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Archives August 2011
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8-26-11
Nascimento Motorsports & Cody Hodgson Finish 3rd at Stockton 99
Speedway
3rd Annual 51
Fifty Race for Autism Saturday, August 13th brought out many of
the local racers to Stockton 99 Speedway in the 3rd Annual 51
Fifty benefit race for Autism. After qualifying 3rd in the
Nascimento Motorsports #55 late model driver Cody Hodgson
finished a close 2nd in the Trophy Dash. For the Race for Autism
100 lap main event officials inverted the top 6 cars giving
Hodgson the 4th place starting position starting him outside row
2. Once the green flag flew Hodgson jumped into the 3rd position
after just a few laps and stayed there for much of the race
being challenged by teammate Colby Potts and Carlos Viera
several times for the 3rd place spot. On lap 78 Hodgson made a
move on the #12 series points leader Jeff Belleto moving the #55
into 2nd place and now on the tail of the leader Dave Byrd (2nd
in the points series). Several yellow flags flew in the last 20
laps for incidents in the back of the pack one allowing Belleto
to get back by Hodgson on a restart. On a lap 98 restart the
officials decided to call it a single file restart and it was
Byrd crossing the line 1st followed by Belletto and Hodgson
taking the checkered flag 3rd. In a short interview after the
race Hodgson stated that with 3 weeks off from the K&N Pro East
Series this month he was "happy to get in the car and make some
laps!". He also wanted to thank the Nascimento family, Ocala
Gran Prix, Escalon Tire Service, Advanced Rock Crushing, Truss
Systems Hawaii and Ram Mechanical for giving him the opportunity
to drive this weekend. Hodgson heads back to North Carolina this
week to test for the next K&N Pro East Series race at
Greenville, South Carolina on Labor Day. The Greenville race
will be aired on the Speed Channel Thursday, September 15, 2011
at 3:00 p.m. Hodgson is currently running 9th in points in the
K&N Pro East series.
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8-29-11 IKF 2
Cycle Grand Nationals Report
Day 1
The 2011 edition of the IKF Grand Nationals kicked off
officially on Friday with a slightly modified race schedule.
Five classes were on the docket for racing, but their qualifying
session and prefinals were split between practice for Saturday's
classes. Heat was the biggest factor of the day, effecting both
driver and kart. CalSpeed has had a pretty mild summer so far
but mother nature picked this week to kick it up a notch.
Ambient temps showed 104, but track temp was much nearer to 135.
It took its toll on drivers as fatigue set in before lap ten. I
can't ever remember seeing karts come in and fall off as much as
I did today watching the finals. It was amazing to see a few of
the come from behind victories.
Mini Max was the first group to take to the track for their
qualifying session. Colton Herta became the first Screaming
Eagle winner of the weekend with a pole time of 52.379.
Christian Brooks qualified P2 just a tenth back of Herta. They
ran the 10 lap prefinal and finished in that same running order.
Anthony Sawyer and Scott Huffaker finished 3rd and 4th just a
few seconds back of the winners. The final was a great duel
between Herta and Brooks, and the two of them left the field in
the dust. Brooks grabbed an early lead over the #26 driven by
Herta, but it only lasted a few laps. Herta was quick to take
his turn up front, but he too couldn't hold it for more than a
handful of laps. Brooks again set the pace with Herta glued to
his rear bumper. The lead duo dropped the rest of the field, but
Sawyer and Huffaker were entangled in a battle very similar to
the leaders. Hot off his Rotax national win Christian Brooks
backed it up with an IKF Grand National win, the first of the 3
day weekend. Herta finished a close 2nd with Sawyer grabbing the
3rd podium position.
Rotax Junior was our second class of the day with Canadian
Parker Thompson showing the way. Thompson turned a lap of 50.587
to earn his Screaming Eagle. Nathan Seegrist was off pole for
the prefinal. Jake Craig jumped up to 2nd place in the prefinal
behind Thompson with Jon May finding a little extra speed for
3rd. The final started out poorly for Thompson as he went from
pole to 3rd on the opening corner. Craig had a fantastic start
and led the field down to complete lap one. May dogged Craig
with Thompson in hot pursuit, but soon enough Thompson was
running in 2nd and chasing down Craig. Thompson's #80 really
came on strong during the mid section of the race, and he looked
to be well clear of Craig and the rest of the chasers. Craig
pulled him back with only a handful of laps remaining and the to
traded the lead a handful of times. Craig made a pass in the
hairpin, but Thompson countered in kornacurva to keep his lead.
El Matador flew the white flag and Craig once again made his
move in the hairpin, taking over the race lead. Thompson then
clipped the apex curb and lost enough momentum to allow Craig to
run unchallenged for the win. It was a great last couple of
laps. May held right there with the leaders for most of the 16
lap race, finishing on the podium in 3rd. Nick Ramirez didn't
scale but a tip of the hat to him for going to school today and
driving up here just to race the main event.
Louie Pagano killed it in Rotax Sr. qualifying with a time of
50.219. Andrew Weiner was 2nd quick, but over half a second
back. Pagano took the prefinal win too as the rest of the field
all are shown as a DNF. The final was a lot more entertaining as
Jeremy Kane got out of school and showed up just to race the
main event. Bobby Kelley snagged the hole shot to start the 20
lap final with Pagano and Weiner in tow. Kane was on the move,
quickly picking up positions. Kelley still headed up the charge,
but Kane now ran in 2nd place. By lap five Kane was out front,
leaving everyone else to chase. Kelly and Pagano briefly
exchanged 2nd place. Kelly held that until he pulled off the
course with a few laps remaining. John Wallace III started off
slowly, but as the laps passed he climbed up the standings. Kane
crossed the line as the 2011 IKF Rotax Grand National champion.
Pagano finished a few seconds back for 2nd place as Wallace
climbed his way up to 3rd.
Hunter Corbit snagged the Screaming Eagle from Christian Brooks
by a scant .134 of a second. Corbit then followed it up with a
prefinal win over Brooks by nearly the same amount (.136). After
watching the opening laps of the final Corbit looked to be
untouchable. He was smooth, fast and paid no attention to Jake
Drew who was pressuring him from behind. Drew snuck by Brooks on
the exit of turn one to move up in to 2nd place. He stayed there
waiting for Corbit to make a mistake, but like a shark Zane
Smith was silently picking off positions lap after lap. By
halfway Smith was solidly in 3rd place. He made quick work of
Drew and set his sites on the impossible, chasing down a 20 kart
gap to Corbit. Lap after lap he stalked his prey, striking on
the last lap to make the kill. Smith looked inside Corbit with
only a few corners remaining. The two leaders went side by side,
then side by side again before Smith slotted in for the run to
the checkered flag. A fantastic driver earned Smith the Duffy.
Corbit finished on his bumper for 2nd place. Brooks held off
Drew and Justice Lepe for 3rd place and his second podium finish
of the day.
KPV was the final class of the day and Camden Geise was the
Screaming Eagle winner. Geise ran a 52.187 while P2 qualifier
Matt Johnson did a 52.280. Two of the quick guys Johnson and
Nick Johnston started the final from the rear after contact, but
that was no matter to Geise. Geise had a super start to begin
the final with Johnathan Miller up around Robby Harryman for 2nd
place. It soon became the Geise/Miller show as Harryman fell
back and Johnston and Johnson moved forward. Miller made his
move in the hairpin and Geise was unable to counter right away.
Miller led the show for a handful of laps before giving up the
point to Geise once again. They swopped the lead a few times
with Geise taking the white flag and Miller on his butt. Miller
made his move with two turns remaining. Geise didn't give way
and the two went wheel to wheel to the checkered flag. Miller
slid into the lead with 30 feet before the finish line, taking a
fantastic win.
Day two will kick off with expected temperatures even higher. A
little Grand National trivia today provided by Shelby. All the
Screaming Eagle winners finished the finals in 2nd place. I
guess you need to decide which trophy you want more and figure
that into your race strategy.
Day 2
Day two of the IKF 2 Cycle Sprint GrandNationals was hot,
really, really hot. On track action was nearly as heated as what
the mercury showed, and we were pushing 107 easy. Zane Smith and
Jake Craig rose to the top of the heap today, both adding to
their Duffy tally from day one. CalSpeed karting Center and Ep1k
Promotions did a fantastic job trying to limit the effects of
the heat and still keep on schedule. Surprisingly the only real
delay all day long was when a corner worker collapsed on track
and needed medical assistance. No doubt the 146 on the racing
surface played a major part in the man down situation, but
drivers paid little heed and went about their business of
driving their butts off.
To recap, yesterday's winners were:
Christian Brooks - Mini Max - Tony Kart West
Jake Craig - Rotax Max Junior - Prestige Worldwide
Jeremy Kane - Rotax Max Senior - Tony Kart West
Zane Smith - Rookie Sportsman - Karting Ventures
Johnathan Miller - KPV 4 Senior - Empire Karts
Kid Kart Heavy - Pitts Performance
Kid Kart Heavy was the first group of drivers to hit the
pavement on Saturday morning. CalSpeed veteran Hudson Morrow set
the pace in qualifying with a time of 1:09.106. Dezel West was
P2 a distant 1.2 seconds back. Morrow maintained that same gap
in the prefinal with West and Kanyon Vermillion finishing 2nd
and 3rd. Like always things came back together in the final with
three karts coming to the finishing line. Morrow opened it up at
the drop of the green before handing the lead over to West on
lap 4. West too could only hold the point for a few laps as Aden
Dodge stormed to the front. West fought back, but a spirited
last lap saw Dodge slip back to the front and score the race
win.
KPV 1 Cadet Heavy - P1 Engines
Hot off a win yesterday Zane Smith has clearly got his groove
back. Smith has been a little off this season not claiming the
number of wins he is accustomed to, but he tasted blood and I'm
afraid for the other drivers on Sunday. Smith paced the field in
qualifying with a time of 55.056. Colton Herta was the only one
close to Smith and sat P2, but thats pretty much where he would
stay all day. Smith and Herta killed it in the prefinal
distancing the field led by Christian Brooks by 5 seconds. The
final was a repeat result with Smith going flag to flag for his
second win of the weekend. Herta challenged early, but but Smith
just crept away once we hit lap eight. Brooks fell behind
Vincent DePalma on the start and spent the better part of the
race chasing back into contention. Once into 3rd he closed the
gap on Herta and made a great last lap pass to steal 2nd place.
Herta had to settle for 3rd place with DePalma and Jason Pettit
rounding out the top five.
KPV 2 Junior Heavy - Cal State Karting
KPV 2 Junior saw the love spread around from qualifying,
prefinal and up into the final. Parker Thompson was the
Screaming Eagle winner with a time of 51.743, but Brenden Baker
won the prefinal from his 2nd place starting position, dropping
Thompson back to 3rd. Brandon Reed and Jake Craig were the only
other two drivers to run sub 52 second laps and that foursome
got things rolling in the final. Baker led the first few laps
before Thompson was able to get by him in turn one. Thompson's
time up front was very limited as Reed drove the pace higher.
Reed continued to tow the line for the remaining dozen laps, but
Craig sat patiently in 2nd place. Last year's hero of the Grands
made his move heading into the hairpin of the final lap. Reed
tried to counter, but ended up having Thompson sneak inside him
and take 2nd away. Craig hammered it home for his second win of
the weekend, his first on the day. Thompson's last ditch moved
earned him a another respectable 2nd place finish. Reed finished
a very disappointing 3rd after leading the majority of it. Jason
Hannegan picked up a position to finish in 4th place with Haley
Jenni moving up 6 to finish inside the top five.
Senior Super Sportsman - Bill Hilger
Bobby the killer Kelley dropped the hammer in Sr. Super
Sportsman qualifying besting Dillon Felber by two tenths for the
Screaming Eagle. Kelly continued to dominate throughout the
prefinal gapping the pack by 5 seconds. Andrew Weiner led
Johnathan Miller to the prefinal finish with Christian Rochester
and Lloyd Mack completing the fast five. Camden Geise had a
fabulous start and went from the back to the front in no time.
Geise set off after Kelley, but it was a task too tall for the
driver of the #34 kart. Geise came under pressure in the closing
laps from Weiner and Miller but kept it together long enough to
finish in 2nd place. Weiner finished in 3rd, Miller 4th and
Bronson Eggert came away with 5th. The true story was the
outstanding drive by Kelley. Kelley wasn't the fastest kart on
track, but he was fast enough to make it count and grab another
GrandNational win.
Junior 1 Comer - CalSpeed Karting
Colton Herta snagged the Junior 1 Comer Screaming Eagle over
Zane Smith, Christian Brooks, Jake Drew and Ryan Schartau. Smith
emerged as the prefinal winner distancing himself from the
field. Brooks led the pack to the finish 2.5 seconds back, with
Herta and Scott Huffaker in tow. The final was a two man show
with Smith and Herta leading the way. Smith led the opening
circuits before yielding to Herta during the middle laps. Smith
was not content sitting in the draft and flew by Herta in turn
one. Herta tried to hang tough but Smith dominated the final
laps and gapped the field. With Smith scoring his 2nd win of the
day and the 3rd of the weekend the others were left fighting it
out for 2nd place. It was another super close finish as Herta
just nipped Brooks, Drew, and Huffaker at the line.
