Ryan leads classy field for Rotorua round

There will be speed to burn as some of New Zealand's top karting drivers take to the track today.

The premier KZ2 class will be at least 15-strong as the country's top shifter kart drivers head to Rotorua for the second round of this year's Mi Sedaap instant noodles Pro Kart Series.

Defending class champion, Auckland's Ryan Grant dominated the opening round of the 2012 series at the Mi Sedaap CIK Trophy of New Zealand meeting in Wellington a month ago and he heads into today's meeting at the KartSport Rotorua club's track in the Mamaku Ranges as favourite.

However among six additions to the series are teammate Graeme Smyth, former Formula 125S class champion Bay of Plenty's Mark Sweetman and top South Island-based kart and Formula Ford car racer Matt Williams.

Also joining the series from the Rotorua round on are young guns Bradley Hicks, who won the KF3 series title in 2010, and fellow Aucklander David Waldmeyer.

As the results of the opening round in Wellington, they are joining the series at a time when the series has been at its most competitive with Grant heading a star-studded group of regulars including Auckland international Daniel Bray and one of the country's most successful sprint class drivers Matthew Hamilton.

This weekend's round is a first for the Mi Sedaap Pro Kart Series on the Rotorua track and series spokesman Steve Brown - who won the Masters class at the opening round in Wellington a month ago - says it could have been purpose-built for the 6-speed gearbox-equipped 125cc karts which run in the KZ2 and KZ2 Masters classes.

"The longer and wider track is certainly going to give us some room to move," he said.

"Even with the field we've now got in KZ2."

Last year Hawke's Bay driver Tom Curran was the dominant figure in the KZ2 Masters class, but with series organiser Brown and fellow Aucklanders Mark Lane and Snow Mooney beating him at Wellington, Curran has serious competition.

There will be action both days with qualifying and the first two heats per class today and the final heat and semifinals and finals tomorrow.