Cadet Raket class winner Jacob Mitchell from Christchurch
(Photo: Fast Company/Graham Hughes)

Palmerston North Boys High School is officially New Zealand’s winningest KartSport school, students Dylan Drysdale and Jacob Cranston having earned it a record fourth Secondary Schools title at this year’s Toyota Racing New Zealand-backed KartSport New Zealand National Schools’ Championship at home in Palmerston North over the weekend.

Students won the school the premier Secondary Schools’ title for the first time at the third annual KartSport New Zealand National Schools title meeting in 2005 and since then the Manawatu school has held it three more times, in 2010, 2012 and now 2014.

Schools from Invercargill in the south to Auckland in the north were represented at the weekend meeting, hosted by the school and KartSport Manawatu at the club’s Manawatu Toyota Raceway in Shirriffs Rd.

Dylan Drysdale was one of seven individual class title winners at the meeting, leading home schoolmates Jacob Cranston and Michael McCulloch in the Formula Junior class on Saturday. It was close too, with just one point separating Drysdale and Cranston after each won two heats but Drysdale won the final from Cranston and Hawke’s Bay driver Taylor Harte.

Junior restricted 100cc Yamaha class winner Liam Lawson
(Photo: Fast Company/Graham Hughes)

Michael McCulloch was in the mix for a top two spot having claimed two seconds and two thirds to start the final heat from P2 on the grid. But he spun on the rain-dampened track surface and had to work his way back up through the field to cross the finish line in a ‘what-might-have-been’ ninth place.

Drysdale and Cranston also featured in the Junior 100cc Yamaha class results on Sunday, finishing second and third respectively behind class winner, Taupo Nui-a-Tia College driver Trey Nairn. Again it was close, Drysdale winning two of the heats and Cranston the final, but Nairn got it but two points from Drysdale with Cranston a further point back.

Other class title winners over the two days were Christchurch’s Jacob Mitchell, the reigning and three-time South Island class champion, in Cadet Raket, Ryan Wood from Wellington in Vortex Mini ROK, Connor Davison from Hamilton in Cadet ROK, Liam Lawson from Pukekohe in Junior Restricted 100cc Yamaha and CJ Sinclair from Auckland in 125cc Rotax Max Light.

Mitchell, from Clearview Primary School in Rolleston, south of Christchurch, won three of the four heats and the final to claim top honours in the Cadet Raket class from reigning class NZ Sprint champion Thomas Boniface from Woodleigh School in New Plymouth, and Connor Davison from Newstead Model Country School near Hamilton

125cc Rotax Max Light winner CJ Sinclair
(Photo: Fast Company/Graham Hughes)

It was closer at the front in the new Vortex Mini ROK class, with Ryan Wood (representing Birchville School, Wellington) claiming just the one win in the heats on top of his final win for overall victory from Jaden Ransley (St Thomas’ of Canterbury) and Tom Greig (Palmerston North Normal Intermediate).

While most of the racing was conducted on a dry track some rain did fall over the weekend, with the 125cc Rotax Max class final heat run in wet conditions with the drivers on wet tyres.

Wet or dry it didn’t seem to matter to eventual title winner CJ Sinclair from Auckland’s Howick College, the only driver to win two heats, including the wet final. Second overall was Campbell Joyes from Hamilton’s St Johns College, with Liam Young representing Mosgiel’s Taieri College, flying the flag for the lower South Island drivers, in third.

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