Grant Claims a Record Fifth Trophy at CIK Kart Event

Aucklander Ryan Grant claimed New Zealand's premier international kart prize for a record fifth year after a dominant performance in the blue riband KZ2 class at the annual Mi Sedaap instant noodles-sponsored CIK Trophy of New Zealand meeting in Wellington over the weekend of 27-29 January 2012.

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KZ2 podium
Photo : Brent Melhop

Though he was pipped for pole position in qualifying by 2010 KZ2 class CIK Trophy winner Daniel Bray, Grant was in a class of his own in the races, completing a heat and Final clean-sweep with quickest race laps in each for good measure.

Bray was never far behind, leading home fellow Aucklanders Mathew Kinsman in the heats and Richard Moore in the Pre-Final and Final. But it really was 28-year-old Grant's weekend, the defending Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series KZ2 champion starting off his 2012 season where he left off in 2011 - in front.

In the other classes, 21-year-old Sydneysider Matthew Waters flew the flag for the four-strong Australian contingent, claiming the inaugural CIK KF2 class Trophy from local driver James Gorham and 2011 KF3 class Trophy winner Aaron Marr.

Ryan Grant (KZ2)
Photo : Fast Company/Andre Elliot.

Wanganui driver Marr qualified quickest from New Plymouth driver Alex Geary, Waters and two-time KF3 Trophy winner Arie Hutton, and between them Marr and Geary won the lion's share of the races. But it was Waters who was in front when it counted in the Final, with compatriot Parsons, also from Sydney, fifth.

Waters is the second Australian driver to claim one of New Zealand's CIK Trophy meeting titles, the first - Matthew Wall, winning the F100 (now KF2) class in 2005 and the ICC (now KZ2) class in 2006. And in accepting his Trophy at the prize-giving function the young Australian driver said; "It’s a great feeling to have won in my first attempt at an event outside of Australia.
	Matthew Waters (KF2) Photo : Fast Company/Andre Elliot.

And the win gives me some good confidence entering the upcoming year where I’ll be competing in a lot of the State Championships, along with the National Championships, and chasing the Pro Light (KF1) title in the CIK Stars of Karting Series.

When I look at the perpetual trophy it has the names of the likes of great Australian driver Matthew Wall (2005) along with 2003 World Karting Champion Wade Cunningham, etched on there, so it’s an honour to be recognised alongside of these guys.”

In the other CIK Trophy class, KF3, Manawatu driver Josh Drysdale, the current North Island sprint class champion, did even better than Ryan Grant, qualifying quickest and winning all five races, the Final from one of the other Australian drivers contesting the meeting, Brock Plumb from Brisbane.

Plumb set the fourth quickest lap time in qualifying then finished second behind Drysdale in the three heats, pre Final and Final.

Josh Drysdale (KF3).
Photo : Fast Company/Andre Elliot.

Third was young Tuakau driver Jonathan Buxeda, fourth Mitchell Turner from the Hawke's Bay.

The fourth member of the Australian contingent, Jason Faint from Gladstone in northern Queensland, set the 10th quickest lap time in qualifying in the KZ2 class before carding an 8-10-9 run through the heats then a ninth in the Pre-Final but slipped back to 10th in the Final thanks to a gearbox problem.

The annual Mi Sedaap instant-noodles CIK Trophy of New Zealand meeting attracted close to 100 entries from all over New Zealand (plus the four from across the Tasman) and doubled as the opening round of the 2012 Mi Sedaap instant noodles Pro Kart Series.

Points leaders in that series are now Ryan Grant in KZ2, Josh Drysdale in KF3 and Auckland's Steve Brown in KZ2 Masters. Brown qualified quickest, won two of the three class heats - the other going to fellow Aucklander Mark Lane - then won the Pre-Final from Lane and Snow Mooney and the Final from Mooney and Lane.

Also contested at the meeting were Challenge trophies for the various support classes. These went to Auckland's Daniel Kinsman, (Senior 100cc Yamaha Light), Taranaki driver Matthew Podjursky (Junior 100cc Yamaha), Thomas Pooley from Christchurch (Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha), and Aucklander Liam Lawson (Cadet).

The Cadet Final was one of the best over the weekend, the top six crossing the finishing line less than a second apart!

Since its inception the annual CIK Trophy of New Zealand meeting has attracted top drivers from both New Zealand and Australia with previous title winners including Wade Cunningham - 2003 CIK-FIA World Karting Champion and now an IndyCar driver, former A1GP and now leading Porsche GT3 Cup driver Jonny Reid, 2008 International Formula Master champion Chris vander Drift, 2007 World Series by Renault Eurocup 2 litre champion and former Red Bull F1 test driver Brendon Hartley, current GP3 driver Mitch Evans and V8 Supercar star Shane van Gisbergen.

The venue for the two-day meeting was KartSport Wellington’s CRC Raceway which is located off the road to Pakuratahi Forest, State Highway 2, Kaitoke.

For more information about the club and details on further up and coming events see www.kartsportwellington.co.nz

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RESULTS

KZ2

1. Ryan Grant; 2. Daniel Bray; 3. Richard Moore; 4. Mathew Kinsman; 5. Matthew Hamilton; 6. Jason Farmilo also 10. Jason Faint 14 Laps

KF2

1. Matthew Waters; 2. James Gorham; 3. Aaron Marr; 4. Arie Hutton; 5. Jacob Parsons; DNS Alex Geary, Andrew Hoare, Christopher Cox

KF3

1. Josh Drysdale; 2. Brock Plumb; 3. Jonathan Buxeda; 4. Mitchell Turner; 5. Mitchel Sanders; 6. Luke Dobbs.

KZ2 Masters

1. Steve Brown; 2. Snow Mooney; 3. Mark Lane; 4. Thomas Curran; 5. Todd Wheeler; 6. Leo Bult.

Senior 100cc Yamaha Light

1. Daniel Kinsman; 2. Ryan Cappleman; 3. Daniel Rine; 4. Arie Hutton; 5. Patrick Davy; 6. Charlotte Oram.

Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha

1. Thomas Pooley; 2. Dylan Drysdale; 3. Jacob Cranston; 4. Trey Nairn; 5. Thomas Batt; 6. Sebastian Bainbridge.

Junior 100cc Yamaha

1. Matthew Podjursky; 2. Travis Day; 3. Zac Thompson; 4. Campbell Caird; 5. Taylor Burling-Claridge; 6. Ashleigh Stewart.

Cadet

1. Liam Lawson; 2. Kaleb Ngatoa; 3. Jackson Rooney; 4. Nicholas Evans; 5. Rianna O'Meara-Hunt; 6. Joshua Donohue.

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Distributed by FAST COMPANY on behalf of KartSport NZ. To find out more about the 2012 Mi Sedaap CIK Trophy of New Zealand meeting contact Andrew Donohue, KartSport Wellington Media Officer on 027-233-1833 or via e-mail on andrewd@agito.ac.nz

To contact Fast Company's Ross MacKay ring 021 677 919 or e-mail on ross@fastcompany.co.nz