The cream rose to the top despite the damp conditions for round three of the Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand ProKart Series which returned to the Porter Group Park in Hamilton.
There was another strong turnout for the two days of action, as the series played catch-up after Covid-delays earlier in the season, as karters had to cope with tougher winter conditions.
N-Zed Motorsport star Daniel Bray from Auckland showed his experience and class in the KZ2 category, winning three of the four heats, and both the pre-final and final with some storming performances.
The 34-year-old set the tone as top qualifier, starting off pole he held all challenges at bay, aside from the last heat when teammate Nathan Crang snuck past four laps from the finish.
There was plenty of interest in the appearance of Australian Josh Fife, who showed his class after getting to grips with his machine, qualifying 6th and then passing more competitors than most. He pushed up from fifth in the final to finish runner-up to Bray.
The Rotax Junior category featured more super-close competition between National Schools champion Jay Urwin from the Tokoroa club, Mt Wellington’s Ashton Phipps and Hawkes Bay’s Tom Bewley.
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Urwin, the final winner at Hamilton earlier this month, achieved two wins and two second placings, while Bewley also claimed two wins and the final, where he held off Urwin and Phipps after starting on pole.
Phipps also enjoyed a consistently competitive day, winning the opening heat and he claimed four other podiums.
Hamilton’s classy Miles Baker made it a double win in the finals of the Vortex Mini ROK category, moving up from third on the grid to claim victory, after achieving the win in the final earlier in the month.
Hawkes Bay rising star, Grayson Stowe took out the first two heats, the opener after a hectic battle with Baker. But then Baker turned up the dial, winning the third heat on Saturday and was unbeaten in three races, including the final, on Sunday.
The Hamilton club karters had plenty of success at home, with Connor Wilson claiming two of three heats on Saturday and another on Sunday in KZ4, however Wilson did not finish the final. But it was Nick Tombleson, the logging business owner from Taupo, who felled the tall timber to win prevail in the final. Starting from sixth on the grid, he forced his way to the front mid-race and held off all challengers.
Series promoter Steve Brown just held off Dave Malcolm to win the KZ2 Master final.
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