New Zealand Karting Nationals

press release

Senior 100cc Yamaha Light title winner Alex Geary headed a lineup of new faces at KartSport New Zealand's 50th anniversary National Sprint Championship meeting in Hamilton over the Easter weekend.

Above: Alex Geary
pic Fast Company/Championship Digital

The 17-year-old from New Plymouth has only been racing for the past three years but proved to be the class of the blue riband Senior 100cc Yamaha Light field on Saturday, qualifying quickest and winning the second heat, the Pre-Final and the Final at the Toyota Racing Series-supported event.

He did it in style too, beating top local driver Tyler Richardson and Auckland's Deon Forrest in the Pre-Final (the race to decide grid positions for the Final) then multi-time New Zealand champion Matthew Hamilton and Tokoroa's David Meszaros in the Final.

For his troubles Geary won a trip to Japan to compete at the Toyota All Japan Challenge meeting later in the year as well as a test drive in a Toyota Racing Series racing car at the Manfeild motor racing circuit in May.

Above: Geary leads the 100cc Yamaha Light field
pic Fast Company/Championship Digital

The test drive is part of the Toyota Fast Track Award created for the 50th anniversary meeting with Geary one of 10 drivers to qualify for the test.

There was a real 'changing-of-the-guard' feel to this year's National Sprint Championship meeting with a number of defending class champions competing but none able to retain their titles.

In the Senior gearbox/Open classes the KZ2 title went to young Auckland gun Graeme Smyth, Open to fellow 17-year-old Richard Moore (also from Auckland) and F125S to Mark Swetman from the Bay of Plenty.

Above: KZ2 winner Grame Smyth
pic Fast Company/Championship Digital

In the Senior direct drive classes 100cc Yamaha Heavy went to top local driver Bradley Tyrrell, 125cc Rotax Max Light to Auckland's Ryan Urban and 125cc Rotax Max Heavy to Christchurch driver Simon Hunter.

Hunter was also in line to win his fourth straight 100cc Yamaha Heavy title on Saturday but Tyrrell was simply too good, qualifying quickest and clean-sweeping all four races.

Mention must also be made of the effort put in by fellow Christchurch driver Matthew Hamilton who was a contender in all three classes he competed in, finishing second in Open and Senior 100cc Yamaha Light and fourth in 125cc Rotax Max Light!

Above: Ryan Urban celebrates his Rotax Light victory. Just days prior to the Nationals, thieves stole his race van which contained his 250cc kart and all his race gear - while he was at the local kart shop!
pic Fast Company/Championship Digital

In the Junior classes honours were spread evenly, with titles going to Ari Hutton, Daniel Kinsman, Rhys Tinney and Mitchell Turner

Hutton claimed the Formula Junior crown on Sunday and was also first home in the Junior Yamaha Final on Saturday but lost that place and the possibility of a second title for passing under a yellow flag.

That gave Kinsman the win and title in Junior Yamaha with local hotshot Rhys Tinney coming through from ninth place on the grid to claim the Junior Restricted Yamaha title from Blenheim's Brook Reeve, and Hawke's Bay's Mitchell Turner winning the Cadet Final and title from KartSport Manawatu clubmates Dylan Drysdale and Thomas Ingram.

Above: Formula Junior winner Arie Hutton leading Daniel Kinsman and Bradley Hicks
pic Fast Company/Championship Digital

2009 KartSport New Zealand National Sprint Championships presented by Toyota Racing Series Hamilton Kart Club Airport Road Hamilton Easter weekend April 10-12 Results:

KZ2
1. Graeme Smyth; 2. Michael Kiser; 3. Jason Farmilo; 4. Richard Moore; 5. Matthew Grant; 6. Ethan de Jong; 7. Andy Knight; 8. Daniel Eggleton; 9. Daniel Dufty; 10. Steve Brown

F125S
1. Mark Swetman; 2. Snow Mooney; 3. Kevin Storr; 4. Bradley Alexander; 5. John Steward; 6. David Munro; 7. Steve Browne

Open
1. Richard Moore; 2. Matthew Hamilton; 3. Ryan Urban; 4. Michael Kiser; 5. Jonathan Pearson; 6. Richard Vickers; 7. Karl Wilson; 8. Craig Toy; 9. Matthew Kneesch

125cc Rotax Max Light
1. Ryan Urban; 2. Kane Taylor; 3. Tim Vickers; 4. Matthew Hamilton; 5. Mason Armstrong; 6. Zach Zaloum; 7. Mathew Kinsman; 8. Matthew Griffin; 9. Alex Geary; 10. Fiona Hamilton

125cc Rotax Max Heavy
1. Simon Hunter; 2. Hamish Cross; 3. Darren Aislabie; 4. Brendon Hart; 5. Paul Booth; 6. Aaron Woolley; 7. Michael Grimshaw; 8. David Waldmeyer; 9. Aarron Cunningham; 10. Brian Tyrrell

Senior 100cc Yamaha Light
1. Alex Geary; 2. Matthew Hamilton; 3. David Meszaros; 4. Tyler Richardson; 5. Tim Vickers; 6. Justin Herbert; 7. Phillip Watkins; 8. Zach Zaloum; 9. Andy Knight; 10. Cody McMaster

Senior 100cc Yamaha Heavy
1. Bradley Tyrrell; 2. Darren Aislabie; 3. Simon Hunter; 4. Michael Kiser; 5. Shane Hodgson; 6. Dion Kendall; 7. Donna Lee; 8. Nicholas Tosswill; 9. Aarron Cunningham; 10. Paul Booth

Formula Junior
1. Arie Hutton; 2. Stan Tangaroa-Green; 3. Bradley Hicks; 4. Daniel Connor; 5. Callum Quinn; 6. Daniel Kinsman; 7. Luke Kirk; 8. Fulton Penny; 9. Patrick Davy; 10. Campbell McLachlan

Junior 100cc Yamaha
1. Daniel Kinsman; 2. Paul Blomqvist; 3. Hayden Pedersen; 4. James Penrose; 5. Luke Kirk; 6. Jamie Gaskin; 7. Daniel Colville; 8. Andy Schofield; 9. Bradley Hicks; 10. Callum Quinn

Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha
1. Rhys Tinney; 2. Brook Reeve; 3. Christopher Sinclair; 4. Maddison Wise; 5. Aaron Marr; 6. Thomas McLean; 7. Jordan McDonnell; 8. Stephen Appleton; 9. Brent Neill; 10. Josh Drysdale

Cadet
1. Mitchell Turner; 2. Dylan Drysdale; 3. Thomas Ingram; 4. Chelsea Herbert; 5. Seth Rasmussen; 6. Matthew Podjursky; 7. Aston Phillips; 8. Jordan Lum; 9. Ethan Anderson; 10. Alex Edwards

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