Club & Karters Beat The Bad Weather On Sunday

By Jeanette Smyth

With torrential rain closing most sports venues across the upper North Island over the weekend of 26/27 July thousands of keen sportspeople young and old were left kicking their heels on Saturday or Sunday.

Not, however, the karters who travelled to KartSport Auckland's track at the Rosebank Domain in Avondale for the final round of the 2008 Top Half Series.

125cc Rotax Max Light winner Kane Taylor.
Photo : Fast Company/Andrew Bright-Ultrapix

Though the atrocious weather meant testing time was kept to a minimum on Saturday racing proceeded as normal - as normal as racing in torrential rain can be! - on Sunday.

Once again, the Cadet class was the largest on track. Whangarei’s Thomas McLean, leading the class going into this final round, did not finish outside the top three all day winning the round and the series overall.

Auckland’s Logan Brown struggled at this final round but did enough to retain second overall. Chelsea Herbert finished third for the day and held on to third overall in the series.

Junior Restricted was another large class, with seventeen drivers on track. Everyone wants to know what Kaleb Currie had for breakfast - four wins from four starts - and substantial wins they were. Shaun Grocock, AaronWilson and Joel Herbert filled the minor placings for the day with the overall series win going to Aaron Wilson from Bradley Hicks and Rhys Tinney.

Junior Yamaha, as expected, went to the wire in the overall results. This class had been a close battle on track between Arie Hutton and Dan Kinsman, both representing KartSport Mt Wellington, with Hamilton’s Rex Edwards in the mix as well. The final round win went to Kinsman by a clear margin. Overall, it was just three points that Hutton held to take the series from Kinsman, with Edwards in third.

Formula Junior has been dominated by one or the other of the Blomqvist brothers, Tom & Paul - till the final round. Auckland’s Scott Reddish took no prisoners on his home track and took the days honours. Mt Wellington’s Michael Bird had an awesome weekend on the track and took out second for the day from Tom Blomqvist. Overall, Tom Blomqvist took the class honours from Ben Drummond and Scott Reddish.

Oh so close in the Senior Yamaha Light Class, with Mat Kinsman and David Meszaros fighting it out with Ethan de Jong lurking. However, it was the Bay of Plenty’s John van Bommel who showed how it’s done in the final round; taking the round win from Meszaros and Mt Wellington’s Jason Butterworth. Overall, Mat Kinsman took the series from Meszaros, with de Jong in third & van Bommel in fourth.

Auckland drivers dominated the final round of Senior Yamaha Heavy. Right till the last race Brendon Smith had the days result sewn up; only to have a mechanical failure in the last race dropping him to second behind Leyton Kendall. Kendall’s consistency - no result worse than third seeing him take the days honours. Stu Marshall struggled at this round - not a water-baby - but did enough to take the series win from Smith with Dion Kendall in second equal.

Kane Taylor, as he so often does on his home track, destroyed the Senior Rotax Light class in this the final round and also in the overall results. Ben Dallas finished second for the day and overall with Mason Armstrong and Mike Male swapping positions - Armstrong taking third for the round & Male taking third for the series overall.

Senior Rotax Heavy has been a battle of old and young - no disrespect intended. Mike Grimshaw and Peter Wrightson having an equal share of round wins. Grimshaw took the series overall from Wrightson with Bradley Alexander in third.

In the Great Clash of the Clubs Hamilton took the honours with a substantial margin over Auckland & Whangarei.

2008 Top Half KartSport Series Round 4 (Final)
The Pallet Company Raceway Rosebank Domain Auckland Sunday July 27
RESULTS

Cadet: (Round) 1. Thomas McLean; 2. Blake Filleul; 3. Chelsea Herbert; 4. Caleb Huston; 5. Alex Edwards; 6. Finley McLaren. (Overall) 1. McLean; 2. Brown; 3. Chelsea Herbert; 4. Filleul; 5. Richard McCarthy 6. Peter Goldstone

Junior Restricted: (Round) 1. Kaleb Currie; 2. Shaun Grocock; 3. Aaron Wilson; 4. Joel Herbert; 5. C.J. Sinclair; 6. Callum Quin(Overall) 1. Wilson 2. Bradley Hicks 3. Rhys Tinney 4. Grocock 5. Currie; 6. Quin

Junior Yamaha: (Round) 1. Daniel Kinsman; 2. Arie Hutton; 3. Daniel Colville; 4. Stan Tangaroa-Green; 5. Rex Edwards; 6. Levi Madsen-Prinn (Overall) 1. Hutton; 2. Daniel Kinsman 3. Edwards 4. Andy Schofield 5. Colville; 6. Tangaroa-Green

Formula Junior: (Round) 1. Scott Reddish; 2. Michael Bird; 3. Tom Blomqvist ;4. Sushannah McVeigh; 5. Ben Drummond; 6. Matt Hollier (Overall) 1. Tom Blomqvist 2. Drummond 3. Reddish 4. Hollier 5. Paul Blomqvist; 6. McVeigh

Senior 100cc Yamaha Light: (Round) 1. John van Bommel; 2. David Meszaros; 3. Jason Butterworth; 4. Matthew Bufton; 5. Ethan de Jong; 6. Mat Kinsman (Overall) 1. Mat Kinsman; 2. Meszaros; 3. de Jong; 4. van Bommel; 5. Matthew Bufton 6. = Todd Sherley & Butterworth

Senior Yamaha Heavy: (Round) 1. Leyton Kendall; 2. Brendon Smith; 3. Dion Kendall ; 4. Stuart Marshall; 5. Darren Aislabie; 6. David Lamberton (Overall) 1. Marshall; 2.= Smith 2.= Dion Kendall; 4. Leyton Kendall; 5. Darren Aislabie; 6. David Lamberton

Senior Rotax Light: (Round) 1. Kane Taylor; 2. Ben Dallas; 3. Mason Armstrong; 4. Mike Male; 5. Whitney Claxton; 6. Albert Rohrlach (Overall) 1. Taylor; 2. Dallas; 3. Male; 4. Armstrong; 5. Declan Hull; 6. Albert Rohrlach

Senior Rotax Heavy: (Round) 1. Peter Wrightson; 2. Warren Parris; 3. Mike Grimshaw; 4. Aaron Woolley; 5. Kevin Wylie; 6. Bradley Alexander (Overall) 1. Grimshaw; 2. Wrightson; 3. Alexander; 4. Aaron Woolley; 5. Kyle Whitehead 6. David Waldmeyer

Distributed by FAST COMPANY on behalf of the Top Half series. To find out more about the series contact Ross MacKay on 021 677 919 or via e-mail at ross@fastcompany.co.nz

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