New Zealand North and South Island Sprint Kart Championships

• 2009 KartSport New Zealand Kiwi Kart North Island Sprint Kart Championships Manawatu Toyota Raceway Shirriffs Rd Palmerston North Fri-Sun Oct 23-25
• 2009 KartSport New Zealand Crafar Crouch Construction Ltd South Island Sprint Kart Championships Herkt Kart Raceway Wither Rd Extension Blenheim Sat-Sun Oct 24-25

press release

URBAN COMPLETES THE TITLE SET AT NORTH ISLAND KART CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING

Underlining his status as New Zealand's top Rotax Max class karter, Auckland driver Ryan Urban (right) completed his set of 2009 titles at KartSport New Zealand's North Island Sprint Kart Championship meeting in Palmerston North over the weekend.

Above: Ryan Urban
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

Over the Easter weekend in Hamilton, 26-year-old kart technician Urban won the New Zealand 125cc Rotax Max Light title, while in the Hawke's Bay last month he successfully defended his 2009 Gen-i Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand series title.

That just left the North Island title... which he duly won on Saturday in Palmerston North with a perfect quickest-in-qualifying-and-four-wins-from-four-starts score with defending North Island champion Matthew Griffin second and another young Auckland driver, Richard Oxton - son of New Zealand racing great David Oxton - third.

Urban was one of nine class title winners at the North Island championships, held this year in clear, cool conditions at the KartSport Manawatu Club's Manawatu Toyota Raceway on the outskirts of Palmerston North.

Urban was also one of four drivers across the nine classes contested to dominate their class, his qualifying, heats and finals clean-sweep matched by Tokoroa's Bradley Tyrrell in 125cc Rotax Max Heavy, Daniel Bray in KZ2 and Bradley Hicks in KF3.

Tyrrell was one of a number of drivers contesting two classes, but he had to be content with second place behind Wellington's Karl Wilson in the other class he contested (Senior 100cc Yamaha Heavy).

Above: Brad Tyrrell
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

Heading into the Pre-Final he had as good a chance as quickest qualifier, top female driver Donna Lee, and eventual winner Wilson.

But a broken stub axle saw him out of the Pre-Final on the first lap and - as a consequence - off the back of the grid for the Final, a handicap - despite one of the best drivers of the weekend - he was ultimately not able to overcome.

Wilson was another driver to enter two classes but neither he nor anyone else in the 125cc gearbox KZ2 category (his 'other' class) had any answer for international Daniel Bray from Auckland.

Above: Daniel Bray
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

Just back from a successful first full season racing gearbox karts professionally in the United States, Bray (right) was untroubled on his way to his own qualifying-heat-finals clean-sweep, claiming the Final and title with a couple of hundred metres of clear air over Daniel Dufty from the Bay of Plenty and John Wallace from the Hawke's Bay.

Young Bradley Hicks didn't have it quite so easy in the new KF3 Junior class, despite his own perfect score, club mate and 2009 Asia-Pacific KF3 Championship runner-up Arie Hutton rarely more than a kart length behind, the pair eventually edging away from eventual third place-getter Andy Schofield.

Above: KF3 Juniors form up, Hicks and Hutton on the front row
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

"I was definitely worried about Arie" admitted Hicks, "but the plan was to come here and try my hardest and hopefully win and that's what we did."

The title was the first major one for the 14-year-old who is one of a number of the country's top Juniors committing to the internationally recognised KF3 class.

"I'm a big fan of it, "he said, "the karts are awesomely fast in a straight line and have great power getting off the turns."

In the other classes contested over the weekend it was very much a case of what might have been - for a number of reasons.

In Junior 100cc Yamaha, reigning New Zealand champion and defending North Island champion Daniel Kinsman looked set to follow in the clean-sweep footsteps of Ryan Urban, Bradley Hicks et al until his kart's chain snapped on the first lap of the Final, leaving Cambridge's Andy Schofield to claim his first North Island title from local Josh Drysdale and Taranaki's Aaron Marr.

Reigning New Zealand 100cc Yamaha Light champion Alex Geary, just back from representing New Zealand in Japan, was also looking good to add the North Island 100cc Yamaha Light trophy to his cabinet before ending up second in the Final and therefore 2009 North Island rankings behind Andrew Hoare who drove the race of his life in the latest locally made Kiwi Kart.

Above: Andrew Hoare
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

After 17 years in the sport it was 26-year-old Palmerston North driver Hoare's first Island or National title and it was only won after one of the closest and most intense battles of the weekend.

"I knew we were capable of doing it, "he explained, "but we knew Alex was very fast and very consistent and after a mishap in the second heat we were definitely a bit worried. But hey we came back and though we were just holding on the whole time, we managed to get in front and stay there when it counted, so yes we all very happy with the result."

Young Taranaki driver Matthew Podjursky was another to do everything right in qualifying, the heats and the Pre-Final only to see his plans go awry in the Cadet Final, eventually being credited with third place after leading the driver he had spent the whole race dicing with, Hawke's Bay's Trey Nairn, into the final corner.

Above: Cadets
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

Unfortunately, the pair collided as Nairn tried a last-minute pass, sending Podjursky into a half spin.

The result was that Nairn was excluded from the results, the victory going to the driver who headed into the final corner in third place, local Jacob Cranston. Another local driver, Thomas Ingram ended up; second, Podjursky third.

In perhaps the most tightly contested class the Junior 100cc Restricted title ended up in Hawke's Bay driver Mitchell Turner's hands after a three-way fight involving clubmate Maddison Wise and Whangarei's Thomas McLean.

