Junior class karters Rianna O’Meara-Hunt, Jackson Rooney and Louis Sharp stole the show at the opening round of the 2015/16 Bayley’s WPKA Goldstar Series at Waitara in Taranaki on Sunday.
O’Meara-Hunt, from Wellington, was the dominant figure in the Formula Junior class, top-scoring overall with three wins from five starts in the heats and also winning the stand-alone class Grand Prix race.
Tom Greig from Palmerston North claimed second place for the round, winning the other two heats, while recently crowned class South Island champion Josh Bethune from Dunedin finished sixth overall and second to O’Meara-Hunt in the class Grand Prix race.
Jackson Rooney, from Palmerston North, also shone, winning two of the five heats to claim top honours in the Vortex Mini ROK class from Hamilton driver Clay Osborne and class South Island champion William Exton from Picton, with New Plymouth’s Thomas Boniface the top local driver in fourth.
Completing the Junior trifecta was Louis Sharp from Christchurch. The third South Island champion to feature at the Waitara meeting, Sharp won three of the Cadet ROK class heats and the stand-alone class Grand Prix, with young Auckland ace Liam Sceats second in both and North Island class champion Mason Potter third overall and fifth in the Grand Prix race.
Daniel Rine from Palmerston North was the big winner in the Senior ranks, getting the nod in the Open class after a points tie with Mike Jury, then winning the Senior Grand Prix from Henri Ham, Nick Isaac and Brad Still.
The racing was close in both Senior Rotax Max classes, with Brad Still from New Plymouth first home in 125cc Rotax Max Light from Tauranga’s Taylor Harte, and Palmertson North driver Ashley Higgins winning 125cc Rotax Max Heavy from Nelson driver Brendon Gridley.
Finally, there were four different heat winners in 120 ClubSport with Gary Soper eventually edging out Brent Hickmott by one point.
This season’s Bayleys WPKA Goldstar series kicked off in Waitara on Sunday with subsequent rounds at Palmerston North in December, Hawke’s Bay in March 2016 and Wellington in early May 2016. There will then be a final season-ending WPKA Championships event back at Waitara in Taranaki in June 2016.
