Swayn held off his nearest rival by three tenths of a second to salute in the Vic Combined Light at Portland and District Kart Club on Sunday.

The 17-year-old was thrilled to get off the mark in the first round of the series.

"I'm pretty excited, to win my first country series round," he said of the 16-lap race.

"I've been trying to get this for years, so it's good to finally get one."

The teenager said he would normally build form through a season so he was surprised to win straight up.

"Normally, it takes me a long time to get into it, to get it first round is a big bonus," he said.

The youngster started off pole, fell behind, then regained the lead on lap two and held on.

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Swayn, who has been driving for the past four years, said a new kart had helped his cause.

He upgraded from the Arrow X4 to the Arrow X5.

"It's more suited to my driving style," he said.

It's Swayn's second season in seniors and it was his first VCS round win in any class. He placed fifth overall in the VCS last year.

His team had been busily getting his new go-kart ready prior to the Portland event.

He said his long-time mentor Corey McCullagh, a Warrnambool sprintcar driver, had been pivotal in getting the kart right.

Swayn said the 2018 Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic-winner had taught him plenty.

"He's been able to teach me how to understand how a kart works and how to read it and how it feels," he said.

He added McCullagh, a former kart driver, had passed on knowledge about how to navigate different race situations.

Warrnambool Kart Club also enjoyed further success on the weekend with Seth Burton finishing second in the KA4 Junior Heavy.

Jaxon Johnstone, a VCS defending champion, was third in KA3 Junior.

Portland District Karting Club had some podium finishes as well.

Todd Chambers claimed second place in the 42 KA3 medium and third in the Vic Combined Light.

Scott King took first place in the 4 TAG heavy and Brocklan Parker claimed second place in the 14 KA4 Junior Light.

Meanwhile, South West Kart Club member Rusty Ponting has a big opportunity on Saturday.

The 10-year-old is one of 12 lucky cadet kids invited to a Formula One celebrity day at Todd Road kart circuit in Melbourne.

Rusty's dad, Warren, said the cadets would get the chance to crew and set up a kart for a celebrity.

"The kids are going to be the crew chiefs," he said.

Otherwise, Rusty has plenty on his schedule this year.

The Cobden youngster is aiming to complete all the events on the Australian Kart Championship calendar for the first time.

He has the first round in South Australia in a fortnight.

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