Opening round class winners Brad Still, Rianna O’Meara-Hunt and Jackson Rooney continued on their winning way at the second round of the 2015/16 Bayley’s WPKA Goldstar karting series at Palmerston North’s Manawatu Toyota Kart Raceway on Sunday.
Still, from New Plymouth, pipped Rotax Max Challenge class winner Daniel Connor from Auckland by one point to take 125cc Rotax Max Light class honours. He also finished fifth overall in the all-in Senior Grand Prix race at the end of the day.
Wellington’s Rianna O’Meara-Hunt and Christchurch driver Jaden Ransley also ended up separated by just the one point in Formula Junior, with top female driver O’Meara-Hunt claiming class honours for the round, but Ransley winning the class Grand Prix race from former Vortex Mini ROK class champ Ryan Wood from Wellington and South Island champion Josh Bethune.
It was even closer in Vortex Mini ROK, with eventual class round winner Jackson Rooney from Palmerston North tied for the top score at the end of the day with New Plymouth driver Thomas Boniface.
Rooney also won the class Grand Prix race – from South Island champion William Exton from Picton, and Boniface – and got the round win on countback from Boniface and Hamilton ace Clay Osborne.
In the other classes contested at the meeting, multi-time New Zealand sprint class champion Mathew Kinsman made a clean sweep of Open, winning all five heats as well as the Senior Grand Prix, the latter from first round class winner Daniel Rine and local young gun Jacob Cranston.
Brent Hickmott was another senior to have a good day, winning the ClubSport 120 class and Grand Prix race, both from Braden Parsons.
After a third place class finish at the opening series round at Waitara a month ago, Kevin Barker went two places better at Palmerston North, winning 125cc Rotax Max Heavy from Brendon Gridley and Ashley Higgins.
Going one place better for a breakthrough win of his own, meanwhile, was Liam Sceats.
The young Auckland driver claimed two wins and three seconds in the heats to take Cadet ROK honours from North Island class champion Mason Potter, Logan Manson and Round one class winner, South Island champion Louis Sharp, from Christchurch.
It was Mason Potter who won the class Grand Prix race, though, from Sharp, Sceats and Manson.
With the first two rounds done and dusted, the 2015/16 Bayleys WPKA Goldstar series now takes a break before resuming in Hawke’s Bay in March 2016 then Wellington in early May 2016.
There will then be a final season-ending WPKA Championships event back at Waitara in Taranaki in June 2016.