Junior Super Sportsman - RLV
Jake Craig left little doubt as to who the king of the Juniors
is again this year at the GrandNationals. He earned the Super
Sportsman Screaming Eagle with a time of 51.985. He was the only
one to dip under 52 seconds, with Parker Thompson and Brenden
Baker his nearest competitors. The prefinal finished in the same
running order exactly with Craig taking 3 seconds out of
Thompson, Baker, Carter Williams and Wyatt May. The final saw
Craig in a class all his own, but the real battle was for 2nd
place between the rest of the hitters. As Craig pulled off win
#2 on the day Parker Thompson was under heavy pressure from
Baker. Williams gained ground in the closing laps but he wasn't
close enough to make a difference in the top three. Thompson for
the second time today had to settle for 2nd place behind Craig,
but he was good enough to keep Baker at bay. Williams finished
4th, well back of the lead trio, but well ahead of May in 5th.
KPV 4 Heavy - EP1K ProMotion
KPV Heavy was the final race group of the day, and one that many
were looking forward to. Qualifying was a close affair between
Luis Martinez and Tyrel Brooks, with Martinez getting the nod
from the racing gods by just over a tenth of a second. Screaming
Eagle winner Martinez went on to beat John Wallace III to the
finish in the prefinal with Paul Bonilla slotting in to 3rd.
Brooks was the fastest on track but a problem put him to the
back of the pack where he would start his final. Kenton Koch and
Jordan Butler showed promise finishing inside the top five. Mike
Mantel finished the prefinal well back in 8th place, but talking
to him before the final he was confident that his blown clutch
in the prefinal was the only thing stopping him from winning.
Brooks too was confident that his starting position was just a
formality and that he was coming for Martinez. Turns out they
both were kinda right. Martinez gained the advantage on the
start and sped off to a healthy advantage over Bonilla, Butler,
and Wallace. Mantel and Brooks were both on the move with Mantel
in up to 5th and Brooks into 7th. Martinez looked to be in
complete control but the challenges were coming. By halfway
Mantel was into 2nd place with Butler back into 3rd, Bonilla 4th
and Brooks in 5th. Mantel closed the gap on Martinez in what
seemed like a blink of an eye. By lap 14 Mantel was around
Martinez and looking for his 7th Duffy of the year. Martinez put
forth every effort to regain the top spot, but Mantel was too
good today and he finished a few kart lengths back in 2nd place.
Brooks ripped it up finishing in a very respectable 3rd
position. Bonilla brought it home in 4th place with Butler
having a great ride in 5th. Earlier in the year Mantel earned
five Duffies at the IKD Road Race GrandNationals and one more at
the 4 Cycle Sprint. It's been a pretty good summer already, but
he still has one more day to add to that Duffy count.
Temperatures are expected to drop for Sunday's final day of
action at CalSpeed, and it can't come soon enough. A little
reprieve from the heat might change the face of the winners
circle but only time will tell. Tomorrows list of classes are:
Kid Kart - Pitts Performance
KPV 1 Cadet - P1 Engines
KPV 2 Junior - PKS
Super Sportsman Heavy - Bill Hilger
Junior 1 PRD TAG - PRD/RLV
Junior 2 PRD TAG - PRD/RLV
Senior PRD TAG - PRD/RLV
Day 3
Sunday completed the 2011 edition of the IKF 2 Cycle
GrandNationals presented by Ep1k Promotions and thankfully it
was under slightly cooler conditions. Sure it was still hot, but
no where near as blistering as Saturday. Seven more classes took
to the track today and we saw a few new faces climb to the top
step of the podium and we watched as Zane Smith emerged as the
big winner of the Grands.
Kid Kart - Pitts Performance
Kid Karts was the first group of the day and Anthony Willis was
the Screaming Eagle winner with a time of 1:08.722. His time was
nearly 1.5 seconds quicker than P2 qualifier Dezel West and he
carried that advantage into the prefinal for the win. Tomas
Mejia moved up to 2nd place to start the final on the front row.
The final didn't go all that well for our front row as Mejia
dropped back to 6th on the start and Willis fell to the tail end
of the field. Tannor Hudspeth ended the first lap with a huge
lead over the rest of the chasers led by Kanyon Vermillion, West
and Aden Dodge. Dodge was on a tear and closed the distance on
the leader. It was slugfest throughout the closing laps with
positions changing right and left. Dodge brought it home for the
second time in two days. Vermillion crossed the line in 2nd
place with Mejia 3rd, Hudson Morrow 4th and West in 5th. Most of
that changed post race in the tech barn with
three of the five being DQ'd Dodge kept his win but the running
order behind was now West in 2nd, Camilo Mejia 3rd, Willis 4th
and Dakota Tate 5th.
KPV 1 Cadet - P1 Engines
Colton Herta was again quickest in qualifying, this time in KPV
1 Cadet. His 54.844 was good enough to keep him ahead of Zane
Smith, Christian Brooks and Mikes Farhan. Smith and Herta went
toe to to in the prefinal with Smith getting the win and the
pole for the final. We saw a similar battle happen again in the
final but this time they were joined by Scott Huffaker. Smith
opened things up originally, but was soon brought back by Herta
and Huffaker. Eventually Huffaker was replaced by Anthony
Sawyer, but he too couldn't match the speed of the lead duo.
Herta swept by Smith but it didn't last long. Back and forth for
the final five laps kept the fans on their toes. Herta and Smith
went side by side in the last few corners, but it was Herta with
both hands in the air celebrating victory. Smith came away with
another great result in 2nd place as Sawyer ran solo to the
finish in 3rd. The fight for the final podium positions was
heated with Jake Drew and Jason Pettit getting it done.
KPV 2 Junior - PKS
Brandon Reed was the KPV 2 Screaming Eagle winner with Brenden
Baker slotting P2 on the grid. The two B's of Brandon and
Brenden were the class of the prefinal, easily distancing
everyone but Parker Thompson. Reed got a fantastic start to
begin the final and led led the way for the opening lap.
Thompson and Baker fell in line behind, but soon enough the
Canadian Thompson was around Reed and setting the pace. His
advantage swelled and closed as the race went on, but he got a
fantastic break with only to laps to go. Reed and Baker chased,
but a slight bobble by Reed cost him valuable distance and a
chance to challenge for the win. After finishing in 2nd over and
over again this weekend Thompson moved up one position to earn
his first IKF GrandNational win of the weekend. Baker was in the
hunt the entire race, running in 3rd lap after lap. He was
disappointed in his finish, but it was a solid run. Jake Craig
started in the back and finished his final just ahead of Haley
Jenni in 4th place. It was a super performance for the multi
time IKF GrandNational champion. Jenni too gained track position
to finish solidly in 5th.
Super Sportsman Heavy - Bill Hilger
Super Sportsman Heavy was one of the closest qualifiers of the
weekend as the top ten had less than a second to separate them.
Camden Geise took the Screaming Eagle with John Wallace III P2
and Dillon Felber P3. The prefinal saw a shuffling of positions
with Wallace coming out on top and Luis Martinez moving up to
2nd. The final turned out to be one of the most entertaining
races of the day as Wallace jumped out to an early lead over
Bronson Eggert and Martinez. Wallace maintained a slight
advantage but soon Martinez was up past him into the lead.
Wallace grabbed the draft and held with Martinez, the two
distancing themselves from the pack. Eggert felt some pressure
from Johnathan Miller, but the two ran a few seconds back of the
race leaders. Wallace took the white flag and we expected a move
into turn one by Martines. He waited and struck out in the right
hand hairpin. Wallace fought back into the left hander but
Martinez slammed the door and went on to score his first win of
the weekend. Wallace still finished in 2nd, his best run of the
week, and a great drive none the less. Eggert too had his best
finish of the event, beating Miller for 3rd place. Dillon Ferber
finished a distant 5th.
Junior 1 PRD TAG - PRD/RLV
The PRD classes were the ones that everyone seemed to be looking
forward to and Junior 1 PRD was the first of three classes to
shine. Jake Drew put his #29 on the pole with a time of 52.519.
Colton Herta qualified P2, but less than a tenth, but the
Screaming Eagle belongs to Drew. Zane Smith bested Herta and
Drew in the prefinal, shifting the running order for the start
of the final. Ryan Schartau and Christian Brooks moved up into
the top five to start the final. Smith snagged the hole shot
over Drew, Herta and Brooks, while contact ended Schartau's hope
for a podium finish. Herta looked inside of Smith in the hard
left hander and Smith pushed out wide, dropping a few positions
in the process. Herta now had a sizable advantage over Brooks,
Smith and Hunter Corbit, but as we would soon find out nothing
could stop Smith from victory. By lap nine Smith was up and
around Herta for the lead and on his way to his 4th Duffy of the
weekend. Corbit was gaining ground on the leaders, but he was
only able to sneak past Herta for 2nd place. Herta got caught
sleeping on the way to the line and almost lost 3rd to Andrew
Murowatz. Our pole sitter Drew rounded out the top five.
Junior 2 PRD TAG - PRD/RLV
Junior 2 was a heart breaker of a race for one and a fantastic
finish for another. It all started with Brandon Reed earning the
pole with a time of 50.697. Jason Hannegan put forth his best
qualifying effort to start the prefinal in 2nd. Brenden Baker
stepped it up in the prefinal and drove his butt of to beat Reed
and Hannegan to the finish. Wyatt May picked up a few positions
as did Austin Dement and they started the final from 4th and
5th. Hannagan had a great start, but unfortunately for him his
race ended only a few laps later. Baker on the other hand had a
horrible time in the first few laps as Reed sped off to what we
thought would be an easy victory. Jon May ran in 2nd for a few
laps but Baker was coming fast. Eventually both Mays came
together ending their days. Baker ran down and passed Reed like
he was standing still. Dement sat solidly in 3rd place, but had
to keep up his pace to keep a charging Jake Craig at bay. Baker
had this one in the bag as he took the white flag, but by the
time he hit the back straight he was dead in the water with a
mechanical. Head down in defeat Baker could only watch as Reed
scored the Duffy. Reed slowed on the cool down lap to shake
Bakers hand in what was the classiest display of sportsmanship
at the event, both these guys were winners. Dement had his best
finish of the week ending his Grands in 2nd place. Craig drove
from the back up onto the podium in 3rd place. Cory Davison and
Chance Skaufel finished things off in the top five.
Senior PRD TAG – PRD/RLV
Sr. PRD was the final event of the long weekend and one we were
all looking forward to. Five time Duffy winner and recipient of
the Lake Speed award Matt Johnson landed the Screaming Eagle
with his time of 50.883. Bobby Kelley was the only other driver
to post a time under 51 seconds, but another Lake Speed award
winner and National Champion Nick Johnston sat P3. Camden Geise
qualified P4 and Robby Harryman completed the fast five. It was
a three kart exercise in the prefinal with Kelly moving up
first, Geise into 2nd and Johnson back to 3rd. Keith Dees and
Jeremy Kane both gained ground to start the final from 4th and
5th. Kelley led the field down into turn one for the first time
with Johnson on his rear bumper. Mid pack stacked things up at
the apex but everyone kept going. Kane had a great start and
found himself up into 3rd. Johnson went to the front just in
time to avoid contact between Kane and Kelley. The crash sprung
Johnson out to a huge lead over Dees. Nick Johnston suffered a
DQ in the prefinal, but he was the fast kart on track. He made
quick work of most of the field and by lap six only Dees and
Johnson were ahead of him. Dees wasn't gaining any ground on
Johnson but Johnston was killing himself lap after lap to bring
back the gap. Johnson cruised to the win unchallenged, adding
his 6th Duffy to his collection. Dees impressed many with his
run today, but he wasn't quite quick enough to keep Jonston at
bay in the final laps. My hats off to him for his efforts, but
how about that drive by Nick. Great run from last to 2nd place,
turning laps 3 tenths quicker than the race winner. Johnson
never missed a beat and is always a gracious winner.
Duffy and Eagle totals for the weekend:
Zane Smith 4 Duffies & Eagle
Jake Craig 3 Duffies & Eagle
Aden Dodge 2 Duffies
Colton Herta 1 Duffies & 3 Eagles
Brandon Reed Duffy & 2 Eagles
Parker Thompson Duffy & 2 Eagles
Matt Johnson Duffy & Eagle
Luis Martinez Duffy & Eagle
Christian Brooks Duffy
Camden Geise 2 Eagles
Jake Drew Eagle
Anthony Willis Eagle
Louie Pagano Eagle
Jeremy Kane Duffy
Hunter Corbit Eagle
Johnathan Miller Duffy
Hudson Morrow Eagle
Bobby Kelley Duffy & Eagle
Mike Mantel Duffy
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8-26-11 Prokart
Challenge South Announces 2011 Champions and ROK Cup Shootout
Winner
Dunford and Lowe
score titles in headline categories, Brooks earns trip to Italy
The completion of the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge West Coast
Shootout signified the end of the 2011 season for the South
regional program. The sixth and final event of the year helped
to crown the champions for 11 categories that make up the
series, counting the best five results on the season. Taking
home the championships in the headline categories were Brad
Dunford in S1 Pro Stock Moto and Travis Lowe in TaG Senior, each
earning their first career SKUSA regional title. Also, thanks to
their performances on the year, the champions for the TaG
Senior, TaG Junior and TaG Cadet classes already have guaranteed
starting spots on the SuperSunday grid at the Superkarts!
