23/08/2026
Well, the 2nd round of the Top Half Series was completed down at the picturesque KartSport Bay of Plenty track. Set down low and surrounded by bush on 3 sides gives the place a beautiful backdrop!
It was always going to be Kane’s hardest track and test for the series because it’s not one that he has ever raced on before. In fact - his first introduction to the track was a couple of weeks ago when we got down here for a days testing. First impressions of the track was that it is a technical track with lots of tight corners setting up for more tight corners (it reminded me a bit of our old Rosebank Road track here in Auckland but with some banking and elevation changes…..). So it really was a case of hunkering down and hoping for the best!
It was a tough week leading into this meeting with Kane being sick for the majority of the week, and he dutifully passed on his bugs to his ‘mechanic’ (and general dogsbody……) who had to endure a severe case of ‘man flu’ down there all weekend. As any male will know - this is a severe and debilitating illness and the ‘mechanic’ was lucky to survive the weekend……. 🤧😷😵
The weekend got off to a bloody rough start though with Kane coming off the track on the 2nd lap of the first practice session at the bottom of the fastest straight on the track and putting his kart into the crash bags (long story short - not enough ‘brakes’ at that early stage…..). That saw frantic action at our pit site with having to change a bent steering column along with bent tie rods, king pins and other parts. I actually witnessed Mason Armstrong RUNNING between the team trailer and ours to get bits and drill holes etc. But thanks to Mason (and with some help from the EVERS Team!) we got back out there for the final practice session in the nick of time.
However - that only lasted 3 laps as the kart was pulling heavily to the left under braking - so he had to abort that practice session as well. After Mason gave the kart the all clear with the advice to change the tyres and rims to our race set up - all we could do was hope for the best because we weren’t sure if the race tyres and rims would solve the issues, and we had zero data to work with from the practice sessions to optimise tyres pressures, petrol usage and hitting the minimum required weight on the scales at the end of each race. So there was a fair bit of guess work going in to the first heat and we erred on the side of caution and run him heavier to ensure we made weight at the end - and then we could start fine tuning it from there.
From the start of the first heat it became obvious there was a clear top 3 at this track in DD2’s - veteran drivers Jason LEE and Darren WALKER - along with the younger ‘veteran’ Ryan CROMBIE. Darren WALKER was on his home track and his experience on this circuit showed through in spades! In fact - Darren had to retire from the 4th heat due to some damage to his kart and didn’t make it to the starting grid for the final race - but still took 3rd place on the podium overall due to him winning 2 of the first 3 heats!
That left Jason and Ryan to resume their battle from Tokoroa to sort out the win in round 2. It all came down to the final 18 lap race - which in itself was bloody tough - because about 7 minutes before the start of the DD2 final - it started to rain! It looked set in so wheels started flying in all directions to get the slicks off and get the wets on. Then the rain stopped and the DD2’s were called to the grid. No one was going to get there early that was for sure as the weather was still up in the air. Mason Armstrong looked at the track and said as it stands - slicks (the track wasn’t wet enough to warrant wet tyres at that stage - they burn out and overheat very quickly if there isn’t enough water around…..). So we started ripping the wets off and putting the slicks back on. Just as we got the last one tightened - the heavens opened again and some heavier rain started - so with an almighty panic and running out of time, the slicks came off again and the wets went back on! We got to the starting grid in time though - but with only 6 of the 8 racing making it.
When the lights went out Jason and Ryan disappeared into the distance and they were never more than a few metres apart for the whole 18 laps. Ryan tried his best to set Jason up for a pass but Jason LEE was too good on the day and took the final and the overall win for the round. Ryan CROMBIE finished 2nd in the final and 2nd place for the round overall. As noted above - Darren WALKER didn’t finish the final two races but his earlier efforts was still good enough to take the 3rd spot on the podium for the round.
Kane’s final wasn’t flash and he was circa 2 seconds a lap slower than everyone else on track. When he came into the pits at the end it, it became clear why - his back left tyre had gone flat. In the rush to get the tyres on - his ‘mechanic’ didn’t check all the bead locks on the rims (3 per rim) and one of the bead locks on his left rear wasn’t tight enough so the tyre simply went flat - so his ‘mechanic’ had to wear that one on the chin…….🤦♂️🤷♂️
After all the dust settled and the points were added up - Kane finished Round 2 of Top Half in 5th place - which after all the issues we had we were pretty happy with. If my maths is correct - that sees Jason LEE take the half way lead in the Top Half Series (DD2) by one point over Kane in 2nd, with Ryan CROMBIE in 3rd one point behind Kane. So with 2 rounds to go and the top three separated by only 3 points - it will be all on for the final two rounds in Hamilton and Auckland!
Prize giving for Round 1 in Tokoroa was held after racing on Saturday night at BOP. Kane got to stand on the top of that podium for winning round one and was presented with a pretty cool trophy!
Thanks again to Mason Armstrong Motorsport, Urban Performance and the Energy Corse Team. Big thanks also to KartSport BOP, and all the volunteers and race officials who make these meetings possible. It is much appreciated!
Roll on the Hamilton round!!!!!!
