NEW BLOKARTS FOR AUCKLAND CLUB
On Saturday 8 August the first National Teams Blokart Race took place in Papamoa.
Blokarts are land yachts which travel up to 90 kmph. They were invented in 1999 by Papamoa local, Paul Beckett, and the sport is really ‘taking off’. Powered by the wind, these fast, light-weight vehicles look like a cross between a go-cart and a yacht. They can be used on any flat surface – land, grass or sand.
In the past decade Paul’s manufacturing business, Blokart Heaven, has produced more than 10,000 blokarts. There are now blokart clubs in South Africa, Europe, North America, Australia – and of course New Zealand.
This weekend Blokarters from Christchurch, Palmerston North, Wellington, Hamilton, Rotorua and Auckland will attempt to win the inaugural National Teams Blokart Race. Spectators are encouraged to come and watch this fast-paced, adrenalin-fuelled competition. Racing starts at 10.30am, at Blokart Heaven’s race track on Parton Road, Papamoa.
“It’s an exciting sport and it’s pretty addictive,” says Auckland Blokart Club vice president Graham Ingall. “Our club has a mixture of members – from families to hard core competitors – and we’re all looking forward to challenging the Papamoa locals.”
Mr Ingall says Auckland Blokart Club is attracting lots of college aged members at the moment. So much so, they’ve purchased two new Blokarts to keep up with demand.
“It’s great to see young people get excited about this sport – and we’re grateful to NZCT (New Zealand Community Trust) for helping us fund the new Blokarts,” he says. “Thanks to them, we can open this sport up to even more people and help it grow.”
The New Zealand Secondary Schools Blokart Championships are on 5th-6th September 2009, at Bruce Pulman Park, Takanini, Auckland. Anyone interested in entering or watching, can visit www.Blokart.com for more details.
Colin Dale, NZCT Northern Regional Advisory Committee chairperson, says NZCT was pleased to be able to help Auckland Blokart Club purchase the two new blokarts.
“We’re the biggest funder of amateur sport in New Zealand,” says Colin. “We know how hard it is for emerging sports to get funding and support, and we thought this was a worthy cause. It’s fantastic that the sport was invented in New Zealand and is making a name for itself around the world.
“At NZCT we are mindful of returning funds generated through our gaming machines, back to the communities where they were raised,” he says. “So I’d like to thank the publicans who helped make this grant possible.”