SuperNationals XV in Las Vegas on November 16-20.
Dunford clinched the championship in Extreme Karting-sponsored
S1 with his fourth victory of the season at the recent West
Coast Shootout. Ending the season with three straight main event
wins, Dunford was able to outscore last year’s champion Clinton
Schoombee by 85 points. Ryon Beachner, the 2010 S2 champion,
ended the year third in the S1 title chase as he edged out Peter
Abba in the final standings. Beachner and Schoombee recorded one
feature win on the season each.
“Winning the championship means a great deal to me,” replied S1
champion Brad Dunford. “It's something that myself, my dad, and
the guys at Aluminos have been working towards for a long time.
We've been running the stock moto package in PKC competition for
four years now. There have been countless testing days, and we
just keep chipping away at it, trying to learn something every
time we raced. We felt that after the SuperNats last year that
we were fast enough to really compete with these guys, and I
think that really helped boost my confidence going into the
year. After the first win back at Adams in February everything
seemed to be coming together and it was an awesome feeling. I am
very excited about winning the title, and still sometimes can't
believe I actually did it. Now we are looking towards Vegas,
with our sights set on winning more races.”
The Tony Kart West-sponsored TaG Senior category was a tight
battle to the end for the championship. Lowe began the season as
the driver to beat, earning two feature wins in the first two
rounds. From there, Lowe experienced some ups and downs in the
final four events. In the end, he managed to remain at the top
of the standings for his first SKUSA regional title. Closing on
Lowe in the final two rounds was Devin Lindsey. Runner-up to
Lowe at round one, Lindsey suffered two tough outings before
winning at the Streets of Willow – which set him on the right
path again. Ending the year with two addition podium finishes,
Lindsey came up just 38 points short of the title. Veteran
karter Billy Cleavelin, who finished last year second in points,
ended 2011 in third. Defending SKUSA Pro Tour champion and 2010
PKC South titlist Phil Giebler ended the season with two
straight feature wins, with Mason Marotta the fourth feature
winner of the year.
“It was a fun and exciting season racing against the best in
southern California, and I appreciate all of my competitors,”
stated TaG Senior champion Travis Lowe. “After the SuperNats
last year, I didn’t know if we were going to be able to continue
racing, but with help from D Power Racing Engines and Tony Kart
West, we were able to race this season. So honestly, I owe this
championship all to them. Thanks to all the hard work invested
in this season, we were able to win the championship in the end.
My mom has been battling breast cancer for three years now, and
this really gave her something to be happy and proud about. That
means more to me than anything. She really gives me the
motivation and drive to succeed and continue following my
dreams, so everything I do is all for her.”
Consistency helped Nicky Freytag conquer the 2 Wild
Karting-sponsored S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto class title for 2011.
Starting out the year with two runner-up finishes, Freytag broke
through with a victory at Buttonwillow. Another second place
performance and victory followed, for all intents and purposes
locking up the title for Freytag heading into the West Coast
Shootout. A fifth place finish in a stacked field helped earn
Freytag the championship by 201 points over Vivek Tandon –
moving up one position from the final standings in 2010. S5
graduate Matias Podboj ended the year third in the final order,
recording one feature win along with Tandon, Race Liberante, and
Bobby Legate.
Jimmy McNeil powered through the season to earn the title in the
G-Phactory-sponsored S4 Master Stock Moto division, the second
highest participated class of the year next to TaG Senior.
Nearly unstoppable for much of the season, McNeil earned four
feature wins on the year – Including two perfect weekends by
sweeping all on-track sessions. The only driver to beat McNeil
in a feature race was Robert Marks. A victory at round one and
the season finale at the PKC Shootout, Marks finished up the
year second in the standings to McNeil. Randy McKee missed the
final round but earned enough points to finish third in the
championship. Marc Lewis scored the S4 Magnum Stock Moto title
over Robert Morales.
The championship for the Leading Edge Motorsports-sponsored TaG
Master class went to Steve Wiener. Finishing fourth one year
ago, Wiener recorded four top-five finishes en route to the 2011
championship. Will Jadiker completed the year second just 35
points behind, with Kim Ryan winning the battle for third over
Allan Svela. Wrapping up the Master divisions, Peter Workum
earned his first regional title with the championship in the G1
class.
The Select Shifter/DR Kart-sponsored S3 Novice Stock Moto
category certainly went down to the wire. Jessica Sollberger and
Kellen Guthrie were evenly matched throughout the season,
heading into round six with two feature wins each to their
credit. While Sollberger was on her way to victory in the
feature before she retired, the overall performance was enough
to help her score the championship by a mere 18 points over
Guthrie. Round one winner Sebastian Scaglia completed the season
third in the standings, with NorCal driver Ryan Rasberry the
other feature winner on the year for his Shootout performance.
Completing the shifterkart categories, Micah Hendricks earned
the title in the EUSI-sponsored S5 Junior Stock Moto class.
Carter Williams completed his first full season in the EUSI-sponsored
TaG Junior category – and turned that into a championship. With
five podium finishes, including victory in the last three
rounds, Williams secured the title by a healthy margin. Willy
Axton ended the year in second, with Austin Dement in the third
spot. Each scored a feature win along with Brennen Mankin.
Colton Herta turned four wins on the year into the inaugural
championship in the Phil Giebler Racing-sponsored TaG Cadet
division. The defending SKUSA Pro Tour champion was solid all
through the PKC South season. Christian Brooks and Noah Grey
finished second and third. Jacob Drew and Davey Manthei Jr. were
feature winners on the year, as well. Also on the line at the
season finale for TaG Cadet was the Rok Cup International Final
Shootout, a mini-series counting the final four rounds of the
series championship. In the end, Christian Brooks earned the
most points to help him earn an invitation to compete at the
South Garda Karting facility in Lonato, Italy on the October 16
weekend.
The top three champions in each class will be officially crowned
and recognized at the ProKart Challenge South banquet scheduled
for September 17 – with exciting raffle prizes to be shared
between all attendees, both racers and guests. The event will be
held at the Riverside International Automotive Museum (riversideinternational.org)
from 6pm-10pm. All racers, guests and ProKart Challenge
supporters are welcome to attend the celebration and festivities
for just $39/person – children 5 and under are free. To purchase
your tickets, visit skusastore.com. Deadline to RSVP and buy
tickets is Monday, September 12 at Midnight. Next up on-track
for SKUSA will be the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix – which is
sure to include a number of the PKC series champions – set for
October 8-9 in Lancaster, California. Information on both events
can be found at
www.superkartsusa.com.
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8-26-11 I-5
Corridor Series Returns To PGP This Weekend
The top kart
pilots in the Pacific Northwest will battle at PGP this weekend
when the I-5 Corridor Series returns to the state of Washington
for races 5 and 6.
Our own Stars of PGP Kart Series will also be running both days
but unlike the last time the I-5 Series visited PGP we’ll have
Clone and Rental Kart groups racing on both days.
PGP will once again have Simply The Best catering on-site on
Saturday and depending on demand they will return for Sunday.
With the forecast for the weekend calling for sunshine and warm
summer weather, so don’t forget to pack your sunscreen.
Regional karters need to show up in force this weekend to keep
pace with the phenomenal turnouts PGP has seen at recent Rental
Kart League Racing, Xtreme Drift Circuit and SuperMoto USA
competitions.
PGP will kick-off the weekend at 9 a.m. on Friday with dedicated
kart practice sessions for both racers in both the I-5 Series
and the Stars of PGP Kart Series. We’ll also have rental karts
available later on Friday and Saturday night for those who want
to hang out at the track.
Jointly hosted by PGP and Pat’s Acres Racing Complex (PARC) in
Canby, Ore., the I-5 Corridor Series follows a race weekend
format and uses the popular SKUSA stock Honda class structure to
help prepare racers for this year’s SKUSA's ProMoto Tour and the
SKUSA SuperNationals in Las Vegas this November.
As always, this event will be adhering to RMC structure from top
to bottom, using accredited officials and running the tried and
true PGP to the minute schedule.
The opening two rounds of the eight-race series were held at
PARC on May 28-29 before shifting to PGP for races 3 and 4 on
June 25-26. For race recaps, points, photos, rules and schedules
¬¬— everything you need to know about the I-5 Series ¬— visit
www.I5corridorseries.com.
I-5 Series events at PGP will also be broadcast online live and
can be viewed by following the link on PGP’s website,
www.pacificgp.com. Events will also be available for “on demand”
viewing afterwards by following the same link. We’ve made
adjustments to make viewing events at PGP easier than before, so
no information is required — just click on the link and watch.
Still have questions? Head over to www.I5corridorseries.com.
We’re betting you’ll find the answers, but if not you can always
contact either Pat’s Acres Racing Complex (PARC) at (503)
266-7287 or PGP Motorsports Park at (253) 639-7223.
On the Web
Visit www.pacificgp.com, become a fan of “PGP Motorsports Park”
on Facebook or follow @pacificgp on Twitter. For PARC, visit
www.patsacres.com, or become a fan of “Pat's Acres Karting
Complex” on Facebook. For the I-5 Corridor Series, visit
www.I5corridorseries.com or become a fan of “Pat's Acres and PGP
I-5 Karting Series” on Facebook.
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8-26-11
Stockton Motorplex Up For Grabs
Due to recent
Health changes, Chris Ranuio, promoter of Stockton Motorplex
Park is listing the facility for sale.
This is a unique opportunity for new energetic people to
purchase an income generating facility and have a blast doing
it!
Contact Chris @ (209) 595-2200 to set up a meeting, please only
serious buyers!
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8-22-11 Red
Line Oil Karting Championship Race #5 Recap: 125 Shifters
and Mini-Max share the Limelight
Jason Toft
took home $600 for the win in S2
A pleasant sunny day helped make for a great day with some
great racing at the Red Line Oil Karting Championship Race
#5. Several of the Prokart racers drove most of the night
from Buttonwillow to take in the nice weather (it was 105
degrees at Buttonwillow) and to take on the tight Sprint
track layout as a $1000 cash purse was up for graps. The
GoPro featured race was the Rotax Mini-Max class.
Featured Race: Sanzaru Games Rotax Mini-Max
The field may have been lean with 5 karts, but it was 5 of
the strongest karts that have run the RLOKC series this
year. In Qualify, Toni Breidinger put her kart on the pole
ahead of sister Annie and points leader Michael Michoff. But
on the warm up lap of Heat #1, Toni had to pit to tighten
the gas cap allowing Annie to take over pole with Michoff
alongside. On the start, Michoff won the drag race to turn
one and was never challenged winning by 6 seconds over Annie
with Horatio Fitz-Simon in 3rd. In the second heat, Toni
lead the field into turn one and was leading the field at
the end on lap one. But Toni went too hard into turn one and
had to take to the dirt and fell back to 5th. Annie and
Michoff then battled for the remaining 7 laps with Annie
leading most of the way. But going into the last turn of the
white flag lap, Michoff tried an inside pass that was too
late to avoid center punching Annie. Annie had to settle for
2nd but was awarded the win based on the call of the race
director. Michoff was 2nd and Horatio 3rd. In the Main, the
front row was Annie on pole and Michoff alongside. On the
start, Annie took the lead out of turn one and lead the
first 14 laps. But Michoff pushed hard in the later laps and
got to Annie's rear bumper and with 4 turns to go in the
race he made his move at the hairpin where he dove to the
inside. Some hard rubbing occurred and with Michoff coming
out in the lead with Annie right behind. Michoff went on for
a narrow margin victory, Annie Breidinger took 2nd and
Horatio Fitz-Simon holding off the challenges from Toni
Breidinger to take 3rd. With the win, Michoff took home the
GoPro HD hero mini camera and $50 cash from Sanzaru games,
Annie took home $30 cash and Horatio $20.
Next month the GoPro Feature race will be the 125 Shifter,
both S2 and S4.
125 Shifter - S2 and S4
With $1000 on the line, the largest field of the year in the
125 Shifters catergory, 15 karts, took to the track. In
Qualify, the first 5 positions on the grid were S2 karts led
by Brett Buckwalter, Jason Toft and Daniel Langon. The top
S4 was David Arstein in 6th overall followed by Jim
Inglebright in 7th and Brad Shaffer in 8th. Toft took the
lead from the drop of the green followed by Buckwalter and
Langon. Arnstein was a clear winner in S4 followed by
Inglebright and Shaffer. In Heat #2, Buckwakter took the
initial lead but Toft out broke Brett at the end of the rear
straight to take control of the race and win the pole for
the Main. Brett came home 2nd with Langon taking another
3rd. The S4 battle heated up with Brad Shaffer working his
way past both Inglebright and Arnstein to take the S4 class
win, Arnstein 2nd and Inglebright 3rd. The Main got off to a
bad start as 5 karts tangled in turn one with one kart
partially on top of Arnstein. A red flag was brought out due
to the blocked track. The end result was the elimination of
Cory Milne and Arnstein having to repair his kart and
starting from the rear of the grid on the restart. On the
restart, Toft took the lead with Buckwalter right behind and
Langon sitting in the wings waiting for the leaders to
tangle. Cameron Pringle moved up from his 11th starting spot
and into 4th place by lap 6, but he pulled off on lap 7 to
end his challenge. In the S4 class, Inglebright lead
Shaffer, Jim Kidd with Arnstein working his way through the
field from his 14th starting position. Buckwatler could not
come close enough to make a challenge and in the end Toft
took the win less than a second ahead of Buckwalter with
Langon in 3rd. The next eight positions were S4 karts with
Jim Inglebright taking the win ahead of Shaffter, Kidd and
Arnstein now up to 7th place. For the S2 win, Toft took home
$600 cash, Inglebright took home the $200 S4 cash with David
Arnstein taking home $200 cash for the Hard Charger award.
