Lights on for Starlight grand prix

NIGHT RIDES: Max Donnelly leads the way in the Clubsport 120 race. Photo Shutter Media Group

Staff Reporter

EIGHTY karting enthusiasts from all over New Zealand made the trip to Edgecumbe for the first of its kind grand prix in the Eastern Bay.

Kartsport Eastern Bay of Plenty hosted the inaugural, and much anticipated, Matariki Starlight Grand Prix, from June 28-29.

Aside from the high level of competition, what made this event a standout, was that all the races were held at night under lights.

On the Friday, the racers turned up at noon for practice and, with the event in the middle of winter, started racing at 5pm under lights.

The racing was frenetic and, with an estimated 300 people including the drivers and seven classes, the competition was fierce.

Graham Knight, Kartsport Eastern Bay of Plenty Club president and race director for the night, explained that racing at night has its own challenges.

“The major difference between racing at night as opposed to during the day is the coldness of the track, which meant the drivers had to race with 4-5 psi higher than normal to get them to grip on the track.

“There was also dew that came in on Friday night, which made the track a bit slippery, and this challenged the drivers a bit more with them being able to control their karts.

“They were doing speeds of up to 100 km/h into some of the corners so, yeah, it was quite challenging for the drivers,” he said.  

The event was the first of its kind for the club.

DOUBLE CHECK: Clubsport 120 driver Jim Barnett makes minor adjustments to his kart before his next race. Photos Troy Baker E4763-53

“It was an inaugural meeting and the first time our club has done anything like that in the club’s history, which is around 50 odd years.

“So, yeah, it was just trying to put it together and making it work, which we did quite well,” Knight explained.

There was a lot of work behind the scenes.

“There was quite a bit of preparation. We had to organise light towers and catering.

“The catering side of things is something that we did in a top half series five years ago, but nothing compared with the scale of having a night meeting, which throws in a lot of challenges.

TIGHT GRIP: VMR driver Emily Loveridge cruises around the track. E4763-11

“We had a good group of committee guys, some of whom are new to the sport, who came on board with enthusiasm and made it happen,” Knight said.

The grand prix was a long time coming.

“It’s something I’ve thought about holding at the club, but never really had the time to look into and push it along.

“I asked a couple of parents if they would be keen to help out and they took it by the horns, thought it was a great Idea, so it snowballed quickly from there,” Knight explained.

Kartsport Eastern Bay of Plenty would like to thank sponsors Truck Fix , Show TV , Top Stone, Vehicle Grooming Services, Kiwi Waste Disposal, Kartzone, Right Karts, Bay Civil, and Shapley Plumbing for their support.

IN CONTROL: Eastern Bay’s Lucas West on his way to winning the Votex Mini Rok B race. E4763-23

Results

Final results after four heats and a final for each class over the two days:
Clubsport 120 A:1, Harry Schaab, Taranaki; 2, Max Donnelly, EBOP; 3, Warren Sherborne, EBOP.
Votex Mini Rok A: 1, Zach Hemphill, Hamilton; 2, Tyler Killip, EBOP; 3, Charlie Clarke, EBOP.
Rotax Lights: 1, Mitchell Sparrow, BOP; 2, Lucas Thompson, EBOP; 3, Ian Smith, Wellington.
Junior Rotax: 1, Lachlan Tombleson, Tokoroa; 2, Patrick McDonald, EBOP; 3, Aedan Smart, EBOP.
Rotax Heavies: 1, Adam Bell, BOP; 2, Conrad Knight, EBOP; 3, Hayden Knight, EBOP.
Cadet Rok: 1, Nico Thomasen, EBOP; 2, Aston Gallop, EBOP; 3, Tanner Samuelson, BOP.
Clubsport 120 B: 1, Richard Goodson, EBOP; 2, Evan Drayson, EBOP; 3, Robert Boniface, Taranaki.
DD2: 1, Mike Brinkworth, EBOP; 2, Darren Johnson, Auckland; 3, Aaron Martin, Hamilton.
Votex Mini Rok B: 1, Lucas West, EBOP; 2, Samuel Loveridge, EBOP; 3, Braden Thomas, EBOP.

-Simon Herbst
Sports reporter

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