Former National Champion, Christchurch's Chris Cox made it all one way traffic in two classes at the 2009 Southland Spirit of a Nation Championships held at Macaulay Ford Raceway just outside of Invercargill over the weekend of 25/26 April.

Cox was untouchable in the Rotax Light class, and his biggest challenge was to be in the senior Yamaha Light class which featured a field of 17 top class drivers from Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill.

Two of Cox's biggest threats eliminated each other in Saturdays pre-final when current NZ schools champion Jamie Conroy of Invercargill and current South Island champion, Dunedin's Dyson Freeman, had a tangle, leaving Conroy upside down on the main straight. The weekend got no better for Conroy as he was also relegated in the prefinal on Sunday for an earlier infringement.

Cox won the class from Invercargill's Shay Heslin and Dunedin's Steven Thompson.

In other classes Lewis Ball from Christchurch took out maximum points in the Cadet class from Dunedin's Dominic McDonald, Junior Restricted was the battle of the Dunedin drivers with Liam Young taking out the class by just a single point over AJ Fraser.

Junior class was another arm wrestle with Brendon Leitch of Invercargill taking the honours on day 1 but a fine drive in the final on day 2 by Dunedin's Daniel Henery giving him the slightest points advantage and the spoils of victory, Dunedin's Cassidy Mowat drove to third.

In the Yamaha Heavy class Daniel Harvey made easy work of things to claim the title but the battle for second and third was a lot more fierce with the two local drivers Nigel Mcanelly and Nic White claiming second and third respectively.

Rotax Heavy class was another won by a Dunedin driver. Les Campell was the class of the field wining both days heading off the Christchurch duo of Andrew Downs and current Mainland Champion Mike Pulley.

The glamour boys of karting topped the weekends events off with some close fast paced action in the Open class but it was Shannan Baker who held off Peter Dickson and Wade Dickson to claim the 2009 Spirit of a Nation Championship title.

The event also doubled as round 1 of the 2009 Mainland series, which will consists of a round in Dunedin in November and the next round in Christchurch in September.

Supplied by Daryl Shuttleworth, Publicity Officer, Invercargill Kart Club.

Copyright © KartSport New Zealand. All rights reserved.