Sparrow Claims Top Half Series Cash

Tuakau teenager Mitchell Sparrow is $500 better off after storming through the reverse grid Supreme Kart Supplies Vortex Mini ROK field to claim the feature Giltrap Group/Robert Cunningham Construction/Duffett Doors backed Dash-For-Cash race at the second round of this year’s Hampton Downs Top Half Series at Auckland on Sunday.

Mitchell Sparrow (Vortex Mini ROK # NS ) won the big Dash-For-Cash race (pic – Fast Company/Graham Hughes)

In front of a large crowd which packed the Rosebank Rd facility and a field which included some of the country’s best up-and-coming kart talent, Sparrow – the current National Schools’ title-holder in the class – started from the back of the 16-kart gird but had made it up to 7th place by the third lap, and into a lead he would never lose by lap 13.

It was an impressive performance, the youngster leading home Jay Irwin, Sebastian Manson and round class winner Taylor Payne.

Vortex Mini RoK winner Taylor Payne (pic – Fast Company/Graham Hughes)

Making it two class wins from the first two rounds (Hamilton and Auckland) of this year’s Hampton Downs Top Half Series, meanwhile, were Graeme Smyth (Westspeed Motorsport KZ2), Jason Lee (Right Karts Rotax DD2) and Josh Richmond (Spartan Auto Dismantlers Rotax Max Junior).

Smyth won two of the five KZ2 class heats to take the class win though this time it was a lot closer, fellow Aucklander Regan Hall ending up second on countback after matching Smyth on points.

Graeme Smyth took out KZ2 (pic – Fast Company/Graham Hughes)

Jason Lee and Jono Buxeda were also close in Rotax DD2 though it was Lee who took three race wins to the one each for runner-up Buxeda and third-placed Bond Roby.

Also winning three of his five heats on the way to a class win was Josh Richmond in Junior Rotax. This time it was Clay Osborne who was runner-up with Jamie van den Beck third, Hamilton round Dash-For-Cash race winner Breanna Morris fourth, Asten Addy fifth and the second of the Osborne brothers, Fynn, sixth.



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There were new class winners, meanwhile, in the Supreme Kart Supplies Vortex ROK DVS Junior, Urban Performance 125cc Rotax Max Light, TCB Motorsport 125cc Rotax Max Heavy, WRB Karting Supplies ClubSport 120 and International Kart Supplies Cadet ROK classes.

With three wins from five starts the class win in the new Vortex ROK DVS Junior class went to Leo Scott, from Hamilton round winner Ayrton Williams and Ben Stewart from Wellington. Three wins from five starts also saw Aarron Cunningham take round victory in Rotax Heavy from Darren Walker and Hamilton round winner Caleb Hartley.

Scott Manson won Rotax Max Light (pic – Fast Company/Graham Hughes)

Two wins were enough, however, to seal round victory in the other two classes, Richard Macey winning the day in ClubSport 120 from Lee Sefton and Rnd 1 winner Stephen Muggeridge, and Ethan Church leading home fellow heat winners, Riley Boswell (who won at Hamilton) and Maxim Kirwan.

More information on this year’s Top Half series can be found on KartSport New Zealand’s website http://www.kartsport.org.nz/events/2018-top-half-series and Facebook page www.facebook.com/TopHalfSeries

Ethan Church, 1st Cadet ROK (pic – Fast Company/Graham Hughes)

The next round of the 2018 series will be hosted by the KartSport Whangarei club at its WRB Karting Supplies Raceway, Whangarei on Sunday September 30.

 

Calendar
Rnd 1: Sun August 12 Speedworks Raceway Hamilton
Rnd 2: Sun Sept 09 Giltrap Group Raceway Auckland
Rnd 3: Sun Sept 30 WRB Karting Supplies Raceway Whangarei
Rnd 4: Sun Nov 11 Stihl Shop Tokoroa Raceway Tokoroa



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Josh Richmond won 3 from 5 races to take out Jnr Rotax (pic – Fast Company/Graham Hughes)