There were four drivers along with a large Kiwi contingent at the 2011 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals meeting at Al Ain - Abu Dhabi from 19-26 November.

Daniel Kinsman, Reid Harker, Steven Currie and Kane Taylor all represented NZ at the finals.

New Zealand has a strong and consistent record of achievement at Rotax Max Grand Final meetings having fielded a team since the very first one in Puerto Rico in 2000, with a best finish of second by Josh Hart in 2010, a third in the Junior class for Earl Bamber at Lanzarote in the Canary Islands in 2004 and third in 2009 and 2010 for Matthew Hamilton.

Aarron Cunningham travelled with the NZ team and provided daily updates and pictures. The progress and results of the Kiwis at the Grand Finals is below.

Click here for video updates - the Kiwis are featuring in a few of these !!
 

 

Day 1   The Team representing New Zealand at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi touched down safely Saturday morning. Consisting of Daniel Kinsman (Rotax Max), Reid Harker (Junior Max), Steven Currie (Masters DD2) and Kane Taylor (DD2), they checked in to the track late yesterday and as of 4pm today have collected the gear that they are to use for the event. The format is simple, drivers are allocated identical gear to those in their class. This format eliminates the variable of factory equipment and levels the playing field. The drivers and their retinues will attend the welcoming party tonight. The first 20 minute practice starts at 13.30 tomorrow and with up to 78 in each class, cuts the amount of time each driver has on the track drastically. In all each driver gets a total of 55 minutes on the track prior to qualifying, giving the most adaptable drivers the edge. Reid Harker is up first at 13.30 local time.
Day 2 Just for a change the weather dawned fine in the desert and us Kiwis were baked under the scorching Middle Eastern sun. Reid Harker was the first of the Kiwis out in session one of Junior Max. Reid performed well, easily lapping with the fastest in his session. As he was in the first group out, his session of 36 karts acted as motorised brooms, clearing all the dust off the track. This translated into much faster lap times in the second junior session - the track sped up as it got cleaner. Because of the rules relating to the pooling system allocating grids for the heats, this will not be a problem for Reid as he only competes against those in his group. Daniel Kinsman was super fast, his best less than a tenth of a second off the current North Island Rotax Champ, David Sera who was the fastest. Leaving his best lap to the last, Daniel spent the first half of his 20 minute session running in his motor and brakes and taking care of his gear. The Technical Director of Rotax, Darryl Smith, advised all drivers to give the motors some slow running to guarantee a proper ring seal. However it seems very few other competitors apart from the Kiwis bothered to take this into account, including the place-getter of the Rotax Euro series Kasper Jensen. It was noticeable that those who 'went hard out the gate, had trouble getting up to speed in the last few laps of the session. The DD2 Masters as well as the DD2s were hampered by a compulsory main jet 5 or so sizes to big and Steven Currie was amongst almost all of the drivers to suffer from Rotax 'playing it safe'. The entire field could be seen pinching the fuel line down the straight to get the motors to clear. He was also doubly unlucky, his gear selector was installed around the wrong way in the factory, causing some confusion to Steve. Steve though stayed out to the end, circulating incident free putting time on his motor. Kane Taylor in DD2 was victim to the same issue - however he appeared to have learnt the track quickly and was fast through the infield, though suffering down the straight. He too stayed out until the end, putting miles on his brand new motor. Fastest in his class was Australian DD2 champion Jason Pringle, who appeared to have got the carb set up right - lapping nearly a second and a half quicker than the majority of the field. Tomorrow will no doubt dawn fine and Reid will be amongst the first to hit the track for their two quarter of an hour sessions.
