The 2009 Big Ben Pies Enduro was held over the weekend at the Christchurch Kart Club circuit in Halswell just outside of Chrstchurch. This annual event drew twenty-eight teams of two drivers for the two hour five minute race and it was the team of local Andy Knight and Ryan Grant that took the honours head of Chris Cox/Jamie Conroy and V8 Supercar driver Jason Richards/Hamish Cross.
The race on Sunday consisted of a number of classes (Rotax Max Heavy, Rotax Max Light and all of the variations the Open Class) where drivers are allowed a maximum of eighty minutes on the track with a compulsory five-minute pit stop to change driver and refuel.
V8 Supercar driver Jason Richards made his fourth successive visit to the event which attracted a large number of talented drivers including Jonny Reid, Andy Knight, Richie Stanaway along with some of NewZealand’s best karters including Ryan Urban, Matthew Hamilton, Hamish Cross and Ryan Grant to name a few, for what promised to be a very exciting and entertaining couple of hours.
The combination of Knight and Grant dominated the event winning both qualifying and the pole shuffle in cold but fine conditions (with a track temperature of 8 deg C). 233 laps later the overall wining team was Andy Knight and Ryan Grant in their Vortex 125cc Shifter from Chris Cox and Jamie Conroy with 231 laps under their belt in their 125cc Rotax Max Open and in 3rd with the same number of laps Jason Richards and Hamish Cross.
Previously on the Saturday a shorter enduro was held for the Cadet, Junior Restricted and Junior classes.
James Penrose in the Junior Yamaha class took out the win in his class in the one hour five minute race and with it the prize of a trip to Australia to spend a weekend with V8 Supercar driver Jason Richards. Second was Michael Collins with Alexandra Webb third.
Ryan Yardley was the winner of the Cadet fifty minute race leading from the start and finishing ahead of Thomas Pooley and Cameron Taylor.
Brooke Reeve finished a lap up in the Junior Restricted class with Brent Neill second and Daniel Williams third.
