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April 2008 Archives
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4-30-08 Driver
Progression
The 2008 racing
season is underway and young driver Cody Hodgson is off to a
great start. After the opening IKF race of the year in Davis
Ca. Hodgson came home sitting first in IAME cup and 2nd
in IKF TAG.
In the
past weakened Hodgson competed in both the Pro Kart North
Series at Infineon Raceway and IKF region 11 in Redding Ca.
Hodgson had to miss racing in the TAG class on Saturday
moving him back to fourth in IKF TAG points to compete in S1
at Infineon for the Pro Kart series race. With not much ICC
experience Hodgson aboard his Swedetech powered Tony Kart
made a very good showing in S1 finishing 2nd
behind driver Alex Speed and putting on a good battle for
second in the opening laps with former ICA champion Jess
Peterson. After racing was all said and done at Infineon the
Hodgson family and Team Panavise made the long drive up to
Redding to try and keep the points lead in IAME cup. With
only Sunday morning practice Hodgson was able to put his
kart off pole for the start of the heat race. Hodgson was
shuffled back a few spots on the start but came back to
start third for the main event. At the start of the main
Hodgson was again shuffled back a few positions but was able
to fight back and finish a solid second to keep the points
lead.
Cody
would like to thank Gary Richter owner of Panavise Racing,
Swedetech Racing Engines, Tony Kart, Ram Mechanical, SFD
Clothing, Mom and Dad and Leroy Stanton.
|
4-29-08 PROKART CHALLENGE SOUTH RETURNS TO ACTION AT
BUTTONWILLOW
Legate continues form in S3 while Whitehead takes first
TaG Senior checker
BUTTONWILLOW, CA (April 26, 2008) - The ProKart
Challenge South series continued its 2008 schedule this
past weekend, running the second round of its six-race
calendar at the Buttonwillow Raceway Park karting
facility in Buttonwillow, CA in absolutely beautiful
conditions. On-track, Bobby Legate repeated his
domination of the S3 category, backing up his win at the
season opener in late March with another impressive
victory to extend his early point lead. Travis Whitehead
was the driver to beat in TaG Senior when the final came
around, recording his first ProKart main event victory.
Clinton Schoombee edged Legate in S3 Light qualifying,
running a quick 44.251-second lap to earn the pole for
the opening heat race. Brad Dunford was third on the
time sheet, marginally quicker than Patrick Cushenberry
and Doug Hayashi to secure the inside of the second row
for the opening moto. Legate would take control in both
of the 12-lap heats, outrunning Schoombee to earn the
pole for the main event. In the final, Legate flexed
his muscles and built a 5.571-second lead at the
checker, winning over Schoombee and Marc Elliott.
Rapidly-improving rookie Harley Owen was fourth ahead of
the veteran Hayashi. The fastest lap of the race
actually went to Cushenberry, but a mechanical issue put
him on the sidelines with just three laps to go in the
main. In S3 Heavy, Phil Conte was the man to beat all
weekend, topping all four official sessions to take the
win. In the main, he would outrun Grant Westmorland and
Marty Henderson.
In S1,
Jimmy McNeil put in a great weekend to stand atop the
winner’s podium at the end of the day. Winning by a
margin of 5.260 seconds over Peter Abba and Slava
Prikhodko, McNeil started the day by qualifying right
behind polewinner Cody Hodgson by just 0.062 seconds.
The duo went at it in both heat races with Hodgson
maintaining his position up front to a pair of wins, but
the final would belong to McNeil as Hodgson retired with
four laps to go. The addition of Kiwi Daniel Bray to
the S1 field was a highlight, as Bray was reunited with
the Aluminos squad with which he ran last fall’s SKUSA
SuperNationals. Bray was third in qualifying and fifth
in the first heat, but he only managed two laps in the
second heat and was forced to start at the tail of the
grid for the final. Over the course of the 20-lap run,
he was able to advance back to fifth in the final tally.
Like
Conte in S3 Heavy, no one could challenge Robert Marks
in G1 as he was at the top of the charts in qualifying,
both heat races and the final. PP Mastro and Ethan
Wilson joined Marks on the podium following the races,
as Nick Firestone and Troy Butts wrapped the top-five.
Willy
Musgrave powered through as the top pilot in the S4
Light class, outrunning his son Billy Musgrave for the
victory, edging him by just over two tenths at the end
of the 20-lap main. Billy was quickest in qualifying,
edging Bryce Miller for the pole position in the opening
heat race, while Willy Musgrave was third. Willy worked
his way to the lead in the opening heat race and would
never look back, scoring his first ProKart Challenge
victory. Billy Musgrave was second ahead of Jimmy
Barnes. John Cram and Craig Cutler rounded out the
top-five.
In the
S4 Heavy category, Ken Schilling made it two-for-two,
scoring another victory to continue what has been a good
season thus far for the sophomore shifter pilot.
Schilling tuned up for the new season by campaigning in
the SKUSA WinterNational Series and the seat time has
paid off with a solid start to ’08. Alex King debuted
as the fastest pilot in the class by topping Schilling
in qualifying, but in the opening moto, Marc Segal found
himself in the lead to take the win over Schilling and
King. The competition in this class is very tight this
year and while the lap times are incredibly close,
Schilling took control in the second heat and the final
to score a half-second win over King in the main. Jeff
Krueger completed the podium, finishing ahead of Mike
Goebel and King.
A
total of 14 TaG drivers trekked to Buttonwillow for the
second round of the ProKart Challenge South series, with
Travis Whitehead and Bill Cleavelin taking the TaG
Senior and TaG Masters wins, respectively. Zach Dericco
edged Ryon Beachner in TaG Senior qualifying by just
0.007 seconds with Whitehead another seven tenths back.
Whitehead would DNF the first heat as Dericco and
Beachner were locked together, with Larry Fraser running
a distant third. The order up front would be repeated in
the second heat as Whitehead came back to
fourth, setting up his run in
the final as he would move to the front to record a
5.833-second win over Fraser and Shawn Cricca. Dericco
would fall to fourth and Beachner completed just four
laps. In TaG Masters, Cleavelin led the way in every
session but qualifying, which was handled by Greg Smith,
who was a full half-second ahead of Cleavelin as the
only Masters driver to break the 47-second barrier.
Cleavelin paced the remaining races to top Matt Kimball
by just over three seconds in the main. Ian Thomas
completed the podium in third ahead of Chris Riddington
and Mike Wesson, who capped the TaG Masters top-five.
The G2
class enjoyed a good turnout at Buttonwillow with 13
karts in the field. In the final, Eric Ortega would
capture the checkered flag ahead of fast qualifier
Darrel Tunnell and Blair Chang, who was just
0.008-seconds off the pole time in qualifying. Steve
Donia and Harris Koenig wrapped the top-five in the
20-lap battle.
The
series now looks towards Willow Springs on May 31 to cap
off the first half of the six-race calendar with Round
#3. However, the ProKart Challenge crew will head north
before that event to put on the second race in the new
NorCal series, running on May 10 at the Jim Russell
International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway in
Sonoma, CA. The opening round of the series was very
well supported, and a growing entry list is expected as
Stock Moto and TaG racing are heating up in the northern
half of the state.
|
|
4-24-08 Kartel
Motorsports- Stars of Karting Preview
Coming off a stellar opening round of
the Stars of Karting East opener in Ocala, FL, Team Top Kart
USA looks to improve on its performance and move into the
top sport in the constructor standings. Last season at the
Utah round the team took home three victories. Brendan
Phinny came home with double victories in JICA while Tyler
Thomas grabbed a win in Cadet.
Sweeping the podium in final two at
Ocala, Chris Wehrheim, Chris Scribner, and Niel Alberico
will be competing in TaG at Miller Motorsports Park. Joining
the three drivers will be Neil McCoy who is one of the top
drivers in the West. McCoy will be pulling iron man duties,
as he will be competing in the Stars Spec ICC category with
the support of Glenn Araki and PKS.
Tyler Thomas, Taylor Miinch, Brendan
Phinny, and Pierce Baldus will be running the entire Stars
schedule. New to the team is Artie Carpenter from the team’s
dealer Kartsport NW. Artie will be competing a full West
schedule with Kartel. Taylor Miinch just finished a very
successful test this past weekend turning some of the
fastest laps of the test. Look for him to rebound after a
disappointing start to the season in Ocala.
Team Top Kart USA has always fielded
some of the top Cadet drivers in North America and 2008 in
no different. Luis Tyrrell and Carter Williams will be
returning to the team after successful 2007 seasons. New to
Team Top Kart USA are Mason Chelootz, Garret Grist, Zane
Smith, Colton Herta, and Davey Manthei. Currently Grist sits
third in points in the East after two strong top five
results in his debut with the team.
