event — organised by the Triumph Sports Owners Association — featured some impressive machinery. The standout was a McLaren 570S GT4, a $350,000 factory-built race car that proved only four to five seconds quicker than the fastest MX-5s.
Among the MX-5 contingent, Sarah Medley set the benchmark on the Wakefield Circuit with a 1:07.072, while Jason Russell was fastest on the Shelley Circuit with a 1:07.942. Lou Iezzi was consistently near the front on both layouts, featuring prominently among the quickest MX-5 drivers throughout the day.
Sprint Championship scoring was exceptionally close. On Wakefield, John Karayannis, Luke Kovacic and Gerardo Martin were separated by a mere 0.04% in Clubman Class. On the Shelley Circuit, Charlie Karayannis edged out his father by just 0.02%.
In the remaining classes, Kyle Robinson claimed Modified honours, Lou Iezzi won Open, and Jason Atkins took victory in Non-MX-5. For the first time in living memory, there were no competitors in Standard Class after Bryan and Alex were moved into Clubman due to their use of non-standard wheel sizes, while Ralph Thompson has made some modifications to his ND.
In the outright Sprint Championship standings, John Karayannis emerged victorious on 23.5 points, with Luke Kovacic second on 21 points and Charlie Karayannis third on 19.5 points.
With two circuit layouts, changing conditions, close competition and the club's trademark camaraderie, the day delivered everything members enjoy about MX-5 motorsport.
