The tight confines of its Fagan Valleys site high in the bush-clad hills behind Te Puke will test the skill and in particular the patience of the 90-or-so karters who have signed on to contest the third round of this year’s Giltrap Group ProKart Series at the KartSport Bay of Plenty club’s newly renamed Apparelmaster Raceway this weekend.

After the wide open spaces and smooth, manicured surface of the country’s newest and longest (at 1.2km in length) Century Batteries Raceway at Rotorua (which hosted the second round off this year’s Giltrap Group ProKart Series last month), the 750-long Te Puke track is one of NZ’s oldest and most unforgiving.

However the ProKart Series has been returning faithfully each year for close to 20 years now, most of the drivers relishing the opportunity to test themselves on such a storied and definitely ‘old skool’ track.

After just two of the five rounds of this year’s series complete and a three-month mid-winter break until the fourth round at Tokoroa in August this weekend’s Te Puke round could actually make or break a driver’s campaign.

With a round win apiece, for instance, established Auckland-based category front-runners Mat Kinsman and Graeme Smyth share the series points lead in the premier KZ2 class, Obviously, that scenario cannot continue after this weekend’s round. In fact with category young gun Joshua Parkinson just three points behind the leading pair in third place both Kinsman and Smyth will no doubt spend as much time looking behind them as they will looking ahead.

The situation is a little  bit more straightforward in the other two KZ2-based classes, KZ2 Masters and KZ4. Another Auckland-based karter Regan Hall, now has a lead of 10 points over second-placed Kevan Storr in the Masters competition. Hamilton’s Tony Walker, meanwhile, has a four-point lead in the spec and cost-controlled KZ4 class, despite a super-serious challenge mounting at the second round by Aucklander Jason Lee.

Second-generation karter Zac Stichbury from Havelock North, and Hamilton’s Clay Osborne are another pair tied at the top of the points table in their class (125cc Rotax Max Light)

In the Rotax Junior class, however high profile young Pukekohe speedway star Emerson Vincent holds the lead in the class points standings; albeit by just two points over Matamata ace Jay Urwin who – in turn - is just one point up on Kiahn Burt from Marton who is third.

Which just leaves the Vortex Min ROK support class where emphatic Rnd 1 winner Marco Manson found himself having to accept second place from fellow Aucklander Maxim Kirwan at the second round.

With three different heat race winners - Miles Baker in the first, Marco Manson in the 2^nd & 3^rd and Maxim Kirwan himself in the 4^th – the racing was again as fast and as furious as it was at the opening series round at Hamilton.

Manson – briefly – found find a way past late in the Pre-Final, but Kirwan was back in front by the time the chequered flag came out, and led the Final from start to finish to claim an impressive round win on his series’ debut this year.

Series-wise however, Marco Manson has a healthy points lead over Miles Baker, Cole Turney and Riley Boswell.

CAPTIONS

Class winners at the second round of the 2021 Giltrap Group ProKart Series at Rotorua last month included Graeme Smyth  (KZ2 #24), Regan Hall  (KZ2 Masters #93), Tony Walker (KZ4 #10) and Clay Osborne (125cc Rotax Max Light #3). Photo credit: Fast Company/Graham Hughes.

RESULTS

Rnd 2 2021 Giltrap Group ProKart Series Points after Rnd 2 of 5

KZ2

Series

1=. Mat Kinsman & Graeme Smyth 176 points; 3. Josh Parkinson 173; 4. Daniel Bugler 164; 5. Sam Wright 163; 6. Riley Jack 162.

KZ2 Masters.

Series

1. Regan Hall 184 points; 2. Kevan Storr 174; 3. David Malcolm 173; 4. Tim Loughran 168; 5. Jeremy Thornton 86; 6. Andrew Hunt 85.

KZ4

Series

1. Tony Walker 181 points; 2. Jason Lee 177; 3. Garry Cullum 173; 4. Marcus Carlyle 172; 5. Nick Tombleson 170; 6. Gerhard Benadie 165.

125cc Rotax Max Light.

Series

1^st=. Zac Stichbury & Clay Osborne 176 points; 3. Rianna O’Meara-Hunt 172; 4. Josh Richmond 171; 5. Ashton Grant 170; 6. Darren Walker 159.

125cc Rotax Max Heavy

Series

1. James Higgins 183 points; 2.  Ashley Higgins 177.

125 cc Rotax Max Junior.

Series

1. Emerson Vincent 174 points; 2. Jay Urwin 172; 3. Kiahn Burt 171; 4. Sebastian Manson 169; 5. Mitchell Sparrow 168; 6=. Blake Corin & Hayden Lines 164.

Vortex Mini ROK

Series

1. Marco Manson 180 points; 2. Miles Baker 173; 3. Cole Turney 171; 4. Riley Boswell 170; 5. William Edmondson 167; 6. Carson Daly 163.

2021 Giltrap Group ProKart Series (revised calendar)

Rnd 1: Porter Group Park, Hamilton March 13-14

Rnd 2: Century Batteries International Raceway, Rotorua April 17-18

Rnd 3: Apparelmaster Raceway, Te Puke May 15-16

Rnd 4: Stihl Shop Tokoroa Raceway, Tokoroa Aug 14-15

Rnd 5: Porter Group Park Hamilton Sept 18-19

Prepared by FAST COMPANY on behalf of KartSport New Zealand. To find out more about the 2021 Giltrap Group ProKart Series txt Ross MacKay on 021 677 919 or e-mail him at ross@fastcompany.co.nz

Article added: Friday 14 May 2021