"We have assembled our best team yet,”
commented Team Manager Chris Wehrheim. “The Kartel
Motorsports crew Joey Hand, Les Hand, and Erik Bartolero are
the best in the business and they have really taken the team
and the drivers to the next level. We also have Glenn Araki
from PKS and Steven Barros from Empire providing support
from our entire network. In every category we have drivers
capable of winning and we plan to do so." |
4-24-08 Jim
Russell Norcal Rotax Challenge Series Round #2 at Infineon
The Norcal Rotax Challenge series moved to Infineon Raceway
for Round #2 on April 19. The day was cool and windy,
bitter cold by the end of the race day. The strong wind was
not only tough on the body, it also had a profound effect on
one the races. The Turn out for the first race at Infineon
was 51 entries in the 5 Rotax classes. This is an all time
high entry for any Rotax race in Northern California. This
was also the first of 4 National Qualification races for
those drivers seeking to go to the Rotax Nationals in
September. The racing was very competitive in all the
classes, a trade mark of racing the near equal Rotax
engines. At the end of the day, the winners got some nice
prizes in addition to the new trophies from Jim Russell
Racing. Series administrator Marin Karting handed out oil
to all the class winners from April Design Works and driving
suit care products from new series sponsor Molecule. Movie
tickets, dinner gift certificates and J&D Snack Shack lunch
vouchers were all raffled off as part of the awards
ceremony.
Rotax DD2 - 8 entries in this the new 2 speed Rotax class
with David Arnstein (CRG) taking pole in front of January
Grove (CRG) and Glen Poy-Wing (Swiss-Hutless) . These three
drivers would remain close throughout the day. In the
Prefinal, Arnstein got the jump at the start, but January
took over the lead soon after and went on for the win, but
just barely. Arnstein was just .050 seconds back and Poy-Wing
less than 1/2 second back. In the Main, Grove lead, then
Arnstein, then January with Poy-Wing just waiting right
behind. Near the end of the 18 lap Main, January and
Arnstein toughed and this let Poy-Wing get by. Glen held
the lead over Arnstein the rest of the way to take the win
by less than a second. January finished third with first
timer Daid Palic (CRG) in 4th and Chris DeBruine (CRG) in
5th.
Rotax Masters and Rotax Masters Lights - These two classes
ran combined but scored separte at the end. 20 karts
started this race group, 10 in Masters and 10 in Masters
Lights. The Masters Light class (365#) is a Norcal regional
class with the Masters class (405#) being the normal
national class for over 32 year old drivers or Heavy Drivers
under 32. In Qualify, the pole went to Masters driver Dan
Dolloso (CRG) with off pole going to the top Lights driver
Mary Beth Wilson (CRG). This was only Mary Beth's second
Rotax race, fast learner is Mary Beth. Two Lights were on
row 2, Mike Lawler (CRG) and Mert Solis. Row 3 were two
Masters drivers Jerry Pretti (CRG) and Chris DeBruine (CRG).
In the Prefinal, the racing was very tough at the front of
the field as Mert Solis and Dan Dollosso battled the entire
distance with Travis Duhn from Reno (Italkart) joining in
the fun on the last couple of laps. The finish was Solis,
Duhn then Dollosso. In the Main, Duhn got the jump at the
start and pulled away a little each lap. Mert got ahead of
Dollosso and the two battled hard again. Dan appeared to
have the better kart, but the lighter Solis was able to
counter every move that Dan put on him. In the end, Duhn
took the overall win and 1st in Masters with Solis second
and winner of the Lights class. Dollosso was 3rd (2nd in
Masters) and hard charger Mike Lawler 4th and second in
Lights. Jerry Pretti was 5th overall and 3rd in Masters
with Jojo Bayabo (Swiss-Hutless) 8th overall and 3rd in the
Lights class.
Junior Rotax - 8 drivers took the green in the most exciting
race of the day. This class will grow to 12 next race as 4
more drivers are planning to run. The field also had a lot
of top past Russell Series champions in the line up. Jordan
Jaddallah (2007 Junior Rotax Champ), Donovan Wheeler (2007
HPV2 Champ), Austin Root (2007 Junior Puma Champ), Bobby
Tift (2007 Junior 1-Comer Champ) and Andrew Wolocatiuk (2006
Cadet Arrive and Drive Champ) all have come to Junior Rotax
for 2008. Jordan Jadallah (CRG), just off his 3rd place
finish in the winter Gatorz Challenge, took the pole ahead
of Donavon Wheeler (Birel) and Dixon winner Mikke Mejia (CRG).
In the Pre-Final, Jadallah lead all the way, but not by far
as he won just ahead of Mejia by .161 seconds and .194
seconds in front of Wheeler. It was evident that the wind
was making the racing close as Mejia and Wheeler used the
draft down the straightaway to stay close to Jadallah. In
the Main, Jadallah and Wheeler pulled away from the field,
Wheeler willing to stay in the draft. Jordan was quicker in
the turns, but had to push the wind on the straightaway.
Wheeler used this wind by staying in the draft down the
shoot to get back up behind Jordan as they entered turn one
on each lap. On the last lap, Jadallah came out of the last
turn first with Wheeler right on his bumper, in the draft.
Then at the last moment, Wheeler pulled out and made the
move and shot past Jadallah just enough to take the win by
some 18 inches. Mejia was 6 seconds back and took the 3rd,
with Tifft (CRG) in 4th and Wolocatiuk (Trackmagic) 5th.
Senior Rotax - 15 drivers made up a strong field. In
Qualify, the front row were two new senior drivers, both up
from Junior Rotax in 2007. Cameron Pringle (CRG) took pole
ahead of Jake Mottaz (Birel). Row 2 was Dixon winner
Gregory Liefooghe (CRG) and the most improved driver so far
in 2008, Carlos Calderon (CRG). Larry Fraser, a tough TaG
driver, entered the race to see what Rotax was all about.
Larry took 5th on the grid in Wes Phillip's Birel. The
Pre-Final start was messy and took out 3 drivers and
caused others to scramble. In the end, Pringle took the win
over Liefooghe with Calderon 3rd, Matthew Powers (Birel) 4th
and Nikola Radosavljevich (Birel) 5th. This was Powers
first Rotax race after 3 years of running the Jim Russell
Arrive and Drive Series. The Main had a repeat of the
Pre-Final but worse when it came to the start. Out after
turn one were 3 drivers including Powers and Nikola.
Liefooghe got in front of Pringle early in the race and went
on to his second win of the year. Pringle was just 1/2
second back. 3rd went to Larry Fraser who had to come from
the back of the field due to a DNF in the Pre-Final. Jake
Mottaz also had a come back drive to take 4th with Calderon
taking the 5th place.
Other than the starts in the Senior class, the race day went
off with few issues. Inspite the wind, most all stayed
around for the awards ceremony and the extra raffle prizes.
Race #3 in the Jim Russell Norcal Rotax Challenge will be
again at the Jim Russell Kart Track on May 31, running the
Sprint track layout. Check out race results on mylaps.com.
For more information on the Norcal Rotax Challenge Series,
contact Race Director Ric Shaw at
ricshaw_srp@hotmail.com
|
4-24-08 GROSSENBACHER BACKS UP WIN WITH ANOTHER DESERT
KART CHALLENGE VICTORY
Superkarts! USA regional program lights up the night in
Tucson
TUCSON, AZ (April 19, 2008) - The SKUSA Desert Kart
Challenge (DKC) hosted its fourth round this past
weekend, racing at the P1 Kart Circuit in Tucson,
Arizona. Bud Grossenbacher earned his second straight
TaG Senior victory in DKC competition, sweeping the
on-track sessions for the class. The feat was no easy
task as he was hounded all day long, from qualifying
through the main event. James Rooke and Taylor Monning
applied the pressure in the two heat races and the
final, as well. Monning earned the second spot in the
final, just under a second behind Grossenbacher with
Rooke finishing third.
Three
shifterkart classes and three TaG categories battled
under the lights at the 8/10-mile track, which is a
replica of the famous Suzuka Kart Circuit in Japan, and
the entries were up from the last round, signaling the
growing popularity of this new SKUSA series. TaG Masters
saw another class sweep, this time by Jim Flynn, as he
led all the sessions on the day, including a
flag-to-flag win in the final. Flynn held off Helmar
Beregszaszy, who drove from fifth to second in both of
the heat races, in the final by just 0.664-seconds at
the line. Close behind all day, and in the final, was
third place finisher Sean Kingston.
