As the chequered flag waved at the end of the 31 lap final for the premier class, KZ2 at the CIK Trophy of New Zealand there was a clear winner, Daniel Bray.
Piloting his N-Zed Motorsport, GP chassis powered by an R&R Powersports Maxter, he dominated the weekend’s proceedings.
The weekend kicked off on Saturday morning with 2 x 10 minute Qualifying sessions, which were in dry conditions. Bray only needed the first qualifier to seal pole position with a time of 34.760. This time was 0.058 faster than local hero Karl Wilson who qualified P2.
Just after qualifying, the heavens opened, sending the teams scrambling for their wet weather tyres. Bray didn’t quite know what to expect from his GP chassis as he had never driven it in the rain before. In his 3 years of racing this brand of chassis in the USA it had, never rained.
Race 1. Bray got a lightning start from the standing start, only to come around to complete the first lap and to find it had been red flagged, because of a crash at the start. So they lined up to do it all again. Already with a feel for his clutch, Bray leapt off the line again, pulling out to a 7 ½ second lead by the end of the race, while setting the fastest lap of the race.
“I am amazed at how well this GP chassis handled in those wet conditions. We just slapped the wets on, with the kart still in a dry set up. The kart was near faultless” “We will make a rear width change for the next one, to help my drive off the turns.”
Race 2. Another lightning start for the GP driver, bolting out to a 5 second lead in the opening couple of laps! From there he would slow to the pace of the rest of the field to save tyres. Bray was a staggering 6/10ths faster than the second fastest time in this heat race.
“The changes we made from race one helped and now has given us a great base setting for the wet.” “I am pleased with today, but tomorrow is a completely different day and that is the only day that counts.”
When Sunday rolled around it was a completely different day. Sunny and no sign of rain.
Race 3. Another great start for Bray on the GP chassis, jumping out to an early lead. In the last 2 laps Bray got caught by the 2nd and 3rd placed karts. Under heavy attack from Ryan Grant, Bray managed to somehow hold them off and continue his unbeaten record.
“The kart was handling great throughout the hole race.” “I was struggling off the corners with jetting and pulled the carbie apart to find the needle clip had come out. The needle had bent and jammed in but out of place.” “I was lucky to finish, luck was on my side.”
Pre-Final. With this race being much longer (23 laps) it was going to be a test on the set up of the kart. Bray, again left everyone behind at the start. Within a couple of laps he was out to a comfortable gap and with-stained this for the whole 23 laps.
“The kart was great over the whole race. My lap times didn’t change, within a tenth or two the whole race.” “It makes my job a lot easier, when the kart is that consistent.”
Final. With this the longest race of the year, it was sure to be a test on man and machine. The lights went out for the 31 lap final and it had to be the one start of the day that the GP driver didn’t nail. Luckily Bray caught the clutch and still made it to the first corner in the lead. At the end of the second lap the air pressure in the tyres had risen to where they needed to be. Bray took off and never looked back. He pulled out to the same comfortable gap as in the previous races, and then just held it there. Showing how consistent the kart was, he set his fastest lap time on lap 24 while lapping other competitors in the race. In the last couple of laps Bray got held up in heavy lap traffic reducing the overall winning margin to 4.8 seconds.
This meant Bray lead every lap of every race while doing the clean sweep and giving the GP chassis and the new importers N-Zed Motorsport their first New Zealand title to add to the North Island title they won at Labour Weekend in Manawatu.
“I’m so pleased with how this weekend has gone, just flawless!” “I have to thank my sponsors: N-Zed Motorsport, GP Racing, R&R Powersports, Aluminos, Turbo-Traders Racewear, Dave Bray’s Chassis Shop.” Bray said after the meeting.
KZ2 Final Result
1st Daniel Bray GP/Maxter/Vega 31 laps
2nd Ryan Grant Maranello/TM/Vega +4.829
3rd Karl Wilson Tony Kart/Vortex/Vega +5.114
If you have any inquiries about the GP product contact the team at N-Zed Motorsport: nzedmotorsport@gmail.com
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