2019 Top Gear Top Half Series: Expect the unexpected in final round

Graeme Smyth is one of the drivers to watch out for at the final round of the 2019 Top Gear Top Half Series at Te Puke on Sunday. Photo / Emilee Jane Photography

With four heats followed by Summer Sprint Races there is plenty to race for at the final round of the 2019 Top Gear Top Half Series - and anything can happen.

Round four of the series is being held today and tomorrow at the KartSport Bay of Plenty's 735m Visi Line Raceway track, surrounded by farmland in a valley behind Te Puke.

Series president Roger Smith said number were expected to be around the 120+ range.

"There is still $23,000 worth of prizes and trophies to give away this weekend and all classes are going to go down to the wire, so anything could happen," Smith said.

The format this weekend is slightly different with only four heatss followed by the Duffett Door Summer Sprint Races.

Cadet Rok will see 16 youngsters all aiming to secure the round win alongside finishing on the podium for the series.

Auckland's newly crowned North Island Champion Maxim Kirwan is chasing his second Top Half Series title after becoming the youngest to win a class title at the series in 2018.

Kirwan has a seven-point buffer over Aucklander Marco Manson. Velcoe Karting driver Carson Daly, from Hamilton, was one to watch at the recent North Islands and sits third ahead of Cole Turney and Riley Boswell.

Following a recent success at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Italy, Sebastian Manson will be the one to beat in the Vortex Mini ROK class where his lead is 17 points over CRG driver Ashton Phipps.

Phipps has a comfortable 20 point gap back to the third placed Ethan Church, followed by recent Micro Max class title winner at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals meeting in Italy, Jay Urwin, who is fourth.

One to watch in the Vortex Mini ROK class will be Auckland's Alex Rose who showed his improvement over the year by qualifying on pole at the North Island Championships at Giltrap Group Raceway over Labour Weekend.

In the Junior Rotax, Hamilton's Clay Osborne, who won the Junior Rotax class final and title at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Italy late last month, leads the Top Gear Top Half series' points standings with a healthy 35 point buffer over Aucklander Dylan Grant, from Hayden Bakkerus.

Junior Rotax is again going to be one of the biggest classes this weekend at Te Puke.

The Rotax Max Lights will be a class to watch with Clay Osborne's older brother Fynn Osborne also showing his dominance throughout the series by going into the final round with a 33 point lead over Rotorua's Bradley Hewson, from Ashton Grant and Gemma Winter.

Winters will be on home soil this weekend and will hope to make that advantage count.

In the Rotax Max Heavy class, there are 18 drivers confirmed. Adam Bell leads the field over long time competitor Caleb Hartley. Darren Walker, who has home advantage, sits third in the series, and as another driver who will be competing at his home track, will be hoping it plays to his advantage.

Tauranga's Sam Waddell leads the Rotax DD2 field from recent North Island title winner Jason Lee, and Aucklander Graeme Smyth looks to hold off 16-year-old Sam Wright for the KZ2 class series' win this weekend.

In the 120, Shannon Noble leads multiple series winner Stephen Muggeridge by just a few points. The battle will be on for third place for the series.

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