Dave Arnstein took home $200 for the hard charger award
All TaGs - Senior TaG, IAME TaG and Junior TaG
13 karts took to the track to continue the string of 10 plus
kart fields. In Qualify, the top 3 drivers came in from the
Prokart race with David Harwin taking pole ahead of Larry
Fraser and Kevin Tanaka. 4th went to the lone Junior TaG of
Maxx Marian with the next nine karts being IAME TaG karts
led by Ben Schreiner, points leader Don Rocci and Josh
Buttafoco. In Heat #1, Larry Fraser got by Harwin early in
the race and drove home for a slim win followed by Harwin,
Tanaka, Marian, Schreiner, Rocci and Buttafoco. In Heat #2,
Harwin took the lead out of turn one and drove to a 3 second
win ahead of Fraser with the 3rd through 7th being the same
as Heat #1. In the 15 lap Main, Harwin took the early lead
and never looked back wtih Larry Fraser bringing it home in
2nd. Attrition took out the next two in the field with
Marian pulling off on lap 11 and Tanaka pulling off on the
14 lap. Schreiner controlled the IAME TaG class and came
home 3rd overall with a 5 second lead over his closest IAME
competitor. The best battle of the race was for 2nd in the
IAME class. Josh Buttafoco put lots of pressure on Rocci
with Josh getting by near the end to take 4th overall and
2nd in IAME TaG.
Rotax Masters
With nine drivers, the Rotax Masters class continues to have
solid numbers all season long. Cameron Evans took the pole
ahead of his main rival Jerry Pretti with Scott Ripslinger
3rd. In the first heat race, the first four karts finished
as they qualified: Evans, Pretti, Ripslinger and John
Breidinger. Heat #2 was a repeat of Heat #1 with the finish
order being the same. In the Main, Evans took the early lead
and went on to a 5 second win. Pretti had to battle back as
Ripslinger got by on the start. In the end Pretti took 2nd,
Ripslinger 3rd and Stephen Gaudreau came up to take the 4th
spot.
80 Masters
6 karts took the track with Steve Peterson taking the pole
over defending champ Tom Nelson with Geoff Provo 3rd. In the
first heat race, Peterson proved his pole was no fluke by
leading the entire 8 lap race with Nelson close behind and
Provo 3rd. In Heat #2, Provo had a good start and went to
the lead with Peterson close behind. Nelson was just making
a move to come to the front when he slowed and finished 5th.
In the end it was Provo, Peterson and Roger Cornwall in the
top three spots. For the Main, Peterson was on pole with
Provo next to him. At the drop of the green, Peterson had a
bad start and went to the rear of the pack quickly. Provo
took the lead ahead of Nelson with Steve Cameron moving into
third early on. Nelson eventually worked his way past Provo
with Cameron making the pass on Provo shortly after and
getting to within a second but ran time ran out. Nelson took
the win, Cameron 2nd and Provo 3rd.
Rotax DD2 and DD2 Masters
With 4 karts, Pole went to Andre Eriksen (Masters), off his
fourth place finish at the Rotax Nationals, followed by Tim
Salveson in the lighter DD2 then Dave Moody and Bob Olson.
In the first heat, Eriksen took the win followed by Salveson
and Moody. In the second heat, Eriksen was again leading
when he lost his brakes and had to pit handing the win to
Salveson followed by Moody and Olson. In the Main, Eriksen
took the early lead and just pulled away to a convincing win
followed by Salveson, Moody and Olson.
Senior Rotax and Rotax Masters Light
These two 365 lb Rotax classes were combined for the day.
The first four qualify times went to the Senior Rotax karts
of Carlos Calderon, Tazio Ottis Sean McDonald and Matt Meach
with the 5th best time going to the fastest Masters Light
kart of Andrea Delfanti. In Heat #1, Calderon took the early
lead followed by McDonald and Meach. By mid race, McDonald
made the pass for the lead and held the front spot all the
way to the checkered flag followed by Calderon, and Meach.
The top Masters Light was Delfant in 5th with Mary Beth
Wilson in 7th. In the second heat, Calderon took the early
lead and proceeded to lengthen it out to take a 3 second win
over McDonald with Meach 3rd. Delfanti worked his kart by
Tazio Ottis to take 4th overall, first in the Masters Lights
class with Stephen Gaudreau taking 2nd in the Masters Light
and 7th overall. In the Main, Calderon again took the early
lead but now he had his kart dialed in and he did not see a
challenge for the lead for the whole 15 laps. McDonald had
his hands full with pressure from Meach all race long with
Meach taking over 2nd briefly but in the end Sean took the
2nd spot. In the Lights battle, Delfanti was leading Wilson
with Gaudreau just behind. The best battle was between Tazio
and Jarrett Lile, the two Senior drivers going side by side
for several corners until they touched side by side and the
two tangled with Tazio taking the worst of it with an injury
to his leg that brought the second red flag of the day.
Tazio was OK after a check over from the ambulance crew, but
the race was called complete since 12 laps of the Main was
in the books. The win went to Calderon, McDonald 2nd, Meach
3rd, Lile 4th with the first Masters Light of Delfanti in
5th, Gaudreau took 2nd in Lights and Wilson 3rd.
Junior Rotax and KPV2
6 drivers took the green, 4 Jr Rotax and 2 KPV2s. In
Qualify, Will Preston took yet another pole this year
followed by Zack Dante and Maxx Marian, all three in Jr
Rotax karts. Jaden Conwright was 4th in his KPV2 followed by
Olivia Cornali (Rotax) and Tommy McCarthey (KPV2). In the
first heat, Zack took the lead into turn one and held it for
the entire 8 laps to take a slim win over Preston followed
by Marian, Conwright and McCarthey. The second heat was a
repeat of the first with Dante taking a slim win over
Preston followed by Marian, Conwright and Cornali with
McCarthy retiring with terminal engine problems. In the
Main, Dante lead the field through turn one with Preston
right on his rear bumper. The two leaders raced within
inches of each other until Preston make a pass attempt that
spun both karts and by the time they both got going and up
to speed, Marian had passed them both and had a few second
lead. Dante tried to reel in Marian, but Maxx had too much
of a lead and went on to a 5 second win, Dante second and
Jaden Conwright 3rd overall and 1st in KPV2 with Conali 4th
overall and 3rd in Jr Rotax in her first ever race.
After 5 races, the race results tightened up the class
championships in most of the classes. The next race will be
September 11 at the Jim Russell Karting Center and will run
on the Reverse National configuration. For more information
about the RLOKC series, go to
www.redlineoilkarting.com .
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8-22-11
Austin Elliott Pulls a Strong Double Duty Weekend
Austin
Elliott pulled double duty over the August 12-14 weekend,
first making the trek to Buttonwillow in Central California
to compete in the SKUSA ProKart Challenge West Coast
Shootout. Then he would head back north to Davis, CA
Saturday night to compete in the Gold Rush series on Sunday
at the Blue Max Kart Club.
The Prokart Challenge West Coast Shootout at Buttonwillow
Raceway Park would be race number 5 in the 6 race series for
the Nor Cal SKUSA program. Austin was coming into this race
leading by a marginal 30 points so he would be looking for a
good strong finish to maintain his point lead. On Friday, he
showed everyone that he was ready to do so by posting some
of the fastest times of the day.
Qualifying for this young driver went well but not good
enough for pole position. Austin’s time of 48.87 was good
enough for the fourth starting position of Heat one.
Starting on the outside of the second row Austin would get
pushed back in the battle at turn one to the seventh
position. Quickly making his way back to the front he would
run out of time on lap ten and find himself back where he
started in the fourth position, where he would start heat
two from.
By the time the second heat came, Austin was ready to make a
change to get a result better than the previous heat race
and qualifying. Getting pushed back again on the start he
would come out of turn one in seventh. Making some of the
best passes of the day he would make his way up into the
second position while running lap times good enough to
contend with the leader. Coming off a strong heat, Austin
and his 78y Top Kart Speedy were ready for a win and could
smell victory. Starting on the front row for the Main event,
that sensation would quickly fade after the first lap as an
electrical problem would cause a loss of power and a
struggle getting down the straight. It was a hard fought
battle but he ran strong enough to hold off his competitors
and would finish in fourth.
“I really thought we had something for the win” stated
Austin. “I think this goes to show that I can run up front
with the fast drivers, also that preparation is a key factor
in racing and to always double/triple check things”. Austin
will be going into the final race with a 40 point lead over
second. The final race for the Prokart Challenge North
series will be held at Atwater Kart Club in Atwater, CA
September 9th-10th.
Its Sunday, Austin is now at a different track 250 miles
away from Buttonwillow, competing in a different series, and
driving in a different kart. This will be race three of the
six race Gold Rush series. Sunday morning practice went well
as Austin posted some of the fastest times, going up against
drivers that had practiced on this track all day Saturday.
Qualifying would go even better as Austin would put his P1
powered Top Kart Flash at the top of the charts posting a
time that was 3/10ths faster than second.
The pre-final would go just as well as qualifying did as
Austin got the hole shot and never looked back pulling over
a two second lead on second. The main event brought similar
luck to Austin as did the main on Saturday in Buttonwillow.
After a bad call on the start of the race, the outside row
got a big jumped and Austin was shuffled back to fourth
position by the exit of turn one. Frustrated but still
focused, he rapidly got to work picking off third and two
laps later would do the same to the driver in second. By
this time the gap to first was too big to close in the laps
remaining and Austin would have to settle for the 2nd place
finish.
“This was a frustrating main event for me because I knew I
had the equipment, the focus and the speed to win. But
sometimes the race just doesn’t go your way and that’s
racing” stated Austin. Bringing home the silver wasn't what
he was looking for but is still good for keeping top points.
Austin is now looking forward to the fourth round of the
Gold Rush series, scheduled to take place at Stockton
Motorplex Park on September 3rd – 4th.
Austin would like to send a big thank you out to his Mom,
Wesley Boswell and Uncle Ron for their efforts this past
weekend. They all worked hard and it showed with good
results. Special thank you also to Fresno Tap Recycling Auto
Dismantler, Mike Tetreault at Grand Products Inc.,
Bridgestone Tires, Avery Dennison, Custom Vehicle Wraps, P1
Engines, STAT Medical, Sons of Stafford Plumbing, RDS Race
Cars & Chassis of Elk Grove, The Door & Window Stop, SNAP
fitness, Kartel Motorsports, Race Karts! Inc., and RMG for
all their sponsorship and support.
For more information on Austin and Austin Elliott Racing,
please visit his website at http://www.austinelliottracing.com
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8-26-11
SwedeTech Racing is represented on all levels
When you think of
SwedeTech, what are the first thoughts that come to mind? Which
drivers are associated with Swedetech?
It is very easy for us to become wrapped up in a certain series
or a specific driver that is excelling in their respected class
or region. SwedeTech wants to take the opportunity to point out
a few other drivers that are not plastered on the web or press
releases.
The first person we would like to highlight is Barbara “Babs”
Nickless. Barb races in a club series in the Sacramento, CA area
in the KT100 Masters class. Her SwedeTech KT100 engines have run
flawlessly and have kept her on track all year long. This
highlight is not for Barb’s kart racing, but on her career as an
elementary school teacher at Two Rivers Elementary in the
Natomas Unified School District. Barb was voted by her fellow
peers and school principal to represent Two Rivers as the
Teacher of the Year for 2011-2012. It is teachers like Barb that
bring high standards to teaching programs everywhere. If you
have a child that has an exceptional teacher, go out of your way
to say thank you.
Next on our list is a young Jr. Driver by the name of Scott
Huffaker. Scott also races out of the NorCal region, but he and
his family have been traveling all over the West Coast to keep
Scott in the seat against the most competitive drivers. Scott
races in multiple classes, depending on the track or region that
has the most competitive entry list. In IKF Region 7, Region 11
and Gold Rush series competition, Scott has entered the JR 1
2-cycle class with his SwedeTech Comer K80 five times. In these
five events, Scott has won each event.
Heading over to the Central States area, 18 year old Kyle
Ludwick has been stacking up the results with his SwedeTech
powered Stock Honda. Kyle has been racing the popular KRA series
at New Castle Motorsports Park. Partial way through the season,
Kyle has earned 2 wins, 2 additional podium spots, current track
record holder, and 3 event fast laps. Is this a warm up for the
SuperNationals?
