Daniel Kinsman proved the best of the Kiwi prospects at the latest round of Australia’s Rotax Max Challenge Pro Tour at Geelong near Melbourne over the weekend.

The Aucklander moved forward in all but one of his six races across two days of competition and made up for a dnf (did not finish) in the Saturday Final with a fourth place finish in the Sunday one.

Series regular Kinsman, the 2013 New Zealand Sprint champion in the Rotax Max Light class, was one of five young New Zealand karters to cross the Tasman for the fifth round of this season’s Australian Rotax Pro Tour, being joined this time by brothers Josh and Dylan Drysdale from Palmerston North, and sisters Madeline and Ashleigh Stewart from Wellington.

Madeline Stewart enjoyed the next best result, finishing ninth in each Junior Max Trophy class Final after a dnf in the first heat race on Saturday but a ninth in the other heat that afternoon ,and eighth and tenth place finishes in the heats on Sunday.

Sister Ashleigh worked her way forward – from her P12 qualifying position – in each Saturday heat only to slip back to 12th in that day’s Final and – after a ninth and a tenth in the heats – start and finish 10th in the Sunday Final.

The Drysdale brothers also enjoyed mixed fortunes across the two days of competition.

Competing in the Rotax Max Light class, Josh finishing 11th in the Saturday Final after qualifying 18th and finishing 12th in the first heat and 17th in the second.

He didn’t qualify as well – 22nd – on Sunday but got as high as ninth in the first heat and 15th in the second but recording a dnf in the Final.

Younger brother Dylan crossed the line 10th in Saturday’s Junior Max class Final but ended up 24th – after starting eighth – in the Sunday one.

The meeting also saw the competitors in the DD2 class competing for the Jason Richards Cup, a trophy awarded in honour of the late Jason Richards. A former New Zealand kart champion, Richards went on to race 2 Litre Touring Cars at home and V8 Supercars in Australia and throughout his career remained a strong supporter of the sport of karting on both sides of the Tasman.

The trophy was won by Albury driver Jordan Boys, the round winner in the DD2 class at Geelong.

The weekend’s round was the fifth of seven with the next at Warwick in Queensland over the April 12-13 weekend.