The good news is that top New Zealand karter Ryan Grant made it through the heats and Pre-Finals to earn a spot in the Final at the opening round of this year’s WSK Super Masters Series in Italy over the weekend.

The bad news is that he retired (from the Final) at the famous Sarno kart track near Naples after just one lap.

“It was an OK weekend,” the Auckland-based international said before boarding a plane for the long trip back to New Zealand. “The kart was fast but we had engine trouble all weekend. We made it to the Final but the engine wouldn’t run properly so we had to retire.”

2012 World Karting Champion Flavio Camponeschi was the pace-setter in the premier KZ2 class in free practice with Grant 24th in the first session, 20th in the second and 19th in the third.

The Kiwi, driving for the Maranello squad, then finished 22nd in his first heat race, 15th in his second and 26th in the third to start his Pre-Final (there were two to cull the 55-strong field down to 34 for the Final) from P22 on the grid.

When rain fell just before the Pre-Final Grant was forced to swap karts but rather than faze him the change seemed to work in his favour, the multi-time New Zealand KZ2 champion and series winner finishing a weekend-best 16th to give him grid 31 for the Final.

“It was a gamble (using the spare kart and engine) and it was the first time it rained since I got here, but, yeah, “I got into the Final. It was just a pity that the engine wouldn’t run properly.” The Final was won by 2012 KZ1 World Cup title winner Bas Lammers from the Netherlands. Lammers won the first Pre-Final from Frenchman Arnaud Kozlinski and Ben Hanley from Great Britain, then the Final from Italian Marco Ardigo (who won the second Pre-Final) and Kozlinski.

Grant is on his way home now, but returns to Europe later in the year for an extended stay which will see him contest the CIK-FIA KZ2 World Cup meeting at Sarno in October and the season-ending Trofeo delle Industrie meeting at Lonato in November.