Back-to-back class wins for Caleb Hartley and Stephen Muggeridge were just two of the highlights of this year’s CRC Speedshow-backed Top Half Series.
The series concluded at the KartSport Auckland club’s Strata Networks Raceway on Sunday with karters from all over the North Island racing in conditions which spanned the spectrum of cold and dry to torrential rain being blown horizontally by a blustery westerly wind.
Local ace Caleb Hartley again proved the driver to beat in the 125cc Rotax Max Heavy class, winning four of the five heats and finishing third in the other to lead home KartSport Mt Wellington club member Henry Gelb and KartSport Rotorua’s Ashton Baird.
In doing so Hartley successfully defended his 2015 Top Half Series class title with Ashley Baird second and Henry Gelb third.
Stephen Muggeridge from the Eastern Bay of Plenty club didn’t have it quite so easy in the ClubSport 120 class, finishing second on the day to clubmate Mark Rose. It was still enough for him to successfully defend his 2015 series’ class title though, with clubmate Graham Knight second and Dean Oliver from the KartSport Whangarei club third.
It turned out to be good weekend all round for the KartSport Whangarei club which also won the hotly-contested club’s title for the second year running.
Other round and series’ class winners on Sunday were Kaden Probst in Cadet ROK, Josh Parkinson in Rotax Junior, Sam Waddell in DD2 and Corey Green in 125cc Rotax Max Light.
KartSport Mt Wellington club member Probst was the class act in the rain in Cadet ROK, with three wins from five starts, taking the round and series’ wins from KartSport Bay of Plenty’s Ryan Bell. Third on the day was KartSport Auckland club member Emerson Vincent, third in the series’ point standings, Sebastian Manson from KartSport Mt Wellington.
Josh Parkinson from KartSport Mt Wellington shared heat wins in Rotax Junior with KartSport Auckland’s Taylor Hurst and Ashton Grant from KartSport Mt Wellington but claimed the round win from Joseph Terry from KartSport Bay of Plenty and Hurst, and the series’ win from KartSport Auckland’s Lee Zeltwanger and Terry.
With international Mathew Kinsman (KartSport Mt Wellington) and former KZ2 class race winner Jason Lee (KartSport Auckland) in the field Sam Waddell from KartSport Bay of Plenty had his work cut out in the DD2 class. A win and three second places saw him right though, a round win over Lee and Auckland club mate Glenn Ellis guaranteeing him the series’ title over Ellis and another KartSport Auckland club member, Bond Roby.
Waddell also proved his versatility by finishing sixth on the day and third overall in the other class he contested this year, 125cc Rotax Max Light.
Round and series’ victory in that class went to Corey Green from the KartSport Bay of Plenty club. Green finished second in class in last year’s series and went one better this year, claiming a close round win at Auckland over Brad Wenzlick from KartSport Hamilton and Dylan Smith from KartSport Auckland, and a comfortable series’ win over Elliott Malcolm from KartSport Mt Wellington and Sam Waddell.
There were two winners, meanwhile, in the hotly contested Vortex Mini ROK class, KartSport Mt Wellington club member Josh Richmond pipping KartSport Hamilton clubmates Connor Davison and Clay Osborne for round victory but Davison comfortably claiming the series’ title from Richmond and KartSport Bay of Plenty club member Blake Austin.
This year’s CRC Speedshow Top Half series had a prize pool including a minimum of $8,500 in prize money, $6,000 in CRC product giveaways, four sets of MG tyres and a custom-painted Arai SK-6 helmet complete with helmet bag courtesy Arai NZ, Headcase Designs and Lightning Racegear valued at $2000.
The custom helmet draw was won by KartSport Auckland club member Callum Armstrong, and the Lightning Race Gear packages were won by Glenn Ellis (Senior) and Zach Blincoe (Junior), from KartSport Auckland and KartSport Mt Wellington respectively.
The trophy for most improved Senior driver went to Thomas King from KartSport Mt Wellington, the trophy for most improved Junior to Caitlin Stanley from KartSport Bay of Plenty.
CRC Speedshow is New Zealand’s premier automotive and motorsport expo and this year was held at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds over the July 16-17 weekend.
Class sponsors this year were KartZone from Tauranga (Cadet ROK), Supreme Kart Supplies from New Plymouth (Vortex Mini ROK), Spartan 4Toyota in Auckland (Rotax Max Junior), Lascom Motorsport Auckland (125cc Rotax Max Light), Barfoot & Thompson Pukekohe (125cc Rotax Max Heavy), WRB Karting Supplies Whangarei (Raket 120), and Right Karts Auckland, (DD2).
