Bray Third After First Two Us Pro Kart Series Rounds in USA

Bray Third After First Two Us Pro Kart Series Rounds in Phoenix

Defending series champion Daniel Bray is third in the points after the first two rounds of this year's SuperKarts USA Pro Tour in Phoenix Arizona over the weekend.

Competing in the premier Extreme Karting/Vemme Kart S1 Pro Stock Moto class, Aucklander Bray, 24, qualified third and finished third behind CRG pair Joey Wimsett and Fritz Leesmann in the first round on Saturday before qualifying on pole but being relegated from second to third place in the S1 Final at the second round on Sunday.

The double-header weekend event was held in scorching conditions which proved too much for a number of competitors including Bray's former teammate Tom Dyer who sustained heatstroke in testing in Friday and played no further part in the event.

Bray said from Phoenix today that his pace in his new, untested GP kart was good on both days but in each case he didn't quite put together a winning run.

"It was an alright start to my title defense but I'm a wee bit disappointed about being relegated from P2 to P3 today. They said I was blocking, but it was as much the track being such a hard place to pass on. If you had more pace than someone else there were a couple of places you could get by, but if you were the same pace there was really only one place and as far as I'm concerned I had it covered."

Over the two days Bray contested four heats and two finals. After a strong start he slipped to fifth in the first heat on Saturday as his kart's engine leaned out thanks to a loose carburetor fuel bowl but fought back to finish third in the second. He, Wimsett and Leesmann then ran nose-to-tail early in the Final on Saturday before Bray started losing ground as his kart gripped up.

Grip was again an issue at the second round on Sunday with Leesmann beating poleman Bray to the finish line in the first heat and Leesmann and Wimsett relegating him to third in the second.

Bray was quicker early on in the Sunday round Final, drafting past Wimsett on the start/finish straight and pulling away but Wimsett quickly bridged the gap as his kart came on and Bray was forced to defend, leaving Leesmann to claim his first Final win of the weekend. Bray remained in front of Wimsett at the chequered flag only to have the positions reversed when the officials decided he was guilty of blocking.

Bray returns to his Auckland home late this week but will head back to the United States for the third and fourth rounds of this year's SKUSA Pro Tour in July.

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