Cold conditions, hot racing at Rotax Max/ProKart meeting in Rotorua

Dylan Drysdale (#1) won the KZ2 class at the weekend's Rotax Max/ProKart kart series meeting at Kartsport Rotorua meeting. Photo: ProShotz/Graham Hughes.

By Ross MacKay
Karting

Hot action on the track helped ward off a wintry chill at the combined Rotax Max/ProKart kart series meeting at Rotorua's The Rock FM Raceway at the weekend.

With the temperature dipping to below -2C on Friday and Saturday nights, and cold wind and rain at the Amoore Rd, Mamaku venue on Saturday, the wintry conditions saw drivers and supporters donning extra layers between races.

When the start lights went out to start each race though the action on the track was as hot as the ambient temperature was low.

"It was sensational out there," said Steve Brown, the man behind the 125cc/6-speed KZ2 category-based ProKart series. "My feet were like ice blocks standing around on Saturday but the minute a race starts you forget about how cold you are. All you can think about is how to get past the guy in front."

"All credit to the competitors," added KartSport Rotorua club vice-president Darren Aislabie.

"It was definitely colder - and wetter on Saturday - than most were used to but they all braved the conditions and put on some stunning racing.

"The club members running the meeting also did a superb job in sometimes trying conditions so hats off to them too."

Former New Zealand Junior karting champion Dylan Drysdale, originally from Palmerston North but now living and working in Auckland, was the big winner in the main ProKart Series class, KZ2, qualifying quickest and taking two heat race wins to win the round from fellow young gun Taylor Harte from Tauranga, and multi-time NZ kart champion Mat Kinsman from Auckland.

Auckland drivers were also dominant in the combined KZ2 Masters and KZ2 Restricted class races. Former rally ace Andrew Hunt won all five heat races to lead home Tim Loughran from the Hawke's Bay in KZ2 Masters, while Regan Hall finally got the better of long-time class pace-setter Garry Cullum to claim KZ2 Restricted class honours.

With each day counting as a separate round there was even greater pressure to perform in the other national series contested over the weekend, the Giltrap Group New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge. Not that it seemed to matter to Auckland-based international Daniel Bray.

Not only was he the quickest qualifier in the DD2 Rotax class on both days, he also won every race for a rare double-header round clean-sweep.

Young Palmerston North driver Jacob Cranston was also a double winner in the Rotax Max Light class, and despite some hiccups in the heat races defending class title holder Ryan Urban from Auckland also claimed victory in both DD2 Masters finals.

There were two winners, however, in the ultra-competitive Junior Rotax class.

Callum Hedge from Auckland won the final on Saturday but the country's top emerging female driver, Rianna O'Meara-Hunt from Wellington, beat Hedge off the line to lead the Sunday final from start to finish and retain her series lead.

Best performance from a local driver came from Caleb Huston who finished seventh overall in the KZ2 class. Darren Aislabie was eighth in the KZ2 Masters, and Riley Spargo finished 14th in the Rotax Junior final on Saturday then 16th in the class final on Sunday.