Day 3   Again the day dawned fine with nary a cloud in the sky. The wind however did pick up, blowing over banners and umbrellas and in one dramatic twist a banner down the front straight into the practicing Rotax Max class.  Each driver got two fifteen minute sessions to do with what they chose, the New Zealanders choosing to forgo laps in favour of making changes.  A start at the gentlemanly time of 10.20am saw Reid out first and in his first run struggled to match the leaders times with a bound chassis. He was 25th in his group and less than half a second off the leader.  Several changes later he found the pace he needed in the second session, scoring the tenth fastest time. In Rotax Light, Daniel Kinsman had a mixed day, having a good first run though failing to match it in the second, losing a couple of tenths while experimenting. Current North Island Champion and Australian rep, David Sera ended up second fastest in one of his sessions though he could not match the consistent pace of the British drivers. Steve Currie in the DD2 Masters had a poor first run but showed promise early on in session 2 today. However experimentation with set up cost him time and caused him to slip down the rankings. The former world champion Christiano Margado for the Republic of South Africa was the class of his group, lapping more than a tenth faster than his closest rival.  Kane Taylor had it the hardest of the Kiwis today, forsaking precious track time in favour of set up experimentation which ultimately cost him in excess of half the session. Canadian and former World Champion Pier-Luc Oullette topped Kane’s group, with Fin Jari Huttunen topping the alternate group. With one practice to go the Kiwis are not in a bad way but could be better and no doubt a brainstorm session tonight will be in order to find the last few tenths. Live timing can be found tomorrow at http://live2011.kart-data.com	The NZ Team           Daniel Kinsman   Photos courtesy of Casey Harker
Junior Max   Place No. Name Country Laps Fast Lap in Lap Differenz 1 151 Makino, Tadasuke Japan 13 58.519 13   2 167 Singleton, James United Kingdom 12 58.559 12 +0.040 3 175 Van Moorsel,Jordi Netherlands 14 58.774 13 +0.255 10 135 Harker, Reid New Zealand 14 58.897 14 +0.378 Rotax Max Place No. Name Country Laps Fast Lap in Lap Differenz 1 222 Cooper, Ben United Kingdom 10 57.450 7   2 218 Beasley, Sam United States 13 57.666 11 +0.216 3 240 Kancsar, Ferenc Hungary 12 57.762 11 +0.312 8 242 Kinsman, Daniel New Zealand 13 57.922 13 +0.472 Masters DD2 Place No. Name Country Laps Fast Lap in Lap Differenz 1 430 Lambert, Florent United Kingdom 8 57.400 3   2 442 Pansart, Guy France 15 57.409 15 +0.009 3 428 Kroes, Dennis Netherlands 14 57.428 14 +0.028 16 452 Currie, Steven New Zealand 10 57.956 3 +0.556 DD2 Place No. Name Country Laps Fast Lap in Lap Differenz 1 353 Oulette, Pier-Luc Canada 12 56.500 13   2 363 Vann, Georf Estonia 12 56.514 2 +0.014 3 333 Jensen, Andreas Denmark 13 56.566 13 +0.066 19 361 Taylor, Kane New Zealand 11 57.116 11 +0.616
Day 4 - Qualifying   Despite a couple of clouds in the sky, the New Zealand reps were treated to another fine day in the desert. The atmosphere at the track was palpable and heavy on the palate – much like an overcooked date pudding. Despite the syrupy taste in your narrators mouth, the guys rolled out the gate at the allocated times to secure their spot on the grid. Qualifying consisted of only one 15 minute session with no second chances so a good run here would be advantageous in not having to avoid the incidents a 34 kart field can provide. Reid Harker was out first in the Junior odd numbers and for a thrilling couple of laps was entrenched in third in his group. As the drivers settled in for their runs he ended up in a still very credible eleventh and 19th overall. This is a fantastic achievement for Right Kart’s young team driver who has been racing less than three years. 11th in his group means he will start on the sixth row on the inside line which is the favourable position on the dusty track. Pole was secured by  Tadasuke Makino of Japan with a 57.47. Reid was 0.349 seconds behind with a 58.096. Daniel Kinsman also had a good session despite slight scoring on the piston and inadequate ring seal. His time of 57.114 landed him 9th in his session and also 20th overall. His time, if he had been in the other group would have given him twelfth place in the session. Daniel also seems confident of an inside grid that will help him avoid both losing positions and the potential for first corner shenanigans. Pole in Rotax Light (56.77) went to U.K’s Sean Babbington and a more English gentleman cannot be seen around the pits. Nothing represents Britannia quite so well as boat shoes and an accent acquired through Eton Schooling. His compatriot and English Champ Ben Coper got line honours in the second session with a 56.83. David Sera – Current North Island Rotax Champion - was second in his group and sixth overall. Your humble narrator is expecting fireworks in this class during the heats tomorrow.
