Armstrong Racing

Top Half Rnd 1

Race one I started 22nd and at the start I got up to 19th but I couldn't see a yellow flag due to the rain so I got a 10 seconds penalty for passing under yellow. Without the penalty I got 8th, with the penalty I got 14th which was unlucky.

Race 2 I started 16th and drove to eighth, which was a really good drive.

Race 3 I started 4th and got to first by turn 2, but then the virtual safety kart came out. I drove the safety kart great, then after the start, I led until 3 laps to go. When Zach passed me, I ended up second that Race, which was a good result.

Race 4 I started 35th.The kart felt a little off but I still drove to 18th, which is a lot of positions gained.

In the final I started 4th but in the first corner chaos I got hit and half spun and dropped to 15th, but ended driving back to 7th which put me 3rd equal for the weekend with Mathew Fell.

All round it was a good weekend with a lot of passes and hope to continue this form for the rest of Top Half. And great shots from Shutter Media

Kartstars Round 5 practice was wet on Friday, but I managed a few runs. Unfortunately, my speed was lacking, and I struggled to keep up with the pace, but with a talk with Daniel and dad, I got a bit better in the last run.

The next day, in qualifying, it was still wet, and I was still a bit off the pace qualifying 10th, which was alright.

Race 1 it was dry in a few bits but still on wets. I dropped a bit of positions down to 14th but made my way back up to 8th, and I was also 5th fastest.

Race 2 it was wetter and no dryline, and I spun on the warm-up lap 😔 and was just slow. Also, I had not much turn in, so I kept on sliding everywhere but somehow ended up P12 from last.

Race 3 It was wet tires with a dry line. I started P7 somehow and dropped a few spots on the first lap down to the 11th but made my way up to P5, and on the last lap, the last corner, someone spun on front of me putting me P4.

The final I was starting of P5 and we were on green slicks and I didn't really warm up my tires enough which means I was understeery in the first few laps and then the kart came on but was in 6th and to far back to catch 5th even though I was gaining drastically so ended 6th and 7th in kartstars by 11 points.

Both Owen and Elliot competed in the NZ Karting Grand Prix at Kartsport Hamilton over the weekend.

Testing was on Friday and it was all about trying to find kart setup. With the help of Daniel Bray at N-Zed Motorsport we got a setup for Owen in the last practice session. This was replicated with Elliot taking into account the different classes and weight they run in.

Owen went out for qualifying on Saturday morning and qualified 2nd. This was an outstanding success for him as qualifying has been a sticking point in the past, and this event had all the best in NZ.

Elliot was up next and had a hard run qualifying in 12th.

Owen heat results backed up the qualifying with a 2nd, 2nd, and 1st.

Elliot had a hard 1st race ending up in 18th and then got 9th in race 2.

The pre-final came up for Owen starting off pole. Great start and lead the race until lap 7 (of 15) when his right rear tyre started to deflate. Trying to pilot a kart at 90 kmh with a complete flat tyre was very hard and Owen dropped back through the field but still finished - what an effort.

Elliots pre-final he started in 14th and battled all race to end up 11th.

Due to Owens results in the heats he only dropped to 5th for starting the final. And what a start to the final he had coming out of the 2nd corner in 2nd. Epic start to the final and Owen battled for 18 laps (of 20) with Braxton Kraayvanger Motorsport and Luke McMillan for 2nd/3rd/4th spot with all of them pushing hard. Unfortunately with 2 laps to go, and sitting in 2nd, 2 karts into one corner doesn't work and Owen spun dropping back to 13th for the final. He was devastated.

Elliot drove well for the final battling and moving up and moving back to finally finish in 10th. A commendable result with the best in NZ in the field however he was a little disappointed as he knew he could have done better.

So all in all a fantastic weekend with Owen showing that he can compete and the front on his class in NZ. Not a single race he was not battling and was under pressure every lap for all races and handled the pressure so well, considering this was the first time at the front in a National Event.

A big shout out to the support that we received over the weekend, so many competitors and parents commending Owen on his driving. The cheer from the dummy grid when he won heat 3 was epic.

Special mention to Daniel Bray N-Zed Motorsport - that setup lit the kart up, Andrew Edmondson for all the support and advice (so many questions answered over months of support), Todd Phillips - wicked is all I can say ;-), Daniel Dominic Dale Racing - always there to help, that testing we did led the way to changes, Peter Armstrong ,Aaron Armstrong, Kelly Wilkings, and a very special visit from Rebekah - can't be there without family support - the boys love having you at the track, and last but definitely not least Sarah Skoggard for all the support, food, and coaching advice, couldn't do it without you.

Well Auckland did not disappoint with the typical Auckland weather with rain sun rain. It made it for a tricky weekend.

Owen had a tough run, first race was wet and he was starting down the back. Drive well and was 5th fastest on track. 2nd race and same again but he got turned around and kart stopped. We got it started but he was 2 laps down but still managed to make up places. 3rd race and sun so on slicks, got 6th but out of the races probably his worst drive. 4th race and the keyway fell out of the sprocket so DNF. The final saw him start 21st and finish 13th so a good drive.

With Elliot the focus was continuing the form leading into the event. First race started 4th and came first in tricky conditions. Great patient drive and battle to take the win. 2nd race started 19th and was moving up the field when hit from behind. In the rain this spun him and another competitor couldn’t get out of the way and hit his front bumper pushing it back, which results in an automatic 5 second penalty. He drove back from last again to 10th but dropped to 13th with the penalty. 3rd race and 4th race for him 4th in both races (starting 8th and 11th).

Come the final and he was 6 points (that means has to make 6 positions on first to equal them on points) of the lead and sitting in 4th. I told him all you can is win and what happens to others is outside your control. Just before the race the skies opened up so furiously changing from dry to wet setup, got most done but not ideal. Thanks to Warren Crowther, Andrew, Nathan, Aaron Armstrong, Peter Armstrong for all the help.

Elliot put in a great performance with patience in the tricky conditions. Got to 3rd on the first lap, 2nd on the 5th lap and 1st on the 12th lap (out of 15). And held on for the win even with some last lap pressure.

This put Elliot in 2nd overall and if it wasn’t for the race 2 penalty would have been 1st but that’s Motorsport.

Congrats Toby Harper Racing for the overall win, you drove so well all day and the battles were great, Benji Bellamy Racing for the 3rd, Dominic Dale Racing as tough day but the battles are epic.

Thanks to Daniel Bray N-Zed Motorsport the kart and engine are epic.

Awesome photo of the cadet lineup by Bella Tahu