Twin Island Title Tilt For Young Karter
press release
Young Rangiora karter Caleb Cross has got a big weekend coming up. In a history-making first he is contesting Cadet class titles at both North and South Island Sprint Kart championship meetings.
The 11-year-old can do so because the organisers of The Thirsty Whale-sponsored North Island meeting, KartSport Hawke's Bay, are running a three-day meeting with the Cadet class set to be contested on Friday, while the organisers of the Enersave-backed South Island one, KartSport Nelson, are running a two-day meeting with the Cadet class on Saturday.
Above: Like father, like son, Caleb Cross and his father Hamish
pic -
Fast Company/Cross family
While there is nothing out of the ordinary in a driver contesting two - or even three - classes at one of the meetings, Caleb's father Hamish, a successful kart and car racer in his own right, says that Caleb will be the first driver to attempt such a feat at two different championship meetings.
"Up until now it's never really been something that you'd contemplate because the Island meetings have always been Saturday and Sunday affairs. This year the Hawke's Bay club has decided to be a bit different and we've been able to take advantage of the fact," he said.
Hamish was first alerted to the possibility of an attempt on both Island Cadet titles by long-time family friend and crew member, Nelson man Graham Wehner.
"Graham's been helping me since I was Caleb's age," says Hamish, "and it was he who picked up the fact that the Hawke's Bay club were going to run Cadet on the Friday. He rang me and said 'what about having a go at both titles, no-one will have ever done that before?'
That got the ball rolling and after talking it through with Caleb then working through the logistics with Graham - Caleb will fly from Hastings to Nelson on Friday night while Hamish and Graham take his kart and associated gear in their van - Hamish decided 'to give it a crack!'
"At the end of the day," he says, "it came down to why not? Caleb's had a good year this year, he's already competed at both tracks, and bar Graham and I having to sleep on the ferry on Friday night it'll just be like any other race weekend."
And what are Caleb's chances of not only contesting but also winning both titles? Recent success suggests they are pretty good.
At the 2011 Speedy Signs New Zealand Sprint Kart championship meeting in Invercargill over the Easter weekend Caleb finished second in the Cadet class but since then he has won it at KartSport New Zealand's annual Schools Championships in Hamilton in July, at the annual Blossom meeting in Hawke's Bay in early September and at the annual Garden City Championship in Christchruch three weeks ago.
This year over Labour Weekend KartSport Hawke's Bay is hosting the North Island title meeting at its ZM Raceway at Roys Hill near Hastings while KartSport Nelson is hosting the South Island one the Classic Hits Raceway near Nelson.
With entries now closed the North Island meeting has attracted 143 starters, the South Island one 83.