A SwedeTech press release would not be complete without
highlighting a national event or a big national win. On that
note, I introduce you to Kristina Vorndran. Kristina is your new
US Grand National DD2 champion. When we first met Kristina she
was very quiet and polite. In Utah, she got the job done and won
the main event in a commanding fashion.
As always, SwedeTech is very proud of our customers. If you have
results that you would like to share, please email our shop so
we can include you in our periodic race results. Thank you to
all of our customers that continue to keep our engines at the
front of the field.
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8-16-11
Phil Giebler wins TaG Senior feature in SKUSA ProKart West
Coast Shootout at Buttonwillow
Phil Giebler
led all 20 laps en route to victory in the TaG Senior main
event in the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge West Coast
Shootout at Buttonwillow Raceway Park on Saturday (Aug. 13).
The Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year from Huntington
Beach, Calif., finished 2.239 seconds ahead of Mason Marotta
of Carmel, Calif.
“There was a lot of competition in this event with the top
drivers from the West Coast showing up,” Giebler said. “The
kart ran well and I was able to get a good start and get
into the lead and go from there.”
Giebler, driving a FA Kart powered by a 125cc-water cooled
Vortex engine on MG Tires, earned his starting position on
the outside of the front row by qualifying third, finishing
third in the first heat and winning the second. Giebler had
the main event’s fastest lap, 49.667-seconds, an average
speed of 50.013 mph on the .69-mile track.
Phil Giebler Racing teammate Chris Cricca of Simi Valley,
Calif., had the fastest lap in TaG Senior qualifying at
48.526-seconds, 51.189 mph to sit on the pole for the first
heat.
“It was a great result for him and our team,” Giebler said.
Cricca was tapped from behind on the start and finished 13th
at the end of the first lap. He climbed to eighth in the
10-lap heat. Cricca finished sixth in the second heat.
Giebler led all 10 laps in it. Cricca finished sixth in the
main event.
PGR’s Mason Daughters of Polo, Mo., had a solid day,
finishing fourth in the feature despite carburetor problems.
Daughters qualified sixth fastest, was fourth in the first
heat and second in the second.
Vatche Tatikian of North Hollywood, Calif., finished third
in the S3 main. He qualified 10th. He fell out on the
opening lap of the first heat and rebounded to finish
seventh in the second heat.
“Vatche hung on tough to finish third on a very physical
track,” Giebler said. “The track temperature was over 120
degrees and ambient was 108 and it took a toll on the
drivers.”
Steve Wiener of Chula Vista, Calif., took ninth in the TaG
Master main event. PGR teammate Paul Grey of Mission Viejo,
Calif., who was making his ProKart debut, was running third
with 14 of 20 laps completed when a mechanical failure took
him out.
Grey qualified in sixth spot, Wiener in 12th. Grey was
eighth in the first heat and Wiener ninth. Wiener finished
fourth in the second heat and Grey was fifth.
Noah Grey of Dana Point, Calif., finished ninth in the TaG
Cadet main event. He was running fourth on the 10th of 15
laps, but was knocked off the track in a racing incident.
Grey was ninth fastest in qualifying, but fell out after
completing one lap in the first heat. He drove up to seventh
in the second heat.
“Noah’s bad luck streak continued,” Giebler said. “He was
running very strong in the final and chasing down the
leaders before the incident put him off the track.”
Phil Giebler Racing, based in Orange, Calif., races with FA
Karts and on MG Tires. Giebler, Cricca, Daughters, Steve
Wiener and Tatikian used 125cc water-cooled Vortex engines
built by Daniel Patino’s D-Power. Paul Grey used a PRD by
Hyper Racing Engines. Noah Grey used a 60cc Vortex MiniRok
built by D-Power.
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8-18-11
Kartel Pro Kart/Davis Gold Rush Race Report
With a Pro Kart event in
Buttonwillow and Gold Rush race in Davis, Kartel Motorsports
had a very busy weekend. To support both Series, the Team
had to split up in two separate trailers, with two different
crews. Logistics did not slow the group down and at the
conclusion of Testing on Friday the Team was on top of the
Timing Charts in Multiple Classes. That was a great start to
another busy race weekend.
Blaine Rocha adapted to the track quickly on Friday and
continued to be fast in Qualifying settling in for 5th
place. Starting 5th worked out well for Rocha as he rolled
through the competition and made some outstanding passes.
Blaine started his second heat on the front row in pole
position and led the field to the start, once they got the
green and made it to turn two contact from behind took Rocha
out of the race. Starting in the rear for the final was not
ideal and although fast, a slow leak in the right rear ended
what seemed to be a great day for the young star.
In S1 125 Pro Shifter, longtime kartel driver Ryan Phinny
decided to put his acting career to the side and come have
some fun. Qualifying and taking a heat win, Ryan used his
experience to gain valuable data for his programmes future.
Vice Champion was a solid finish for the Factory Driver.
Having never been to this track before, Davey Manthei Jr was
getting his Mini RoK acclimated to the Buttonwillow Race
track every session he went out. Like his teammates, this
was a solid test weekend for the Washington native. Using
every on track session as a test, his Wild Kart as well as
his Vortex Mini RoK never hit the track the same as the test
prior. That made for mixed results for the youngster.
Manthei was able to bring Kartel home another win and some
good information to the Mini RoK Programme. Meanwhile Kartel
Teammate Jack VonQuilich was having the race of his young
career. Jacki was in 3rd position in the final making it
look easy! He was gained valuable fourth place points.
Starting off the Davis portion of the weekend was Jr1 Comer.
Kartel had Conner Vancott and Davey Manthei entered in this
class. Both kids drove a great race posting fast times and
showed how fit you need to be to race. Conner raced the
previous night out of state, and Manthei was in Buttonwillow
hours before, so both needed to pull it together for some
results. That's what they did. While Conner was learning the
new track surface Davey was up front battling for the win,
settling for Vice-Champion Manthei gained valuable points
for the Championship.
Zach MacLean was the lone soldier in the Yamaha Sr. class
this weekend, racing solid heats and running times similar
to the leaders, Zach had to fight though some on track
battles and didn't have enough laps to catch the leader. A
great drive and a good understanding of changes to make
before the next Gold Rush, Zach will be a threat at the next
event. Austin Elliot has been on a roll in Pro Kart action
as well as Gold Rush and this weekend was no different.
Starting off in Buttonwillow Austin was on his game, running
fast times During Fridays testing and that speed carried
over to Saturdays race. Austin raced strong all day and came
home with 4th place and the lead in the Pro Kart North point
standings. As he put his Tag to the side and had to change
focus to his Yamaha program, the young star continued to
perform. Elliot race well all day and ended up Vice Champion
in Sundays final to end another great weekend.
Bryan Parmenter, Sonny Cervelli, Blaine Rocha and Michaela
La Spina all represented Kartel in the KPV-2 Category. Sonny
was on a roll and his Saturday testing showed well on
Sunday. With a strong run in Qualifying, Cervelli Qualified
2nd and maintained that for the entire race. As for Blaine,
Michaela and Bryan they all work though their different
situations and drove a great race.
KPV-1 looked to be a Kartel sweep at the early stages of the
Final with Davey Manthei leading Jason Pettit and Roy
Fulmer. The three drivers drove a very impressive race and
showed how competitive their packages are. Davey took
another victory in KPV and Fulmer joined him on the podium.
All three kids showed they are contenders at every race they
attend.
After being light at the scales for Qualifying, Adam Booker
kept his kart in the pit for the heat race and got it all
ready for the final. That left Jon Ban to take the heat win,
and eventually the final win as well. While Booker won the
final on track, once again the lean machine was
unfortunately 1 pound light at the scale.
The very exciting TaG Sr Class saw 2010 Champion Andrew
Peeler taking a flag to flag victory in the final. Peeler
was at the top of the official timing charts every session
he went out, from Qualifying, Heat and Final, Andrew got it
done.
The last class for the teams weekend was the Jr Klone. With
LaSpina and Brandon Tomko both racing this was sure to be a
great race. Both kids raced strong and they ended 1-2.
After a long weekend the kartel krew was very pleased with
the results from our customers. A big thanks to the SKUSA
Staff for their well run Programmed as well as to Blue Max
Kart Klub for their well run event. Next up for Kartel will
be this coming weekend at All Star Karting at Prairie City
Kart Track. Any information regarding Kartel, our in house
Engine Programme Magnum Racing Engines, Wild Kart or Top
Kart, please feel free to Kontact erik@kartelmotorsports.com
or simply call 916-383-5278
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8-17-11 IKF
2 Cycle Sprint Grand Nationals Are Just Around The Corner
"CalSpeed
Karting Center to host prestigious event"
As the
end of the summer season of karting fast approaches, the
International Kart Federation (IKF) 2-Cycle Sprint Grand
Nationals are just around the corner, as nineteen classes
will compete for the coveted Duffy Grand National Award.
Taking place at the CalSpeed Karting Center in Fontana,
California, participants will vie for race wins, podium
results and the title of 'Grand National Champion.'
With the official event-taking place August 25th to the
28th, Race Promoter Rob Niles is excited to get started.
"We have had great interest from teams and drivers and are
expecting a large turnout," explained Niles. "The 2-Cycle
Sprint Grand Nationals are one of the most prestigious
events on the North American karting calendar and a race win
here can help launch the career of an up and coming driver."
With nineteen classes seeing action over the four-day event,
all drivers will have their eyes on the 'Duffy' prize that
awaits them if they are the first to the checkered flag.
Also up for grabs will be the Lake Speed Achievement of
Excellence Award that has been a staple in the IKF karting
community since its inception.
The International Kart Federation continues a legacy of
tradition with the presentation of the Lake Speed
Achievement of Excellence award. The perpetual award,
honoring the 1978 World Karting Champion and former NASCAR
star, will honor its fifth recipient at the 2011 IKF 2-Cycle
Sprint Grand Nationals at CalSpeed Karting Center in
Fontana, California.
Former recipients of the award will help select the future
recipient who could be a driver, team, kart shop of
combination thereof. The former recipients along with the
IKF committee will determine a winner based on a multitude
of criteria including sportsmanship, competitive
achievement, benevolence and professional appearance during
the race event.
The past winners will participate in the presentation of the
2011 recipient. The 2010 winner was Jake Craig.
"The entire IKF Board of Directors is excited to continue
with the Lake Speed Award," expressed IKF President Bill
Hilger. "Lake Speed has been a role model in karting since
his World Championship and we are happy to have his name
associated with our series."
In other IKF news, Mr. Joe Vinson of RACEceivers will be on
hand during the 2-Cycle Sprint Grand Nationals, as the IKF
will utilize one-way communication for all adult drivers
during the competition. These RACEceivers will enable one
official to communicate directly with the adult drivers
during competition. Communication is held to a minimum but
is used to alert drivers during starts, possible hazards
ahead and equipment failure as well as on track penalties.
The RACEceivers were utilized at the IKF 4-Cycle Speedway
Grand Nationals in Brookings, South Dakota and were well
received by the racers. The RACEceivers package includes a
FC1600 Fusion Driver RACEceiver and head set, which is
provided at no cost to the competitor but is to be returned
after the event. For more information on RACEceivers, please
visit www.raceceiver.com
The IKF Director in Charge will be IKF President Bill Hilger
and the IKF Technical Director in Charge will be IKF Board
member John Motley. The Race Director will be Taylor
Jocelyn.
The host hotel for the IKF 2-Cycle Sprint Grand Nationals is
the Sheraton Ontario Airport. The event schedule and entry
form have now been posted online at www.IKFKarting.com
For more information on the International Kart Federation
including latest news, updated points, race information and
regional events, please visit www.IKFKarting.com
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8-16-11 Leading
Edge Motorsports records solid results at PKC West coast
shootout
Intrepid and
Leading Edge Power earn four top-five finishes at Buttonwillow
The Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge West Coast Shootout was the next
stop on the Leading Edge Motorsports travel schedule for the
2011 season. On August 12-13, seven drivers competed under Greg
Bell’s LEM banner utilizing Leading Edge Power engines at the
Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Southern California. Four drivers
finished the event sitting inside the top-five, including a
runner-up finish by Paul Hohlbein in the TaG Master category.
The Leading Edge Power IAME Parilla Leopard has proven to be
among the best engine packages in the country, thanks to the
results on the SKUSA Pro Tour this season. The drivers in
Buttonwillow continued to show its strength in TaG Senior,
Master and Junior categories. Randy Froom and Hohlbein carried
LEM in the Master division, ending the qualifying session in
fourth and fifth. Hohlbein turned that into a third place finish
in the opening heat race which led to a win in heat two. Froom
ran fifth in the heat one and was taken out at the beginning of
heat two, pushing him to the tail of the grid for the main
event. Hohlbein battled for the lead during the first half of
the main event until he settled into the runner-up spot, holding
strong until the checkered flag for his best finish of the
season. Froom recovered from his troubles in heat two, driving
all the way up to the fourth position after starting 13th.
Kathryn Cornell continued her development in TaG Senior as she
closes in on the end of her first season in the Senior level.
