NZ Karting Champs Make Their Mark In Motorsport
press release
New Zealand's own Scott Dixon, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 2008 and is a two-time former winner of the IndyCar Series in the United States, got his start in karts. As did the vast majority of the world's top drivers today.
So as karters from all over the country converge on the KartSport Southland club's Macaulay Ford Kart Raceway in Invercargill for the Speedy Signs-sponsored 52nd KartSport New Zealand National Sprint Championships over the Easter weekend there is a very good chance that you will recognise some names already and that in two or three years time find others cropping up in the results at major car meetings here and overseas.
Above: 2003 World Karting Champion and 2005 US IndyLights champion Wade Cunningham is one of the most successful graduates of the New Zealand KartSport scene.
Heading the list of event entrants who race karts as well as cars is Matthew Hamilton, a multi-time New Zealand and South Island champion who has raced Formula Ford and Toyota Racing Series single-seaters as well as BMW Minis (he won the New Zealand championship in 2009/10) and V8 Supercars.
Fellow Christchurch drivers Andy Knight and Cody McMaster have also enjoyed success in cars, Knight winning the Toyota Racing Series outright as well as the New Zealand Grand Prix in 2008 before moving to the BNT V8s class, and McMaster winning the Suzuki Swift Cup in 2009.
This season young Rangiora driver Chris Cox, who is contesting the Senior 100cc Yamaha Light, KZ2 and 125cc Rotax Max Light classes this weekend, finished fifth in the Suzuki Swift Cup. Defending New Zealand 125cc Rotax Max Heavy champion Hamish Cross also has a strong car CV, having competed with success in the Formula Ford, Suzuki Swift Cup, Toyota Racing Series and Pro 7 categories.
It's when you look back through the record book that the role of KartSport as a breeding ground for the country's top racing drivers really comes into focus however.
In 1995, for instance, no fewer than five class title holders at the National Sprint championship meeting went on to enjoy stellar careers in cars, starting with Midget class title holder Chris Pither.
Pither has just won the 2011 Enzed V8 Ute Championship title having returned home for the summer from where he now lives on Australia's Gold Coast. Since he has been living and racing in Australia the former Palmerston North driver has contested the Australian V8 Ute Championship and the Fujitsu V8 Supercar series.
Then there is 1995 Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha champion Fabian Coulthard, who is now racing V8 Supercars for the Walkinshaw Racing Holden team.
He made his first mark in cars here, winning the New Zealand Formula Ford title in 2001, then used Australia's Porsche Carrera Cup Championship (which he won in 2005) as a springboard to the V8 Supercar category.
Auckland's Jason Liefting and Hamilton's Ross Rutherford are the other two 1995 title holders who went on to achieve success in cars, Liefting in Formula Fords here and in Australia, Rutherford in the local Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.
To 1999 now and it a red-letter year for a pair of Auckland youngsters, Wade Cunningham and Jonny Reid. That year Cunningham won the New Zealand Junior ICA title, Reid the Junior 100cc Yamaha one.
Since then both drivers have achieved at the highest level on the world motorsport stage, Cunningham winning the World Karting Championship title in 2003 then the US Indy Lights title in 2005, Reid the New Zealand Grand Prix and New Zealand Formula Ford championship in 2002 before going on to lead New Zealand's A1GP World Cup of Motorsport campaign, finishing second in the 2006/07 series.
Since then the roll call of names continues with the likes of 2008 International Formula Master champion Chris Vander Drift (a three-time New Zealand Kart champion), 2006 Formula BMW Asia champion and 2010 New Zealand Grand Prix winner Earl Bamber (Junior ICA champion in 2004), 2011 Toyota Racing Series runner-up Nick Cassidy (a two-time KartSport New Zealand Sprint class champion) and two-time Toyota Racing Series champion and 2011 New Zealand Grand Prix winner Mitch Evans (Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha champion in 2005).
This weekend's Sprint Nationals meeting in Invercargill has attracted over 170 entries from as far north as Auckland - as well as one expat from Australia - with ten class titles to be contested over the three-day event.
KartSport fans who can't make it to the meeting will not miss out either, with Southland TV channel Cue TV covering the event with two one hour shows on Cue TV (Sky digital channel 110 and Freeview satellite channel 23).
The first will air on Saturday May 7 at 8.00pm with repeats on Saturday May 14 at 3.30pm, Saturday May 21 at 3.30pm and Sunday May 29 at 2.30pm.
The 2011 Speedy Signs KartSport New Zealand National Sprint Championship meeting is being run with the assistance of class sponsors, Invercargill Oil Shop, Kiwi Karts, Macaulay Ford, Mainland Karting, SBS Bank, Southland Brakes and Driveline, The Southland Times, The Rock and Transport Engineering Southland.
Action starts at KartSport Southland's Macaulay Ford Kart Raceway at Sandy Point Domain on Easter Friday and continues through Saturday and Sunday.
