While outright national titles were fought for in nine classes, four of these had in-class battles for Masters and Legends recognition. In KartSport New Zealand competition, a Masters classification recognized drivers aged 40 to 59, while Legends recognizes those aged 60 plus.

To be eligible for each title, drivers must carry the respective plate colour (green for Masters and white for Legends), plus nominate their status as part of their entry. The plate colour fills two objectives – clearly identifying each competitors, plus also promoting the opportunity of these titles to future competitors.

In the premier gearbox class of KZ2, it was Auckland’s Regan Hall who finished ninth on track and wrapped up the Masters title. Defending Masters champion Clint Beaumont would have to settle for the runners-up position, having won the title in Wellington last year. Defending Legends KZ2 title holder Tim Loughran showed what’s possible, tackling the sport’s most daunting class to regain his position as the number one Legend in gearbox racing.

The self-titled ‘KartSport Superstar’ and crowd favourite Aaron Cunningham was rewarded for his multi-decade worth of Nationals campaigns, with a Masters win in the Rotax Max Heavy class. He’d do double duties throughout the weekend, battling for Masters honours with Taranaki’s Craig Frost in the Vortex ROK DVS Senior class. Aaron would briefly take the lead of the battle in the final, before losing power with a few laps to go, allowing frost to become the new title holder.

Though the Rotax DD2 class was low on entries overall compared to other classes, it featured a strong mix of Masters and a Legend. However, it would be Daniel Mayall who would best the competition to bring is Drago kart home in seventh overall and first Master. Marco Schelp would cross the line behind Mayall, making him KartSport’s first DD2 Legends winner.

With both the Masters and Legends categories picking up serious momentum over the past couple years, the fight will be on when both the North and South Island Championships are hosted in October in Wellington and Invercargill respectively.

Photo credit: Vicky Jack Photography

Article added: Thursday 13 April 2023