Kiwis On top Ahead Of Kart Champs Clash In Hamilton

Kiwis On top Ahead Of Kart Champs Clash In Hamilton

Kiwi karters Ryan Grant and Daniel Connor have topped the time sheets in their respective classes ahead of the weekend's National Kart Championship meeting in Hamilton.

Three-time former New Zealand champion Ryan Grant of Auckland just edged out Christchurch's Matthew Hamilton for the top spot in the KZ2 class in qualifying today with a best lap time of 36.434 while defending champion Daniel Connor saw off fellow Aucklander Mathew Kinsman with a best 125cc Rotax Max Light class lap time of 39.177.

With Australia's top 125cc Rotax Max Light class exponent, Melbourne driver David Sera spear-heading a six-strong team of Australian drivers, karters on this side of the Tasman were expecting serious competition for the top qualifying spots at the MG Tyres-sponsored KartSport New Zealand National Sprint Championship event today.

Best of the Australian visitors, however, was expat Lane Moore with third quickest time in both the 125cc Rotax Max Heavy and 100cc Yamaha Heavy classes.

Next was legendary Australian karting veteran Remo Luciani with the fourth quickest qualifying time in the 100cc Yamaha Heavy class then Melbourne teenager Ricky Capo with the fifth best time in KZ2.

Mark Dorbolo and Cousins David and James Sera, meanwhile, could only manage the eighth quickest lap times in their respective classes.

Best of the locals were Campbell Joyes, second quickest in Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha, and Matthew Payne, second quickest in the Cadet class.

Close to 200 entries from across New Zealand and Australia have been received for this year's MG Tyres-backed National Sprint Championships with 125cc Yamaha Light the best supported Senior class with 30 entries and Junior 100cc Yamaha the best supported Junior (under 16) one with 24.

Ten separate class titles were be contested over the weekend, with Cadet, Junior 100cc Yamaha, 100cc Yamaha Heavy, KZ2, 125cc Rotax Max Light and KF2 on Saturday, and Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha, KF3, 125cc Rotax Max Heavy and 100cc Yamaha Light on Sunday.

Ends

CAPTIONS

Top Australian karter David Sera leading Kiwi counterpart Daniel Kinsman in one of the heats at the North Island Sprint Kart Championships in the Hawke's Bay last Labour Weekend. Photo credit: Fast Company/Chris Morris

KZ2
Ryan Grant (Auckland) 36.434 1; Matthew Hamilton (Christchurch) 36.445 2; Graeme Smyth (Auckland) 36.467 3; Bradley Hicks (Auckland) 36.853 4; Ricky Capo (Australia) 37.010 5; Matt Williams (Christchurch) 37.018 6

125cc Rotax Max Light
Daniel Connor (Auckland) 39.117 1; Mathew Kinsman (Auckland) 39.215 2; Reid Harker (Auckland) 39.333 3; Kane Taylor (Auckland) 39.364 4; Daniel Kinsman (Auckland) 39.406 5; Stan Tangaroa-Green (Hamilton) 39.407 6. (also David Sera 39.418 8 )

125cc Rotax Max Heavy
Simon Hunter (Christchurch) 40.297 1; Zach Zaloum (Hastings) 40.394 2; Lane Moore (Australia) 40.416 3; Shaun Reay (Hastings) 40.458 4; Andrew Grant (Auckland) 40.483 5; Niki Urwin (Tauranga) 40.495 6

100cc Yamaha Light
Ryan Urban (Auckland) 40.532 1; James Penrose (Rangiora) 40.723 2; Andy Schofield (Hamilton) 40.786 3; Mathew Kinsman (Auckland) 40.797 4; Arie Hutton (Auckland) 40.851 5; Brad Still (Auckland) 40.865 6.

100cc Yamaha Heavy

Matthew Bufton (Rotorua) 41.652 1; Zach Zaloum (Hastings) 41.734 2; Lane Moore (Australia) 41.757 3; Simon Hunter (Christchurch) 41.788 4; Remo Luciani (Australia) 41.790 5; Shaun Reay (Hastings) 41.857 6.

KF2
Arie Hutton (Auckland) 38.088 1; Chris Cox (Rangiora) 38.206 2; Aaron Marr (New Plymouth) 38.269 3; Roland Davies (Auckland) 38.329 4; Alex Geary (New Plymouth) 38.497 5; Donna Lee (Hastings) 38.572 6

KF3
Luke Dobbs (Palmerston North) 39.449 1; Arran Crighton (Auckland) 39.478 2; Mitchell Turner (Hastings) 39.626 3; Josh Drysdale (Palmerston North) 39.633 4; Maddie Wise (Hastings) 39.640 6.

Junior 100cc Yamaha
Scott Manson (Christchurch) 40.255 1; Maddie Wise (Hastings) 40.290 2; Jordan McDonnell (Christchurch) 40.382 3; James Webb (Palmerston North) 40.597 4; Josh Drysdale (Palmerston North) 40.609 5; James Munro (Christchurch) 40.611 6.

Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha
Dylan Drysdale (Palmerston North) 42.3022 1; Campbell Joyes (Hamilton) 42.566 2; Thomas Pooley (Christchurch) 42.590 3; Jai Buckley (Palmerston North) 42.623 4; Chelsea Herbert (Auckland) 42.651 5; Marcus Armstrong (Christchurch) 42.666 6.

Cadet
Caleb Cross (Rangiora) 45.436 1; Matthew Payne (Hamilton) 45.450 2; Kaleb Ngatoa (Palmerston North) 45.495 3; Jacob Mitchell (Christchurch) 45.794 4; Sam Wright (Hamilton) 45.860 5; Joshua Parkinson (Auckland) 45.935 6.

Distributed by FAST COMPANY on behalf of KartSport NZ. To find out more about the 2012 MG Tyres KartSport New Zealand National Sprint championship meeting contact Ross MacKay on 021 677 919

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