The heat will be on at the penultimate round of this year’s Logitech New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge in Auckland this weekend with five spots on the team to represent New Zealand at the kart category’s annual Grand Final in Portugal in November still very much up for grabs.
Auckland ace Daniel Connor has been in come-back mode in the 125cc Rotax Max Light class since battery failure at the opening round and after wins at the past two rounds is now only three points behind season-long points leader Josh Hart from Palmerston North.
Cambridge driver Andy Schofield also remains in the mix, heading to this weekend’s round at KartSport Auckland’s Strata Networks Raceway just four points further back in third place.
New Zealand has been sending teams to the Rotax category’s annual Grand Final since the inaugural event in Puerto Rico in 2000 with podium results – over the years – for Earl Bamber, Josh Hart and Matthew Hamilton.
The five places on the team this year will go to the winners of the Rotax Max Light, Rotax Max Junior and DD2 classes, and the winner and runner-up in DD2 Masters.
Heading into this weekend’s round at Auckland, Josh Hart leads 125cc Rotax Light from Daniel Connor, Daniel Bray leads DD2 from fellow Aucklander Daniel Kinsman, defending title holder Dylan Drysdale from Palmerston North leads Junior Max from Aucklander Liam Lawson and Ryan Urban leads DD2 Masters from Fraser Hart (Josh’s older brother) from Palmerston North.
Neither Lawson nor Hart are competing this weekend, however, (Lawson now racing cars, and Hart’s wife due to give birth), leaving the way open for Jacob Cranston to take the battle to fellow Palmerston North driver Dylan Drysdale in Junior Max and Niki Urwin from Tauranga and Tiffany Chittenden from Christchurch to close the points gap on Fraser Hart in DD2 Masters.
Also set to again feature in DD2 Masters is Australian drive Scott Howard who won the class at the Tokoroa round.
This year’s Logitech New Zealand Rotax Max Challenge Series is again twinned with the KZ2-based ProKart Series, with over 100 karters from as far afield as Dunedin and Whangarei making the trip to the KartSport Auckland’s track on the Rosebank Domain in the city’s near west for the weekend meeting.
KartSport Hamilton then hosts the final rounds of both series next month.
