MOTORSPORT - Racer's persistence has pay-off at Summer Slam

It was a weekend that 10-year-old Cameron Taylor may never forget.
The young karter persuaded his family to postpone leaving for their new home in Methven, near Christchurch, until after the Whangarei Kart Club's Summer Slam meeting - and his persistence paid off.
Yesterday Taylor was awarded first prize in the cadet class. He won four out of eight races over two days and enough points in the other races to outpoint Auckland's Peter Goldstone and Lockwood Smith, who finished second and third respectively. "We always knew Cameron was in the running to win, but in the end it was a good effort and it was a good way to finish up at the club," Whangarei Club president Murray McLean said.
Taylor's success wasn't the only victory for the host club, with Charles Hoare winning the Yamaha Lights ahead of Bay of Plenty driver Scott Hatten in second and Whakatane's Cameron Wylie in third place.
The junior restricted class was won by Hamilton's Rhys Tinney, with Auckland's Kaitlan Wonnacott just getting up in the final race to outpoint Whangarei's Thomas McLean in his first major meeting in the class.
Thomas fouled a plug in the final and his engine stopped, costing him second place. But he did set a lap record for the class on Saturday. Whangarei had a clean sweep of the rackett 120 class with Andrew Hall, Richard Macey and Alistair McArthur taking the top three places.
The Whangarei club scored another win in the rotax heavy class with James Robbie heading Auckland's Mike Mallon and Allison Chambers home.
The Yamaha Heavy Class was won by Bay of Plenty's Dion Symes, ahead of Whakatane's Graeme Knight and Eastern Bay of Plenty's Zane Willis.
The youngest drivers on the course were in the unrated cadet class, which was won by Eastern Bay of Plenty's Amy Hitchcock, ahead of Whangarei's Alyce McLean and Eastern Bay of Plenty's Oliver Kain.
The first two places in the rotax lights went to Mount Wellington's Sean Sprung and Sam Dyson ahead of Warrick Parkes, with Whangarei's Alan Hoare fourth. The junior Yamaha class went to Bay of Plenty's Cory Green, with Mt Wellington's Rebecca Tinney second and Josh Richie third.