Kiwi international Daniel Bray enjoyed a winning return to the country’s ProKart Series at the Glenn Tremain Senior Memorial meeting in Tokoroa over the weekend.
Despite series rules around one-off entries meaning he had to start the three heats from the back row of the KZ2 grid the Auckland ace worked his way to the front in each heat then won the Pre-Final and Final to claim round victory from young guns Aaron Wilson and Simeon Woolsey.
Third overall was enough for Woolsey to maintain his series points lead with just one round now to go and like several other drivers on Sunday was unlucky to be caught out by the changeable weather (generally fine but with the odd rain shower sweeping the Holsters Trade Zone Raceway circuit).
In the third heat Woolsey was on slick tyres when it rained, sending him slithering down the order to cross the finish line in sixth place, while in the Pre-Final he was on wets as the track dried and ended up back in sixth place for a second time.
There was also drama in the other two ProKart classes.
In KZ2 Masters series points leader Jared MacKenzie again qualified quickest but ended up third overall behind local ace Graeme Lambert and series promotor Steve Brown.
MacKenzie qualified quickest and won the first heat from Lambert, Brown and Todd Wheeler, the third from Lambert, Brown and Leo Bult, and was lucky to win the Final after early leader Brown was slowed and eventually stopped by a broken drive sprocket.
However he was baulked at the start of the second heat and ended up back in sixth place at the flag, and when a mechanical issue saw him dnf the Pre-Final he had to start the Final from the back row of the Masters class grid.
Lambert, by contrast, was a picture of consistency, qualifying third quickest and artfully navigating the changeable weather and track conditions to finish second in each heat, fifth in the Pre-Final and second again in the Final.
KZ2 Restricted class points leader Garry Cullum also found himself up against it at Tokoroa, being pipped for pole in qualifying by Connor Adam then coming off second best after hitting the prone kart of Jordan Morris (after Morris spun) in the Final.
With Cullum out, Adam also won the Final and the round, the latter from Cullum, Andrew Jackson and Shaun Curran.
In the other Senior class contested on the day, 125cc Rotax Max Light, Caleb Huston claimed a one point day victory over Jordan Baldwin with Sam Hunter third.
It was also close in Rotax Junior, where Brandon Lambert won from Cullern Thorby and Sebastian Noble.
Connor Davison, meanwhile, won Vortex Mini ROK from Clay Osborne and Jack Neill, and Kaden Probst dominated Cadet ROK to claim the day win from Sebastian and Logan Manson.
Glenn Tremain Senior was a founding and life member as well as Patron of the KartSport Tokoroa club and the weekend’s meeting marked his passing three years ago.
The Tokoroa round was the third of four with the KartSport Hamilton club hosting the final round of the 2016 ProKart Series at its annual Winter Cup meeting at Agrisea Raceway (opposite Hamilton International Airport) on June 11 & 12.
