School-age karters from all over New Zealand will be in Taranaki this weekend contesting KartSport New Zealand’s National Schools Championship meeting.
The 14th annual event is being sponsored by Todd Energy and hosted by the KartSport Taranaki club and New Plymouth Boys High School. It has attracted over 80 entries across five different classes to the club’s track, Todd Energy Raceway, at Joll Rd in Waitara.
The Formula Junior class is oversubscribed with 26 entries and will run to a 6 heat format. Also well supported is Vortex Mini ROK which has a track maximum field of 24 entries.
Each year teams of karters compete for individual and schools’ honours.
This year six schools from across the country have entered teams.
In the Secondary Schools’ section they are Palmerston North Boys’ High School, Christ’s College from Christchurch and Francis Douglas Memorial College from New Plymouth with two teams each.
In the Primary/Intermediate section Te Mata Primary School from Havelock North in Hawke’s Bay, Hokowhitu School and Ross Intermediate School (from Palmerston North) and Palmerston North Intermediate School have each also entered two teams.
This year the annual schools’ event is also hosting the final round of the inaugural ROK Cup New Zealand.
ROK Cup New Zealand is a multi-round series for young drivers contesting either Vortex ROK-engined class, Cadet ROK (for 6-11 year-olds) or Vortex Mini ROK (for those 9 to 12).
The overall series winner of the Vortex Mini ROK class earns entry to the annual ROK Cup International Finals meeting in Italy later this year, (joining 2016 National Champion Breanna Morris who has already qualified) while the overall series winner in the Cadet ROK class gets a brand new Vortex Mini ROK engine.
Heading into the weekend’s event there are only two points in it in both classes.
William Exton from Picton (147 points) and Jackson Rooney from Palmerston North (145) are locked in a battle for the number one spot in Vortex Mini ROK while Mason Potter from Auckland (143) and Ryan Bell from the Bay of Plenty are the two vying for victory in Cadet ROK.
Should either pair falter there are as many as four other drivers waiting in the wings in each class.
Top local driver Thomas Boniface and Aucklander Ryan Crombie remain a threat in Vortex Mini ROK, while in Cadet ROK only 9 points separate leader Mason Potter from fifth placed Logan Manson, Auckland, with Louis Sharp from Christchurch and Bo Hill from Nelson in-between.
There will be action on track at Todd Energy Raceway on both days this weekend with tuning runs and heats for Formula Junior and Vortex Mini ROK on Saturday and Cadet ROK, Junior 100cc Yamaha and 125cc Rotax Max Light on Sunday.
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