TaG
Junior had the best kart count of the year with seven
drivers in the paddock, but only one pilot rose above
the rest and he it was Kolton Griffin. Making his DKC
debut, Griffin was fast all day, putting in a dominating
performance by sweeping all on-track action. Scoring
maximum points on the day, including the fast lap of
50.935 seconds, Griffin stretched out to a 16-second
victory over championship leaders Tyler Cerbo and Chance
Stephens.
In the
shifter categories, all three classes ran on-track
together, providing great excitement with S1, S3, and S4
all battling each other for position. Grossenbacher, who
was running double duty in TaG and S1, had the overall
final victory all but wrapped up until an engine failure
with five laps to go put him on the sidelines. This gave
the overall lead to S3 class leader Harley Owen, who
earned his second straight victory. Mike Jimenez and
Paul Flori completed the S3 class and overall podium.
With Grossenbacher out, Curtis Ruth was handed the S1
lead and the victory ahead of Peter Workum in second. In
S4, Dave Van Gordon made it four-for-four on the year
with another win in the Stock Moto class. Tommy Baker
and Joe Johnson stood alongside Van Gordon on the
podium.
The
series will continue with Round #5 scheduled for May 3
at the Phoenix Kart Racing Association facility in
Phoenix, AZ. For results and point standings, visit
www.p1kartcircuit.com or contact Charles Quiroz by email
at Charlie@p1kartcircuit.com
|
4-22-08 PROKART CHALLENGE SOUTH RETURNS TO ACTION AT BUTTONWILLOW
Superkarts! USA SoCal regional program to host round two
BUTTONWILLOW, CA (April 22, 2008) - The ProKart
Challenge South returns to action this weekend as the
program travels to the Buttonwillow Raceway Park in
Buttonwillow, CA for the second round of the 2008
series. The 7/10-mile karting course is a popular
destination for the PKC racers each year, giving a
challenging venue for the shifter and TaG karts; the
weather forecast will provide perfect conditions for the
weekend.
On
March 29, the ProKart Challenge South series kicked off
with the first round at the CalSpeed Karting facility in
Fontana, California. A total of 10 drivers earned
victories in their respective classes, beginning the
chase for the championships.
With
the exception of S1, all winners will return to make an
attempt at going two-for-two. Bobby Legate and Marty
Henderson led the way at CalSpeed in the S3 categories,
while Willy Musgrave and Ken Schilling earned the
victories in the S4 Light and Heavy. Robert Marks and
Eric Ortega scored the most points in Fontana for the G1
and G2 divisions, and Billy Cleavelin accomplished the
same feat in TaG Masters. The new S5 Junior Stock Moto
class saw three drivers compete at the opener with Race
Liberante scoring maximum points in the opening round.
More drivers are expected to participate throughout the
year as the class gains momentum in the Southern
California area. An expected position on the
SuperNationals class line-up will surely help develop
this exciting new Junior shifter offering.
An
added prize to the already strong awards package for the
ProKart Challenge South program will see Makita
Industrial Power Tools enter the mix, teaming up with FX
Racing to back the series. Makita will be supporting six
events with power tool combo kits awarded to race
winners in selected classes, which will include the
newest 18V Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless Drill and Impact
Driver. Makita USA, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of
over 450 professional, industrial quality power tools
and has over 5,000 industrial accessories. Makita USA,
Inc.’s home office is located in La Mirada, California
and operates an extensive distribution network located
throughout the U.S.
“This
is a great step for Makita to support SKUSA and the PKC
series,” stated FX Racing’s Frank Bain. “Makita’s
products are by far the best on the market and kart
racers have a thirst for great products. The 18 volt
Lithium-Ion Drill and Impact Driver should be a staple
in every driver’s tool box.”
Makita’s commitment to racing and action sports is not
new. Makita supports Team Suzuki competing in the AMA
Supercross/Motocross series. Makita recently became the
Official Tool Sponsor of the Championship Off-Road
Racing (CORR) Series, and is also a sponsor of off-road
race teams in CORR and SCORE.
“Makita and FX Racing share a commitment to quality and
performance,” said Brent Withey, brand manager at
Makita. “We are excited to be partners with the FX
Racing Team in this high-energy, high-action sport.”
|
Blue Max Race #2 Recap
| This past weekend Blue Max
Club Race #2 took place in Davis. With good weather and a
great atmosphere the racers of Blue Max were ready for
competition. Kid Karts got there first rolling start with
ten laps of hardcore racing.
First up was Formula 80 Masters and the sole 80 sr. Kevin
Clemens got pole with 37.326. On the start of the Heat,
Terry Glenn got the the Hole Shot, as he was entering turn
one, Clemens tried to out break Glenn and locked them up.
This put them both in the turn one barriers and Terry Glenn
out for the day. After the red flag racing got restarted and
Jim Rose went for a ride on the backstretch barriers. This
ended the first heat short. In the main, it was Kevin
Clemens coming from the back for the win. Jereme Abshire,
the sole 80 Sr. won overall.
HPV-1 took to the track and Kartel's Cole Trickle got the
pole with a 39.424. Trickle got the easy win in the heat,
but had to work for it in the main. On the start Kartworlds
Michael Michoff got the lead and held Trickle and Raczko at
bay. Mid Race Trickle pulled the trigger and took over the
top spot. Trickle once again rolled to victory but Michoff
worked hard for the second, holding Raczko behind him to
secure the second spot.
Kartworlds Jarred Wolff got fast time in HPV-2 with a
36.689. Wolff proved to be the one to beat, as he went wire
to wire for the win. Dylan Lupton and Bordogna's Zachary
Kelly looked to have a great race in the Main, but Kelly
went out early. Lupton was second and TJ Fischer third.
JR Comer took to the track and J R Raczko got pole with a
40.302. In the heat Raczko rolled but had a battle on his
hands in the main. Dale Renzelman got the lead early in the
Main and held it. Raczko and Kartworlds Jay Dennis followed
in tow. Dennis got by Raczko and went to work on Renzelman.
With laps winding down, Dennis made the pass on Renzelman in
the Hairpin, and went on to victory. Renzelman held off
Raczko for second.
Kid Karts did rolling starts all weekend. They rolled
them to perfection showing the big boys and girls how to get
it done. Very Impressive. Jason Pettit got pole with a
49.762. On the start, Vincent Duggan got the lead early, but
Pettit powered him and got the win. In the main, Pettit got
the hole shot, but Duggan stuck the pass on him in turn two.
Two laps later Pettit got Duggan back, but again Duggan got
him back in two. As laps wound down, Pettit showed he had
more Horsepower, and got the job done. Duggan came home
second and Reza Arsham third.
David Bixler went wire to wire in Superbox Light. Jim
Waltz went wire to wire in Superbox heavy, but not without
pressure from Phil Shelter. The race of the day came in Tag
Sportsman Masters. Tim Denham got fast time in qualifying
with a 36.017. Denham got the win in the heat, but the main
was a dog fight. Crazy Ray Zarick was all over Denham. As
the race went on Zarick got more and more aggressive. Denham
began to block, and Zarick tried him on the outside in the
hairpin. Denham fed him a tire sending Zarick into the
barriers and Denham rolled. Justin Wolff was second and Tom
Shaw was third. |
|
TONY KARTS POST WELL FOR MMI IN REDDING
MMI has an
outstanding weekend in Redding, California. Starting off
with the Kid Karts which are new to IKF this year, Vincent
Duggan ran a strong race coming home 4th and Jarrett Gilmer
finished 6th. Vincent is currently second in the over all
points while Jarrett missed Davis so he has catching up to
do. Look for both of them to run up front at the next round
in Stockton.
Next was
the biggest class of the weekend, Formula 80 Ltd. Merrick
Miller was the lone Tony kart
pilot in this class. Merrick qualified a solid 4th on the
grid for the pre final, fighting a loose condition, he kept
the kart up front in the heat race. Merrick made some
changes for the main event and ran as high as 2nd and
finished a strong 4th in the final out of 19 karts.
The
Gazelle class was at Redding for an exhibition (or tryout)
and with 6 karts this fast growing class should thrive in
IKF this year. The number 7 of Curtis Paul qualified 2nd and
took his Tony/Gazelle package to a 3rd place finish on
Saturday. Curtis looks forward to round 3 at Stockton and
will be working hard to keep his kart up front.
In HPV 4,
MMI driver Kelsey Nilsson is proving that Effort = Results.
Qualifying 6th Kelsey was very fast in the pre final running
laps faster than the leaders in the middle of the race and
working her way up to 4th. The main turned out be an awesome
race with the top 5 karts all there for the win, with Kelsey
being one of them. Kelsey brought home a strong 3rd place
finish in the main event.
