The importance of the upcoming KartSport New Zealand National’s which will be held in Invercargill at Easter is evident by the presence of several North Islanders amongst the entries at this weekend’s Southland Spirit Of A nation meeting at the Invercargill Raceway at Pit Road, Sandy Point, Invercargill.
Normally the Sievwright Spirit Championships would attract entries from throughout the South Island and while that is again the case this weekend there are several North Islanders making the long trek south to get valuable track time prior to the intense competition of the Nationals.
Four prominent North Islanders will contest the Vortex Mini ROK Class this weekend. Logan Manson of Manawatu, the 2016 National Schools Champion, Aucklanders Liam Sceats and Hayden Bakkerus plus Clay Osborne of Hamilton will be prominent entries in a healthy field.
Rianna O’Meara-Hunt of Wellington, third in her class at last year’s Nationals, travels south to race in the Junior 125cc Rotax Max field while Sebastian Manson of Auckland is entered in the Cadet ROK Class where he will encounter Porter Stevenson, son of 1998/99 NZ FF1600 Champion, LeRoy Stevenson.
Each of the North Islanders will return to Invercargill in just three weeks when the Sprint Nationals, also supported by Sievwright Blasting Panel Paint, are held.
One of the top South Islander’s on track this weekend will be Chris Cox of Rangiora, winner of numerous National Titles in both age group and senior classes over a number of years.
While several North Islanders are entered for this weekend’s racing many more have already travelled south to test at the 700 metre circuit, underlining the importance and level of competition that Southlanders will see at Easter’s Nationals.
Racing this weekend takes place at the Invercargill Oil Shop Raceway, Pit Road, Sandy Point Domain, from 9.15am on Saturday and 8.45am on Sunday.