Rianna O’Meara-Hunt, Arie Hutton and Josh Richmond will be winging their way to Italy later this year to represent New Zealand at the annual ROK Cup International meeting.
The annual ROK Cup International meeting is one of the biggest manufacturer-based events on the global karting calendar and the trio – O’Meara-Hunt from Wellington, Hutton from Palmerston North and Richmond from Auckland – earned the first three travel prizes to the international final in October at the opening round of this year’s ROK Cup New Zealand kart race series at the Porter Group CIK Trophy of New Zealand meeting at the KartSport Hamilton club’s Porter Group Park track on Sunday.
New Zealand has been represented at the international final for the past six years. Up until this year, however, trips prizes have gone to 9-13 year-olds contesting the Vortex Mini ROK category.
With the addition this year of two more ROK-powered categories – Vortex ROK DVS Senior (for drivers in the calendar year of their 15th birthday and over) and Vortex ROK DVS Junior (for drivers in the calendar year of their 12th birthday to under 16 years) – to KartSport New Zealand’s class portfolio, there are now a total of nine travel prizes, comprising free entry, the use of a kart and engine as well as return airfares from the KartSport/Lascom Motorsport/Dunlop/Motul international travel fund, to the ROK Cup International event, on offer.
This year the first three have gone to the winner (Rianna O’Meara-Hunt) and runner-up (Arie Hutton) in the Vortex ROK DVS Senior class, and the winner (Josh Richmond) of the Vortex ROK DVS Junior class, at the first round of the 2019 ROK Cup New Zealand at the revived Porter Group-backed CIK Trophy of New Zealand meeting at Hamilton.
Another three will go to the winners and 2019 NZ title holders of the Vortex ROK DVS Senior and Junior, and Vortex Mini ROK classes, at the second round of this year’s ROK Cup New Zealand at the Porter Group-backed 2019 KartSport NZ Sprint Championship meeting (again at Hamilton’s Porter Group Park) over the Easter weekend.
The final three will then go to the series’ winners in the Vortex ROK DVS Senior and Junior, and Vortex Mini ROK, classes as decided by points after the final round of the ROK Cup New Zealand series which this year is being run in conjunction with KartSport NZ’s annual ‘NZ Schools’ Championship meeting in Wellington on July 13.
Heading into the second round of the 2019 ROK Cup New Zealand series the points are close in all four categories.
Arie Hutton leads Vortex ROK DVS Senior, Liam Sceats Vortex ROK DVS Junior, Louis Sharp Vortex Mini ROK and Arthur Broughan Cadet ROK.
RESULTS – 2019 ROK Cup of New Zealand, Rnd 1 Hamilton Sat-Sun Jan 19-20
Vortex ROK DVS Senior
Series points after Rnd 1 of 3
1.Arie Hutton 50; 2. Chris Cox 47; 3. Braeden Snowden 45; 4. Brad Still 44.
Vortex ROK DVS Junior
Series points after Rnd 1 of 4
1. Liam Sceats 50; 2. Nathan Crang 47; 3. Jacob Douglas 45; 4. Leo Scott 44; 5. Ben Stewart 43.
Vortex Mini ROK
Series points after Rnd 1 of 4
1. Louis Sharp 50; 2. Tom Bewley 47; 3. Kiahn Burt 45; 4. Blake Knowles 44; 5. Emerson Vincent 43; 6. Hayden Lines 42; 7. Blake Dowdall 41; 8. Ollie Workman 40; 9. Blake Corin 39; 10. Daniel Simcock 38; 11. Jake Young 37; 12. Jacob Bellamy 36; 13. Jay Urwin 35; 14. Sebastian Manson 0.
Cadet ROK
Series points after Rnd 1 of 4
1. Arthur Broughan 50; 2. Riley Boswell 47; 3. Izaak Fletcher 45; 4. Zach Tucker 44; 5. Logan Dowdall 43; 6. Mitchell Corin 42; 7. William Edmondson 41; 8. Miles Baker 40; 9/ Zavier Harvey 39.
CALENDAR
2019 ROK Cup New Zealand
Rnd 1: Jan 19-20 Porter Group 2019 CIK Trophy of NZ meeting Hamilton
Rnd 2: April 19-20 KartSport NZ National Sprint Championship meeting Hamilton
Rnd 3 Option 1: June 02 WPKA Championships meeting Palmerston North
Rnd 3 Option 2: June 01/02 Sunbelt Series meetings Blenheim/Nelson
Rnd 4: July 13 KartSport NZ National Schools’ Championships meeting Wellington