Trio Share Top Score Status At DVS Sunbelt Kart Series

Trio Share Top Score Status At DVS Sunbelt Kart Series

Class winners Chris Cox, William Exton and Louis Sharp shared top-score status at the 31st annual DVS-sponsored Sunbelt Series kart race meeting held at Blenheim and Nelson over the Queen's Birthday long weekend.

The two-day series which doubled as the opening double-header round of the Mainland Series and carried points for this year's ROK Cup New Zealand, attracted a 70-strong entry across six classes with racing at KartSport Marlborough's Cresswell Electrical Kart Raceway on Saturday, and KartSport Nelson's The Hits Mike Pero Kart Raceway on Sunday.

Cox, a multi-time South Island champion, and Exton and Sharp, the reigning South Island champions in their respective classes, were clear class winners on both days, each ending up winning eight of their nine heat races.

Cox, from Rangiora, was the dominant figure in the Open class where he led home Matt Butchart from Nelson and Bailey Paterson from Christchurch.

Picton driver Exton, meanwhile, was the dominant figure in Vortex Mini ROK, while Louis Sharp from Christchurch claimed his third class win at a Sunbelts series in three years in Cadet ROK.

Zac Christensen from Christchurch finished second in Vortex Mini ROK and Nelson's Bo Hill was second in Cadet ROK.

It was closer amongst the key players in the other classes.

In Rotax Max Junior Wellington's Ryan Wood just pipped Dunedin's Joshua Bethune with Wood enjoying an edge at Blenheim.

Wood led Bethune home in three of the five heats on Saturday only for Bethune to return the favour in Nelson on Sunday, winning the first three heats before Wood took back the advantage and with it overall victory in the class (albeit by just two points) from Bethune, with Christchurch's Adam Godwin third.

Five heat race wins over the two days of racing was enough, meanwhile to earn visiting Aucklander Keith Wilkinson a clear win in the 125cc Rotax Max Heavy class over Nelson driver Bruce Borlase and Dunedin's Mark Ahlfeld.

Christchurch's Jared Cleghorn had it much harder in 125cc Rotax Max Light, where he was one of seven drivers to win a heat race. However, win the class he did, with a four point break on fellow Christchurch driver Matthew Straker with Invercargill's Jamie Conroy third and Kieran Woods from Christchurch fourth.

ENDS

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