National titles decided on dirt at Paradise | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

A hard and fast track made for exciting racing during the weekend's Kartsport New Zealand Dirt Championships held at Rotorua's Paradise Valley Raceway.

The two-day event, which was postponed last year due to horrendous weather conditions, attracted over 90 competitors who contested national titles in their respective classes. While the Noel Nicholson Motors and Lakes 96FM sponsored championships were well attended by local drivers, the majority of titles were won by visiting drivers who excelled in the dry conditions.

Tokoroa's Bradley Tyrell enjoyed a comfortable victory in the senior light class after recording wins in three heats and in the final. Only one point separated Hamilton's Clinton Fell and Deon Forrest, who finished second and third respectively, following tight close racing all weekend.

Hamilton's Michael Bristow was the clear winner in the open class after recording three wins, a second and sixth placing, while Bay of Plenty's Mark Swetman finished second and Whangerei's Bruce James third.

Rotorua drivers Warwick Kay, Graham Nelson and Grant Dally rounded out the results finishing fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.

In the senior heavy class, a battle between Auckland brothers Dion and Leyton Kendall ensued, with Leyton attempting to retain his well-earned 2002 title.

However, in the end, Dion won the hotly contested class with fellow Aucklander Daniel Kent second and Leyton third.

Rotorua's Steve Anderson was the best performed local driver finishing in seventh position overall. Mt Wellington's Jay Waugh won the junior dirt championship title, while clubmate James Stead's early domination during the heats rewarded him with a one point advantage over Tokoroa's David Meszaros in the junior restricted class.

After level pegging all weekend, Hamilton's Ryan Nicholson nudged ahead of brother Shaun in the final race to take the cadets.