Geary heads strong line-up at Kartsport Nationals, wins TRS test…

Senior 100cc Yamaha Light title winner Alex Geary has won a trip to Japan to race at the Toyota All Japan Challenge and a test drive in a Toyota Racing Series car.

Geary headed a lineup of new faces at KartSport New Zealand’s 50th anniversary National Sprint Championship meeting in Hamilton during Easter weekend.

The 17-year-old from New Plymouth has been racing for three years and proved to be the class of the blue riband Senior 100cc Yamaha Light field on Saturday, qualifying quickest and winning the second heat, the Pre-Final and the Final at the Toyota Racing Series-supported event.

He beat top local driver Tyler Richardson and Auckland’s Deon Forrest in the Pre-Final (the race to decide grid positions for the Final) then multiple New Zealand champion Matthew Hamilton and Tokoroa’s David Meszaros in the Final.

Geary’s major prize is a trip to Japan to compete at the Toyota All Japan Challenge meeting later in the year and a test drive in a Toyota Racing Series racing car at the Manfeild motor racing circuit in May.  The test drive is part of the Toyota Fast Track Award created for the 50th anniversary meeting with Geary one of 10 drivers to qualify for the test.

A number of defending class champions competed National Sprint Championship but none were able to retain their titles.

In the Senior gearbox/Open classes the KZ2 title went to young Auckland gun Graeme Smyth, Open to fellow 17-year-old Richard Moore (also from Auckland) and F125S to Mark Swetman from the Bay of Plenty.

In the Senior direct drive classes 100cc Yamaha Heavy went to top local driver Bradley Tyrrell, 125cc Rotax Max Light to Auckland’s Ryan Urban and 125cc Rotax Max Heavy to Christchurch driver Simon Hunter.

Hunter was also in line to win his fourth straight 100cc Yamaha Heavy title on Saturday but Tyrrell was simply too good, qualifying quickest and clean-sweeping all four races.

Christchurch driver Matthew Hamilton was a contender in all three classes he competed in, finishing second in Open and Senior 100cc Yamaha Light and fourth in 125cc Rotax Max Light!

In the Junior classes honours were spread evenly, with titles going to Ari Hutton, Daniel Kinsman, Rhys Tinney and Mitchell Turner
Hutton claimed the Formula Junior crown on Sunday and was also first home in the Junior Yamaha Final on Saturday but lost that place and the possibility of a second title for passing under a yellow flag.
That gave Kinsman the win and title in Junior Yamaha with local hotshot Rhys Tinney coming through from ninth place on the grid to claim the Junior Restricted Yamaha title from Blenheim’s Brook Reeve, and Hawke’s Bay’s Mitchell Turner winning the Cadet Final and title from KartSport Manawatu clubmates Dylan Drysdale and Thomas Ingram.

The full list of category winners and those selected by the judging panel for a test drive opportunity in a TRS Lites car is: