New Zealand Rotax MAX Series, Round 3
| press release | 19 March 2017 |
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The young guns stepped up at Round 3 of the Giltrap Group New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge at Te Puke on Saturday providing close racing starting with Auckland’s Callum Hedge snatching pole position by 0.019 from Sam Wright.
Hedge then went on to dominate the heat racing until Ryan Wood stepped up to take the Pre Final win from Hedge, Wright and Ashton Grant.
Above: Callum Hedge, Junior Rotax (pic - Giltrap Group New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge/Emilee Jane Photography)
Hedge and Wood managed to run away from the field in the Final race leaving Wright having a rather lonely race. The rest of the field had close racing with lots of passing going on from all the drivers.
The new push back nose cone caught a few out today but it sure looked like it will be a promising improvement for the class.
Two young drivers who stood out today was Connor Davison who qualified 11th finishing fifth and Zac Stichbury getting excluded from qualifying but finishing sixth in the Final.
Above: Corey Green, Rotax Light (pic - Giltrap Group New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge/Emilee Jane Photography)
Manawatu’s Michael McCulloch grabbed pole position in Rotax Lights over Jacob Cranston, Corey Green and Josh Hart.
McCulloch, Cranston, Hart and Green changed positions all day but Bay of Plenty’s Corey Green was able to take out the Final from Cranston and Sebastian Noble.
N-ZED Motorsport driver Daniel Bray was unstoppable today having a perfect day to dominate the DD2 class, with fellow Aucklanders Jono Buxeda and CJ Sinclair the next best, Sinclair taking second and Buxeda claimed third in the Final.
Above: Daniel Bray, DD2 (pic - Giltrap Group New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge/Emilee Jane Photography)
Female racer Tiffany Chittenden took pole position over Ryan Urban and Fraser Hart in DD2 Masters but it was Manawatu’s Hart who took the win in the Final from Chittenden and Urban.
David Malcom, Garry Claxton and Tim Wakefield took the top three qualifying positions in DD2 Super Masters with heats winner Malcolm also able to hold off Warren Parris and Gary Claxton to take the win in the Final.
Action in the Bay of Plenty continues in Sunday with the fourth round of the Giltrap Group-backed Rotax Max series.
Above: Tiffany Chittenden claimed pole position in DD2 Masters (pic - Giltrap Group New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge/Emilee Jane Photography)
2017 Giltrap Group New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge
Calendar
Rnds 1 & 2: Sat- Sun Feb 18-19 Manawatu Toyota Raceway, Palmerston North
Rnds 3 & 4: Sat-Sun March 18-19 Te Puke Auto Electrical Raceway, Te Puke
Rnds 5 & 6: Sat-Sun May 20-21 KartSport Rotorua International Raceway, Mamaku, Rotorua
Rnds 7 & 8: Sat-SunAug 12 & 13 AgriSea Raceway, Hamilton
2017 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals: November 04-11 2017 Portimao Portugal
