Cream Rises To The Top As Goldstar Karters Turn It On In Taranaki

The cream definitely rose to the top at the opening round of the 2020/21 Manawatu & TRC Toyota-backed Wellington Provincial Karting Association’s (WPKA) Goldstar Series at the KartSport Taranaki club’s Todd Energy Raceway in Waitara on Sunday

Several drivers - young and not so - stepped up and stood out in the mixed wet/dry weather and track conditions, amongst them Senior class standouts Riley Jack (Open) and Scott Dalley (ClubSport 120) - both from Palmerston North - and impressive young Vortex ROK category Juniors Tom Bewley (Vortex ROK DVS Junior) from Havelock North and Jackson Culver (Cadet ROK) from Christchurch, each driver claiming a rare class and class GP race win double at the meeting.

Other drivers to claim class honours and also be first driver in that class home in one of the combined, stand-alone Grand Prix races which are such a key part of any Goldstar programme were Ashley Higgins from Palmerston North (125ccc Rotax Max Heavy), and defending series class title holder Ian Smith (Briggs LO206).

Other class winners, meanwhile, were;

• Vortex ROK DVS – Chris Cox (Rangiora)
• 125cc Rotax Max Light – Zac Stichbury (Havelock North)
• 125cc Rotax Max Junior – Taylor Payne (Auckland)
• Vortex Mini ROK – Judd Christiansen (Palmerston North)

The other Grand Prix (for the youngsters competing in the Vortex Mini ROK class) was won by recently crowned South Island champion Zach Tucker from Christchurch. Second was class round winner - and 2020 North Island class title holder – Judd Christiansen, third, young Auckland ace Marco Manson.

A feature at the meeting was the 16-strong entry in the latest Vortex engine category to be introduced here, Vortex ROK DVS. A sure sign of how close yet competitive the new class is came in the race stats; there were four different winners over the five heats – Ben Stewart from Wellington won the first. Brad Still from New Plymouth the second, James van den Berk from Hawke’s Bay the third and eventual class winner Chris Cox from Rangiora the fourth and fifth.

As has become a tradition in Kiwi kart circles now, the Goldstar Series takes a break over the high summer months before bursting back into life at the KartSport Wellington hosted second series’ round in early March 2021,

KartSport Hawke’s Bay will then host the third (final) round in early May and KartSport Manawatu the annual stand-alone ‘WPKA Championships’ in June 2021.

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