Payne bolsters Kiwi kart squad at Aussie Champs round

Reigning New Zealand KZ2 class champion Matthew Payne has joined series regulars Ryan Wood and Liam Sceats at Emerald in Queensland’s Central Highlands this week to contest the fourth round of this year’s SP Tools Australian Kart Championship presented by Castrol Edge (AKC) over the weekend.

Payne, 16, from Auckland has returned from his European base in Italy for the Australian series round where – under the eye of Auckland-based mentor and KZ2 class specialist Daniel Bray - he will be running a Vortex-engined Ricciardo kart with the Patrizicorse team in the KZ2 class.

Last year, compatriot Dylan Drysdale qualified quickest and won the KZ2 class at Emerald with the same team and this year Payne’s teammate, Troy Loeskow, is leading the series’ points standing so Payne believes he has every chance to do well.

“While it will be my first time driving a Ricciardo/Vortex combination and I’ll only have a day of practise, Troy has proven it to be a very competitive package and with all the knowledge and experience in the Patrizicorse squad I think I will be able to get up to speed fairly quickly.”

Also looking to do well are Wellingtonian Ryan Wood, who this year is contesting the Iame X30 Senior class with Patrizicorse, and Liam Sceats from Auckland, who is running in KA2. Both are race-fresh after class wins at KartSport NZ’s Freeway Engineering National Schools’ championship meeting in Wellington last weekend.

This weekend’s round of the 2019 SP Tools Australian Kart Championship presented by Castrol Edge at Emerald in Queensland’s Central Highlands is the fourth of five with the final set to be held in Melbourne over the August 31/Sept 01 weekend.

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