Despite an air-leaking tire on her LEM Intrepid/Leading Edge
Power Parilla package in qualifying, she still managed to end up
11th at the end of the session. Coming back in the opening heat
with the fast lap of the race, she worked her way into the sixth
spot. A bad start to heat two dropped her down to 10th on the
opening lap. Fighting back, she once again posted the fast laps
of the race to finish seventh. Her chance at a solid top-five
went out the window early as two drivers made hard contact with
her machine, causing the axle to bend enough to effect her
overall speed. She muscled on for 20 laps to end up 12th. Mike
Graves ran the class under the LEM banner, gaining experience
throughout the weekend only to end his main event after the
opening lap.
Brennen Mankin carried the LEM/Leading Edge Power banner to a
fifth place finish in the TaG Junior class. Qualifying seventh,
Mankin was up to third in heat one before he was pushed off the
track by another driver, dropping him to 10th in the order.
Brennen drove his way forward in the second heat, at one point
running second, before he ended up fourth with a throttle issue.
Continuing to fight strong in the 20-lap feature, Mankin took
the checkered flag in fifth position. Jack Freese joined him in
the category, battling with issues throughout the day and ended
ninth.
Jared Woolf entered the PKC Shootout leading the North
championship chase in the S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto. Piloting a LEM
Intrepid/Leading Edge Power Stock Honda package, Woolf began the
event qualifying seventh in a stacked field. Advancing up to
fifth in the opening moto, Woolf was shuffled back in heat two
to end up 10th. Powering his way back, Woolf drove up to end the
race in fifth, recording the highest finishing position for any
North driver in the field.
Following the action in Buttonwillow, Greg Bell and the LEM
hauler returned back to Northern California for the third race
of the Gold Rush series. At the Blue Max Kart Club facility in
Davis, five drivers took on the competition. Jarred Campbell
brought home a victory for LEM and Leading Edge Power in the HPV
2 category, sweeping the class action. Christian Peterson had a
solid day in the class as well, ending up fourth in the main
event. Todd Job was a solid top-five throughout the event in TaG
Master, posting a runner-up overall finish. Shelby Sander
matched pace with the top drivers in the Yamaha Super Sportsman
category, ending the day in third with Geoff Shaw duplicating
that feat in the Box Stock Clone division.
“I’m really proud of the results we recorded this past weekend,”
stated Greg Bell from the Leading Edge Motorsports headquarters.
“It was a long weekend but our drivers stepped up to the plate.
We proved the LEM Intrepid chassis is among the best prepared in
the country and the Leading Edge Power horsepower is reliable
and consistently fast - from the Stock Moto and Parilla Leopard
down to the Yamaha and Komet engines. The talent I see within
our drivers right now has me very optimistic for the end of the
season and looking forward into 2012.”
Leading Edge Motorsports will set up for the ProKart Challenge
North finale, set for September 9-10 at the Tom Dash Memorial
facility in Atwater, California. LEM and Leading Edge Power is
currently accepting Arrive and Drive programs for the October
Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix and services for the SKUSA
SuperNationals XV in Las Vegas come November. To learn more
about Leading Edge Motorsports and working with Greg Bell,
contact Bell directly at 209.369.0921 or e-mail leadingedgeguy@sbcglobal.net
and be sure to visit www.leadingedgemotorsports.com
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8-16 Ontario
IAME Cup Champion Earns Trip to Sima Kart Racing Facility
In 2010, Olivier
Cote was crowned IAME Cup Champion at the Point Pelee Kart Club.
By capturing numerous wins and becoming the IAME Cup Champion in
the region, Olivier was awarded a trip to compete in one of the
largest races in the Pacific North West at the brand new SIMA
Kart racing facility. Dale Cook of Windsor Racing Academy
commented, “I am very happy we can offer this opportunity to my
customers. Olivier has done a great job and I was so happy he
was able to compete against some of North America’s best
drivers. Placing 6th was a great accomplishment for him since he
was stacked up to some pretty steep competition. I have to also
thank IAME and Italian Motors for making this possible”.
Cote raced in the North West Gold Cup in the 20 kart IAME Senior
field last weekend. When asked about the experience, Olivier
responded, “I am very grateful for the opportunity that Italian
Motors, IAME and Windsor Racing Academy had extended to me and I
am pleased to learn some new tricks!” He hopes to extend this
newly forged relationship with Italian Motors and participate in
more big races in the future.
As this race season starts to wind down, Olivier will be
attending the University of Windsor in the Mechanical
Engineering program. It should be noted that this young man is
fluent in both of Canada’s official languages: English and
French, giving potential sponsors a competitive edge in his
quest toward becoming a professional race car driver.
When asked about the weekend, Claudio Valiante said “We always
like to give back to the sport. This is another one of those
opportunities with the help of Windsor Karting Academy, Italian
Motors and IAME that we can offer young drivers. Olivier did a
great job during the weekend and he has a bright future. We look
forward to welcoming the next IAME Cup Champion in 2012.
For more information, visit www.italianmotors.com or
www.simaracing.com
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8-15-11
Russell Karting Specialties Announce Dunlop and IAME
Contingency Programs
Missouri
company to support Rock Island Grand Prix and SKUSA
SuperNationals with prizes and cash
Russell Karting Specialties has a long history of supporting
events and series across the country with sponsorship,
certificates and more. The support continues as the notable
company has announced two contingency programs for the
upcoming Rock Island Grand Prix and the Superkarts! USA
SuperNationals events.
For the Labor Day weekend street race in the Quad Cities
along the Mississippi River on the border of Iowa and
Illinois, Russell Karting will supply Dunlop Racing Tire
contingency program. On September 3-4, racers from all over
the country will travel to the world’s largest street race
as Russell Karting and Dunlop will be awarding those who
score the coveted ‘Rock’ trophy with some extra incentive.
Any driver who wins a class at the Rock Island Grand Prix
racing on Dunlop tires will win a free set of Dunlop tires.
In order to qualify, the kart must have raced with Dunlop
tires and be fitted with Dunlop stickers on the front
fairing and both sides of the kart.
“The Rock Island Grand Prix is an exciting event that mixes
together a number of categories into one event,” stated Jim
Russell Jr. of Russell Karting Specialties. “With the open
tire choice for the majority of classes at the event,
drivers can select any of the Dunlop tire compounds that
will suit their needs to get them to the front of the field.
For the TAG USA classes, the spec Dunlop DDM tire provides
racers with the best option. Should rain hit the event, the
Dunlop W11 and W12 tires will provide optimal grip no matter
the class.”
The biggest event of the season takes place on November
16-20 as Superkarts! USA hosts the 15th edition of the
SuperNationals outside the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in
Las Vegas. The event serves as the final stop of the
organizations Pro Tour series, coupled with an influx of
international competition making the journey from all over
the world. To lift up the competition stakes, Russell
Karting and IAME kart engines have set up a contingency
purse in four categories. To qualify, a driver must utilize
an IAME Parilla engine and finish in the top-three of their
respective class. The cash prize breakdown is as follows:
TaG Senior: 1st place - $2500, 2nd place - $1000, 3rd place
- $500
TaG Master: 1st place - $2500, 2nd place - $1000, 3rd place
- $500
KF2: 1st place - $1000, 2nd place - $500, 3rd place - $250
KZ2: 1st place - $1000, 2nd place - $500, 3rd place - $250
“Superkarts! USA and IAME have been working together since
the introduction of the Touch and Go engines and it’s been a
successful partnership,” continued Russell. “In the
categories where drivers have multiple options for an
engine, we want to reward those who perform well with IAME
power. While it would be a lot of money to hand out, we
would love to see and are counting on IAME engines to sweep
the top-three positions in all four categories.”
To find out more about Russell Karting Specialties, Dunlop
tire and IAME engines, visit www.russellkarting.com or
contact Jim Russell, Jr. via phone 816-322-3330 and by email
to jimjr@russellkarting.com
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8-10-11
Superkarts USA Announces Details For Streets of Lancaster
Grand Prix
Organization
sets up schedule, classes and new track design for growing
Southern California street race
As announced in May, Superkarts! USA and the City of
Lancaster, California will be working together this year to
promote the 2011 edition of the Streets of Lancaster Grand
Prix, and plans are well underway in taking the race to the
next level. The three-day karting festival will take place
on the October 7-9 weekend and will serve as a final tune-up
for the organization’s Pro Tour finale -- the SKUSA
SuperNationals XV in Las Vegas in November. This year’s
Streets of Lancaster GP will feature an updated schedule, a
new class structure and a new track design for the third
edition of the popular event.
The biggest change coming from the transition to SKUSA
management will be an all-new and much safer track layout.
The new course is a five-turn circuit that will come in at
just over a 1/2-mile, highlighted by more run-off room and
the elimination of the chicanes that caused many incidents
last year. SKUSA will be bringing in their full supply of
barriers, the same system used at the SKUSA SuperNationals,
to outline the course in an effort to ensure that it will be
safe for all competitors and spectators. The City of
Lancaster is preparing the course area by repaving a larger
percentage of the sections that will be used for the track,
solidifying their support of the event for this year and
beyond.
“I’m thrilled with the level of support we’re getting from
the City of Lancaster, and it’s because of this backing that
this year’s race is going to be off the hook,” commented
SKUSA president Tom Kutscher. “Anything we want, they’re
providing, from the new track to extra runoffs – even a
freshly paved track! They’re bringing in over 60 tons of
asphalt to make sure that the track is perfect. This is
going to be an incredible event for the southern California
karting community!”
The official race days of the weekend event will be Saturday
and Sunday, while Friday will be reserved for competitor
move-in and special VIP group races, which will be made up
of a number of Lancaster officials and dignitaries. On
Saturday, the official action begins with two practice runs
to set up for qualifying and the first round of heat races.
Sunday will begin with a warm-up in the morning, followed by
the second round of heats. Opening Ceremonies will set the
stage for the main events, with podium ceremonies to follow
the last feature race. A specific timed schedule will be
available closer to the event, but SKUSA will be aiming to
have the on-track action completed by 4:30 pm on Sunday
afternoon, with podiums targeted for 5:00 pm.
“One of our key goals is to run an on-time event all
weekend, utilizing our SKUSA track staff to make sure we hit
all the marks,” Kutscher added. “We’ll be putting some of
the responsibility on the drivers to respect the track and
their fellow competitors, but we’re still going to be
pushing hard to make sure the event doesn’t run on into the
early evening.”
With SKUSA taking over the administrative responsibilities
as well, the organization is bringing in its core class
structure to the event, where it will be paired with one or
two local option classes. Pro Shifter will be the headline
category, as it will combine SKUSA’s S1 and S2 divisions.
TaG Senior, S4 Master Stock Moto, TaG Master, TaG Junior and
TaG Cadet will complete the divisions utilizing the SKUSA
rules and regulations. One or two more classes will be added
to the full schedule in the coming weeks. A vintage kart
group and a Kid Kart Invitational category will join the
event for Sunday-only action. More information on these
programs will be announced in the coming weeks, as well.
An added bonus to those who will be coming from lengthy
distances to compete in Lancaster will have the option of
storing their trailers and haulers with the Lancaster Police
Department. Those who wish to store their transports from
October to November prior to the SKUSA SuperNationals will
have just a five-hour trek from Lancaster to Las Vegas. The
host hotel for the event will be the Oxford Suites of
Lancaster, located just three miles from the paddock section
of the Grand Prix layout. More information on both the
transport storage and host hotel will be announced shortly.
SKUSA is aiming for September 1 to open the online
registration for the race. For more information on anything
related to Superkarts! USA, visit their website –
www.superkartsusa.com – or send an email to info@superkartsusa.com.
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8-9-11 Red
Line Oil Series set to start second half of the season -
$1000 prize money up for grabs in 125 Shifter Classes
Now that the
Rotax Nationals are under the belts of those that made the
trip to Utah, the Red Line Oil Karting Championship can now
set its sights on the second half of the season and focus on
the championships still to be determined.
Race #5 of the RLOKC will be on August 14, 2011 and will
challenge the racers with the tight Sprint track
configuration. The Sanzaru Mini-Max class will be the GoPro
featured race with the winner getting the GoPro Hero
mini-camera as well as the prize money from Sanzaru Games.
In addition, the 125 Shifter classes will have some added
prize money offered to them for this race. The S2 winner
will get six hundred dollars cash with the S4 winner getting
two hundred dollars cash. In addition, the 125 Shifter that
makes up the most positions during the Main will get two
hundred dollars cash. The addition of the SKUSA S2 and S4
classes to the RLOKC series this year has grown the numbers
of racers at each race thus giving the die hard 125 racers
another series to run along with the ProKart North series.
As the second half of the season begins, several classes
have major battles raging. Senior Rotax, Sanzaru Mini-Max,
80 Masters, IAME TaG and Rotax Masters all have strong
battles for the championship and each race thus far this
year has been very competitive with multiple winners and no
driver yet taking control of the points lead. One can expect
to see some outstanding competition in these classes as well
as in the Rotax Masters Light, Junior Rotax and 125 Shifter
races.
Saturday will again be a practice day from 10:30 to 5:30pm
with registration and pre-tech available on Saturday. The
Sunday race program will begin at 8:20am with the first
practice session followed by qualifying, two eight lap
Pre-Finals and fifteen lap Mans starting at 2:40pm.
