Cross does the double at Garden City Champs

Reigning New Zealand Rotax Light champion Caleb Cross put his local knowledge to good use at the Garden City Champs, winning two light classes in Rotax and Briggs. The annual KartSport Canterbury event saw competitors compete over two days of competition, with the results of each day’s final counting towards the overall title.

Competing in his usual Rotax Light class, Cross won Saturday’s final and finished second on the Sunday en route to winning the class outright. His main competition came from Dylan Jessop and Kyle Dawson, with Jessop winning Sunday’s final to finish second overall and Dawson finishing on the podium each day to wrap up the final podium spot.

Doubling down and competing in the biggest field of the weekend, Briggs Light, Cross had to fend off multi-time South Island Champion Chris Cox to wrap up the class win. Both Cross and Cox each won a final through the event, but Cross’ fourth place on Sunday was enough to better Cox’s sixth on Saturday. Regular class front-runner Myles Findlay rounded out the overall podium in third.

In Cadet Rok, another New Zealand Champion in Iver Spence had a perfect weekend, winning both Saturday and Sunday’s events. Second and third place had to be split by a tie breaker, with Charlie Clarke finishing second ahead of Jett O’Malley. Though Jett had a better final finish in second on Saturday, O’Malley’s consistency was enough.

For Vortex Mini Rok, reigning New Zealand number two Henry Fisher took overall honours in a super close battle. Fisher won Saturday’s final but slipped to third on Sunday with Braden Watson picking up the win. Watson would finish second overall for the event on a tie breaker with Jack McGrath settling in third.

It’s been a big year for Marlborough’s Arthur Broughan, racing here at home and competing internationally in the FIA Academy in Europe, plus attending the final round of the Australian Karting Championship. He put all that experience to good use, winning Saturday’s final event plus finishing runner up on Sunday to take the overall championship for Rotax Junior. Jacob Earley finished fourth on Saturday but improved to win the final on Sunday, giving him second place overall with Mac Templeton completing the rostrum.

Completing the action for the weekend were the two heavy classes in Rotax Heavy and Briggs Heavy. In Rotax, Shane Madsen and Aaron Tahu both managed a final win and second place over the two days to finish tied on points. Madsen would win via tie breaker, with Paul Hughes piecing together a consistent run for third overall. In Briggs, Mainland Series Champion Taylor Gray won the Saturday final and finished runner-up on Sunday to win the title. Kevin Barker’s win on Sunday was enough to keep him well clear in second overall, with Christian O’Malley’s second place on day one handing him third overall.

The event also featured a KartSport New Zealand officiating trial with plenty of feedback gained from both officials and drivers in attendance. This trial, plus others in planning will continue to help the national body modernize this crucial area of the sport.