Final round host club KartSport Auckland came out the winner in the annual CRC Speedshow Top Half Series ‘top club’ competition this year, claiming the coveted Roundabout Kart Shop Club Challenge award from KartSport Whangarei and KartSport Mt Wellington.

This year there were eight different clubs in the Taupo-north region vying for the title, with only 15.07 points separating KartSport Auckland from sixth placed KartSport Rotorua.

The final round at KartSport Auckland’s Strata Networks Raceway on Sunday was one of the best supported of the series, with 126 entrants enjoying close and exciting racing.

The closest finishes after four rounds and literally hundreds of kilometers were in the Formula Junior and 120 ClubSport classes.

Heading into the final round at Auckland, young Hamilton driver Suvarn Naidoo had a five point lead over Formula Junior class sparring partner Auckland ace Dylan Smith. However Smith turned that on its head at his home track, taking the title – albeit by just the one point – from Naidoo, with KartSport Mt Wellington’s Daniel Talbot remaining third.

In ClubSport 120, meanwhile, it was class stalwart Graham Knight who edged out fellow Eastern Bay of Plenty clubmate Richard Muggeridge by one point. It was an agonizingly close-but-no-cigar result for Muggeridge, who finished second – one place ahead of Knight – on the day behind Whangarei driver Richard Macey……who ended up third overall in the series points standings behind Knight and Muggeridge!

In the other classes, top Pro Kart Series racer Graeme Smyth made a one-off appearance at his home track to claim Open class honours, though young CJ Sinclair from the Mt Wellington club had accumulated enough points at the previous three rounds to take class series’ honours from veterans Teddy Bassick and Snow Mooney.

Hamilton ace Campbell Joyes also made the trip to Auckland worthwhile with a round win in the hotly contested 125cc Rotax Max Light class, but runner-up-on-the-day Corey Green from the Bay of Plenty claimed the series’ title for the class from KartSport Mt Wellington club mates James Blair and Jason Butterworth.

In the other classes, young Auckland driver Liam Lawson scored a popular round and series victory in Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha, Ben Morrison from South Head near Helensville completed a clean sweep of the new Vortex Mini ROK class from Rotorua’s Riley Jack and the Bay of Plenty’s Heidi Benner, and though Mt Wellington club member Billy Frazer won the round, Cadet Raket series’ honours went to Fynn Osborne from fellow Hamiltonian Connor Davison.

Series honours in the new Cadet ROK class, meanwhile, were taken by Mt Wellington’s Dylan Grant.

Competitors in this year’s series now have sponsor CRC Speedshow’s annual automotive and motorsport expo to look for. It is being held at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds over the July 19-20 weekend. Over the weekend demonstration races for Rotax Max and Cadet ROK classes will be a feature of the arena activities.