Key Rotax Wins For Hunt & Drysdale


press release 25 August 2016

Palmerston North karters Josh Hart and Dylan Drysdale claimed key class wins at the latest double-header round of the 2016 Giltrap Group New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge kart series in Wellington over the weekend.

Hart, a multi-time former Challenge class winner, and New Zealand representative, won the DD2 class Finals on both days at George Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Raceway at Kaitoke to take the series' points lead in the class off early-season leader Mat Kinsman from Auckland.

Dylan Drysdale #11 won Rotax Light in Wellington on the weekend
Above: Dylan Drysdale #11 won Rotax Light in Wellington on the weekend
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

Drysdale, meanwhile, took the battle to defending 125cc Rotax Max Light class title holder Daniel Connor from Auckland. Connor won the class Final from Drysdale on Saturday, but Drysdale returned the favour in Sunday, turning a one point deficit to Connor heading into the Wellington meeting to a one point lead heading to the final double-header series meeting in Hamilton next month.

Third place finishes behind Connor and Drysdale in both Finals sees young Auckland driver Kaleb Currie third in the 125cc Rotax Max Light class points standings ahead of Chris Cox from Rangiora and Michael McCulloch from the Kapiti Coast.

Josh Hart, DD2
Above: Josh Hart, DD2
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

Hart was one of four 'double-winners' at the Wellington meeting, claiming Rnd 5 honours in DD2 on Saturday from Dylan Drysdale's older brother Josh Drysdale, and Auckland-based international Daniel Bray, with Mat Kinsman fourth, and Rnd 6 class honours on Sunday from Kinsman, Bray and the Drysdale brothers, Josh and Dylan.

The other drivers 'doing the double' were Ryan Urban from Auckland in DD2 Masters, Campbell Joyes from Hamilton in 125cc Rotax Max Heavy and Callum Hedges from Tauranga in Rotax Junior.

Urban, who parlayed DD2 Masters class victory here last year to New Zealand's first class win at a Grand Final at Portimao in Portugal, continued on his winning way at Wellington.

On Saturday he claimed the DD2 Masters' Final win from top female driver Tiffany Chittenden from Christchurch and Callum Orr from Palmerston North, and on Sunday he qualified quickest and won both heats as well as the Pre Final and Final, the latter from Chittenden and Aucklander Garry Claxton.

Ryan Urban, DD2 Masters
Above: Ryan Urban, DD2 Masters
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

Campbell Joyes was unbeaten in 125cc Rotax Max Heavy, the reigning New Zealand sprint champion winning all four heats and both Pre Finals and Finals, the later from Keith Wilkinson from Samuel Carpenter (both Auckland) on Saturday, and Wilkinson and Palmerston North driver Brendon Hart on Sunday.

Having missed the second double-header meeting of the season at Rotorua in April, Tauranga teenager Callum Hedge is not in overall series contention (yet), but that didn’t stop him stamping his authority on the Rotax Junior class at the Wellington meeting, swapping heat wins with series points leader Matthew Payne from Pukekohe on both days before going on to win both Pre-Finals and Finals.


Above: Campbell Joyes, Rotax Heavy
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

On Saturday he won the Rotax Junior Final from Payne, top local female driver Rianna O'Meara-Hunt, and visiting Australian driver Jac Preston, while on Sunday he won the Final from Payne, Preston, O'Meara-Hunt and Jaden Ransley from Christchurch.

Payne continues to lead the class points standings, however, from Wellington's Ryan Wood (who finished sixth in both Finals over the weekend) and O'Meara-Hunt.

The focus of this year's Giltrap Group New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge now turns to the final double header round of the year being hosted by the KartSport Hamilton club at its Agrisea NZ Raceway over the September10-11 weekend.

Callum Hedge, 1st in Junior Max
Above:
Callum Hedge, 1st in Junior Max
pic - Fast Company/Graham Hughes

 

2016 Giltrap Group New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge

Rotax Max Light
Round 5 Final
1. Daniel Connor; 2. Dylan Drysdale; 3. Kaleb Currie; 4. Michael McCulloch; 5. Chris Cox; 6. Ethan Hourigan
Round 6 Final
1. Dylan Drysdale; 2. Daniel Connor; 3. Kaleb Currie; 4. Michael McCulloch; 5. Chris Cox; 6. Madeline Stewart
Points after Rnd 6 of 8
1. Dylan Drysdale 524 points; 2. Daniel Connor 523; 3. Kaleb Currie 495; 4. Chris Cox 479; 5. Michael McCulloch 462; 6. Jacob Cranston 461.

Rotax Max Heavy
Round 5 Final
1. Campbell Joyes; 2. Keith Wilkinson; 3. Samuel Carpenter; 4. Brendon Hart; 5. Teddy Bassick; 6. Kevin Barker.
Round 6 Final
1. Campbell Joyes; 2. Keith Wilkinson; 3. Brendon Hart; 4. Ashley Higgins; 5. Daniel Bugler; 6. Samuel Carpenter
Points after Rnd 6 of 8
1. Campbell Joyes 539 points; 2. Keith Wilkinson 521; 3. Daniel Bugler 480; 4. Samuel Carpenter 473; 5. Kevin Barker 460; 6. Teddy Bassick 456.

DD2
Round 5 Final
1. Josh Hart; 2. Josh Drysdale; 3. Daniel Bray; 4. Mat Kinsman; 5. Mason Armstrong; 6. Dylan Drysdale
Round 6 Final
1. Josh Hart; 2. Mat Kinsman; 3. Daniel Bray; 4. Josh Drysdale; 5. Dylan Drysdale; 6. Nicholas Carpenter
Points after Rnd 6 of 8
1. Josh Hart 530; 2. Mat Kinsman 522; 3. Daniel Bray 504; 4. Josh Drysdale 461; 5. Dylan Drysdale 456; 6. James Blair 450.

DD2 Masters
Round 5 Final
1. Ryan Urban; 2. Tiffany Chittenden; 3. Callum Orr; 4. Stuart Marshall; 5. Garry Claxton; 6. Tim Wakefield
Round 6 Final
1. Ryan Urban; 2. Tiffany Chittenden; 3. Garry Claxton; 4. Callum Orr; 5. Stuart Marshall; 6. Tim Wakefield
Points after Rnd 6 of 8
1. Ryan Urban 546 points; 2. Tiffany Chittenden, 509; 3. Callum Orr 490; 4. Stuart Marshall 484; 5. Garry Claxton 461; 6. Tim Wakefield 441.

Rotax Junior
Rnd 5 Final
1. Callum Hedge; 2. Matthew Payne; 3. Rianna O'Meara-Hunt; 4. Jac Preston; 5. Sam Wright; 6. Ryan Wood
Round 6 Final
1. Callum Hedge; 2. Matthew Payne; 3. Jac Preston; 4. Rianna O'Meara-Hunt; 5. Jaden Ransley; 6. Ryan Wood
Points after Rnd 6 of 8
1. Matthew Payne 517 points; 2. Ryan Wood 492; 3. Rianna O'Meara-Hunt 470; 4. Reece Hendl-Cox 462; 5. Jaden Ransley 450; 6. Tom Greig 423

Home



kartsportnews promo banner