On Sunday, Kelsey kept her Tony Kart car up front all day
long, making the finishing results for the weekend even
better. Qualifying on the pole in the Jr. Tag, and winning
the main event. In the HPV 2 class Kelsey qualified 5th in
one of the most competitive classes of the weekend. Having a
rough start in the heat, she ran some very fast laps and got
back to the 5th spot. In an action packed main event, Kelsey
came out of turn 1 in 3rd and stayed one of the front
runners for all 16 laps. With a crazy last lap, Kels came
home 3rd and after an on- track penalty and a DQ in tech,
she was given the win and moved her to a tie for 1st in the
points. Might be early to start counting, but still great to
keep in consideration. Nilsson is looking to advance her
number of wins at the Stockton Motorplex which is her home
track, she holds two championships at this location.
One of Nor
Cal’s favorite racers, Carol Brown, was steady all day,
running as high as 3rd. In the 125 Iame Cup Masters main
event, Carol was good at the start and held her own for some
laps but settled for a 5th at the checkered flag. Carol is
exited to race at her home track at the next round.
HPV 1 saw
Alexander Perales join Curtis Paul for a try at the Redding
track, Alexander saw the track for the first time in
practice Sunday morning and had his work cut out for him.
HPV 1 saw a very fast field, and they were a bit off the
pace. Look for both of these kids to run better at Round 3
at Stockton Motorplex May 4th and 5th, a track they both
enjoy racing at.
In the
premiere Class of the day, Iame Cup Sr, an old friend of MMI
and current Panavise/Ram Mechanical Tony Kart driver Brady
Halsbach returned to region 11 tag racing with a bang! Even
though he missed Friday practice, he scored the hat trick
with a pole, heat win, and main event win, for a clean
sweep. Also under the Panavise/Ram Mechanical tent was Cody
Hodgson. He was quick in qualifying, putting his Tony Kart
in 3rd and proved he was fast. After a rough start in both
the heat race and the main event, Cody had to work his way
back up front and finished in the 2nd position in the main,
making a Tony Kart 1,2 finish. Also racing Iame Cup, was
Matt Brauer. Brauer gave Redding a shot, but in the heat
race he connected with another kart on the start, sending
him upside down. After getting it back to the pits, they
realized there was little damage done to the chassis and
began working to get it back out for the main event. Matt
was able to make it out for the main event, but mainly
concentrated on finishing the race in one piece.
|
Series
Sponsorship News
Marin Karting is very pleased to announce that
Oakland Auto Works has very generously sponsored
the production of series t-shirts that will be
given away trackside during the 2008 Jim Russell
Northern California Rotax Challenge. The
t-shirts will have the series logo on one side
and the new Oakland Auto Works logo on the
other. The t-shirts will be given away free.
?Oakland Auto Works is proud to be one of the
sponsors supporting Marin Karting, the host for
the Jim Russell Northern California Rotax
Challenge. It's great to be part of a successful
and well run series. We would like to thank
Adrian and all at Marin Karting for giving us
the opportunity to support the karters in the
Norcal Rotax Challenge.? said Glen Poi Wing,
Owner of Oakland Auto Works.
?Thank you Oakland Auto Works. The t-shirts
will look great and be much appreciated by
racers. They will also serve to proudly
identify Norcal Rotax racers at the Rotax
Nationals.? said Adrian Szwarcburg, owner of
Marin Karting. ?We both recognize customer
service and organization is key to running a
successful program. I am really looking forward
to passing out some cool t-shirts to all the
Norcal Rotax drivers and their families.?
About:
Oakland Auto Works is a full service
repair facility, providing expert automotive
repair and maintenance, catering to the owners
of Acura, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru and
Toyota vehicles. With a keen focus on the
overall satisfaction of our customers, we
continue to earn the loyalty and respect of
returning customers and newcomers alike. When
you bring your vehicle to Oakland Auto Works
you'll see why our motto and inspiration
continues to be,
" Happy Cars -- Happy People!" We look forward
to serving you. Please call (510) 597-8388 for
an appointment.
www.oaklandautoworks.com.
Marin Karting is the authorized bay area CRG and
Rotax Dealer and Service Center. We also offer
parts, engine service, driver coaching and
trackside support to all Northern California
karters. For more information contact Marin
Karting at (415) 898-0999 or online at
www.marinkarting.com, email:
sales@marinkarting.com.
|
|
Series Sponsorship News
Financial Advisor Ryan
Lee of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
has some advice for Norcal Rotax racers, ?Go to
the movies on me?. Ryan has donated over $120
worth of movie tickets to be given away to Rotax
Members on race days during the 2008 Jim Russell
Northern California Rotax Series.
So, if you, your family or
friends need any financial advice and
assistance, please contact Ryan Lee for
professional service and advice.
Ryan offers financial
advisory services, investments, insurance and
annuity products. Contact Ryan for all you
financial needs. His mission is to help you
reach your financial goals through a personal
relationship based on personalized,
knowledgeable advice. Ph: (650) 593-9170, Email:
ryan.k.lee@ampf.com, url:
www.ameripriseadvisors.com/ryan.k.lee/
|
|
SKUSA DESERT KART CHALLENGE PREPARES FOR ROUND FOUR
Arizona-based Superkarts! USA regional program heads to
Tucson
TUCSON, AZ (April 17, 2008) - The SKUSA Desert Kart
Challenge (DKC) will host its fourth round this coming
weekend, racing at the P1 Kart Circuit in Tucson,
Arizona. Six classes - three shifter and three TaG
categories - will battle under the lights at the
8/10-mile circuit that is a replica of the famous Suzuka
Kart Circuit in Japan. This will be the last night race
of the season and a great turnout of drivers is
expected.
At the
halfway mark of the DKC season, the chase for the
championships is beginning to take shape. In the popular
TaG Senior category, Chad Brassfield has been consistent
in the first three rounds to led the standings.
Brassfield holds a 70-point advantage over round two
winner James Rooke, a long-time frontrunner. The battle
for third has three drivers within 60 points, including
Matt Bejarano, round three winner Bud Grossenbacher, and
Jorge Ledesman Jr. Taylor Monnig, the class winner at
the season opener, is just behind in the six spot. This
fourth event could easily open the door for the true
contenders to step though in the run for the overall
title.
The
closest battle at the halfway point is in the TaG Junior
division. Just 20 points separate leader Tyler Cerbo and
current challenger Chance Stephens. Cerbo has a string
of runner-up finishes while Stephens has one victory
under his belt already. Roger Culver sits a top the TaG
Masters standings with three solid results in the books
thus far. Culver currently holds a 110-point advantage
over Mike McKinney, who was unable to attend the last
event. Michael Zuieback and Joe Johnson are also in the
hunt at the midway point.
It has
been a near-perfect run for Dave Van Gordon in the S4
Stock Moto Heavy category. The DKC point structure
rewards points for top qualifier, heat results, event
fast lap and a driver’s final race result for a possible
maximum of 320 points. Van Gordon has 915 total points
thus far, leaving the rest of the field searching for
extra speed to help cut into his point advantage.
In S3,
Paul Flori has a 140-point advantage over two-time
winner Nicky Freytag, who’s participation is limited due
to his Formula 2000 car racing schedule. Former Indy
Lights driver Mike Potekhen leads the S1 category with a
first place and two runner-up finishes on the year.
Peter Workum sits second with two-time winner Bud
Grossenbacher, who missed round one, sitting in third.
Grossenbacher scored the victory at the last round,
winning both TaG and S1. If he can keep this momentum
moving in the right direction, he may be able to make a
run at taking over the point lead.
|
PROKART CHALLENGE NORTH DEBUTS IN SONOMA
Superkarts! USA NorCal regional program has successful opening
weekend
SONOMA, CA (April 13, 2008) - It would be virtually
impossible to argue against the fact that the Superkarts!
USA SuperNationals is the single most prestigious sprint
karting event of the year. The incredible season-ending
race didn’t miss a beat when SKUSA changed ownership in
2006, changing hands to become the new focus of
long-time shifterkart enthusiast Tom Kutscher.
Rebuilding the SKUSA brand was Kutscher’s primary goal,
and re-introducing regional programs such as his
ultra-successful ProKart Challenge would be paramount in
establishing new roots for the organization. The new
ProKart Challenge North is a big part of this growth,
and the program made its debut on April 11-12, running
at the Jim Russell International Karting Center in
Sonoma, CA. Situated in the hills surrounding the famous
Infineon Raceway, the 3/4-mile circuit hosted some of
the best shifter and TaG drivers in the Northern
California area, all fighting for a piece of the more
than $70,000 prize package offered by ProKart Challenge
North and the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School. Seven
drivers put in dominant performances on the day to start
the championship chase on the right path.