McLean crossed the finish line in front after getting the better of both Wise and Turner only to be excluded from the results on a technical issue leaving the title to go to Turner from Wise and Auckland's Jonathan Bexeda.

KZ2
1. Daniel Bray; 2. Daniel Dufty; 3. Johnathan Pearson; 4. John Wallace; 5. Leo Bult; 6. Steve Cox.

125cc Rotax Max Light
1. Ryan Urban; 2. Matthew Griffin; 3. Richard Oxton; 4. Mason Armstrong; 5. Niki Urwin; 6. John van Bommel.

125cc Rotax Max Heavy
1. Bradley Tyrrell; 2. Shane Hodgson; 3. Paul Booth; 4. Brendon Hart; 5. Aarron Cunningham; 6. David Waldmeyer

Senior 100cc Yamaha Light
1. Andrew Hoare; 2. Alex Geary; 3. Justin Herbert; 4. Nicholas Heywood; 5. Ryan Cappleman; 6. Ryan Bailey.

Senior 100cc Yamaha Heavy
1. Karl Wilson; 2. Bradley Tyrrell; 3. Zach Zaloum; 4. Darren Aisiablie; 5. William Thomason; 6. Hayden Sarcich.

KF3
1. Bradley Hicks; 2. Arie Hutton; 3. Andy Schofield; 4. Josh Drysdale; 5. Aaron Marr; 6. Daniel Connor

Junior 100cc Yamaha Light
1. Andy Schofield; 2. Josh Drysdale; 3. Aaron Marr; 4. Rhys Tinney; 5. Michael Scott; 6. Oliver Stewart.

Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha
1. Mitchell Turner; 2. Maddison Wise; 3. Jonathan Buxeda; 4. Joel Herbert; 5. Joseph Ganley; 6. Thomas Joyes

Cadet
1. Jacob Cranston; 2. Thomas Ingram; 3. Matthew Podjursky; 4. Jordan Lum; 5.Aston Phillips; 6. Thomas Batt.

 

SOUTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

Meanwhile at the South Island Championship meeting in Blenheim, multi-time New Zealand and Island kart champion Matthew Hamilton claimed spots on the podium in both the classes he contested, winning the South Island 125cc Rotax Max Light title on Sunday and finishing the closest of seconds to Invercargill's Jamie Conroy in the Senior 100cc Yamaha Light on Saturday.

Above: Jamie Conroy is chased by Matthew Hamilton
pic - Fast Company/Blair Hall

Hamilton, who won the New Zealand 125cc Rotax Max Light title most recently in 2008 and who is off with the New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge team to the annual Grand Final competition in Egypt next month, was in a class of his own in the Rotax Max Light class in Blenheim, qualifying quickest and winning both heats, the Pre-Final and Final, the latter from fellow Christchurch drivers Thomas Emmerson and 2007 South Island and 2008 New Zealand Junior 100cc Yamaha champion Chris Cox.

A little further down the 125cc Rotax Max Light field the battle for bragging rights in the Kugener household in Nelson went to daughter Taryn who crossed the line in 10th place, two places ahead of her father Grant who finished 12th.

In the other classes contested on Saturday Rangiora's James Penrose proved to be the driver to beat despite being pipped for fastest time in qualifying by Christchurch's Scott Manson. Manson also set the fastest lap time in the Final but ended up third behind Penrose - who also won the two heats and the Pre-Final - and Nelson's Matthew Butchart.

Cadet, meanwhile, turned into a battle of the Ryans with Ryan Yardley winning the heats and Pre-Final but Christchurch Kart Club clubmate Ryan McPherson coming out on top in the Final from Yardley and Thomas Pooley.

In the other Rotax Max class contested on Sunday Christchurch's Mark Coulbeck produced a Matthew Hamilton-like clean sweep in 125cc Rotax Max Heavy, qualifying quickest then winning the heats from fellow Cantabrian Matthew Pluck, the Pre-Final from Alex Spenceley and Pluck, and the Final from Pluck, Spenceley and the first of the locals, Andrew Brougham.

Finally, it was another Blenheim Kart Club member, Brook Reeve, who won the Junior 100cc Yamaha Restricted title, fighting off a spirited attack from fastest qualifier Cameron Taylor in the heats then another Christchurch driver, Brent Neill in both the Pre-Final and Final.

Above: Brook Reeve
pic - Fast Company/Blair Hall

125cc Rotax Max Light
1. Matthew Hamilton; 2. Thomas Emmerson; 3. Chris Cox; 4. Luke Kirk; 5. Simon Hunter; 6. Jesse Craig.

125cc Rotax Max Heavy
1. Mark Coulbeck; 2. Matthew Pluck; 3. Alex Spenceley; 4. Andrew Broughton; 5. Ray White; 6. Duncan Barrett

Senior 100cc Yamaha Light
1. Jamie Conroy; 2. Matthew Hamilton; 3. Ben Webb; 4. Jesse Craig; 5. Shawn Shilton; 6. Dyson Freeman

Junior 100cc Yamaha
1. James Penrose; 2. Matthew Butchart; 3. Scott Manson; 4. Alex Webb; 5. Jayden Dodge; 6. Michael Collins

Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha
1. Brook Reeve; 2. Brent Neill; 3. Kieran Woods; 4. Jordan McDonnell; 5. Jamie Smith; 6. Liam Young

Cadet
1. Ryan McPherson; 2. Ryan Yardley; 3. Thomas Pooley; 4. Bailey Paterson; 5. Caleb Cross; 6. Lewis Ball

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