Nail-biting kart racing a challenge for officials

Waving the flag: Luca Vita, feature winner at Eastland Kart Club's fourth points meeting of the season, does a victory lap with the chequered flag. Picture by Daniel Taylor

THE weather held off and Eastland Kart Club members held their fourth points meeting of the season.

Some of the racing was so close that officials had to check their timing system to see who had won.

In the juniors, Pyper Irvine came away with all four wins, but fast-improving Noah Starr was right behind her with four second placings.

Tim De La Haye won two races in the young guns class, while Logan Irvine and Hamish Worsnop each had a win.

Irvine also had two second placings, while Worsnop had a second and a third.

Conrad Gooch picked up a second and two thirds.

Fred Winterton carried on his good form with three wins and a second in the KT heavy class.

Ben Adcock had one win, two seconds and a third.

Buck Rogers had a second placing and three thirds.

Tauranga-based Eastland Kart Club member Kelvin Bull was driver of the day in my book. Contesting the Rotax class, he had his first win and then backed it up with two more. He was third in the other Rotax race.

Luca Vita got the other win and had three second placings.

Ben Adcock got a second placing and two thirds, while Barry Irvine had a third placing.

The KT lights had the best race of the day . . . no one knew immediately who had won.

The lap scoring showed Seth Hall just got the victory over Luca Vita . . . great stuff.

Hall had two wins in this class, Vita had one win and Daniel Taylor, one.

Vita also had three seconds, and Hall had one second placing.

Mike Vita had four thirds.

In the women's class, Robyn De La Haye had two wins, a second and a third.

Her daughter Hayley De La Haye and Sharyn Rogers each had a win. Rogers also had three second placings.

Third placings went to Lyn Lyle (two) and Tessa Irvine.

In the open class, Harley Davis had three wins.

Robert Gomm had a win and a third.

Vinzent MacGregor had three seconds and a third, while Robert De La Haye had a second and two thirds.

The all-in feature to end the meeting is always packed full of action. After 10 hot laps, Luca Vita took the chequered flag in his Rotax.

Second was Robert Gomm (Rotax), third Robyn De La Haye (KT100), fourth Vinzent MacGregor, fifth Hayley De La Haye and sixth Mike Vita.

Robert Gomm (19.898 seconds) and Luca Vita (19.907s) drove the two fastest laps of the day.

The club's 10th anniversary meeting will be held on Sunday, and out-of-town drivers will take part. Updates will be on the club's Facebook page.