Bray Dominates KZ2; Kinsman Brothers Fight In Rotax LightTweetpress release Auckland international Daniel Bray was the dominant player in the KZ2 class while brothers Daniel and Mathew Kinsman ended up best of the 125cc Rotax Max Lights class runners at the big Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series/Gen-i KartStars Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand kart meeting at KartSport Bay of Plenty's Fagan's Valley Raceway over the July 28/29 weekend. Fresh from contesting the third and fourth rounds of SuperKarts USA's Pro Tour at the Miller Motorsports Park track in Utah the weekend before, Bray qualified quickest and led home either GP Karts teammate Matthew Hamilton from Christchurch or arch-rival Ryan Grant from Auckland in all but one race.
In that race (the Pre-Final) Grant managed to find a way past Bray early on and was able to hold the 24-year-old out. Come the Final though Bray was back in front with Hamilton second and Grant's teammate Graeme Smyth third at the line after Grant pulled out after just three laps. In the other Mi Sedaap instant noodles Pro Kart Series classes Hawke's Bay drivers were to the fore, defending title holder Tom Curran qualifying quickest and winning two of the three heats and the Final to claim KZ2 Masters honours for the round, and smooth, consistent young Mitchell Turner taking the KF3 round win off series points leader Josh Drysdale after Drysdale - who went on to win all the other class races - could only manage a seventh place finish in the first heat race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon. It the Gen-i KartStars Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand classes Auckland's Kane Taylor qualified quickest in Right Karts 125cc Rotax Max Light but had not one but two Kinsmans to contend with in the heats, Pre-Final and Final. He managed to keep the pair behind him in the first heat on Saturday but on Sunday the advantage swung the Kinsman brothers' way, Daniel winning the second heat and Pre-Final from Taylor then Daniel beating older brother Mathew, Daniel Connor, Taylor and Palmerston North's Fraser Hart to the line in the Final.
In the other Gen-i KartStars series' classes, Aucklander CJ Sinclair qualified quickest and took the battle to usual class pace-setter Scott Manson from Christchurch and Palmerston North driver Josh Drysdale (who competed in two classes at the meeting) in Arai Helmets Rotax Max Junior, eventually winning the Final and with it the round. Manson won the Pre-Final and led 25 of the 27 laps of the Final, but both Sinclair and Drysdale found a way past on the second to last lap. Manson got back past Drysdale on the last lap to re-claim second place but heading into the final corner the pair collided sending both karts off the track. Both drivers were able to get back onto the track and cross the start/finish line but Manson was in severe pain from what turned out to be serious damage to his left knee caused in the collision and ran off the track at the first corner. There was also drama in the Strata Networks 125cc Rotax Max Heavy class with Aucklander Shane Hodgson awarded the Final win after first-across-the-line Andrew Grant was subsequently disqualified over a flagging issue. That move in turn elevated Aucklander Aarron Cunningham to second and top local driver Niki Urwin to third. And where was early season stand-out - and class points leader - Zach Zaloum? The young Hawke's Bay driver arriving at the meeting with a heavy flu and - after qualifying seventh quickest - sat out the heats so that he had just enough energy for the Pre-Final (in which he did well to finish eighth) and the Final (ninth). A worthwhile result as he retained his series points lead heading into the next series round in Auckland in three week's time. Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series KZ2 KF3 KZ2 Masters Gen-i KartStars Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand Arai Helmets Rotax Max Junior Strata Networks 125cc Rotax Max Heavy
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