More Kiwi Karters To Cross The Tasman

More Kiwi Karters To Cross The Tasman

More Kiwi karters are set to cross the Tasman this month, with a six-strong squad which includes Daniel Kinsman from Auckland and Marcus Armstrong and Caleb Cross from Christchurch, set to contest the second round of Australia's 2013/14 Rotax Max Challenge Pro Tour in Melbourne over the January 25/26 weekend.

Reigning New Zealand 125cc Rotax Max Light class champion Kinsman, 20, lies fourth in the Rotax Light class points standings having contested the opening round of the 2013/14 series at Albury in October last year but for the five other drivers - Armstrong, Cross, sisters Ashleigh and Madeline Stewart and Brendon Hart from Palmerston North - the Melbourne round is a first for the new season.

Kinsman, the Stewart sisters and Hart are committed to doing both the Australian and New Zealand Rotax Max Challenges this year. But for Christchurch young guns Armstrong, the reigning New Zealand Junior 100cc Yamaha class champion and winner of the Junior Rotax class in the 2013 New Zealand challenge, and Cross - the reigning New Zealand Junior Restricted 100cc class title holder - the trip, for the moment anyway, is a one-off, prompted in part by the cancellation of the CIK Trophy of New Zealand meeting which was to have run over the same weekend in Wellington.

"Our priority would always have been the CIK meeting," said Caleb's father Hamish," but when it was canceled Matthew (Hamilton, from Christchurch kart shop WKS Karting Supplies who runs Armstrong and Cross) and I looked at the calendar and thought; 'if we're not going to CIK why not take the boys to Melbourne for the Pro Tour round?"

Both 13-year-olds have competed across the Tasman before, Cross at the Queensland State Titles meeting in Bundaberg in June last year and Armstrong at the Rotax Nationals at Puckapunyal in Victoria in September.

Kinsman and the Stewart sisters also competed at the Nationals meeting last year, Daniel finishing a close second to multi-time Australian champion David Sera in Rotax Light and 15-year-old Ashleigh finishing sixth and 13-year-old sister Madeline 11th in the Junior Max Trophy class.

The Melbourne round of this season's Pro Tour has attracted a strong entry across all eight classes with Daniel Kinsman one of 76 entrants in Rotax Light, Marcus Armstrong and Caleb Cross set to line up against almost 60 others in Junior Max, Brendon Hart one of 43 starters in DD2 Masters and Ashleigh and Madeline Stewart part of a 20-strong field in Junior Max Trophy.

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