Admission for spectators is $10, $5 for kids ages eight and
under. Race Entry is $100, transponder rental $10 and
Saturday Practice is $50. Saturday and Sunday racer and
spectator sign-ups will again be at the old Jim Russell
admin building that is just to the right of the Main Gate as
one drives into Infineon Raceway. For more information on
the Red Line Oil Karting Championship please visit our
website: www.redlineoilkarting.com or contact race director
Ric Shaw at racedirector-ric@hotmail.com.
The race day schedule and drivers notes are available on the
series website, www.redlineoilkarting.com.
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8-7-11 NNKC
Rick Jerome Memorial Night Race August 13, 2011
Attention all
karters. It's that time of year again when the Reno Kart Club
has its Annual Rick Jerome Memorial Night Race. We invite all
drivers from the WestCoast to pack up their trailers and come
race under the lights. The party starts Friday Night and doesn't
stop until early Sunday Morning. The club will have open
practice Saturday from 9am till 1pm. Then, registration opens at
1:30pm and goes till 3:30pm. Drivers meeting will begin sharp at
3:45pm and racing will commence shortly after. We will be giving
2 slices of pizza to everyone at the track with a wristband on
at about 5pm-6pm. Then we'll take a normal break when the sun is
setting and turn on all the tower lights. All karters are hereby
warned to don a clear lense on their helmets as its a little
difficult seeing out of a dark visor at night.
Member race fees: $55
Non-Member fees: $75
Additional class all: $25
Pit pass: $10
Gates open at 7am Saturday morning. Be there early to get your
spot or leave your trailer there over night since we will have
people camping Friday night. Taco truck will be out from
11am-3pm on Saturday. Be prepared for a long night. We have
raced till 2am in the past with 11 classes in 2008 and 8 classes
on the schedule for 2011. Since beginning the race earlier in
the day, we have ended at about midnight. The 8 classes to be
run this year are:
KK
Jr 1-2 Cycle
TaG Novice
Jr 2 Clone
TaG Masters (Sr/Jr)
F-80 Senior
F-125
Sr Clone
Powder Puff Race will be put on at approximately 6pm. This
exhibition is for beginner drivers only. All engines except for
shifter are allowed. This will be a non-competition race. This
is for the fun of the sport and a way for us to get female
friends, mothers, daughters and even grandmothers involved in
our club more. I hope everybody who is married or has a
significant other, gets them in a kart for this fun little 10
lap exhibition. It will be a slow paced race all in fun and for
a good time.
We will also be having a clone motor raffle. The proceeds will
go to the track and helping with costs for the recently
installed sealcoat. We hope many of decide to purchase some
tickets. This is a great way to help the club in a big way and a
perfect way to get a new clone motor!
The night should end at or before 12 midnight. Hang out
afterwards and have a cold beverage and talk about the racing.
It will be a great night. One you will never forget. The club
runs VP110 for shifters, VP100 for TaG's and Comers, and pump
gas for clones and Rotaxs. Motul Gran Prix is the spec oil. MG
Yellow or White tires are used on every kart except Clones, Jr
1's and KK's which use Bridgestone YKC's. Things not to forget:
Bug Spray, Pit Light, Glow Sticks, warm clothing, extra food and
drinks for night time, clear helmet lense and a great attitude.
See you all soon!
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8-7-11 Pair of
Reno Pilots Dominate Action at the SKUSA Pro Tour Mothers®
SummerNationals
Story By Brian Rivera
Colorado
- They say luck has a lot to do with winning races. But for
these two drivers from Reno Nevada, skill far outweighs the
short supply of lady luck. Harwin dominated the weekend,
finishing runner-up on Saturday in the TaG Masters class in
Colorado. Sunday was a tad different, with Harwin taking pole
over Larry Fraser. He would win all heats and cruise to the
checkers for the main event win. Beating guys like Larry Fraser,
Brian McHattie, Billy Cleavelin, Jim Russell Jr and Ethan Wilson
isn't an easy task by any means. To be at the top of his class
continuously speaks highly of his dedication to the sport. When
asked if he is looking forward to the SuperNationals in Vegas,
Harwin replied, "Very much so! Heading into the event this year
has much more importance than the previous years in which I have
participated. I am super excited for two reasons. First, my
biggest goal is to improve upon my second place finish from
SuperNationals XIV. I left the Rio last year slightly
disappointed in myself and feel like I have some unfinished
business. Second, Supernationals XV will be the final round of
the 2011 SKUSA ProTour and will crown the Protour Champion with
the National #1 Plate." When Harwin was asked what he must do to
be crowned the Champion, he responded, "I currently sit in
second place in the ProTour standings just a few markers behind
points leader Brian McHattie, even though I suffered some bad
luck in Tucson. So its game on from here on out! I am going to
dedicate as much time as I can developing my Motori Power and
will definitely be bringing my A Game to the Rio for the 15th
running of the SKUSA SuperNationals!"
DeMent would win a heat on Saturday, but didn't fair so well in
the main event, taking the 11th position. On Sunday, as was the
case for Harwin, DeMent got down to business. It doesn't take
the kid very long to figure out tracks and that is exactly what
he did. He would qualify 4th and then take a 3rd in the 1st
Heat. DeMent would follow that up with yet another strong heat
race rounding out the top 3. The main event was a fight till the
end, with DeMent taking 1st place honors over Mason Daughters.
Competition in this class was outstanding, with DeMent holding
off the likes of Parker Thompson, Jake Craig, and Sonny
Cervelli. I asked DeMent what motivates him to excel at this
level of competition and his reply was that of a normal kid
growing up in a fast world, "I like to go up against the best
competition possible, so when you think about it, that is
motivation enough!"
For now, Harwin is now 2nd in the Pro Tour TaG Masters points
standings behind Brian McHattie and DeMent is now 3rd in the TaG
Junior class behind Jake Craig and Parker Thompson.
This SKUSA Pro Tour Mothers® SummerNationals was the 2nd stop of
the Pro Tour, with the finale being the SuperNationals in Las
Vegas later this year. Both drivers are set to compete in this
race and both expect to sit atop the podium there as well. We
wish them all the skill necessary to fulfill their goals of
being SuperNational Champions.
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8-3-11 Runyan
Leads Wire to Wire To Win First NASCAR Modified!
Bobby Runyan Jr.
broke into the Winner's Circle this past Saturday night at
Roseville's All American Speedway in his K & N / Morgan Stanley
NASCAR Modified. The 18 year old California native drives the
#21 for Ron Sutton's Winner's Circle as an up and coming
development driver. The win has vaulted Runyan Jr. into 4th
place in points and now leads in the coveted Rookie of the Year
standings.
The weekend was the first of two Twin 50's weekends that Bobby
will compete in this season. The field was packed with 28 cars
entering the weekend's race, the largest so far this year. 4
would have to go home since the 1/3 mile paved oval will only
accommodate 24 cars for the main event of the night. So tensions
would be high during practice and for qualifying.
Runyan Jr. would show that he was in the top 10 on the speed
charts during practice but would be looking for a little more
for his qualifying run. The team made a number of adjustments
and sent the rookie out for his green, white, checkered run.
Turning in his best lap of the day, Bobby would post a 14.298,
just .08 from being off pole to West Coast legend, Scott
Winters. The time would place the rookie 7th in the highly
talented field of experienced drivers. Fate would be in Bobby's
favor, as the pole sitter would spin the wheel and it would come
up '7', placing him on the pole for the Main Event.
Learning more and more each weekend, the rookie would have to
get a good start, conserve his equipment, and then hope to have
enough to make it to the end. This night would be his night.
Starting on the front row for the 3rd race in a row, Bobby would
showcase that he has indeed pocketed the experience necessary to
compete as this level. Looking like a seasoned veteran, Runyan
Jr. took the green flag and never looked back. Taking the first
two laps to finally clear the out side row, Bobby settled in,
hit his marks, and begin pulling slowly away from the field
getting a consistent 7 car lead. Yellow's would fly on laps 16
and 39 to bring the field back together, but his restarts would
be textbook, and the talented teen would continue to lead some
the West Coast's most talented drivers.
Lurking and stalking the entire night, Scott Winters would now
make it to the bumper of the #21 for the final 10 laps of the 50
lap event. Showing that he did not like running 2nd, Winters
would try to root the rookie out of his way, but Runyan was
having none of that. Putting on a spectacular show for the fans
in the stands, Bobby would have to make several amazing saves to
keep his Raging Bull Modified out front. With 4 to go, Winters
put the bumper hard in turn 4, getting Runyan Jr. so sideways
that he would have to check up and that got him into the hard
charging #29. The contact let Runyan get away again. Driving
defensively and not allowing anyone the inside, the field would
again come charging back. On the final turn, the veteran tried
all he had to rattle the rookie, but Runyan would take the
checkered in first, making it Bobby's first career NASCAR
Modified win!
"What a night! To be able to win in a field of such legend is
truly an honor. I've learned so much this first half of the
season, and tonight I was able to put it all together. Ron
Sutton and Jason Houghtaling brought me a good car, and I was
able to capitalize on that. I also had a fantastic spotter in
veteran Chris Nelle, who kept me calm there at the end. I
couldn't have done this without all of their help."
Bobby would like to thank his sponsors K & N Air Filters, Raging
Bull Motorsports, Morgan Stanley and Brown's Shop Support. He
would also like to thank his incredible fans that continue to
build and show up each and every weekend. Runyan will continue
his championship run this Saturday night in modified's at All
American Speedway.
Race fans can learn more about Bobby Runyan Jr. Racing at his
website www.bobbyrunyan.com. |
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8-1-11 Scribner
Dedicated to The Sport of Racing
Source RMG Race Media Group
28 year old
Loomis resident Chris Scribner driver of the No. 5 Quick Quack
Car Wash Late Model has quite the history in motorsports.
Scribner was born as a second generation driver and was raised
around racing and motorsports. Chris’s father, Rick, created his
Plastic business based off of the motorsports world and around
his own racing at the time. Chris grew up with the love and
passion for racing.
At the age of 18, Chris started racing go karts while he was
attending college and working full time at the family business,
Scribner Plastics. Within his first five years in karting Chris
won seven IKF national championships, one Stars of Karting
national west coast championship, represented team USA for two
consecutive years in Spain at the IAME International Challenge
and placed team USA third one year and fifth in the other as
well as numerous wins and pole positions. Scribner has quite the
extensive karting resume as well as great recognition in the
karting world.
Three years ago Chris branched out to move up in the motorsports
world by gaining experience in dirt sprint cars and ran a few
races in the Northern California area. Chris had a passion for
late models at All American Speedway so he then made the
transition to testing late models. After running two races in
the late model division Chris was hooked on the thrill and
excitement of the competition at All American Speedway and
bought his first late model. Scribner ran a limited schedule in
2009 with a car that was outdated for Roseville with an original
"stock clip". Mid way through the 2009 season Scribner had a new
front clip installed changing the front geometry and was ready
to contest the last few races of 2009. By the 2010 season Chris
and family were learning more and more about setting up the car
which helped improved his finishes. By the end of the season
Scribner was posting solid top 5 finishes with the oldest
flexing chassis at AAS earning third in track championship
points. Scribner knew he needed to fix the flexing problem or
buy a new chassis.
In the off season Chris and his family purchased a new bare
frame from Port City and built the car from the ground up
including performing his own custom fabrication touches and
hanging a new body. “This new car has a rare design to the
interior, we designed the dash more like sprint cup car dashes,”
stated Chris. The family sweated hours and hours of labor into
the new car to barely make it for the late model opener. “The
Friday before the late model opener the car was testing NASCAR
style with no paint or wrap with a duct taped number on the
doors. "The Wednesday leading up to the opener my graphics guy
Tony D’Allessandro at AD3 Graphics, my wife Kristin and myself
put in about 20 hours in one day to wrap my car,” said Scribner.
The new car has Scribner posting solid finishes and a car that
can handle great around the track.
Chris is not only a racer but is known as a promoter in karting.
Chris has been highly involved in karting in the northern
California region proving himself as a race director, tech
director, announcer, media, live media, press releases etc. On
his own time Chris performs as the “Voice of Norcal” announcer
for karting events as his wife Kristin performs as the event
photographer and interacts with racers. Scribner owns three high
traffic media sites two for Karting (WestCoastKarters.com &
NorcalKarters.com) and one for oval racing (NorcalCircleTrack.com)
providing news and track promotions to the racers. Chris
provides an affordable arrive and drive program for drivers who
want to get into karting as well, "It’s a great way to introduce
new young talent to racing." Besides promoting local racing in
Northern California, Scribner is also highly involved in the
motorsports world attending the nation’s largest motorsports
trade show, Performance Racing Industry in Orlando once a year
for Scribner Plastics. Working for Scribner Plastics Chris has
met and worked with top names in motorsports and NASCAR. Chris
works to attempt to bring in new people to the speedway and
shares a love for race fans who come out to support the races.
Plastics engineer by day, racecar driver by night, and husband
to Kristin Scribner who runs a media based business that
supports young racers and helps them to accomplish their goals
in racing, Scribner holds racing close to his heart.