Steven Currie in DD2 Masters truly had a session to forget. Steve chose to wait 5 minutes to allow the karts that were early on the track to clean off the dust which builds up very quickly here in the desert. Though a potentially sound tactic, Steve encountered a huge amount of difficulty when a competitor misjudged a corner and ran over Steve in his warm up lap, damaging his steering badly. Steve’s only consolation was that the competitor’s kart was in far worse condition than his – the competitor in question’s kart needing a reframe and new axle. This is going to be a very costly exercise, no doubt contributing to Jorn Haase’s new swimming pool fund. (Haase Kart is the kart of choice for the Master’s DD2). As a result of the coming together Steve’s best time was in excess of a 1.2 seconds slower than pole. This puts Steve in a very difficult position in the heats where he will have to drive through from the back and avoid other people’s incidents. As a multiple New Zealand champ, Steve is indeed up to the task although he will need the metaphorical ball to bounce in the correct direction. First in Steve’s class was Dennis Kroes with a time of 56.834. Kane Taylor’s foray into the ultra competitive DD2 field was much more impressive. Despite struggling with gear issues during practice, his time set him firmly in the middle of the field. During his flying lap he was balked by a competitor and had he managed to shave a 10th off his time, he would have been well placed in 10th in group. His time of 56.17 netted him 20th in the group and 40th overall. Pole was grabbed by 2009 DD2 World Champion Pierre-Luc Ouellette with a prodigally fast time of 55.56. Racing starts Thursday at 10.35 local time and is available to be streamed live on the Kart Racing Network; www.kartracingnetwork.com. Full Results are available at http://live2011.kart-data.com Good racing promises to be had – watch out for your NZ reps and try to pick your excited and intrepid reporter in the stands!
Day 5 - Heats   Though a solitary black cloud hung over head all day, the desert remained moisture free. Coming from our lush, green country, 5 days at the track is usually interrupted by rain and frankly I am finding not having to pump up a set of wets unnerving. Despite this reporter’s lack confusion, the Heats provided thrilling and close racing as well as the prerequisite spills that come with fields of this size. As those of you who have followed us on both the Kart Racing Network and Live timing can see, the New Zealand drivers have had mixed fortunes and finding out some hard truths about international racing and relatively lax contact rules. Whilst making for exciting viewing and humorous observations (no fewer than two dozen chassis have been bent and replaced today), it has made watching our stars slightly nerve racking. Reid again far outperformed what was expected of him, netting a fifth in the first race from grid 11. Carving through the cream of Europe’s Rotax Challenge fields, Reid made pass after pass, eventually catching up to the lead pack, and showed great skill and speed. His second race saw him start on the outside of the grid in 12. Because of the layout of the track, the first turn is disadvantageous for the outside grid. A fast left hand turn slows down from over 120 kph into a sub 70kph left hand 90 degree. Getting stuck on the outside means at the best, being shuffled down the order to the tune of six spots. At the very worst as many drivers have found today, it means a spectator friendly moment and a contribution to the kart industry in the form of Euros. Fortunately for Reid, his fate was only to be a shuffling back to 16th place, a position that he drove back to 11th from. A third top 12 finish will place Reid in a good position and he will not have to contest tomorrow’s last chance race. Daniel Kinsman had two races to forget, his first ending after being unloaded in the last lap after driving through to fifth from ninth on the grid and his second ending whilst in 8th, coming together with a kart on turn two and then being sent backwards over the curb. Though he has one more heat today, there is a good chance he will need to qualify through the last chance race.
Steve Currie came to life in his heats, driving through from 24th in the first race to 12th and then in his second drove a fantastic race to eighth. During this race he made pass after pass into the top corner, finally appearing to come to grips with the two speed gear box and front brakes. Another good result will put Steve in the top 15 on the grid for the prefinal. Kane too had mixed results. Some fairly major chassis changes resulted in some extra speed and conservative starts have seen Kane arrive at the third corner incident free. In the first heat he went forward to 15th after some good passes only to be hit from behind on the last lap spinning him. Fortunately for Kane, somebody else hit him straightening him up and