Shifter kart veteran Tom Dyer was the man in the S3
category. The defending SuperNationals class champion
was on his game in his Stock Moto machine, earning the
pole by nearly four-tenths before taking the checkered
flag in both heat races and the final by a comfortable
margin. Running double duty in both
S3 and TaG, Jason Toft edged Matthew Hauff for
the second spot on the podium.
The S4
division also saw a dominant performance by the eventual
winner, in this case by Matthew Alcorn, as he was up
front in all four on-track sessions. Alcorn was on
cruise control, taking both heat races and the main by a
sizable margin. Behind him, Alexander Keith was his
closest competition, but he retired early from the main
event with a flat tire. That left Sergio Machado and
George Tavares to battle for the runner-up position with
Machado beating Tavares to the line.
Nearly
20 drivers fought in the TaG Senior division with tight
competition upfront; however, it was Nic Le Duc who
swept all on-track sessions. After edging Toft for the
pole position in the qualifying run, Le Duc won both
eight-lap heat races by a few seconds as the rest of the
pack behind him shuffled around for position. The Final,
however, saw Le Duc drop back to fourth at the start. He
then challenged PKC South CalSpeed winner Will
Martindale, Zach Dericco, and Toft for the lead.
Martindale would leave the race early with overheating
problems, leaving the remaining three drivers in the
hunt for the opening PKC North TaG victory. At
the white flag, Toft held the
top spot with Le Duc and Dericco right on his bumper,
setting up a thrilling completion to the dice. Entering
the famous ‘Tic-Tac-Toe’ chicane section of the track,
Le Duc made his move to claim the top spot. He was able
to hold off Toft at the line by two-tenths, while
Dericco was close behind, hoping for the leaders to
tangle. It was a stellar start to the TaG program in
SKUSA’s NorCal series, and bodes well for the excitement
that will be generated during the remainder of the
season.
Continuing to prepare for the upcoming national
schedule, former SKUSA national champion Alex Speed felt
right at home running up front at his home track,
scoring the victory in S1. Running a fast lap of 47.301,
Speed took the checkered flag in the main by seven
seconds over Cody Hodgson while Jess Peterson stood
third on the podium.
The G1
‘Masters’ class ran with the S1 division throughout the
weekend with the same pilot up front in every session.
Craig Corwin put down vicious lap times all day long to
lead the G1 category, running a pace that would have
been competitive in the S1 class. Corwin took the
victory in the 15-lap main event by seven seconds ahead
of Ethan Wilson and Rocky Allen.
TaG
Masters split into Light and Heavy categories for the
weekend and featured close battles for the class wins.
Herman Ip edged David Oroshnik for the overall win in
the Light class, while Jim Ferguson took the Heavy win
over Aluminos owner Rob Soares.
Round
two of the PKC North series will take place on May 9-10,
once again in Sonoma, as all six series events are set
to take place at the Jim Russell International Karting
Center.
For
more information and to check out the line-up of
year-end prizes available to ProKart Challenge
competitors see
www.prokartchallenge.com.
|
IKF Region 11 Redding
Day 2
| After the racing concluded the
second day, the track had quite of bit of rubber laid down
gripping up the track. With the bumps in the turns at
Redding, it provided quite the setup hassle for many of the
racers. HPV-1 was first up on Sunday and Kartel's Luis
Tyrell grabbed the pole with a 47.698. Tyrell looked tough
all weekend and continued his strong run throughout Sunday.
Tyrell went Wire to wire for the victory. Ian Fryer had a
good run to finish in the second position, while Bordogn's
Kyle Kaiser won the battle for third over MMS Racing Engines
Austin DeMent.
IAME Cup Masters took to the track and Mat Kattanek got
fast time with a 45.795. Kattanek was another driver who
came out of Blue Max with great success and picked up where
he left off. Got a little pressure from Bordogna's Wayne
Lorenz in the heat, but Mat put down fast laps in the Main
to capture his second victory in a row. Lorenz came home
second, and Bordogna's Paul Hohlbein finished third.
The four Kart class of Sr. Superbox Light was third up
and Chris Gomez was the man to beat. Gomez got fast time
with a 48.395 which was .403 seconds over second position.
Gomez pulled away in the both races for the win. Jamie
Wilson was second and David Bixler. The three kart class of
Jr. TAG was racing and MMI's Kelsey Nilsson grabbed pole
with a 44.768. Nilsson started to receive pressure from MMS
Racing Engines Chelsea Wagner then went out with a DNF.
Nilsson came back in the Final with fast laps to go through
the field for the win. Wagner was second. and Ryan Garcia
was third.
Shifter 80 Masters was up next and MMS Racing Engines
Cody McKinney got pole with a 46.305. McKinney looked tough
early but John Espinor ran him down late setting a good race
in the Final. Espinor and McKinney battled early, but it was
Emmick's Tony Rodriguez who came out on top giving Emmick
Enterprise a clean sweep of the Shifter classes at Redding.
14 karts for the IAME Cup class were on track and Brady
Halbasch got pole. In the Heat race Halbasch looked to be in
control. On the start of the main Kartel's Chris Scribner
grabbed the lead early and looked to open it, but around lap
five Scribner began to fade and Halbasch took advantage.
Brady Halbasch was the winner with Ram Mechanicals Cody
Hodgson second, and Scribner third.
Last up on the day were the Jr HPV-2's 13 karts provided
the race of the weekend. Leading Edge's Brett Felkins got
pole with a 45.122. Felkins would have his hands full in the
heat setting up a great race. Kartels Brendan Phinny got
spun on the start from the second starting position and had
to drive from the back. Felkins led early with Spaulding and
Jadallah in tow. This is how they stayed until the
last lap when Spaulding went to make the pass on Felkins.
This put Felkins in the bales and Spaulding was set back
inheriting the win to Jadallah. In tech Jadallah got DQ'd
bumping MMI's Kelsey Nilsson to the win. Bordogna's Joey
Teves finished second, and Kartel's Brendan Phinny drove up
to third.
Next race for the IKF Region 11 series is Stockton
Motorplex May 3-4. |
IKF Region 11 Round 2
Shasta Kart Club
| The IKF Region 11 series
visited Shasta kart Club in Redding California this past
weekend for Round two of the 9 race series. The weather was
hot with a small breeze blowing in the pollen and the
allergies. Friday morning as practice began the karts came
in dusted with pollen. 155 entries on the weekend, and a new
class in the Gazelle. The first class up was the
NorcalKarters.com sponsored Kid Karts. New for 2008 and this
class has provided good numbers and great racing. Running
the short track of Shasta Kart Club, Kid Karts were flying
around the bull ring as Tornado's Chloe St George got fast
time in Qualifying with a 27.131. Chloe won the first round
at Blue Max Kart Club, and looked determined to get another
as she walked with both the heat race and the main. Great
battles all around, just not for the Lead. Second Place went
to Tornado's Jarrett Tachovsky, and Kartworlds Zach Corbitt barely
beat out Vincent Duggan by a tenth.
Next up was the 15 kart class of Jr Comer. MMS Racing
Engines Austin Dement got fast time with a 48.926. In the
Heat Kartel's Luis Tyrell and Dement had an epic battle with
Tyrell getting the win setting up an absolute Dog Fight for
the Final. In the main Tyrell and DeMent switched positions
several times to the finish. In the end Kartel's Luis Tyrell
was the winner and MMS racing Engine Austin DeMent second,
Bordogna's Kyle Kaiser finished third.
IKF TAG took to the track and Kartel's Chris Scribner
qualified pole with a 44.148 setting a new track record.
Scribner checked out early in the heat. Champ Car Atlantic
Series driver Ryan Phinny was DQ'd at scales for weight and
would have to start the main from the back. MMS Racing
Engines driver David Brant never made the start due to brake
problems. Scribner got the early lead on the Start but would
retire 3 laps in with a broken throttle shaft. this left the
battle to MMS Racing Engines Mike Botelho Jr and Kartel's
Ryan Phinny. Phinny faded late, and Botelho cruised to the
win. Phinny was second and Kartel's Tyler Espinosa third.
19 karts in Sr 80 shifter were on track and Emmick
Enterprises Colton Filkill got pole with a 45.285. FilKill
ran the day uncontested as in the main Fastech's Robert
Towne suffered a DNF. FilKill was the winner putting Emmick
back in victory lane and Colton as well. Fastech's Sean
Forbes finished second and Travis Duhn third.