Chris Scribner of Scribner Motorsports would like to thank his
2011 Sponsors and Partners: Scribner Plastics, RMG Race Media
Group, Quick Quack Car Wash, World Wide Express, AD3 Graphics,
Motorstate All Star Performance, Zamp Helmets, Naake
Suspensions, Eibach Springs, Schoenfield Headers, Flowmaster,
MSD ignition, ARE, Hutchison Racing Engines, Star Racing Supply,
Powertrain Technology, my family, All American Speedway and the
fans at All American Speedway. To visit more info about Chris
Scribner's endeavors visit
www.ChrisScribner.com
or visit the teams website at
www.ScribnerMotorsports.com
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8-4-11 World
Karting Associtation West Super Series Formed For 2012
"Seven track Presidents to help expand WKA to the west coast"
The start of the 2012 racing season is beginning to look very promising
for the Western half of the United States with a creation of new
series, the World Karting Association (WKA) Super Series
presented by Bridgestone. Promoted by seven track presidents
from the Northern California and Reno, Nevada areas, the elite
group has entered into an agreement with the World Karting
Association to promote a series under the WKA banner for 2012
and beyond.
The creation of the WKA West Super Series presented by
Bridgestone will hold a seven-race series beginning early in
2012. With events confirmed at Davis, Dixon, Prairie City,
Atwater, Stockton and Monterey in California as well as Reno,
Nevada, WKA looks to make a huge splash on the west coast and
become a true United States National Series. The WKA West Super
Series will offer classes that are well known in the western
half of the United States including but not limited to Comer
Cadet, Yamaha, Vortex Mini Rok, Komet Piston Valve (KPV), PRD
Senior, TaG Junior, TaG Senior and the 80cc and 125cc Stock Moto
programs. The partnership with the World Karting Association
will give the series it's identity with the use of the rule
book, points structure and guidance that any new series needs to
be an instant success.
"We are extremely happy to be working with a great group of
tracks that truly have the best interest for the karters and
what they want as their main priority," stated Kevin Williams,
WKA's District 10 Trustee. "To show the true commitment to the
karters, all the track presidents have agreed that it is in the
best interest of the series to have it's Race Director and Head
Technical Director to come from outside the area to ensure that
every team and driver has a sense of security that the
officiating and technical inspection has fairness and equality."
Kinsman Kart Club President Melanie Miller stated, "It is time
for all of us to unite as tracks to give the karter in this area
of the United States a series that they can trust and feel good
about. We want to make 2012 a special year for this new series
and for the racers. This will be done by putting together a
great package to crown our inaugural champions and we have all
agreed that our year end awards banquet will be second to none."
The WKA West Super Series website is currently in the works and
will be released shortly. Stay tuned for 2012 race dates and
class structure in the coming weeks. For anyone seeking further
information before the website is complete, a series email has
been setup to address this. Please contact WKAWestSS@aol.com
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8-1-11
Austin Elliott Brings Home Win in Gold Rush Series
Coming off
his first Senior Super Sportsman win last month at Atwater,
CA and just returning from a National WKA race at BeaveRun,
PA, Austin Elliott was ready to race with the drivers of Nor
cal once again. Headed to his home track at Prairie City
Kart Club in Rancho Cordova, CA for the next round of the
Gold Rush Series. This will be the second race of the five
race Gold Rush Series and Austin was looking to take
advantage of his home track to bring home a strong result.
Going into qualifying, Austin wasted no time showing
everyone that he was the one to beat. Putting his P1 powered
Top Kart on top of the board with a time of 44.86, only one
of two drivers to hit the 44 second mark. The Pre-Final was
the same as qualifying; grabbing the hole shot into turn
one, Austin would pull away to a 1.5 second lead.
The start of the main event would be the only race day
challenge for Austin. Falling into second at the drop of the
green flag, Austin would show patience for two laps before
taking over the top spot with a daring pass on the top of
the hill at turn 8. From there he would cruise to a one
second victory claiming his second Sr. Super Sportsman win.
“This was a great weekend for me despite the problems we had
on practice day. I would like to send a special thanks to
Les Hand, Greg Bell, Matt Chase and Daniel for helping us
through our mechanical issues on Saturday.”
Austin’s next race will be a double header weekend. Saturday
August 13th he will be attending the SKUSA Pro Kart shootout
at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Buttonwillow, CA. Then he
will make his way to Blue Max Kart Club on Sunday August
14th for the third round of the Gold Rush series in Davis,
CA.
Austin would like to thank his Mom for all the hard work and
effort she puts into his racing program. He would also like
to thank his sponsors: Wesley Boswell, Mike Tetreault at
Grand Products, Bridgestone Tires, Jesus at P1 Engines, Ron
Winter of Avery Dennison, STAT Medical, Fresno Tap Recycling
Auto Dismantler, The Door & Window Stop, Custom Vehicle
Wraps, Sons of Stafford Plumbing and RDS Race Cars & Chassis
of Elk Grove. Special thank you to Kartel Motorsports for
their support and for putting this race on at the Prairie
City Kart track.
For more information on Austin and his sponsors, visit his
website at
http://austinelliottracing.com/
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8-4-11 PC:
Attention Kid Karts
~ATTENTION KID KARTS~
FREE RACE
ENTRY AT PRAIRIE CITY RACEWAY ON
SUNDAY
AUGUST 21, 2011 FOR KID KART DRIVERS
FREE ENTRY FOR ALL KID KART
DRIVERS AND TROPHIES AWARDED TO 1ST THRU 5TH
PLACE FINISHERS
KID
KART DRIVERS WILL ALSO BE ELIGIBLE FOR:
·
DRAWING FOR GIFT
CERTIFICATES
·
DRAWING FOR RAFFLE
PRIZES
·
DRAWING FOR CASH PRIZES
·
FREE 219 CHAIN TO FIRST
10 ENTRIES THAT RSVP*
*CALL TODAY TO RSVP AT (916)
383-5278 AND ASK FOR
JANET
KID
KARTS WILL QUALIFY PLUS RACE (3) 10 LAP HEATS ~BE SURE TO
CALL NOW – FIRST 10 CALLERS TO RSVP TO RACE KID KARTS ON 8/21/11
WILL RECEIVE A FREE 219 CHAIN~
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8-3-11
Superkarts USA Supernationals Classes Full, Filling and Waiting
List
15th edition of karting’s biggest event is bulging at seams with
over three months to go
You couldn’t ask for much more when it comes to the excitement
that is building for the 15th edition of the Superkarts! USA
SuperNationals. Despite the fact that the race is still over
three months away, three classes have already hit their current
maximum entry of 40 drivers and more are closing in on this
pre-determined target each day. Only a limited number of classes
can be extended to more than one race group, due to time
constraints in the weekend schedule, and those opportunities are
being used up quickly. It is certainly encouraging for the
future of SKUSA that it is the youngest drivers who are filling
the current rosters, as both TaG Cadet and TaG Junior have both
maxed out, each also building up their waiting lists, which
signals the potential of expanding the grid to 80 competitors in
each class. TaG Master has also topped the 40-mark for Vegas,
continuing the momentum that SKUSA has created with the class on
the Pro Tour, which enjoyed greatly increased fields at both the
SpringNationals and the SummerNationals in 2011.
“We’re extremely excited by the influx of entries that we’ve
been processing over the past month, and it’s certainly an
interesting indication of where we are seeing growth in both our
SuperNationals program and SKUSA as a whole,” comments Tom
Kutscher, Superkarts! USA CEO. “We’re thrilled in knowing that
TaG Cadet will very likely hit the 80-driver mark, and the full
grid of TaG Juniors will be great as well. The fact that we’ve
already sold out TaG Master is also a huge deal for us. I can’t
wait to see how the Master field lines up for next year’s Pro
Tour as well, as I hope we’ll be getting everyone out to play in
2012. We’re having a great time with the class this year!”
The race, which is held each fall at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and
Casino in Las Vegas, is scheduled for November 16-20, and a
massive field of over 500 drivers is expected. We’re not talking
about 500 ‘entries’ spread out over 150 or so individual
competitors running multiple classes, but 500 actual racers
looking for the top step of the podium come SuperSunday. The
SuperNationals has become the largest karting event in North
America and will grow even larger for this special 15th
anniversary edition.
The other class that is currently closing in on hitting the
initial entry limit is TaG Senior. TaG Senior has enjoyed a full
double-group entry list of 80 drivers for the past five years,
and has already climbed to over 60 entries thus far. It is
expected to cap out at 80 before the middle of August. There is
discussion of opening the class to 120 entries, but that is
doubtful at this time, thanks to the growth of the TaG Cadet
class, which has taken hold of one of the few double race group
options on the schedule.
“The growth of TaG Cadet has certainly required a different
approach for us during this year’s SuperNats planning time, as
we know that we only have a set number of race groups that we
can run each day,” Kutscher continued. “The TaG Senior numbers
have topped 80 for the past couple of years and our waiting list
grew to over 15 in 2009 and 2010, but it was never enough for us
to add that third group. I think it would be way cool to see
that, but we’d need to hit the pre-entry mark of 80 this month
to make it feasible, as we only have room for three expanded
groups. TaG Senior has one already, and with TaG Cadet now
expected to need one very soon, it’s simply going to come down
to which class hits the cap first and which builds its necessary
waiting list. We won’t open a class until the waiting list tops
30 drivers, because we obviously need to hit the 80-mark,
considering that it will be eliminating the chance for another
class to expand.”
Anyone wishing to have their names added to a waiting list
should send an e-mail to info@superkartsusa.com to secure a
position, should any of the classes open up to an additional
race group.
As the paddock fills up with entries, so does the host hotel.
The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino is one of the keys to the
SuperNationals experience, and SKUSA has again put together a
great room rate at the venue. The SKUSA room block is just over
two-thirds booked at this time, and racers must be alerted that
the hotel is already sold out for the SuperNationals weekend due
to another major event that is taking place at the facility. As
such, once the SKUSA room block is totally sold out, there will
be no more rooms available for the SuperNationals participants.
If you have not yet booked your rooms for the event, it would be
advisable to do so immediately. Event attendees may book their
reservations online at the following link, or they can call in
toll free at 1- 866-746-7671 and refer to group code ‘SRSNA11’.
(http://www.harrahs.com/CheckGroupAvailability.do?propCode=RLV&groupCode=SRSNA11)
SKUSA will be releasing regular updates on the SuperNationals
entries on both www.superkartsusa.com and www.ekartingnews.com
to keep their racers informed, so please stay tuned to see which
classes will be opened as the pre-entry deadline nears.
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8-1-11 Prokart
Challenge North-South Shootout Now Set For Buttonwillow
Issues with
scheduled track forces SKUSA to change date and location of
annual battle
Superkarts! USA would like to officially announce a date and
location change for the upcoming ProKart Challenge North-South
Shootout. Despite locking in the venue and weekend for this
year’s race back in December, issues outside of SKUSA’s control
have forced the move of the popular event to Buttonwillow
Raceway Park on the August 12-13 weekend. The SKUSA staff is now
looking forward to trekking to the centrally-located facility,
which first hosted the annual showdown event in 2009. The top
drivers from both the North and South series of the ProKart
Challenge will face off once again for California supremacy, and
early entry numbers are very encouraging. SKUSA is expecting the
biggest PKC turnout of the year.
The race was initially scheduled for a week later at the karting
facility on the grounds of the Santa Maria airport. However,
Superkarts! USA was caught off guard when they were informed in
early July that SMKA club officials were demanding an increased
rental rate and new security stipulations by the airport
authority. It was a ‘pay-or-go-elsewhere’ situation. As a
result, SKUSA has elected not to be held hostage in this
circumstance, so they made the decision to move the event to
Buttonwillow. The track already had another event on the
original race date, so the calendar change was required, as
well.
“It’s a very disappointing situation for us, but we’re thankful
that the folks at Buttonwillow Raceway once again opened their
doors to give us a great venue for the Shootout,” explained
SKUSA owner Tom Kutscher. “Buttonwillow is a cornerstone
facility in the ProKart Challenge schedule, and our guys love
it. I know that it’s going to provide the opportunity for an
awesome showdown between our North and South competitors. I look
forward to the Shootout every year, and this is going to be a
great one!”
This race is the finale for the PKC South program, so drivers
will have special incentive as they are going after their
respective class championships. To add a little excitement into
the mix for the North-South Shootout, SwedeTech Racing Engines
and SKUSA have jumped into the fray to offer up a prize fund for
any driver who can beat S4 Master Stock Moto frontrunner Jimmy
McNeil in the main event. McNeil is having an incredible year
and is unbeaten in SKUSA Pro Tour action, leading the points
heading into the SuperNationals. The CRG driver has also only
been beaten once in PKC South action, and that was at the hands
of his father-in-law Robert Marks in the main event at the
opening round at Adams Motorsports Park. This race will likely
be yet another precursor to the fight SKUSA will see at the
SuperNationals, as it is expected that a majority of the top S4
drivers on the West Coast will be part of the action.
To get entered for this year’s ProKart Challenge North-South
Shootout, head to the following link:
http://www.skusastore.com/shop/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SKUSA&Product_Code=PKC-S-2011&Category_Code=ENTRY
For more information on anything related to Superkarts! USA,
visit their website – www.superkartsusa.com – or call the SKUSA
head office at 951-491-0808.
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