Christchurch's Matthew Hamilton and Palmerston North's Josh Hart have both enjoyed success internationally and it was with their A games that they battled for 125cc Rotax Max Light class honours at the opening round of the Gen-i Kartstars 2010 Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand at KartSport Manawatu's Manawatu Toyota Raceway near Palmerston North on Saturday.
Hart, who for the past two years has contested the Rotax Max European Challenge, was the quickest qualifier and winner of the two heat races but it was Hamilton, who last year finished third in his class at the 2009 Rotax Max Grand Challenge event in Egypt, who won the Pre-Final and the winner-takes-all Final in the 125cc Rotax Max Light class.
Local hero Hart, who like Hamilton has represented New Zealand at the Challenge series' annual Grand Final on a number of occasions now, caught and passed pole-sitter Hamilton on the first lap of the Final then led the next seven.
Hamilton was back in front on lap nine however, setting the fastest race lap on his way to victory and an early lead in the 2010 Gen-i Kartstars Lights class points standings.
Third in the Final was former Junior class front-runner Chris Cox from Christchurch, fourth last year's Lights class third place-getter Kane Taylor from fellow Aucklanders Jake Pascoe, last year's Junior class winner Daniel Kinsman and kart-turned-car racer Simon Evans.
The quality of the racing for positions three to ten in the Lights Final was one of the high lights of the meeting, with Pascoe, Matthew Griffen, Daniel Kinsman, Simon Evans, Dan Connor and David Meszaros driving fast and clean but constantly changing positions, a fact which augers well for subsequent rounds of the series.
In the Junior class meanwhile, it was Andy Schofield who proved to be the driver to beat, the Cambridge teenager qualifying quickest and winning the heats as well as the Pre-Final and the Final, the latter from Christchurch's Tom Alexander and Auckland's Christopher Sinclair.
A little further back, young Rangiora driver James Penrose had to work hard to make up for a dnf in the first heat and missing the second as he chased a mysterious engine problem.
Incredibly, he made it from the back row of the grid to fourth in the Pre-Final before putting a wheel on the grass and spinning. Despite that he was able to get back onto the track and cross the finish line in a still impressive seventh place.
That gave him P7 for the Final grid from where he slipped back to ninth but eventually made it back up to sixth place.
Finally, another Rangiora driver, Hamish Cross, was the big winner in the 125cc Rotax Max Heavy class, despite local driver Brendon Hart denying him a clean-sweep with victory - over Cross and Aucklander Steven Currie - in the second heat.
Cross had won the first heat from local driver Daryl Currie, and former Motocross pro Niki Urwin, then the Final (in which Hart and Steve Currie clashed on the first lap) from Urwin, Shane Hodgson, Daryl Currie, Cunningham and Hart.
Saturday's annual day/night Kart 'n The Dark meeting in Palmerston North hosted the first of five rounds of the Gen-i Kartstars 2010 Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand with subsequent rounds to be held at Tokoroa in March, Te Puke in May, Hamilton in August and Auckland in October.
RESULTS
125cc Rotax Max Light
1. Matthew Hamilton
2. Joshua Hart
3. Chris Cox
4. Kane Taylor
5. Jake Pascoe
6. Matthew Griffin
Formula Junior
1. Andy Schofield
2. Tom Alexander
3. Christopher Sinclair
4. Shaun Grocock
5. Scott Manson
6. James Penrose
125cc Rotax Max Heavy
1. Hamish Cross
2. Niki Urwin
3. Shane Hodgson
4. Daryl Currie
5. Aarron Cunningham
6. Brendon Hart
