Photo: Ryan Grant leads Graeme Smyth, Daniel Bray and Ryan UrbanLap records at Hasting's Royshill ZM Kart Raceway tumbled over the weekend with class winners Ryan Grant (KZ2) and Mitchell Turner (KF3) setting new benchmarks at the opening round of this year's Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series.
Aucklander Grant, who won the series' KZ2 title in 2009 but only competed in selected rounds last year, was quickly back in the groove at KartSport Hawke's Bay's Royshill ZM Raceway, qualifying quickest then winning all three heats, before coming back from a third place finish in the Pre-Final (won by Ryan Urban) to win the Final from Maranello teammate Graeme Smyth, Exprit Kart's Ryan Urban and Richard Moore (Maranello).
Grant's KZ2 class lap record was set in the third heat, the new figure 30.140 seconds.
Mitchell Turner, meanwhile, was one of two local drivers to claim class wins at the Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series meeting, the other KZ2 Masters pace-setter Tom Curran.
Both completed clean sweeps in their respective classes, Turner enjoyed the added bonus of lowering the KF3 class track lap record to 32.229 seconds.
Racing was close in all three classes with Grant, Smyth, Urban, Moore and defending class champion Daniel Bray never far apart in KZ2. Bray set the third quickest lap time in qualifying behind Grant and Smyth but didn't quite have the consistency of his rivals through the heats, Pre-Final and Final, eventually finishing sixth in the Final after being as high as second in one of the heats.
Fellow Aucklander Richard Moore was another to have an up-and-down weekend, and when a wheel came off in the Pre-Final his prospects didn't look good for the Final.
Despite the set-back, he put in a blinding drive to get from near the back of the grid to fourth place at the flag, quite some achievement in the company.
Best of the new generation of class newcomers was Mathew Kinsman who finished fifth in the Final with Daniel Colville seventh and last season's KF3 class winner Bradley Hicks ninth.
With several key players from last year's KF3 title fight moving up to the KZ2 class this year it was harder to pick a favourite in the series' Junior support category.
Or at least it was until Mitchell Turner qualified quickest then proceeded to win all five races. Auckland's Luke Dobbs ran the Hawke's Bay teenager close in qualifying and the first heat, and was the first to lower the class lap record (on his way to third place in the third heat).
Come the Pre-Final though it was Emilee Wright who was second home after Dobbs struck problems while in the Final the order was Turner, Joel Herbert, Logan Brown and Connor Westbury with Dobbs fifth and Wright sixth.
Herbert and Brown actually caught the fast-starting Turner in the Final but their own battle for position allowed Turner the breathing space he needed to hold onto his lead.
The new, standalone, KZ2 Masters class was the other local benefit, Tom Curran a cut above the rest in the heats, Pre-Final and Final. Second, on a return to the driver's seat after a long absence, was Aucklander Mark Lane, third the first of the Wheeler brothers, Todd, with Steve Cox fourth and Mark Wheeler fifth.
The weekend's round was the first of five of this year's Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series with the second set for Tokoroa over the April 02-03 weekend.
KZ2
Final: 1. Ryan Grant 10.21.576; 2. Graeme Smyth +0.181; 3. Ryan Urban +3.139; 4. Richard Moore +4.691; 5. Mathew Kinsman +7.510; 6. Daniel Bray +30.993
KZ2 Masters
Final: 1. Tom Curran 10.42.197; 2. Mark Lane +23.098; 3. Todd Wheeler +27.931; 4. Steve Cox +1 lap; 5. Mark Wheeler +1 lap; 6. Steve Ross +1 lap
KF3
Final: 1. Mitchell Turner 10.598.918; 2. Joel Herbert +1.129; 3. Logan Brown +2.459; 4. Connor Westbury +3.049; 5. Luke Dobbs +3.283; 6. Emilee Wright +5.561
