Young Auckland-based kart international KZ2 Matthew Payne heads a five-strong group of fellow Kiwis who have crossed the Tasman to contest the final round of this year’s SP Tools Australian Kart Championship presented by Castrol Edge (AKC) in Melbourne this weekend.
NZ KZ2 class #1 Payne, 16, from Papakura, returned from Italy especially for the penultimate round of this year’s AKC at Emerald in far-northern Queensland in July – and promptly won the Final – and with it the round – after class pace-setter, and early race leader, Patrizicorse teammate Troy Loeskow, retired with a blown engine.
Joining Payne at the meeting at Melbourne’s Todd road kart track this weekend are series regulars, Ryan Wood, from Wellington and Liam Sceats and Maxim Kirwan from Auckland, and Emerson Vincent from Pukekohe.
Wood, 15, finished 7th in the Iame X30 Senior class Final at Emerald and currently sits 9th in the series’ points standings in that class.
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Though he has not contested all the rounds this year, Kirwan is 15th in the Cadet 9 class points standings, but his third place class finish at the recent City of Melbourne Titles meeting at the Todd Rd track bodes well for his performance this weekend.
Sceats, meanwhile, has been quick but unlucky at previous AKC rounds this year and currently lies 17th in the points standings in KA2, the premium Australian Junior category.
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