Wilson Continues on Winning Way in Hawke's Bay

Reigning North Island and New Zealand Senior 100cc Yamaha Light class champion Karl Wilson continued on his winning way at the 41st Blossom Sprint Kart meeting at the Hawke's Bay Kart Club's ZM Raceway at Roy's Hill just outside Hastings over the September 6-7 2008 weekend.

Karl Wilson leading Jesse Craig
Photo : Fast Company/Sportspics

Wellingtonian Wilson was the dominant force in the 25-strong Senior Yamaha Light class, topping the time sheets in qualifying then winning three of the four heats as well as the Pre-Final and Final to claim victory from Christchurch's Jesse Craig and Palmerston North's Mitchell Hill.

Hill was the only driver to take a win off Wilson in Senior 100cc Yamaha Light over the weekend, claiming victory in the first heat race on Saturday from Morrinsville's Tyler Richardson and Wilson then winning the Senior Grand Prix - which Wilson didn't contest - on Sunday from Brent Pearson and Jesse Craig.

Otherwise the experienced Wilson very much won as he liked, though he was shadowed all weekend by recent Junior Yamaha class graduate Jesse Craig, the young Christchurch driver making a big impression on his first major event in the senior ranks.

Over the years the annual Blossom meeting has established a place on the New Zealand KartSport calendar by dint of its timing - as it's name suggests it is one of the first major spring/summer season meetings - and its unique format which sees races run in a clockwise direction on Saturday and anticlockwise (the track's normal direction) on the Sunday.

Add in often changeable conditions - this year there was rain on Saturday but it was warm and dry on Sunday - and drivers have to be on top of their game to succeed.

As experienced front-runner Karl Wilson - who also finished fourth overall in the Open class - proved.

Wilson was one of seven class winners at this year's 41st annual meeting, and his record over the two days was only bettered by one other driver, Cadet class winner Mitchell Turner. 

Local driver Turner literally made every post a winning one, qualifying quickest then winning every race he started, including the Final - from Thomas Batt, Thomas McLean and Jordan McDonnell - and the class Grand Prix from Matthew Podjursky and Sam Jones.

Turner also enjoyed the distinction of setting a new Cadet class lap record for the track when it is run in an anti-clockwise direction, 37.007.

Another impressive performance came in the Junior 100cc Yamaha class where 14-year-old William Bamber from Wanganui got the better of the capacity (32-strong) field.

Christchurch's Chris Cox, the reigning New Zealand champion, set the pace in qualifying and won the first heat,  the pre-Final and the class Grand Prix. But Bamber - younger brother of former kart and now rising car star Earl Bamber - won the three other heats, finished third in Saturday's Pre-Final then led Sunday's Final from start to finish, with Cox second, fellow South Islander James Penrose third and Auckland's Arie Hutton fourth.

In the other classes contested over the two days, Open was the preserve of Graeme Smyth, the young Aucklander winning both the Final and the class Grand Prix, with Taranaki brothers Niklaus and Michael Kiser disputing the other places on the podium. 

Senior 100cc Yamaha Heavy meanwhile saw Wellington's Hayden Sarcich get the better of Pre-Final winner Stuart Marshall to win the Final from Andrew Donohue and Andrew Price while in 125cc Rotax Max Heavy victory in the Final went to Palmerston North's Fraser Hart from Albert Rohrlach, Brendon Hart and local young gun Zach Zaloum.

And last but by no means least Christchurch's Scott Manson managed to turn the tables on fastest Saturday qualifier Maddison Wise and heat and Pre-Final winner Rhys Tinney in Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha, winning both the Final and the class Grand Prix, the former from Wise, Tinney and Brook Reeve and the latter from Wise, Stephen Appleton and Aaron Marr.

41st Blossom Sprint Kart Meeting Hawke's Bay Kart Club ZM Raceway Roy's Hill Hastings Sat/Sun Sept 6-7 2008

Open

1. Graeme Smyth; 2. Niklaus Kiser; 3. Michael Kiser; 4. Karl Wilson; 5. Jonathan Pearson; 6. Wayne Brougham

125cc Rotax Max Heavy

1. Fraser Hart; 2. Albert Rohrlach; 3. Brendon Hart; 4. Zach Zaloum; 5. Michael Grimshaw; 6. Paul Booth

Senior 100cc Yamaha Light

1. Karl Wilson; 2. Jesse Craig; 3. Mitchell Hill; 4. 4. Tyler Richardson; 5. Brent Pearson; 6. David Meszaros

Senior 100cc Yamaha Heavy

1. Hayden Sarcich; 2. Andrew Donohue; 3. Andrew Price; 4. Michael Grimshaw; 5. Stuart Marshall; 6. Mathew King

Junior 100cc Yamaha

1. William Bamber; 2.Chris Cox; 3. James Penrose; 4. Arie Hutton; 5. Gary Cooze; 6. Alex Geary

Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha

1. Scott Manson; 2. Maddison Wise; 3. Rhys Tinney; 4. Brook Reeve; 5. Aaron Wilson; 6. John Drysdale

Cadet

1. Mitchell Turner; 2. Thomas Batt; 3. Thomas McLean; 4. Jordan McDonnell; 5. Sam Jones; 6. Bradley Wilson.

Open GP

1. Graeme Smyth; 2. Michael Kiser; 3. Niklaus Kiser; 4. Wayne Brougham; 5. Jonathan Pearson; 6. Fraser Hart

Junior 100cc Yamaha GP

1. Chris Cox; 2. Alex Geary; 3. Patrick Davy; 4. William Bamber; 5. Gary Cooze; 6. Scott Blummont

Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha GP

1. Scott Manson; 2. Maddison Wise; 3. Stephen Appleton; 4. Aaron Marr; 5. Brook Reeve; 6. Callum Quinn

Cadet GP

1. Mitchell Turner; 2. Matthew Podjursky; 3. Sam Jones; 4. Thomas McLean; 5. Bradley Wilson; 6. Trey Nairn.

Prepared by FAST COMPANY on behalf of KartSport New Zealand. To find out more about the 41st annual Blossom Sprint Kart Meeting in Hawke's Bay contact Ross MacKay on 021 677 919 or via e-mail at ross@fastcompany.co.nz 

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