Bray Dominant In Kz2 - Kinsman Brothers Fight

KARTSPORT NEW ZEALAND
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* KartSport Bay of Plenty series round meeting
Rnd 3 2012 Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series
Rnd 4 Gen-i KartStars 2012 Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand
Fagan's Valley Raceway
Alley Rd
Te Puke
Sat-Sun
July 28-29
2012

02-08-12

Round Review

Bray Dominant In Kz2 - Kinsman Brothers Fight Over Rotax Light

Auckland international Daniel Bray was the dominant player in the KZ2 class while brothers Daniel and Mathew Kinsman ended up best of the 125cc Rotax Max Lights class runners at the big Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series/Gen-i KartStars Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand kart meeting at KartSport Bay of Plenty's Fagan's Valley Raceway over the July 28/29 weekend.

Fresh from contesting the third and fourth rounds of SuperKarts USA's Pro Tour at the Miller Motorsports Park track in Utah the weekend before, Bray qualified quickest and led home either GP Karts teammate Matthew Hamilton from Christchurch or arch-rival Ryan Grant from Auckland in all but one race.

In that race (the Pre-Final) Grant managed to find a way past Bray early on and was able to hold the 24-year-old out. Come the Final though Bray was back in front with Hamilton second and Grant's teammate Graeme Smyth third at the line after Grant pulled out after just three laps.

In the other Mi Sedaap instant noodles Pro Kart Series classes Hawke's Bay drivers were to the fore, defending title holder Tom Curran qualifying quickest and winning two of the three heats and the Final to claim KZ2 Masters honours for the round, and smooth, consistent young Mitchell Turner taking the KF3 round win off series points leader Josh Drysdale after Drysdale - who went on to win all the other class races - could only manage a seventh place finish in the first heat race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon.

It the Gen-i KartStars Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand classes Auckland's Kane Taylor qualified quickest in Right Karts 125cc Rotax Max Light but had not one but two Kinsmans to contend with in the heats, Pre-Final and Final.

He managed to keep the pair behind him in the first heat on Saturday but on Sunday the advantage swung the Kinsman brothers' way, Daniel winning the second heat and Pre-Final from Taylor then Daniel beating older brother Mathew, Daniel Connor, Taylor and Palmerston North's Fraser Hart to the line in the Final.

In the other Gen-i KartStars series' classes, Aucklander CJ Sinclair qualified quickest and took the battle to usual class pace-setter Scott Manson from Christchurch and Palmerston North driver Josh Drysdale (who competed in two classes at the meeting) in Arai Helmets Rotax Max Junior, eventually winning the Final and with it the round.

Manson won the Pre-Final and led 25 of the 27 laps of the Final, but both Sinclair and Drysdale found a way past on the second to last lap. Manson got back past Drysdale on the last lap to re-claim second place but heading into the final corner the pair collided sending both karts off the track.

Both drivers were able to get back onto the track and cross the start/finish line but Manson was in severe pain from what turned out to be serious damage to his left knee caused in the collision and ran off the track at the first corner.

There was also drama in the Strata Networks 125cc Rotax Max Heavy class with Aucklander Shane Hodgson awarded the Final win after first-across-the-line Andrew Grant was subsequently disqualified over a flagging issue. That move in turn elevated Aucklander Aarron Cunningham to second and top local driver Niki Urwin to third.

And where was early season stand-out - and class points leader - Zach Zaloum?

The young Hawke's Bay driver arriving at the meeting with a heavy flu and - after qualifying seventh quickest - sat out the heats so that he had just enough energy for the Pre-Final (in which he did well to finish eighth) and the Final (ninth). A worthwhile result as he retained his series points lead heading into the next series round in Auckland in three week's time.

RESULTS

Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series
KZ2
(Final)
1. Daniel Bray; 2. Matthew Hamilton; 3. Graeme Smyth; 4. Richard Moore; 5. Mitchell Brown; 6. Jason Farmilo
Points after Rnd 3 of 5
1=. Ryan Grant & Daniel Bray 327 points; 3. Matthew Hamilton 313; 4. Richard Moore 309; 5. Jason Farmilo 301; 6. Mitch Brown 298.

KF3
(Final)
1. Josh Drysdale; 2. Mitchell Turner; 3. Logan Brown; 4. Emilee Wright; 5. Mitchel Sanders; 6. James Witters
Points after Rnd 3 of 5
1. Josh Drysdale 327 points; 2. Mitchell Turner 319; 3. Mitchel Sanders 312; 4. Logan Brown 309; 5. James Witters 303; 6. Emilee Wright 301

KZ2 Masters
(Final)
1. Tom Curran; 2. Mark Lane; 3. Mark Wheeler; 4. Garry Claxton; 5. Todd Wheeler; 6. Leo Bult
Points after Rnd 3 of 5
1. Tom Curran 326 points; 2. Mark Lane 324; 3. Steve Brown 315; 4. Todd Wheeler 312; 5. Mark Wheeler 310; 6. Garry Claxton 303.

Gen-i KartStars Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand
Right Karts 125cc Rotax Max Light
(Final)
1. Daniel Kinsman; 2. Mathew Kinsman; 3. Daniel Connor; 4. Kane Taylor; 5. Fraser Hart; 6. Andy Schofield
Points after Rnd 4 of 6
1. Daniel Kinsman 345 points; 2. Daniel Connor 332; 3. Mathew Kinsman 330; 4. Kane Taylor 246; 5. Fraser Hart 307; 6. James Penrose 298

Arai Helmets Rotax Max Junior
(Final)
1. CJ Sinclair; 2. Thomas Joyes; 3. Jordan McDonnell; 4. Scott Manson; 5. Josh Drysdale; 6. Olivia Yardley
Points after Rnd 4 of 6
1. Scott Manson 347 points; 2. Josh Drysdale 330; 3. CJ Sinclair 327; 4. Jordon McDonnell 322; 5. James Munro 229; 6. Thomas Joyes 276

Strata Networks 125cc Rotax Max Heavy
(Final)
1. Shane Hodgson; 2. Aarron Cunningham; 3. Niki Urwin; 4. Teddy Bassick; 5. Stuart Marshall; 6. Steven Currie
Points after Rnd 4 of 6
1. Zach Zaloum 338 points; 2. Shane Hodgson 314; 3. Aarron Cunningham 318; 4. Nike Urwin 309; 5. Stuart Marshall 235; 6. Steve Currie 300

CAPTIONS
Daniel Bray proved to be the driver to beat in the premier KZ2 class at the latest round of the 2012 Mi Sedaap instant noodles Pro Kart Series at KartSport Bay of Plenty's Fagan's Valley Raceway near Te Puke over the July 28/29 weekend. Daniel Kinsman, meanwhile, edged out brother Mathew to come out on top in the premier Gen-i KartStars Rotax Max Challenge of New Zealand class, Right Karts 125cc Rotax Max Light. Photo credit: Fast Company/Greg Henderson Photography

ENDS

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