Theo Vondervoort had to battle fleeting breezes and exploding tyres but a New Zealand Blokart Open title was sweet reward.
The Papamoa sailor captured his first national title on home turf at Blokart Heaven onSaturday, heading home a Bay of Plenty clean sweep in the super heavyweight performance division.
He picked up
a first and a couple of thirds in the final three races to finish comfortably ahead of Te Puke orchardist Don McKenzie and Tauranga's Richard Harrison.
And the luck didn't always run against him _ he was locked in a gripping contest with American Brian Kent for the first four days of the event, before Kent was called away to Auckland for the New Zealand keelboat nationals in Auckland, missing the last day.
"Brian was one point ahead of me when he had to go and he still ended up fourth," Vondervoort said.
"He was allowed two dropped results and it would have been really close if he'd been able to stay on."
The 49-year-old's win capped a memorable week for local racers _ Gabe Young led home another Bay treble in the lightweight division, holding off Te Puke veterinarian Simon Bartley by a solitary point, while Stuart Cooney won the heavyweights performance class.
Third in that division was Auckland paraplegic Allan Levet, who proved more than a match for his able-bodied rivals.
The 35-year-old sailed dinghies in his early teens and took up motorbike racing a few years later but broke his back racing just before his 19th birthday.
After stints with wheelchair tennis and skiing, he saw blokart racing on television and it's now his chosen sport.
Howick sailmaker Haydn Ingall was the other division winner, taking out the middleweight section from l Ross Ludwig and American Sean Fidler.
