This year’s Rotax Max Challenge series is going down to the wire in Auckland this weekend with margins still tight in three of the four classes.
With four trips to the Rotax category’s 16th annual Grand Final meeting in Spain in November – not to mention spot prizes including Arai crash helmets, Irwin Tools and product from Schwarzkopf, Right Karts and Logitech – still riding on the results there’s plenty to fight for.
In the Logitech 125cc Rotax Max Light class Daniel and Mathew Kinsman from Auckland are now separated by just two points after Mathew beat younger brother Daniel at the penultimate round.
Third and fourth places are also close with Daniel Connor from Helensville 35 points behind Mathew Kinsman in third but only seven points ahead of Cambridge’s Andy Schofield who is fourth.
Having accepted an invitation to contest the World Junior Karting Championships meeting in Italy this weekend, fast-rising young Christchurch international Marcus Armstrong is, unfortunately, going to miss the meeting, and possibly the chance to again represent New Zealand at the Grand Final (he is the defending Arai Junior Max class winner).
Long-time rival, Dylan Drysdale, who he beat to win the Junior class last year, is in the box seat to win his class at the Auckland final this weekend, but he will have to be careful because not only has Armstrong got a good lead (13 points), Caleb Huston from Taupo (who claimed a breakthrough class win at the penultimate series round at Hastings last month) and Taylor Harte from Mount Maunganui are tied in third place just five points behind Drysdale.
Things are a little more clear-cut in the Platinum Glass 125cc Rotax Max Heavy/Masters class with long-time leader Ryan Urban sitting out the final round thanks to an unassailable lead in both categories. Young gun Zach Zaloum is also safe at the head of the under 32 (the Masters cut-off age) queue. Behind these two though only two poonts separate the next two Masters class competitors, Aucklander Aarron Cunningham and now Christchurch-based British female driver Tiffany Chittenden.
Behind them, meanwhile, there is only ten points between fifth placed Ryan Bailey from Auckland, and former NZ Rotax Max Challenge class winner and representative, Niki Urwin from Tauranga.
There will be racing at KartSport Auckland’s Strata Networks track at Rosebank Domain on both days this weekend with qualifying and the first heats on Saturday and the balance of the heats, pre-Final and Final on Sunday.
With the final round of the 2014 Pro Kart Series also being decided at the meeting it will be one of the biggest on the Auckland karting calendar with over 100 karters from across the country competing.
