Hawke's Bay plays host to top karters from New Zealand and Australia over the weekend as the Hawke's Bay Karting Club hosts the Quality Inn Napier 2010 KartSport New Zealand National Sprint Championships at Fernhill's ZM Kart Raceway.
Ten class titles will be contested over the three-day Sprint Nationals event, Cadet, Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha and KZ2 on Friday, Junior 100cc Yamaha, 100cc Yamaha Light and 100cc Yamaha Heavy on Saturday, and KF3, Open and the two Rotax classes, 125cc Light and 125cc Heavy on Sunday.
At final count Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha is the most popular class with 29 entries, followed by Senior 100cc Yamaha Light with 28 and Cadet with 27.
Hawke's Bay has always been well-represented on the national scene with this year's Quality Inn Napier-sponsored Nationals no different.
For the past two years the New Zealand Cadet class title has been won by a Hawke's Bay karter. This year young Trey Nairn could well continue the tradition.
Mitchell Turner, who won the Cadet title last year, and Maddie Wise who won it in 2008, are also amongst the favourites in the next class up the age rankings, Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha, where competition is expected to come from 2009 class Schools champion Jordan McDonnell from Christchurch and top Northland driver Thomas McLean.
The 'Bay is also well represented in the Senior classes with top female driver Donna Lee, and young gun Zack Zaloum, again amongst the favourites in the 100cc Yamaha Heavy class, and Jonathan Pearson expected to do well in both KZ2 and Open.
Zaloum is also entered, and expected do well in, 125cc Rotax Max Heavy.
A special feature of this year's meeting is that it has attracted four drivers from across the Tasman; Lane and Trent Moore from the Gold Coast, and Bruce Otter and Jackson Delamont from Canberra.
The trip has special significance for three of the four.
In the case of the Trents it is because their father Kerry (who will be with them this weekend) is a former New Zealand champion, winning the 100cc Yamaha Light title at the Sprint Nationals at Easter in 1985!
And for Bruce Otter it is because the former Hawke's Bay man, who now runs a kart shop and team in Canberra, got his start in the sport at ZM Kart Raceway.
Competition at the Hawke's Bay Karting Club's ZM Kart Raceway track at Fern Hill starts on Easter Friday and continues through Saturday and Sunday. Competition starts at 9.45am each day.