HPV-4 Jr continued there great turnout and Leading Edge's
Brett Felkins got pole with a 45.077. Felkin's got shuffled
back in the heat and Kartel's Brendan Phinny took advantage.
Felkins started sixth in the Final and Phinny ran away with
it. Last lap Jordan Jadallah went off track out of third.
Felkins finished second and MMI's Kelsey Nilsson got third.
The new class of Jr Gazelle was up next and 6 karts for
the first race with many more expected to contest at
Stockton. We're talking big numbers people. Looking at 15
karts next race, all new racers to the IKF series. Trever
Listman got pole with a 50.118 Listman won the heat race and
looked to roll in the main, but joining late was MMS Racing
Engines Austin DeMent. Pulling double duty, DeMent skipped
qualify and the heat to start from the back. Dement drove
hard through the pack to win the Final. Trever Listman was
second, and MMI's Curt Paul third.
Cambrian's Joseph Keaton won pole in Jr Superbox. Ryan
Garcia got the heat race win, but Keaton rolled to victory
in the Main as Garcia did not start. Trevor Agan won Jr 2
Animal over Derek Jorge. Tom Agan won the World Formula
class over Guy Gentry. The drama came in the Animal class.
Dan Pellizari ran up front the whole race until the last lap
as he received the Meatball flag for a disconnected rear
bumper. This bumped Keith Fox up on top of the podium.
HPV-3 only had 5 karts in the second race as a few
entrants didn't show. Fastech's Bryan Stephenson got
pole with a 45.988. The heat race saw Kartel's Neil Alberico
and Stephenson getting together and Alberico getting the
pole position for the Final. On the start Stephenson wasted
no time running down Alberico and the battle began. they
switched positions a few times before Neil took it over for
good and went on to the win and his second in a row. These
two are looking to be quite the rivalry through the 2008
season. Stephenson was second, and Chris Gomez third. |
4-8-08
ProKart Challenge North Announces Unprecedented Series Prize Package
This coming weekend not only marks the debut of ProKart
Challenge North, the new SKUSA program that will run this
year at the Infineon Raceway karting facility, it also marks
what may be the largest prize purse ever offered for a
regional series in kart racing. The Jim Russell Racing
Drivers School (JRRDS) has officially announced its
commitment to offer an unprecedented prize package totaling
more than $50,000 for ProKart Challenge North competitors.
The package includes a handsome array of prizes, including
introductory courses in their esteemed racing car programs,
performance tires, helmets, and more.
“JRRDS’s commitment to our series is amazing,” commented
ProKart Challenge and SKUSA CEO Tom Kutscher. “With other
series, you’re racing for a jacket. And these guys have
stepped up to deliver what could be the biggest prize
package ever for a regional series. I wish all of my regions
could get this kind of support! This is big -- I can’t thank
Jim Russell Racing Drivers School enough for their
contributions".The JRRDS prize
package is as follows:
| ProKart
Class |
1st Place
Overall |
2nd Place
Overall |
3rd Place
Overall
|
| TaG Senior |
2-day JRRDS class |
Grand Prix class |
1-day Foundations class
|
| TaG Master |
Grand Prix class |
Yokohama Street Tires
|
$200 Pass |
| S1 |
3-day class |
2-day class |
1-day Foundations class
|
| G1 |
Grand Prix class |
Tires |
Bell Helmet |
| S3 |
3-day class |
2-day class |
1-day Foundations class
|
| S4 |
Grand Prix class |
Tires |
Helmet |
| Sprint A&D “A” |
3-day class |
2-day class |
Grand Prix class |
The Jim Russell Racing Drivers School
prize package augments what is already an impressive ProKart
Challenge prize package. The PKC program for their new
NorCal series includes.
• (3) Free race entries to the SKUSA
2008 SuperNationals – includes complimentary entry fee for
the event – a $400 value
• (1) Free “Golden Ticket” to the SKUSA 2008 SuperNationals
– includes race entry, race tires, and race fuel – a $1,000
value
• (1) G.P. 8 125cc Rolling Shifter Kart Chassis - Courtesy
of KLS Racing – a $4,500 value
• (1) GRAND PRIZE – All expense paid trip to compete in the
annual 2008 Granja Viana 500 in Săo Paulo, Brazil. Drive
alongside Formula and IRL superstars. Includes airfare,
hotel, transportation, and all race expenses. Courtesy of MG
Tires Brazil – a $10,000 value
“I still have a hard time grasping it all,” said an excited
Kutscher. “What we’re giving to the racer is unheard of, and
I’m proud to be able to give this kind of incentive to our
customers. I can’t thank JRRDS enough for the belief they
have in our series. Our combined prize package is worth more
than $70,000.”
If the past three years are anything to judge by, the
ProKart Challenge believes that they are poised to reshape
kart racing in yet another region. Competitors and followers
alike are encouraged to follow the action as it unfolds at
the
http://www.ProKartChallenge.com web site. Timely results
and photos will be posted after each event, as well as
comprehensive information about series prize eligibility |
4-8-08 Jim Russell
offers an Unprecedented Prize Package
Jim Russell Racing Drivers School at Infineon Raceway offers an unprecedented
prize package for the 2008 Northern
California
Rotax Challenge.
Series
News (April 3, 2008) -- Jim Russell Racing Drivers School
today announced an extraordinary set of prizes valued at
over $20,000 for the 2008 Northern California Rotax
Challenge. The 2008 prize package offers Norcal Rotax
drivers a chance to win many prizes including world-class
instruction and track time at Infineon Raceway, Northern California?s premier race track and karting
facility. The series will now be known as the Jim Russell
Northern California Rotax Challenge.
Prizes
will be awarded to first, second and third overall series
class winners in the Junior, Senior, Masters, Masters Light
and DD2 Rotax classes. Rotax Senior and Rotax Masters,
Masters Light and DD2 classes will win one, two or three day
instructional courses in the new custom-designed FJR-50 race
car.
Prizes to be awarded
Junior:
1st:
Race Helmet, 2nd: $200 Track Pass, 3rd: $200 gift
Certificate to Pro Shop
Senior:
1st:
Advanced
School of
Racing, 2nd:
School of Racing, 3rd: Foundations of Racing
Masters:
1st:
Grand Prix Master Program, 2nd: Yokahama car
tires, 3rd: Race Helmet
Masters Light:
1st:
Grand Prix Master Program, 2nd: Yokahama car
tires, 3rd: Race Helmet
DD2:
1st:
Foundations of Racing, 2nd: Yokahama car tires, 3rd:
$200 gift certificate to Pro Shop
?This is
an amazing prize package that will motivate drivers to race
even harder for the championship.? said Adrian Szwarcburg,
series organizer. ?For the Senior, Masters Master Light and
DD2 classes, the opportunity to win a driving course in the
new Jim Russell Formula cars is the chance of a lifetime.?
|
|
4-8-08 Jimmy Moon to run with Ron
Sutton’s Winner’s Circle in Junior Focus Midget
Sacramento, California (March 3, 2008) – Fourteen
year-old Jimmy Moon will compete in the Junior Focus Midget Series. Ron
Sutton’s Winner’s Circle will run Jimmy as a satellite of the Ron
Sutton’s Winner’s Circle Focus Midget team. Jimmy will also compete in
a few Focus Midget races.
After a break through year in 2007 with four wins
in the Skip Barber Western Series, Jimmy Moon has made the switch to
oval racing for the 2008 season. Jimmy, who is a Ron Sutton’s Winner’s
Circle development driver recently completed a test Ventura, CA on dirt
in the car he will racing this season. Posting some of the best times
of all the drivers that were tested, Jimmy also had the opportunity to
drive a 650 HP sprint car.
“I am very excited to be joining such a great
team,” commented Jimmy. Ron Sutton’s Midget team is a first class
operation and I am really looking forward to getting more oval
experience under my belt and learning from one of the best in the
business.”
Ron Sutton's Winner's
Circle race team, owned by Ron and Kim Sutton, has won over 430 races in
a wide variety of motorsports. RSWC fields four USAC Ford Focus Midgets
in the 21 race California Pavement Series. The 2008 schedule includes
tracks in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Irwindale, Roseville, Blythe, Lake
Havasu, Tracy, and Orlando. The RSWC team is a state of the art driver
development program with four driver coaches, an Engineer and satellite
based Race Technologies brand data acquisition. Partners include K&N
Filters, DMS Race Products, HPC Coatings, Race Technologies, Riolo Race
Engines, Sunoco Fuels, Advanced Racing Suspensions and Scribner Plastics
all help make the team competitive. The RSWC team operates from a
well-equipped 8600' shop in Sacramento, CA with four full time employees
and a highly trained crew of 24. For 2008, RSWC will be fielding a
satellite operation for Jimmy Moon to compete in selected USAC Focus
Midget and Junior Focus Midget races.
