Photo: Daniel BrayThis weekend sees one of the biggest and most important KartSport meetings yet run on the Tokoroa Kart Club's recently extended Pinex Raceway.
The meeting plays host to the country's two biggest annual series, the Gen-i Kartstars 2010 Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand, and the 2010 Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series.
As such it has attracted over 80 entries from around the country making it one of the biggest weekend meetings outside the Sprint Nationals at Easter and Sprint Islands over Labour Weekend.
Heading into the meeting former Gen-i Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand winners Matthew Hamilton from Christchurch and Josh Hart from Palmerston North look set to again be the form men in the main Senior class, 125cc Rotax Max Light, with competition expected to come from former Formula Junior front-runner Chris Cox from Christchurch and 2009 Light class third placeman Kane Taylor from Auckland.
Cambridge driver Andy Schofield swept all before him in the Formula Junior class at the opening round of this year's five-round Challenge in Palmerston North a fortnight ago, however in that class there is no shortage of young talent with Christchurch's Tom Alexander and Auckland's Christopher Sinclair just two of the drivers who will be snapping at his heels this weekend.
In the 125cc Rotax Max Heavy class meanwhile, former kart and car champion Hamish Cross has made a successful return to his racing roots, heading north with a three point lead over Tauranga's Niki Urwin with Auckland's Shane Hodgson third a further two points back.
Urwin lost the use of his legs in a motocross accident in Australia in 2002 but has been running in the top six in the 125cc Rotax Max Light class (using hand controls in his kart) at the Nationals and in the Challenge series for the past five.
This year he has moved up a weight bracket to the Heavy class to chase the new Masters (over 32 years) title.
The big story in the Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series meanwhile is the seismic shift which occurred in the KZ2 class at the opening 2010 round in Wellington over the February 13-14 weekend.
There, young Auckland international Daniel Bray turned the tables of defending series class champion Ryan Grant and top local driver Karl Wilson to head to the second series round this weekend with an early season points lead.
At Wellington, where the first round of the Mi Sedaap series was run in conjunction with the annual CIK Trophy of New Zealand presented by Eyede meeting, Bray qualified quickest before winning the first two heats from Bay of Plenty driver Daniel Dufty with Australian visitor Matthew Hayes third is the first and Ryan Grant third in the second.
He then won the third from Grant and fellow Aucklander Richard Moore before also winning the Pre-Final (the race to determine the grid for the Final) from Grant and Dufty and the Final from Grant and Karl Wilson.
Having been the standard-bearers for the KZ2 class for so long, Grant and his teammate, last year's KZ2 class runner-up Graeme Smyth, have not taken Bray's performance in Wellington lying down, meaning the competition for the top spot will be even tougher this weekend.
Defending series and CIK Junior title holder Arie Hutton from Auckland didn't have it quite so easy as Bray in his KF3 class in Wellington, but was at the front when it counted, winning the Final from Andy Schofield, Matt Butchart and Paul Blomqvist.
All four are expected to feature at the front again this weekend, as is the fastest qualifier and heat winner in the KF3 class at the CIK meeting, Bradley Hicks who finished fourth in the Final in Wellington.
There will be action at the new, extended now 762 metre Pinex Raceway on Saturday and Sunday with Time Trials (qualifying) and heats on Saturday and Pe-Finals and Finals on Sunday.
