news page banner


Grant Remains The Man To Beat


press release 12 March 2013
 

Aucklander Ryan Grant remains the driver to beat in the premier KZ2 class after two rounds of this year's Formula S KartSport ProKart Series.

Ryan, the dominant force in the class since the series started in 2009, dominated the opening round of the 2013 series at the big Mi Sedaap CIK Trophy of New Zealand meeting in Wellington in January and he won all but one of the five races at the second round at the KartSport Rotorua International Raceway over the weekend.


Above: Ryan Grant, KZ2 winner
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

Multi-time former New Zealand sprint class champion Matthew Hamilton of Christchurch did beat Grant's teammate Graeme Smyth and Grant to the finish line in the Pre-Final on Sunday. But that was after a minor technical hiccup meant Grant was slow to get off the line and any hopes Hamilton might have had of staying in front of Grant in the Final were dashed when his kart ground to a halt with a broken chain on the first lap.

That left Grant in a lead in the Final he would never lose from Smyth - back in the series after missing the first round - with reigning South Island class champion Chris Cox third and fellow Mainlander Matt Williams fourth. 

Meanwhile, with last year's class winner Tom Curran sitting out this year's series, KZ2 Masters has so far proved the preserve of F 125 S club President Steve Brown, who qualified quickest and won all five races at Rotorua, including the new format reverse top six grid third heat.


Above: Steve Brown, first in KZ2 Masters
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

Appropriately, class Vice President, Snow Mooney, also from Auckland, ended up second in the Final with the Wheeler brothers Todd and Mark impressing with their pace on the high-speed Rotorua circuit third and fourth respectively and Mark Lane fifth.

Young Hawke's Bay driver Mitchell Turner, the defending North Island class champion, qualified quickest and dominated proceedings in the KF3 class, winning the Final from Arran Crighton and Mitch Sanders and only missing out on a clean sweep of race wins when he fouled a spark plug and didn't get to start the first heat.

Logan Brown also had a starting issue in one of the heats  but like Turner recovered to complete the other races, in his case crossing the line in fourth place in the Final in front of class newcomers Thomas Batt and Oscar Drummond.


Above: Junior KF3 victory went to Mitchell Turner
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

The weekend's round of the 2013 Formula S KartSport ProKart Series was the second of six with subsequent rounds to be held at Te Puke, Tokoroa, Hawke's Bay and Auckland. 

 

Home



kartsportnews promo banner