Regular New Zealand-based visitors to Australia, Daniel Bray and Jay Urwin will take part in this weekend’s second round of the European Kart Championship for the Gearbox divisions in the KZ2 Masters and KZ2 categories respectively.
Bray had largely crafted a name for himself in competition in Europe rather than his native or Australia. He has been a figure in Australian Karting paddocks for a number of years mainly as a mechanic, most notably for Supercars stars, Matt Payne and Ryan Wood – twisting spanners for Payne en route to his only AKC round win in KZ2.
Urwin has been a regular visitor to Australia, competing in the Australian Kart Championship, one of a number of Kiwis that have joined Australia’s premier category over recent seasons.
Bray will line up in a 34 kart KZ2 Masters field in a Parolin chassis with a TM engine while Urwin will be one of 69 drivers in KZ2 in a BirelART chassis with a TM engine.
Whilst Bray has experienced heartbreak at the Sarno track, he freely admits that it was the circuit that announced him on the world karting stage. It will be his first return to the famed Italian circuit in 13 years.
The first round of the Gearbox Championship was embroiled in controversy, with drivers in the highest category, KZ, threatening boycott over the Dunlop “Prime” tyres being offered with many – including former World Champions – withdrawing from the final altogether, or leaving the track during the race.
The headache this created for the FIA has led Dunlop and the FIA to rush through the “Option” tyre for this weekend that was “considered (to be) safer and more reliable”, as quoted in the FIA World Motorsport Council’s karting brief recently. Safety and reliability of the Prime tyre had been the key complaint from competitors.
The WMSC also declared the European Championship will be awarded in 2025 despite ‘the absence of a number of drivers at scrutineering’ at the first KZ round, thus failing to meet the minimum number of required competitors.
Conditions at the track over the weekend – located in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius – are expected to be searing. Competitors will take to the track with extreme grip following the Italian Championships being held there last weekend.
Free practice begins later today Australian time. Saturday and Sunday competition will be livestreamed through FIA Karting (Links below).
LIVESTREAM LINK – Saturday, June 21 – 6:05pm AEST; 8:05pm NZT (subject to change):
LIVESTREAM LINK – Sunday, June 22 – 5:55pm AEST; 7:55pm NZT (subject to change):
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