“I have had my eye on Jimmy for a few years now and
was impressed from the first time I saw him drive a car,” said Ron
Sutton. “This is the reason why I started the program, to develop
natural talent that Jimmy possesses.”
|
Norcal Rotax
Championships open up at Dixon
|
Spring time is here and what
better way to start the 2008 racing season than to open up
the 2008 Norcal Rotax Challenge on a great sunny day at the
Dixon kart track on March 30. 33 Rotax karts joined 90
Dixon club members for the first race of the Dixon season on
the challenging reverse track layout.
In the Junior Rotax race, 5
drivers came to battle for the first win of the year. The
surprise of the weekend was young Brody Zink from Reno. Up
from Jr 1-Comer in 2007, Brody had an eventful practice day
trying to settle on what chassis to run. Brody and his Dad
obviously made the right choice when Brody (Birel) took the
pole in Qualify followed by Donavon Wheeler (Birel) and
Joseph Keaton (Monza). In the heat race, Zink lead the
whole way showing his fast times were not a fluke, but
veteran junior driver Mikee Mejia (CRG) came from 4th
on the grid to take second in the heat race followed by
Wheeler. In the Main, Brody took the initial lead with
Mejia right on his tail. By mid race, Mejia found the way
by Zink to take the lead. Zink stayed close to the end of
the race with Wheeler right on Brody’s bumper at the end. 4th
went to Keaton and 5th to Bryce Hylbert (Birel).
As they head off to race #2 at Infineon in 3 weeks, 5 to 7
more Junior Rotax karts are expect to join the series, so
some great action is expected in this class in 2008.
Nine drivers entered the
combined Rotax Masters (405#) and Rotax Masters Light (365#)
race. After three years in the Jim Russell Senior Arrive
and Drive series, Jerry Pretti (CRG) bought his own kart
over the winter and joined the Rotax Masters class. In this
his first race, Pretti went off and took the poll much to
the surprise of several Masters veterans. 2nd in
Qualify was 2007 class champion David Carlisle (CRG) with 3rd
going to Chris DeBruine (CRG). The top Rotax Masters Light
driver was Marc Pingol (Swiss Huttless) in his first Rotax
race with 2nd in Lights going to Mary Beth Wilson
(CRG), also in her first Rotax race. Like Jerry, Mary Beth
spent the last three years in the Jim Russell A&D Series.
In the Masters heat race,
Pretti took the early lead, but Carlisle ran up the back of
Pretti in turn 2 and took himself out of the race. Veteran
Jay Brosius (CRG) worked his way from 4th on the
grid to take the lead near the end of the race for the win
followed by Pingol (lights), Pretti and Debruine. In the
Main, Brosius held the point for the 12 lap race distance
but closely followed by a much improved DeBruine. Pingol
took 3rd and the Lights win followed by Pretti
and then Wilson. Carlisle worked his way up to 4th
then in making the pass for 3rd he went off
course and had to settle for another DNF. A tough start for
the defending champ.
In the 2 speed DD2 class,
seven drivers took the track for the first race of the
year. Unlike last year, all the drivers in this race were
of Masters age. Maybe a Rotax DD2 Masters label should be
put on this class in 2008. Bruce Weir (Birel) took the pole
in his first DD2 race followed David Arnstein (CRG) and
veteran January Grove (CRG). In the heat race, Arnstein got
the jump on Weir early and took the lead. Grove then got by
Bruce to take 2nd in the 10 lap heat race. Weir
finished 3rd followed by Cameron M Craig (Birel)
and Dave Moody (Birel). In the Main, Arnstein opened up a
slight lead over the fast lady Grove. But by mid race, the
gap went away as Arnstein may have been feeling the effects
of running 2 classes on this day on the most physical track
in Norcal. January pressed Arnstein hard into turn one then
set up a great pass coming out of the hairpin to take the
lead. By race end, Grove opened up a 3 second lead with
Weir also closing in on Arnstein. Arnstein though hung on
to take 2nd with Weir close behind followed by
Moody then Chris Debruine (CRG).
The Senior Rotax race was the
largest field of the day with 12 drivers and there were
great battles through out the entire field. The term
“practice makes perfect” could not be applied any better to
Gregory Liefooghe. Over the winter one could find Gregory
at the Infineon and Dixon tracks testing all the time. The
2007 Norcal DD2 champ will be focusing on Senior Rotax this
year and his winter efforts paid off big time in Race #1.
In Qualify, Liefooghe (CRG) took the pole by a quarter
second over Nicola Radosavlievich (Birel) with top Masters
driver David Harwin (TonyKart) taking 3rd.
Harwin, who took 6th at the Rotax Nationals in
2007, plans to run the Senior class in Norcal to get more
competition this year before he takes another crack at the
Rotax Masters crown at the Nationals. In the heat race,
Liefooghe continued his dominance with a 2 second win over
the up and coming Nikola followed by fast lady Kirstin Gee (Birel)
in 3rd, Ray Bustamante Jr (CRG) in 4th
and Harwin in 5th. Gee and Bustamante are both
up from Junior Rotax in 2007 and made impressive showings in
their Senior Rotax debuts. In the Main, only a mechanical
error, or brain fade, could keep Liefooghe from the win and
neither showed up. Gregory took a 2 ˝ second win over
Radosavlievich, followed by Gee, Bustamante Jr and Harwin.
But the best racing was for the next 5 spots where the real
battles were in the Main. Adrian Bustamante (Birel)
pressure Harwin for most of the race before settling for 6th,
David Arnstein (CRG) and Chris Gard (CRG), Carlos Caldron (CRG)
and Dominic Borelli (CRG) battled the whole way and finished
within one second of each other to take the 7th
through 10th positions. First time racer Jason
Guinto (CRG) was another 2 seconds back making much
improvement through out the day. But the hard charger of
the race was Jessica Harmon who was driving her first
outdoor kart race for Lemans Karting and was very quick and
very competitive running up as high as 6th in the
Main. A couple of bumps slowed her up during the race and
then her kart eventually threw a chain, but look out world,
this lady can drive.
A great day at Dixon was a
perfect way to start the 2008 Norcal Rotax Challenge season.
The Rotax series wants to thank the Kinsmen Kart club for a
great event and is looking for a return to Dixon on July
27. Next Challenge Series race is April 19 at Infineon
where from 45 to 50 Rotax karts are expect to take part in
the first of 4 National Qualifier races.
For more information about
the Norcal Rotax Challenge go to
www.norcalrotax.com or contact Series Race Director Ric
Shaw at
ricshaw_srp@hotmail.com.
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Jessica Brunelli Lands First Pole
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Sacramento, CA (April 2, 2008) – For
round two of the California Pavement Ford Focus Midget
Series, Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle headed to Irwindale
Speedway with its four drivers. After coming off a strong
top ten result in the opening round of the series Jessica
was looking forward to improving at the next event.
Surprising everyone in the paddock
Jessica threw down a blistering lap to qualify pole in the
sixteen-car field becoming the first fifteen year old to win
pole position in the series. She also lead the team in
their sweep of the top four positions, which was only the
second time the team has done so. In the race Jessica would
fight a very loose car and fell to sixth, but still a great
showing in only her second start in the series.
“I am really excited to have qualified
on the pole in just my second race,” stated Jessica Brunelli.
“Thanks to Jim, My Crew Chief, and the entire RSWC Team the
car was perfect and we were able to bang out a quick time.”
“Getting a
pole in her second race is impressive, that was no fluke,”
commented Ron Sutton. “Jessica Brunelli is the real deal
and she is going to be at the front in everything she
races. Just watch.”
The next
event will be held at the Altamont Speedway April 19.
To keep up to date with Jessica’s racing throughout
the 2008 visit
www.brunelliracing.com. Jessica would also like to
thank her sponsors, Finish Master Paint Company, Dupont
Paints, Tico Construction Company, Fremont Bank, Grand Fund,
Central Chevrolet, Central Collision Center, and Sign Zone
Racing Decals.
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Brendan Langlois Wins First Race
at Irwindale
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Sacramento, CA (April 2, 2008) – Former
karting star Brendan Langlois just completed the second
round of the California Pavement Ford Focus Midget Series at
Irwindale Speedway in California. Competing for the Ron
Sutton’s Winner’s Circle team as a development driver,
Langlois has impressed many by finishing fourth in the
opening round of the series.
