Aussie Entry Spices Up Prokart Series Round
| press release | 23 May 2013 |
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The appearance of rising Australian driver Ricky Capo will add spice to the KZ2 class grid at the fourth round of this year's Formula S ProKart Series at Tokoroa this weekend.
Capo, 17, from Melbourne contested this year's GoPro-backed KartSport NZ National Sprint Championship meeting in Wellington at Easter and returns to gain valuable experience against drivers he rates as equal to - if not better - than those who run in the class at home.
Above: Melbourne's Ricky Capo will join the top KZ2 Kiwis at the ProKart Series round at Tokoroa
pic - Leith Robertson.
"Racing in New Zealand has made me realize the talent level throughout the country," he said earlier this week."The competition in New Zealand is incredible and the fairness between all the drivers is to be admired. Also, I have known Ryan Grant, who is currently leading the KZ2 class, since I was seven-years-old; he has been a big role model in my racing career to date and I am looking forward to racing him this weekend."
Aucklander Grant, 29, has again been the dominant force in the 6-speed-gearbox/125cc KZ2 class this season and heads into this weekend's round at Tokoroa with a healthy points lead over Matthew Hamilton from Christchurch and Chris Cox from Rangiora.
Missing from the KZ2 grid this weekend will be V8 SuperTourer driver Richard Moore (who is competing at Pukekohe this weekend) and Christchurch driver Matt Williams, but Masters class competitor Steve Brown is moving back to the premier class to help mentor a couple of newcomers this weekend so the numbers remain strong.
Brown's place in KZ2 Masters will, in turn, be taken by Hawke's Bay driver Tom Curran, the 2012 class champion forced to sit out the first three rounds of this season's series thanks to a (non kart-related) back injury.
Above: Currently running sixth in the KF3 junior support class, young Auckland driver Oscar Drummond
pic - Greg Henderson
Class and series stalwart Snow Mooney continues to lead the series points standings in the Masters class but after his breakthrough win in the rain at Te Puke in April fellow Aucklander Brett Hollander is now third, just one point behind second placed Mark Wheeler and only seven behind Mooney.
The points are also close in the KF3 junior support class with Aucklander Arran Crighton - who won at Te Puke - just one up on Hawke's Bay driver Mitchell Turner.
This weekend's round is the fourth of six with subsequent rounds in Hawke's Bay in August and Auckland in September.
2013 Formula S KartSport ProKart Series
KZ2
Points after Rnd 3 of 6
1. Ryan Grant 336 points; 2. Matthew Hamilton 311; 3. Chris Cox 311; 4. Jordan Morris 301; 5. Shaun Grocock 300; 6. Mitch Brown 299
KZ2 Masters
Points after Rnd 3 of 6
1. Snow Mooney 323; 2. Mark Wheeler 317; 3. Brett Hollander 316; 4. Todd Wheeler 311; 5. Leo Bult 307; 6. Garry Claxton 306
KF3
Points after Rnd 3 of 6
1. Arran Crighton 328; 2. Mitchell Turner 327; 3. Mitchel Sanders 314; 4. Thomas Batt 309; 5. Logan Brown 307; 6. Oscar Drummond 305
