Motorsport: Top Kiwis rev up for Oz battle

Ryan Grant (pictured here at the Sola 60 Tauranga Street Race) and Graeme Smyth will take on Australian karters in Melbourne this weekend. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

The Aussies have invited a number of top New Zealand karters to their big Horsepower Heaven 2009 KZ2 meeting at Melbourne's Todd Road circuit this weekend. And they may be in for a bit of a surprise.

Four of the top drivers in the New Zealand KZ2 class have headed across the ditch and the team consists of New Zealand KZ2 champion Graeme Smyth, New Zealand Open class champion Richard Moore, multi-time former New Zealand champion and Shifter series KZ2 class champion Ryan Grant and top Masters category racer Steve Brown.

The meeting is the brainchild of top Australian karter and Melbourne kart dealer, Dominic Albanese, who wants to showcase the quickest karts in Australia. With their purpose-built six-speed gearbox-equipped 125cc engines, these are the fastest karts round any track and have proved to be a big hit here in New Zealand.

The KZ2 class will be one of the best supported at the Horsepower Heaven meeting with 27 karts having registered when entries closed.

"I reckon we'll go really well especially our two top drivers Ryan Grant and Graeme Smyth," said fellow competitor and club president Steve Brown. "The times they're posting in practice will mean they'll be up the front for qualifying."

Although the Kiwis may have the technological advantage and faster karts, hometown advantage for the Aussies will play a big part.

"It's a busy track with a couple of bumps and local knowledge is a huge bonus. It's not the sort of track you can use a lot of horsepower. Lap times can vary as much as one-and-a-half seconds during the day depending on the tide. Because it's by the sea, at high tide the water cools the track and when it goes out the track temperature rises," said Brown. "The locals are able to read that and adjust their karts to compensate. But come the end of the event I'd be very surprised if we didn't have at least three of us inside the top six."

Also included in that field are Scottish class champion, Daniel Borton, and the cream of the locally based KZ2 talent Jordie and Jace Lindstrom, Troy Woolston, Jason Pringle, Bart Price and Steven Pettaras.

Having seen how successful the KZ2, and the KF3 support class is in New Zealand, the Australians are keen to see the categories grow on their side of the Tasman too. There is also talk of Australian drivers heading this way next year to take on the Kiwis at next year's CIK Trophy of New Zealand meeting in Wellington in February.

"They're the ultimate, the Formula One single-seaters if you like, of karting," said KartSport New Zealand communications officer Ross MacKay.

"No kart is faster round a sprint track than a KZ2. And no kart is more sophisticated because the engines and 6-speed transmissions are purpose-built for karting, not something else like motocross then adapted.

"There's a bit to driving them too because they make so much power - close to 50 horsepower - and they've got disc brakes front and rear as opposed to just rear like ordinary direct-drive karts. You're pretty busy round a tight track like Mt Wellie."

Another top New Zealand driver, Tyler Richardson, will also compete at the meeting, in the ICC-100 (non-gearbox) support class.

KZ2 CLASS (DRIVERS 15-50+)

* 125cc two stroke engine producing 43+HP
* Rev to 14,500
* Six-speed sequential gearbox
* 30mm Dellorto carb
* Top speed at long tracks 200+km/h
* 0 to 100km/h approx 3.1 seconds
* Karts weigh 95kg. Driver and kart minimum 175kg
* Floating front and rear brakes adjustable
* Fully adjustable front alignment and ride height