Johnathan Pearson gave school a miss yesterday ... but don't accuse him of wagging and getting up to mischief. The Karamu High School year 13 student was too tired for lessons and understandably so. On Sunday, Pearson, 17, became the first Hawke's Bay Karting Club member to win three consecutive Johnny HarrisonMemorial Grand Prix titles at the club's ZM Racway near Fernhill. The open class driver lapped 13 of his 14 rivals during the annual 30-lap race and beat second place-getter Lochlan Miller by almost three quarters of a lap. Before the 30-lapper, Pearson, an open class driver, won all four of his heats on his way to class honours for the day. "I was really happy with the day," Pearson told SportToday after surfacing from his deserved sleep-in. He was quick to point out a new Vortex 125cc engine was a major ingredient to his success. "I had one club meeting to get it right, but yesterday was the first meeting where I raced it hard the whole time." Apart from one of his five races, where he was assisting a new driver to his class with lines, Pearson led from start to finish. Pearson, who hopes to do an automobile mechanic's course at EIT when he leaves school, will be hoping for similar success to Sunday when he tackles his club's prestigious Blossom Festival meeting in September. Then there's the Auckland-hosted North Island championships in October and the annual November street race in Tauranga. Next month's club day at the Bay track will be his only rehearsal for the Blossom. Sunday's form suggests he is more than ready. One of his major tasks yesterday was to visit his sponsors to inform them of his success and thank them for their support. "You can't get good results without good sponsors," Pearson said. With so much class on and off the track SportToday won't be surprised if Pearson wins a fourth consecutive Johnny Harrison Memorial Grand Prix title next year.
