Photo: Daniel Kinsman leads fieldThe heat is on for the country's Rotax Max category karters this weekend as those contesting this year's Right Karts Kartstars 2011 Rotax Max Challenge series gather in Hamilton for the penultimate round.
With four trips to the annual Grand Final - this year being held in November at the Al Ain track in the United Arab Emirates - up for grabs the pressure is on in all three classes.
In the premier Motorex Rotax Max Light class Auckland's Daniel Kinsman has been the form driver all season but so close has the racing at the four previous rounds been that he still has three other drivers - Kane Taylor, his older brother Mathew Kinsman, and multi-time former New Zealand champion Ryan Urban - breathing down his neck.
It is even closer in Strata Networks Rotax Max Heavy where Aarron Cunningham and top Masters category competitor Steven Currie are tied on points at the top of the table heading into this weekend's round with fellow Aucklander Shane Hodgson just three points back in third.
Arai Helmets Formula Junior is also anyone's at the moment with Scott Manson, James Munro, Reid Harker and Rhys Tinney set to be the front-runners this weekend.
New Zealand has a strong record at the annual Rotax Max Grand Challenge event, with the best result so far recorded in Italy last year where Palmerston North's Josh Hart finished a close second in Rotax Max Light and Christchurch's Matthew Hamilton finished third in DD2.
This year four drivers will earn places on the grid at the Grand Final, the team set to consist of the winner and runner-up in Motorex Rotax Max Light, the winner of Arai Helmets Formula Junior and the winner of the Masters class-within-a-class in Strata Networks Rotax Max Heavy.
The winner of the Strata Networks Rotax Max Heavy class will also win a trip to the event.
This weekend's round of the Right Karts Kartstars 2011 Rotax Max Challenge will be contested over two days with qualifying and heats on Saturday and Pre-Finals and Finals on Sunday.
CALENDAR
Rnd 1 Feb 19 Manawatu Toyota Raceway Palmerston North
Rnd 2 March 12/13 Pinex Raceway Tokoroa
Rnd 3 March 26/27 Fagan's Valley Raceway Te Puke
Rnd 4 July 30/31 Moselle Panel & Paint Raceway Auckland
Rnd 5 August 27/28 KartSport Hamilton Raceway Hamilton
Rnd 6 September 24/25 KartSport Rotorua Raceway Mamaku
