Vincent Best of The Kiwis - Again!
| press release | 30 August 2016 |
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Young gun Emerson Vincent was again the top finishing Kiwi karter at the latest round of Australia's Rotax Pro Tour at Puckapunyal in rural Victoria over the weekend.
The eight-year-old from Pukekohe ended up third in the Micro Max class Final after qualifying third and enjoying a best heat race placing of second.
Above: Emerson Vincent (#10) was again the top finishing Kiwi at the latest round of the Rotax Rotax Pro
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Fast Company/Coopers Photography
Auckland 13-year-old Samuel Wright also did well, qualifying sixth quickest in the Junior Max Trophy class and storming back through the field to finish the Final in fifth place after a dnf in the Pre-Final.
That was as good as it got for the nine-strong Kiwi squad however.
Both Connor Davison from Hamilton (Mini Max) and Rianna O'Meara-Hunt from Wellington (Junior Max) claimed top 10 finishes in their respective Pre-Finals but fell foul of clashes with other karts in the Finals.
Above: Samuel Wright
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Fast Company/Coopers Photography
Davison got as high as seventh before his run ended on lap 16, while O'Meara-Hunt struggled back onto the track after being punted off it on the first lap from a grid 8 start to eventually cross the finish line in 23rd place with a damaged kart.
Matthew Payne from Pukekohe also had a weekend to forget despite a promising start which saw him qualify eighth in Junior Rotax and finish the first heat fourth. He got up to seventh place before a crash saw him out of the third heat on lap seven, and though he was able to start - and complete - the Pre-Final (in 14th place), damage to his kart meant he could not start the Final.
The other Kiwi driver in the Junior Max field, Jaden Ransley from Christchurch, qualified 23rd and had a best finish of 15th in the Pre-Final before slipping back to 19th in the Final.
The three Senior class drivers, Brendon Hart from Palmerston North, and the Stewart sisters, Ashleigh and Madeline from Wellington, also struggled. For Hart the weekend was all about dialling himself into a new (CRG) kart, with a best finish of 11th in the Rotax Heavy class Pre-Final.
Above: Jaden Ransley
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Fast Company/Coopers Photography
For the Stewart sisters however it was more the weekend that got away. As their father Tony explained.
"Puckapunyal is a high speed track where local knowledge is hugely beneficial. With August and September being so busy with racing in Australia and New Zealand, we were not able to test there with the team and paid the price.
"The girls improved over the weekend but were never comfortable with the karts or the track."
Above: Rianna O'Meara-Hunt
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Fast Company/Coopers Photography
That said there was little separating the pair throughout the weekend, with Madeline qualifying 16th, Ashleigh 17th and Ashleigh earning the best finish of the pair (12th in the Rotax Light Pre-Final) before Madeline finished the Final 13th, Ashleigh 16th.
The seventh and final round of Australia's 2016 Rotax Pro Tour takes place at the Lincoln County Raceway in Dubbo, NSW on September 30 – October 2.
