A trio of Manawatu karters were in top form to cement their dominance of respective classes in the final round of the Manawatu and TRC Toyota WPKA Goldstar Series in Hawkes Bay at the weekend.
Kiahn Burt (Rotax Junior), Jack Phillips (Vortex Mini Rok) and Logan Howard (Clubsport 120) all dominated racing at the Carters Tyres Raceway near Hastings to claim provisional honours in the three-round series.
The Goldstar series was established in the 1960s to help as a stepping-stone from club-level events and through to national-level competition, in terms of gaining race craft and experience.
Burt, 14, enjoyed a perfect weekend, winning all five heats in the Rotax Max Junior class, and the Grand Prix to provisionally edge out talented clubmate Amelia Phillips, runner-up at the weekend, and Auckland’s Jamie Thompson.
Howard enjoyed two heat wins and prevailed in the Grand Prix in the Clubsport 120 category, sharing the spoils with fellow Manawatu karter Scott Daley who grabbed two heat wins and two second placings to top the Hawkes Bay round.
On provisional points, Howard maintained his overall lead ahead of Taranaki’s Seth Frost and Eastern Bay of Plenty’s Steve Muggeridge.
Phillips, who came in with a seven point advantage in Vortex Mini Rok, won the first three heats, with two thirds and runner-up in a wild Grand Prix where he came from 15th on the grid. Based on provisional results, he would claim the overall top honours with a perfect 150 points ahead of clubmate Aryan Lala, second overall at the weekend on countback with two heat wins, and Hamilton’s Braxton Kraayvanger third
Vortex DVS Senior points leader Jack Strand (Wellington) picked up useful points with five straight second placings behind local Hawkes Bay peddler, Jamie van der Berk who claimed six of the best to top the weekend honours in his only start in the series.
Taranaki’s Jacob Bellamy came in leading the way in DVS Junior racing, and picked up one win and three podiums which was sufficient on provisional points to claim the overall honours. Meanwhile Taranaki’s Jack Amon picked up three wins to take the top points in Hawkes Bay to provisionally edge into series runner-up spot ahead of local karter Daniel McMillan.
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The Manawatu charge continued in the Cadet Rok category where Phineas Shearman enjoyed three wins and two podiums to top the weekend honours, marking his first major event win. He finished ahead of Taranaki’s Jayden Buttimore who nabbed two wins and finished runner-up at the weekend. With final points to be certified, Buttimore would take overall honours on provisional points just ahead of seven-year-old Benji Bellamy from Manawatu who was tied in the series lead coming into the weekend.
A charge came in Rotax Max Light with the series top three unable to make much impression in Hawkes Bay as hometown karter and new Rotax DD2 New Zealand Champion Jackson Rooney enjoyed four wins and a second to claim the round honours.
Jacob Cranston (Manawatu) picked up a win and four podiums to be runner-up at the weekend. On provisional points, series leader George Sampson from Tokoroa club, who was sixth on the weekend, would hold his overall lead ahead of Alex Patrick, competing all the way from Dunedin.
Open class leader Sam Jones (Manawatu) bagged two wins to take the weekend honours and once finalised, the category title while local karter Tim Loughran earned two wins and three podiums in his only start in the series.
Rotax Max Heavy leader Aarron Cunningham (Auckland) impressed with four wins and two podiums to continue his domination of the series ahead of the Manawatu trio of Brendon Hart and the Higgins brothers James and Ash Higgins.
The popular Briggs LO206 class was an excellent weekend with four wins to Wellington’s James Hadley, who is KartSport NZ’s COO when not competing, ahead of Ian Smith (Manawatu) and Ben Hibbs (Hawkes Bay). Hadley would take the provisional series win with two round wins and a second place.
The standalone Manawatu and TRC Toyota WPKA Championship event is set for Manawatu over King’s Birthday weekend which will also include the Goldstar Series prizegiving.
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