The lap records tumbled at the latest round of the 2018/19 Manawatu & TRC Toyota WPKA Goldstar KartSport Series in Hawke’s Bay at the weekend with top local driver Zach Zaloum leading the
way.
Zaloum, the reigning 125cc Rotax Max Heavy class NZ Sprint champion was one of two drivers to set new class benchmarks
in the Open class Grand Prix race, leaving the Rotax Max Heavy class record for the 678 metre Carter’s Tyres Raceway at
Roys Hill at just 32.448 seconds.
New Plymouth driver Brad Still also set a new track lap record for the new Vortex ROK DVS Senior class in the same race,
leaving it at just 31.997 seconds.
The new records were two of four set in hot, dry conditions on Sunday.
ClubSport LO206 class ace Brent Melhop from Wellington also lapping the Fernhill, Hastings circuit quicker than anyone
else ever has (37.429) in a 4-stroke-powered Briggs & Stratton-engined kart, on his way to a win in his class Grand Prix race.
Leading Hamilton-based Junior Clay Osborne also re-set the 125cc Rotax Max Junior class record in the Junior GP race
with a time of 31.798 seconds.
Zaloum, Still and Melhop also dominated the heat races in their respective classes earlier in the day to claim round
wins.
Other class wins went to Jacob Cranston (Open) and Andrew Hoare (125cc Rotax Max Light) both from Palmerston North,
Stephen Muggeridge from Whakatane (ClubSport 120), William Exton from Picton (125cc Rotax Max Junior), Ben Stewart from
Wellington (Vortex ROK DVS Junior), Tom Bewley from Havelock North (Vortex Mini ROK) and Arthur Broughan from Blenheim
(Cadet ROK).
Muggeridge, Stewart, Bewley and Broughan also won class GP races. Other GP race winners were Riley Jack (Open) and
Jackson Rooney (125cc Rotax Max Light), both from Palmerston North, and Bradley Hewson (125cc Rotax Max Junior) from
Rotorua.