he managed to jump back on the back of his group to 22nd. He fared much better in the second one, avoiding the huge crash on the start straight (and the subsequent line of karts queuing up to use CRG’s chassis jig), the huge crash in turn two and the massive crash on lap 5 that saw the whole course put under yellow. This was a very cool gimmick for us New Zealanders, never having seen a yellowed track and a restart. Kane to took this well, putting himself in a good position on the track and having his cause helped by a Brazilian driver who started blocking behind him. Kane finished 12th, hanging on to the back of the front pack. Friday will herald the last heats and last chance races. Finals are on Saturday.
Day 6   The day dawned overcast and through the clouds a solitary ray of light could be seen. The temperature was way down on the other days at around 19 degrees and the lower heat know doubt was easier on the motors. Today we had the last qualifying heat as well as the last chance race, the repecharge. All of our drives desperately wanted to avoid this race as they are often a dangerous and costly affair. Reid again out did himself despite being knocked back at the start. He kept his head After dropping to 15th from grid 10 and drove back to eleventh. The race as rather uneventful for Reid as karts fell off around him. His sterling efforts in the heats put him off 10for the prefinal tomorrow as well as attracting the attention of Meritus Race Team boss Peter Thompson. Meritus is Earl Bamber's old race team in both the former F1 support class GP3 and formula BMW. Daniel Kinsman's motor problems were compounded by a bad last heat where he dropped to a sub 20th placing. Rotax finally took notice of Dan's engine issue and agreed to replace the barrel, the piston and ring to hopefully fix the issue for the repecharge. Daniel was off grid 24 And with only 6 going through was going to be a big ask. Unfortunately for DK this was not to be his year and he got Stuck in the sand trap with no less than 7 other karts in the first turn. He was able to free his kart and continue but a lap down. Another victim of the crash was Aussie James Macken who broke an axle and his chassis bearing hangers in the accident. Steve Currie performed admirably in his last heat, making his way to 19th by the second corner. By the time the third lap rolled around he had got to 16 and slowly started reeling in the next pack. With thirty four on the track at any given time, making your way through the heats without incident is an impressive feat indeed. He avoided the repecharge and starts the prefinal a very admirable 21, up nearly 20 spots after the heats.   Kane Taylor too had a day he would rather forget, his first heat today and third heat overall was a contest of bodywork, making a position or two to be bumped back down the order. Ultimately, the 19th was not good enough. His points total landing him 5th spot in the repecharge. A great start saw him in third by the second turn but contact first from behind and then from the side turned him around and facing the other direction, his chances going up in so much tyre smoke. He battled from the back of the 34 kart field to finish midfield but out of the final. Needless to say the hopes of New Zealand's karting fraternity now rest in the very capable hands of Steve and Reid. Thanks to all of you for commenting on our drivers on the live kart racing network stream!
Day 7   Funnily enough no rain in the desert again. Today was a bittersweet end to a fantastic experience. Despite a lack lustre set of results compared to last year, the whole atmosphere and experience has just been fantastic for all of us. Today's finals there were only two Kiwis present after the attrition rate took its toll on Kane Taylor and DK. However Reid did us proud despite a carburation problem in the prefinal. He ended up dropping to 21st from 10th but a great start in the final saw him as high as 14 before being unloaded in turn one. He battled on with a bent front end and recorded the last finisher position. Despite the hard time Peter Thompson from Meritus noticed Reid's abilities and was seen deep in conversation with Reid's dad, Mike. Steve had a nightmare run in the prefinal, being involved in somebody else's stuff up. End result was one turn in and one bent axle. Starting 33rd Steve ran as high as 17 before the afore mentioned contact caught up with him and he suffered a rib injury in the clash. Not to worry, Steve battled on to a 33 finish which is not too bad considering Steve was the second to last qualifier.

Special thanks to Aarron Cunningham who supplied these daily reports and photos directly from the Rotax Grand Finals.

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