Young Gun Joins Veteran for Euro KZ2 Round

Young gun, Matt Payne from Auckland, steps up to the big time this weekend, joining established Kiwi kart international Daniel Bray at the second (and final) round of this year’s CIK-FIA European KZ2 Championship at the South Garda Karting circuit in Italy.

At just 15 years-of-age the Rosehill College, Papakura student will be one of the youngest drivers in the 92-strong KZ2 class field, but Bray, a veteran now of a number of CIK-FIA European KZ2 Championships – and who finished eighth overall at the first round of this year’s two-round series at Salbris in France in May – says he has every confidence in his young teammate on the works GP Karts/Aluminos Group/TM Racing/LeCont squad.

Matt Payne leading Daniel Bray at a round of the 2018 NZ ProKart Series (pics – Fast Company/Graham Hughes)

“Matt’s proved as quick as anyone in a KZ2 at home and he’s been competing across the Tasman in various Junior classes since he was in his early teens so he’s used to rocking up at a track he doesn’t know and working out what he needs to do to be on the pace.



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“Because it’s the nominated test track for most of the other teams over here (in Italy), and the fact I haven’t raced at Lonato (the South Garda track) since 2013, we have been a bit behind the eight-ball but we had a good test of our own at a track up north last weekend so by the time we get into qualifying we will have a fairly good idea where we both stand.”




 



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