Locals Claim NZ Karting Schools' Titles
| press release | 22 July 2013 |
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Local teams claimed KartSport New Zealand's annual National Schools Championship titles in Christchurch over the weekend.
Brother and sister Ryan and Olivia Yardley won the premier Secondary Schools' title for Burnside High School while classmates Marcus Armstrong and Caleb Cross won the Primary/Intermediate title for Medbury School.
Above: National Schools class winners (l-to-r) Ryan and Olivia Yardley (Burnside High School) and Caleb Cross and Marcus Armstrong (Medbury School)
pic - Fast Company/Cam Gaille
Armstrong and fellow Christchurch driver Ryan McPherson were also the winners of the Bruce McLaren Awards.
This year's Armstrong Motor Group-backed National Schools' Championship meeting was hosted by the KartSport Canterbury club and Rangiora High School at Christchurch's Armstrong Motor Group kart track south-east of the city.
The event attracted over 90 entries with teams of karters representing schools from five primary and/or intermediate and 10 secondary schools spread from Invercargill in the south to Auckland in the north.
Multi-time New Zealand and South Island Sprint class champion James Penrose from Loburn in north-Canterbury was the big individual winner at the meeting adding National Schools titles in the two senior classes, 125cc Rotax Max Light and 100cc Yamaha Light, to the seven South Island and five New Zealand titles he already holds.
Other class winners over the two days were Thomas Boniface from New Plymouth (Cadet) and Caleb Cross (Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha), Marcus Armstrong (Formula Junior) and Ryan McPherson (Junior 100cc Yamaha) from Christchurch.
Above: 125cc Rotax Max/100cc Yamaha Light class winner James Penrose seen here leading Jonathan Buxeda and Olivia Yardley in one of the 125cc Rotax Max Light class races
pic - Fast Company/Cam Gaille
This year's was the 11th annual National Schools' Championship meeting and Burnside High School is now the seventh school to hold the premier Secondary Schools title. So far only one school - Palmerston North Boys High School - has won it three times (2005, 2010 and 2012) but two, Auckland's St Kentigern College (2004 & 2007) and Christchurch's St Andrews College (2008 & 2009), have won it twice.
The Bruce McLaren KartSport Awards are presented each year at the National Schools' meeting in association with the Bruce McLaren Trust and Formula Challenge. They go to the winners of the two best supported classes, in this year's case Junior 100cc Yamaha (Ryan McPherson) with 17 entries and Formula Junior (Marcus Armstrong) with 16.
The prize is the opportunity to drive a Formula Challenge racing car - but before either can take it up the two winners have to produce and present a project at their school on the career, achievements and values demonstrated by the driver the award honours, New Zealand racing great Bruce McLaren.
RESULTS
(subject to official confirmation)
Armstrong Motor Group 2013 KartSport New Zealand National Schools' Championships in association with KartSport Canterbury & Rangiora High School KartSport Canterbury Armstrong Motor Group Kart Raceway Carrs Rd, Halswell Christchurch
Secondary Schools
Burnside High School, Christchurch
(Olivia & Ryan Yardley)
Primary/Intermediate Schools
Medbury School, Christchurch
(Marcus Armstrong & Caleb Cross)
Bruce McLaren Award
Ryan McPherson & Marcus Armstrong
100cc Yamaha Light
1. James Penrose (ChCh) 4 points; 2. Rhys Tinney (Ham) 8; 3. Brent Neill (ChCh) 11; 4. Olivia Yardley (ChCh) 12; 5. Timothy Smith (ChCh) 21; 6. Jack Milligan (ChCh) 22
Junior 100cc Yamaha
1. Ryan McPherson (ChCh) 8; 2. Maddie Wise (HB) 10; 3. Trey Nairn (HB) 12; 4. Marcus Armstrong (ChCh) 24; 5. Ayden Polaschek (ChCh) 26; 6. Ryan Yardley (ChCh) 26
Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha
1. Caleb Cross (ChCh) 5 points; 2. Liam Lawson (Akld) 8; 3. Lewis Ball (ChCh) 11; 4. Lee Zeltwanger (Akld) 12; 5. Reuben Adams (Ch Ch) 21; 6. Joshua Donohue (Wgtn) 26
Cadet
1. Thomas Boniface (NP) 10 points; 2. SI Jacob Mitchell (ChCh) 11; 3 NZ Callum Hedge (BoP) 11; 4. Joshua Parkinson (Akld) 20; 5. Ryan Wood (Wgtn) 22; 6. Laura McPherson (ChCh) 28
Formula Junior
1. Marcus Armstrong (ChCh) 6 points; 2. Ryan Yardley (ChCh) 7; 3. Trey Nairn (HB) 9; 4. Maddie Wise (HB) 16; 5. Jai Buckley (ChCh) 16; 6. Travis Day (PN) 23
125cc Rotax Max Light
1. James Penrose (ChCh) 4 points; 2. Olivia Yardley (ChCh) 14; 3. Rhys Tinney (Ham) 15; 4. Jonathan Buxeda (Akld) 19; 5. Josh King (Dun) 23; 6. Jack Milligan (ChCh) 29.