Qualifying fourth for the main event
Brendan was confident he could move up in the race and
challenge for the victory. Getting a great start, Brendan
would start to pick off the drivers in front. Once he took
the lead he would never look back and check out to score his
first victory in only his second start. Brendan also became
the first fifteen year old to win a Ford Focus Midget race
and is the first time the team has won in the second race of
the season.
“Brendan
showed he is here to compete, stated head of driver
development Ron Sutton.” “Winning in his second USAC Ford
Focus Midget race shows the fire and talent this young
driver really has. His Crew Chief and I couldn't be more
impressed.”
The next
event will be held at the Lucas Oil I-10 Speedway April 12.
Please visit Brendan’s web site
www.brendanlaglois.com to learn more about this young up
and coming driver. Alpinestars, On Track Promotions,
Excel Personnel, ROYAL LePAGE, Visual Signs and Awards,
First Place Detail and Performance, and Surfer Enterprises,
Ltd. Support Brendan in all of his racing endeavors.
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Cambrian Karts
Expanding
|
Cambrian Karts is
expanding. Expanding their efforts of Customer Service and
the building in which they reside. Previously Cambrian did
their work out of an 1800 square foot building. Cambrian
Karts and Donald Durbin have just moved their business into
a 5000 square foot building.
This expansion is more than
a bigger building. Cambrian is expanding their efforts into
Rotax as well. Carrying Mojo Tires and Rotax Parts. The
Cambrian Parts trailer is fully prepared for the season
ahead as they plan to service racers in the IKF Series,
Dixon and Salinas Club races, as well as the Infineon
Russell Series. "Our #1 Priority is to have the parts when
the Customers need them, and the Knowledge and information
to back it up!" says Donald Durbin Jr.
In the
coming weeks Cambrian Karts will be launching a full service
web based parts store to make it even easier for Racers to
get their parts online. To contact Cambrian Karts you can
email them at
info@cambriangokarts.com or you can call them at
408-377-5278. |
4-3-08 Pro Kart South
Round One
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The
ProKart Challenge SoCal kicked off its new season on March
28-29 at the CalSpeed karting facility, located just outside
the track walls of Auto Club Speedway (formerly California
Speedway) in Fontana, California. Once again delivering the
best in shifterkart and TaG sprint racing, the PKC SoCal
program had a very successful opening weekend with 10
drivers taking home 1st place victories.
The
Stock Moto group provided great racing, as they always do as
SKUSA’s new calling card. Having recently signed with FX
Racing -- which has put him aboard a new Trackmagic -- Bobby
Legate continued his early success in 2008 with the opening
round victory in S3 Light. The recently-crowned SKUSA
WinterNational Championship Series champion used his pole
starting position to get the jump on Utah pilot Patrick
Cushenberry. The former 2007 S4 runner-up put some early
pressure on Legate, but it wasn’t enough, as Legate pulled
out to a five-second victory. Team Aluminos driver Marc
Elliott made his S3 debut with a third place podium finish.
Just like the Light class, S3 Heavy had a good dice between
Marty Henderson and Phil Conte - a G1 transfer. Conte got
the point a couple of times during the main event, but
Henderson edged him out at the end of the 20-lap main event.
Grant Westmorland completed the class podium.
A lot of
new faces set the pace in the S4 categories. Bryce Miller,
new to the shifter class, and Willy Musgrave fought each
other hard in the Light class, but Musgrave had the
advantage when the checkered flag fell. Miller settled for
second with John Cram coming home third. In S4 Heavy, Ken
Schilling recorded his first win and the closest
finish of the weekend,
edging Bill Cox by just 0.132 seconds. Third place driver
Marc Segal was just seven-tenths back of Cox at the line.
Introduced last year, the S5
Stock Moto Junior class is SKUSA’s ideal package for the
up-and-coming young kart racer looking to enjoy karting at a
reasonable cost. The motor rules mirror the S3 and S4
classes, meaning a junior pilot can graduate to the senior
ranks without having to purchase a new engine. Only one
driver ran with the PKC in the debut of the program last
year, but the first event of ’08 saw three S5 competitors,
with more expected to compete at the second round. Race
Liberante was the racer of the field, taking the class win
ahead of Vinny Maestas and Corey Neveau, both of whom
continued to gain speed throughout the weekend.
A
number of national drivers, based on the West Coast, were at
CalSpeed competing in the S1 and TaG Senior divisions.
Former two-time national champion Alex Speed was on-hand
aboard his new Trackmagic chassis, dominating the S1 class.
Starting last on the Main Event grid behind the G1
competitors on the track at the same time (due to a blown
motor in the 2nd heat), Speed put down some impressive laps
to work up to fourth -- before a broken shifter lever took
him out of competition. G-Phactory/Sodi Kart USA’s Nick
Halen would benefit from Speed’s misfortune of the day,
pacing the field and taking the win. Shifter rookies Jacob
Neal (PCH Motorsports) and Canadian Scott Rossi (Team
Aluminos) completed the podium. Jacob Neal impressed the
crowds when he drove from last place to sixth in Heat 1,
after being DQ’d for no neck brace during qualifying and
therefore starting in the back.
Speed’s Trackmagic teammate Will Martindale was just as
impressive in TaG Senior. After being disqualified in the
first heat, he came from the back to fourth in the second
heat. Running smooth and consistent laps, Martindale got to
the point quickly in the main event and earned the victory.
Fellow NorCal driver Zach Dericco held his own against
Martindale, but came up just short at the checkered.
High-Rev Technologies’ John Zartarian, running a part-time
Star Mazda schedule this season, got back behind the wheel
of a kart for third on the weekend.
TaG
Masters numbers were not as high as seen before, but Billy
Cleavelin and Greg Smith still put on a great show for those
along the fence line. Both drivers are well into
their ‘prime’ and battled it
out for 20 laps with Cleavelin getting the advantage over
Smith in the end. Alex Felton completed the podium in third.
Robert Marks and Fernando
Diaz battled hard for the entire 20-lap main event in G1.
After swapping the point multiple times, Diaz was taken out
of the race by a new S1 driver, leaving Marks to cruise to
the checkered flag. Wally Wright, moving up from G2,
advanced to second, with former champion PP Mastro ending
third. With the top-three in G2 from last year having
graduated to G1, new faces were up front this weekend. Steve
Donia grabbed the G2 class win by three seconds over Eric
Ortega and Kevin Para.
Round two of the SoCal series will take place on April 25-26
at the Buttonwillow Raceway Park kart track in Buttonwillow,
California.
For
more information and to check out the line-up of year-end
prizes available to ProKart Challenge competitors, go to
www.prokartchallenge.com.
About
Superkarts! USA:
Established
in 1995, Superkarts! USA is dedicated to shifterkart racing
and is the leader in the field, currently promoting three
regional racing series located on the West Coast, with
challenging racing program running in Southern California,
Northern California and Arizona. These programs all lead to
the annual SKUSA SuperNationals, the biggest shifter kart
race in the world, held every November in Las Vegas, NV.
For more information on SKUSA, please visit
www.superkartsusa.com
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Leading Edge
Leading
Edge Motorsports Set for 2008
|
With the 2008 season approaching Leading
Edge Motorsports is set to go racing. The
West Coast distributor for the Intrepid
Chassis and a full service Engine Shop is
looking for race wins in 2008 bringing their
top drivers led by 2006 Tuner of the Year
and Leading Edge owner Greg Bell.
Entering into the TAG division is Champion
Racing Supported Driver Bryan Eady. Running
under the Leading Edge banner with Leading
Edge Horsepower the Stock 125 Shifter Ace
will jump into the TAG setup for 2008 to do
battle in both the Region 11 IKF series and
the Infineon Raceway Pro Kart Challenge
series, as well as the 2-cycle Grand
Nationals.
Joining Eady in
the 2008 driver lineup is second year driver
Brett Felkins. Felkins was new on the scene
in 2007 and progressed quickly claiming an
IKF Region 11 win at the 2007 season Finale
at Atwater. In the coming season Brett had
his plate full as he plans to compete in the
Region 11 IKF series, race a Spec 125 Moto
in the ProKart Infineon Series, and do
battle in the Stars of Karting JICA
division.
Also on the
Leading Edge team is Stockton TAG Club
Champion Tyler Bradstock. Bradstock new to
the Intrepid crew, will do battle in the
Senior ranks in both the Region 11 series
and a few ProKart Infineon Races. Bradstock
moving up into the Sr. ranks will moving
forward with Leading Edge in 2008.
Also joining
the Leading Edge racing Team in 2008 are
Region 7 standouts Mason Marotta and Timmy
Bachman. Both joined Leading Edge late last
year for the Stars West races.
Contact Leading Edge Motorsports to become
part of the West Coast Intrepid Race Team
today. |
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