Mix of success for karters in second round of Giltrap Group Top Half
There was a mix of success from those who prospered in the opening round and newcomers in the second round of the Giltrap Group Top Half Series.
A field of 140 karts lined up for the second of four rounds at the Giltrap Group Raceway hosted by KartSport Auckland in the series that provides a pathway from club level to higher levels.
Consistency proved important with all four heats on pre-set grids and the final counting to overall points, although karters can drop their worst performance overall in the series.
Once again Waikato’s Jay Urwin was prominent – unbeaten in Vortex ROK DVS Junior, winning all four heats and the final to finish clear of Jack Amon (Taranaki) who had three podiums to edge out Daniel McMillan (Hawkes Bay) for second.
Urwin could not quite achieve the double as he did in the first round, in the fiercely-fought Rotax Max Junior class that attracted 30 entries.
He managed two wins as did Hamilton’s Emerson Vincent, who also managed two third placings to claim the honours, seven points clear with Auckland’s Ashton Phipps third.
There was a new podium in the Cadet ROK class in Auckland with Tokoroa’s Matty Heaphy prevailing with two wins, two seconds and a third place to edge out Auckland’s Senna Wilkinson (two wins and two podiums) by four points with a further three points to Manawatu’s Benji Bellamy in third.
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Auckland’s Aaron Tahu had a strong day in both Rotax Max Heavy and Rotax DD2. Aaron managed three wins and a second to take the overall points in Rotax Max Heavy, clear of Bay of Plenty’s Darren Walker, who also enjoyed two wins and two second placings.
However, Walker, competing under Tokoroa club colours, reversed things in the Rotax DD2, winning three heats to edge Tahu by a single point, after the Aucklander claimed the win in the final. It gave Walker a second overall victory after winning the first round in Hamilton last month.
The talented pair of Auckland’s Marco Manson and Hamilton’s Miles Baker had a royal battle in the hugely competitive Vortex Mini ROK category in Hamilton, with a coming-together in the final enabling Auckland’s William Edmondson to prevail in the first round.
Manson set things straight on home turf in this round with three heat wins and the final to top the tally on 243 points from Baker second and Hamilton’s Carson Daly third, with the class boasting the biggest field with 34 starters.
Auckland’s Ryan Crombie dominated the Rotax Max Light, as he did in Hamilton, to claim two heat wins and the final to top the points ahead of Bay of Plenty’s Ryan Bell and Rotorua’s Tayler Payne.
Hamilton’s Mitch Sparrow, with two wins and a telling victory in the final, pipped Auckland’s Jason Lee, who also had two heat wins, by just two points in the KZ2 category.
The remaining rounds of the Top Half Championship, open for Tier 1 and Tier 2 rated drivers, are in Bay of Plenty (8-9 October) and Tokoroa (12-13 November).
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