KIWI INTERNATIONAL LOCKED IN FOR RACE OF STARS

New Zealand Champion Daniel Bray is the first international driver to confirm his place on the grid for the Race of Stars (Pic: Coopers Photography)

New Zealand Champion Daniel Bray is the first international driver to confirm his place on the grid for next month’s Race of Stars on the Gold Coast.

Bray, who has spent much of the past five years racing across Europe and America, competed in Australia for the first time at the corresponding event last year.

After finishing on the podium last year alongside five-time World Champion Davidè Fore and two-time Italian Champion Lorenzo Camplese, Bray is focused on taking the KZ2 winner’s surfboard back across the Tasman in 2015.

“Last year’s Race of Stars was a really cool event, to be racing on the Gold Coast with the world’s best drivers was great and I’ve been waiting for the confirmation of this year’s event with excitement,” said Bray.

“I’m really looking forward to racing at this great event. In fact was watching the Australian Kart Championship live stream from Newcastle on Sunday to eye up who is fast this year in Australia.

“The Race of Stars is a great warm up for the SuperNats in Las Vegas, as us “Down Under” drivers get to eye ourselves up against the top European drivers and see how much work we have to do before the SuperNats in November.”

Bray in action during the 2014 Race of Stars (Pic: Coopers Photography)

Bray has been victorious on American soil in the elite S1 class in the SKUSA Pro Tour and took the karting world by storm at the KZ2 World Cup in 2012 in Italy. It was at the World Cup where he went with just the goal of making the cut for the 34-driver final. His focus quickly changed when he won five of his six heat races.

The Kiwi was then leading the final before there was contact between he and now Formula 1 driver, Max Verstappen that eliminated the pair. The following year he led 17 of the 20 laps in the final before finishing third.

As a part of SuperFest, the Race of Stars event will see 200 of the top kart racers from Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Netherlands, America and Mexico invited to compete at the prestigious event.

SuperFest – an initiative of the Queensland Government, City of Gold Coast and V8 Supercars Australia – is a community events program that provides support to organisations and groups wishing to host events and projects that contribute to the festival surrounding the Castrol Gold Coast 600.