Karting: Late dad inspires teenager to rev up

FOLLOWING DAD: Zac Stichbury aims to be in motorsport for the long haul. PHOTO/Duncan Brown

TALK second-generation rivalry at the Hawke's Bay Karting Club's Blossom Meeting this weekend and Zac Stichbury's eyes light up.

The son of the late Ashley Stichbury is one of three second-generation drivers from the host club in the 24-strong Junior Rotax class. Ronan Murphy and Cameron Spargo are the others and their respective dads, Kiwi motor racing legend Greg Murphy and club president Craig Spargo, raced against Ashley Stichbury in the mid-1980s.

Napier Boys' High School year 10 student Stichbury, 14, rightfully claimed the underdog tag.

"I've only been racing for 15 months and this is my first Blossom Meeting. I've only got one engine and I'm a privateer entry compared with some of the others. I'm aiming for a top-10 finish ... the main goal is to get experience in the build-up to the North Island championships which will be raced here at Labour Weekend," Stichbury explained.

"The long-term goal is to be 1NZ in the class but you have to get to that level first. In the future it would be good to follow a similar career path to Dad," he said.

A former kart and TraNZam champion, Ashley Stichbury, who died in 2002, was one of the best New Zealand V8 Touring Car Championship drivers. He also raced Formula Fords and his CV included two Bathurst campaigns.

His son had a taste of karting in cadets as an 11-year-old. Back then, football was his priority as he was a Hawke's Bay under-12 rep.

"I still play football for the junior A team at school but karting is the No1 sport these days. The Invercargill-hosted nationals at Easter is another goal for me," Stichbury said.

As part of his preparation for this weekend's 49th annual Lightning Race Gear-sponsored meeting, which has attracted 90 drivers from throughout the country, Stichbury tackled the Top Half Series which included meetings at tracks north of Taupo and the lower North Island's Gold Star series. He recorded a win and a couple of seconds during the Top Half Series and a third during the Championship Round of the Gold Star series.

Auckland's 2NZ Callum Hedge and Wellington's 3NZ Rianna Omaera-Hunt are the favourites for the Junior Rotax class title.

The format for each of the five classes will see drivers have five races today and four tomorrow and then a 28-lap Grand Prix.

"We've introduced the 28-lap Grand Prix this year because that's what competitors at the North Island champs will be getting," meeting convenor for this weekend Alan McNicol said.

McNicol predicted Ronan Murphy and Frank May to do the best of the Bay drivers in the Junior Rotax class.

He ranked Johnathan Pearson as the Bay's best hope in the 12-strong open class.

Another of the Bay starters in this class, Stu Sowersby, is in his 60s.

McNicol said it would be a tremendous feat to complete the weekend's schedule. Points accumulatedin the drivers' best eight races will determine class placings.