Payne Back On Top at Aussie Pro Tour Round
| press release | 4 May 2015 |
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Young Auckland karter Matthew Payne has made it two wins from three starts in Australia's Rotax Pro Tour so far this year, again dominating the Junior Max Trophy class at the third round at Wodonga on the Victoria/New South Wales border over the weekend.
Payne, 13, claimed a debut class win at the opening series' round in Melbourne in January but slipped back to eighth at the second round in Dubbo in May.
Above: Young Kiwi karter Matthew Payne (#96) from Auckland on his way to an emphatic Final win in the Junior Max Trophy class
pic -
Fast Company/Coopers Photography
He wasted no time re-asserting his first round form at Wodonga, however, shadowing Dubbo round winner Reece Cohen in qualifying before disputing the lead on his way to close second place finishes in the first two heats before stepping up to win the third heat, Pre-Final and Final.
"A textbook start-to-finish victory," is how series publicist Liam Meegan described Payne's impressive lights-to-flag win in the Final, with Cohen second and Lucas Lichtenberger third.
Fellow young gun Dylan Drysdale from Palmerston North, enjoyed a strong start as well, also qualifying second quickest in his class, Junior Max, then winning the first heat on Saturday afternoon then the second on Sunday morning.
That was as good as it got for the recently crowned New Zealand Junior 100cc Yamaha champion, who had to fight his way back up to finish third in Heat 3 then ended up 10th in the Pre-Final and 13th in the Final.
The other resident Kiwi competing at the meeting, Aucklander Aarron Cunningham, had a good weekend in his class, DD2 Masters, impressing with sixth quickest time in qualifying and his best finish so far in Australia this year, third in the first heat.
Above: Kiwi Aarron Cunningham had a good weekend in the DD2 Masters class, ending up eighth overall
pic -
Fast Company/Coopers Photography
He was back in 13th spot in the second heat though before a dnf in the third then comeback drives for a ninth place finish in the Pre-Final and an eighth in the Final
Expat Kiwi (and Dylan's older brother) Josh Drysdale also competed at the meeting, qualifying 22nd in DD2 and carding a 20-14-14 run through the heats before a weekend-best ninth place in the Pre-Final then 15th at the line in the Final.
The is now a break of just over a month before the fourth round of the Pro Tour at Warwick in Queensland over the June 6-7 weekend.
2015 Australian Rotax Pro Tour Rnd 3 Albury-Wodonga Kart Club Sheathers Road Kart Complex Wodonga Victoria Fri-Sun May 01-03
Results
Junior Max Trophy
1. Matthew Payne
2. Reece Cohen
3. Lucas Lichtenberger
4. Mitchell Kerrison
5. Brodie Whitmore
6. Cody Burcher
Junior Max
1. Zane More
2. Reece Sidebottom
3. Dylan Hollis
4. Joshua Carr
5. Alec Morse
6. Jordan Love
also
13. Dylan Drysdale
DD2 Masters
1. Jason Hryniuk
2. Daniel Richert
3. Danny Wright
4. Scott Howard
5. Ryan Rannard
6. Klinton Hancey
also
8. Aarron Cunningham
DD2
1. Jason Pringle
2. Ryan Kennedy
3. Troy Woolston
4. Jordan Boys
5. William Brown
6. Lucas Ward
also
15. Josh Drysdale
Calendar
Rnd 1: Todd Road Melb, Vic 23-25 Jan
Rnd 2: Dubbo NSW 20-22 March
Rnd 3: Wodonga, VIC 1-3 May
Rnd 4: Warwick QLD 5-7 June
Rnd 5: Eastern Creek NSW 17-19 July
Rnd 6: Puckapunyal VIC 21-23 August
Grand Final: Ipswich NSW 2-4 October
