Busy Month for Kiwi Karters

With the country's annual international meeting, the CIK Trophy of New Zealand - presented by Paymark, over for another year the focus for KartSport competitors around the country turns to the various multi-round series which kick off this weekend.

First up is the opening round of the long-running JK Engines' Top Half series at the KartSport Mt Wellington club's Mt Wellington Raceway on Sunday. This year the Top Half series will be contested over four rounds, with the second at KartSport Auckland's Moselle Paint & Panel Raceway on March 6, the third at the KartSport Eastern Bay of Plenty's KartZone Raceway at Edgecumbe on March 20 and the final at KartSport Hamilton's track on May 15.

Next up is the annual Right Karts' Kartstars Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand series which opens at KartSport Manawatu's annual day/night 'Kart in the Dark' meeting in Palmerston North on Saturday February 19 with subsequent rounds at Tokoroa and Te Puke in March, Auckland in July, Hamilton in August and Rotorua in September.

The big incentive for karters contesting this series is the chance to win a place at the annual Grand Final. Last year, in Italy, two of the five New Zealand drivers finished on the podium, Josh Hart claiming second in Senior Rotax Max, Matthew Hamilton third in DD2.

This year the Grand Final will be held at Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates with four spots available to local Challenge contestants, two in the Senior classes, one in Junior and one in Masters.

Finally, book-ending one of the busiest months on the national calendar, the annual Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series kicks off at Hastings at the end of the month (Feb 27/28) with subsequent rounds at Tokoroa in April, Auckland in May, Te Puke in August and Hamilton in September.

At the other end of the country, KartSport Invercargill also hosts the opening round of the 2011 Mainland (Sth Island) series at its annual Spirit of the Nation meeting over the Feb 27/28 weekend.

The Spirit of the Nation meeting will be the first major regional one on KartSport Southland's recently extended Macaulay Ford Kart Raceway and will act as an excellent dry run for the Speedy Signs 2011 National Sprint Championship meeting being hosted by the club at the track over the Easter weekend.

ENDS

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