Bray Back In Front At NZ Pro Kart Series Round 2
press release
What started as a four-way battle for the KZ2 class win was settled in defending champion Daniel Bray's favour at the second round of the 2011 Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series at Tokoroa's Pinex Raceway on Sunday.
Heading into the meeting the winner of the premier KZ2 class at the opening round of this year's Mi Sedaap series, Auckland's Ryan Grant, carried the favourite status.
Above: KZ2 class winner Daniel Bray
pic - Fast Company/Andre Elliot
And though his teammate Graeme Smyth pipped him for pole position in qualifying, Grant bounced back to win all three heats.
However Grant came off second-best in a three-way fight for the lead of the Pre-Final (the race that sets the grid for the Final), leaving victory in that race to Ryan Urban from Mathew Kinsman and William Thomason with Daniel Bray fourth and Grant back in 12th place.
With Graeme Smyth a dns (did not start) with a blown engine that meant the Final was going to be between Urban and Bray - with Grant an outside chance if he could make up for having to start from the sixth row of the grid..
The result?
Urban led Bray until the 12th lap then Bray led Urban until the last lap, Grant setting a new class track lap record (33.834 seconds) on his way back up to third place on the penultimate lap then second - passing Urban - on the last one, the order when the flag came out, Bray from Grant, Urban, Mathew Kinsman and Richard Moore.
Hawke's Bay driver Tom Curran didn't have it quite as hard in the KZ2 Masters class, though the gap back to fellow podium finishers Brett Hollander and Mark Lane was not as great as it was at the opening round at his home track in February.
Above: KZ2 Masters class winner Tom Curran
pic - Fast Company/Andre Elliot
Lane, in fact, managed to beat Curran to the flag in the first heat race. After that though, Curran returned to his winning ways in the two other heats as well as the Pre-Final and Final.
In the KF3 Junior support class, meanwhile, young Auckland driver Luke Dobbs stepped up for his first major Mi Sedaap Series win, which he achieved after claiming pole position from round one class winner Mitchell Turner in qualifying, then beating Turner to the line in the first and second heats.
Turner returned the favour in the third, but Dobbs was back in front in the Pre-Final - which he won from Turner, Joel Herbert and Emilee Wright - and the Final, in which he set a new class track lap record (35.891) on his way to victory from fellow Aucklander Herbert, Hawke's Bay driver Turner and new face Mitchell Sanders from Whakatane.
Above: KF3 Junior class winner Luke Dobbs
pic - Fast Company/Andre Elliot
Sunday's round was the second of five comprising this year's Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series with the third being hosted by KartSport Auckland at its Moselle Panel & Paint Raceway over the May 28-29 weekend.
2011 Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series
KZ2Final
1. Daniel Bray; 2. Ryan Grant; 3. Ryan Urban; 4. Mathew Kinsman; 5. Richard Moore; 6. William Thomason
KZ2 MastersFinal:
1. Tom Curran; 2. Brett Hollander; 3. Mark Lane; 4. Todd Wheeler; 5. Leo Bilt; 6. Garry Claxton
KF3 Final: 1. Luke Dobbs; 2. Joel Herbert; 3. Mitchell Turner; 4. Mitchell Sanders; 5. Connor Westbury; 6. Emilee Wright
Calendar
Rnd 1 Feb 27-28 Royshill ZM Raceway Hastings
Rnd 2 April 02-03 Pinex Raceway Tokoroa
Rnd 3 May 28-29 Moselle Paint & Panel Raceway Auckland
Rnd 4 August 13-14 Fagan's Valley Raceway Te Puke
Rnd 5 September 17-18 Hamilton Kart Club Raceway
