For more than 15 years the annual – now CRC Speedshow-sponsored – Top Half series has provided karters from across the upper North Island with a valuable chance to pit their skills against drivers from other clubs.

In doing so it has helped broaden the skill set of a number of drivers whose names are now familiar with the general motor racing public including international single-seater ace Mitch Evans, V8 Supercar star Fabian Coulthard and UDC V8 Utes champion and now BNT V8 Supertourer driver Andrew Waite.

This year’s four-round series kicks off at the KartSport Rotorua club’s The Rock FM Raceway this Sunday and had attracted a 100+ strong entry across 10 classes from the eight – from Whangarei in the north to Tokoroa in the south – contributing clubs.

As well as individual glory – not to mention a minimum of $5,000 in cash and another $4,500 worth of product prizes – clubs compete against each other for the prestigious Roundabout Kart Shop Trophy, currently held by the KartSport Mt Wellington club from Auckland.

Extra interest in this year’s series will be the competition in the two new Vortex Mini ROK-powered classes, Cadet ROK and Vortex Mini ROK.

This new engine will replace the current Raket and Yamaha engines in the Cadet and Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha age groups respectively over the next two years and the 2014 CRC Speedshow Top Half Series is expected to witness the first serious competiton in these new classes.

After this weekend’s round the series heads to Hamilton and Edgecumbe in March then Auckland in June.

CRC Speedshow is New Zealand’s premier automotive and motorsport expo which this year will be held at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds over the July 19-20 weekend. More information on this year’s CRC Speedshow Top Half series can be found on KartSport New Zealand’s website www.kartsport.org.nz/events/2014-top-half-series and Facebook page www.facebook.com/TopHalfSeries