Close, But Cross Misses Unique Double
press release
It was close but newly crowned 2011 North Island Cadet class champion Caleb Cross was not able to complete the double on the first day of competition at the South Island karting championships in Nelson today.
Above: Eventual South Island Cadet class champion Jacob Mitchell (#18) leads the new North Island champion Caleb Cross (obscured) in one of the rain-lashed races at the Enersave 2011 KartSport NZ South Island Sprint championship meeting in Nelson today
pic - Fast Company/Blair Hall
Because the host of The Thirsty Whale-backed 2011 KartSport New Zealand North Island championship meeting, KartSport Hawke's Bay, decided to run that meeting over three days rather the more usual two, and because they scheduled the Cadet class on the first day (Friday), 11-year-old Rangiora karter Cross was - with the help of his parents and family friend Graham Weyner - able to contest both the North Island class title in Hastings on Friday and the South Island one in Nelson today.
After winning the North Island one with a bold pass on the last corner of the last lap yesterday things were looking good too, but it was not to be.
Earlier this morning young second-generation racer Cross qualified third behind eventual South Island title winner Jacob Mitchell and runner-up Reuben Adams and though he won the first heat and the Pre-Final his kart's engine lost its edge and he was not able to match Mitchell and Adams' pace in the Final, eventually crossing the finish line after a very wet race in third place.
"All credit to Jacob and Reuben," said Caleb's father Hamish - himself a championship winning karter. "We gave it our best shot but just came up a bit short in the Final. We had great pace in the Pre-Final but in the Final we were missing a thousand revs. Right now I don't know what the problem is, it could be the carbie, or it could be we just tried to do too much on the one engine. Whatever it is Caleb did a great job and given the same set of circumstances we'd do it again tomorrow."
Having crowned three class champions on Friday the organisers of the North Island championship ran off another three classes today with victory going to Ryan Urban from Auckland in Senior 100cc Yamaha Light, Aaron de Ridder from Taranaki in Senior 100cc Yamaha Heavy, and Josh Drysdale from the Manawatu in Junior 100cc Yamaha.
Above: Aucklander Ryan Urban (#90) on his way to winning the 2011 North Island Senior 100cc Yamaha Light title on the second day of competition at The Thirsty Whale 2011KartSport NZ North Island Sprint championship meeting in Hastings today
pic - Fast Company/Chris Morris
After yesterday's fine weather racing in the Hawke's Bay today was held under a leaden sky on a track which started out damp but progressively dried during the day.
Rain also played a part in the results on the first day of competition at the South Island meeting.
There, the South Island title winners were Jacob Mitchell from Christchurch in Cadet, NZV8 racer Adam Knight (also from Christchurch) in KZ2, fellow kart and car racer Chris Cox from Rangiora in 125cc Rotax Max Light, and Jordan McDonnell from Christchurch in Junior 100cc Yamaha.
The closest finish was in Junior 100cc Yamaha where Blenheim driver Scott Manson qualified quickest but was beaten to the finish line in the two heats and Pre-Final by Christchurch driver James Munro.
It was Manson who looked like he was going to win the Final though, until three-quarters of the way round the last lap when long-time rival McDonnell found a gap and forced his way through to take the win and South Island class title for 2011.
Action continues at the Hastings and Nelson tracks tomorrow (Sunday) with the forecast for clearing skies.
RESULTS
The Thirsty Whale 2011 KartSport NZ North Island Sprint Kart Championships, Hastings
Friday
KZ 2
1. Daniel Bray; 2. Mathew Kinsman; 3. Jonathan Pearson; 4. Bradley Hicks; 5. Aaron Wilson.
Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha
1. Jacob Cranston; 2. Campbell Joyes; 3. Thomas Pooley; 4. Nick Wiltshire; 5. Ethan Anderson; 6. Caleb Huston.
Cadet
1. Caleb Cross; 2. Matthew Payne; 3. Reece Hendl-Cox; 4. Tom Greig; 5. Nicholas Evans; 6. Lee Zeltwanger
Saturday
Senior 100cc Yamaha Light
1. Ryan Urban; 2. Andy Schofield; 3. Daniel Kinsman; 4. Arie Hutton; 5. Tyler Richardson; 6. Mathew Kinsman.
Senior 100cc Yamaha Heavy
1. Aaron de Ridder; 2. Tony Kinsman; 3. Adam Davis; 4.Sharn Connor; 5. Aarron Cunningham; 6. Liam Lewis
Junior 100cc Yamaha
1. Josh Drysdale; 2. Thomas Joyes; 3. Christopher Sinclair; 4. Thomas McLean; 5. James Webb; 6. Samuel Carpenter
Enersave 2011 KartSport NZ South Island Sprint Kart Championships, Nelson
Cadet
1. Jacob Mitchell; 2. Reuben Adams; 3. Caleb Cross; 4. Jarod Fisher; 5. Nicholas Third; 6. Cooper Forbes
Junior 100cc Yamaha
1. Jordan McDonnell; 2. Scott Manson; 3. James Munro; 4. Brett Neill; 5. Brooke Reeve; 6. Teneill Rasmussen
KZ2
1. Andy Knight; 2. Sam Gillam; 3. Chris Cox; 4. Matt Butchart; 5. Dyson Freeman; 6. Kent Ramsay; 7. Josh Burgess
125cc Rotax Max Light
1. Chris Cox; 2. Brendon Gridley; 3. Scott Downes; 4. James Penrose; 5. Thomas Emmerson; 6. Cody McMaster
