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Archives February 2009
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2-11-09 Kerman Kart
Club Brings Excitement for 2009
Kerman
Kart Club has added to their 2009 improvements. Recently
Kerman confirmed an agreement to bring Karting
back to the city of Fresno. In 2009 Kerman Kart club will hold four
of their five races at a temporary track within the Fresno
Fairgrounds. The track will consists of 400 Kart track
plastics barriers as well as temporary curbing.
This will
be a first for a California Kart Track to hold club races at
a temporary circuit. This will aid in competitive kart races
taking away the advantage of practice time. To further get
their information out to the karting community Kerman Kart
Club has created a new website for the club with all the
information from the beginning of Kerman Kartways to the
newest Midway Madness. Check out the improvements being made
to Kerman Kart Club at KermanKartClub.com
2009 Schedule
March 28-29
May 23-24 Memorial Pro Race
July 4-5 Central Valley Championship
August 15-16
October 11- Buttonwillow Raceway
2009 Board of
Directors
2009 Classes & Weight
|
Class |
Weight |
| Kid
Kart |
150 |
| Jr1
Comer |
225 |
| HPV1 |
240 |
| Jr
Superbox |
300 |
| Jr
HPV 2 |
310 |
| Sr
Superbox |
340 |
| Sr
Animal |
350 |
| TAG |
IKF Rules |
|
Shifter |
385 |
|
Formula Y HVY |
390 |
|
Masters Formula Y |
390 |
|
|
2-27-09 IKF Grand National Logo has
been Approved
Rolling along nicely for this time of year. IKF BOD has
approved our Logo for T-shirt printing. Now we just got to
start getting the sponsorship in and get the back of the
shirt filled with sponsors. We have 1 Primary Event Sponsor
(KARTEL) and 2 class sponsors (MMS, Jeff Wamre's Company).
We also have about 5 more close to sponsoring a
class. Interested in sposoring a class please contact
Brian Rivera with
Northern Nevada Kart Club
|
2-25-09 GATORZ
CHALLENGE OF THE AMERICAS HEADS BACK TO CALIFORNIA FOR
ROUNDS THREE AND FOUR
February 26, 2009 (Orange, Calif.) – The
second edition of the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas
kicked off in fine style a month ago at Phoenix’s PKRA
track. A lot of new faces and a new track produced some
surprises, as well as great battles in each and every
class.
With the first two of six races now done,
the series heads to another new track – the Calspeed
Karting Center, located at Auto Club Speedway in
Fontana, Calif. While it is new to the Challenge of the
Americas, it is a familiar stomping ground for most of
the local racers, as well as the Gatorz Karting Cup. In
fact, this weekend’s races kick off the 2009 Gatorz
Karting Cup season, ensuring there will be some local
flavor that may mix up the standings a bit.
Dave’s Performance Rotax Masters
John Crow (birel) had a nearly perfect
weekend in Phoenix, holding off a charging Tyler Brooks
(Kosmic) all the way until Sunday’s main, when Brooks
took the lead early and drove away after an
uncharacteristic mistake by Crow. Crow maintains the
points lead heading into the Fontana round, ahead of
Brooks, Ian Thomas (birel), Mike Daniel (CRG), and David
Harwin (CRG). Based on how Phoenix went, Fontana may
well be another shootout between Crow and Brooks, with
the other three drivers and Paul Bonilla (birel) racing
for the final spot on the podium.
Gobirel.com Rotax Senior
There were a lot of new and familiar
names slugging it out in Gobirel.com Rotax Senior at the
opening two rounds in Phoenix, but it was two familiar
names that came out on top at the end of the weekend.
Wes Phillips (birel) took the Saturday race, but a DQ
after Sunday’s premain opened the door for Joey Collins
(Top Kart) to take an almost easy win. Collins leads the
points standings, Phillips sits in second after a run to
fifth following his DQ, and Joey Wimsett (Intrepid) is
third. Several drivers took turns running at the front
and will no doubt be in the hunt at Fontana, including
Stepanova Nekeel (CRG), Michael Self (Tony Kart), Joey
Licata, Jr. (CRG), Cameron Jocelyn (birel) and Andrew
Novich (birel).
Reaction Karting Rotax Minimax
After dominating this class in 2008, it
is no surprise that Michael Davis (birel) is the points
leader after the first two rounds in Phoenix. What was a
surprise was Michael Womack’s (birel) victory in the
Saturday race, and on the strength of that win, Womack
finds himself second in the points championship. Riley
Reyes (CRG) and Royal McKee (CRG) showed the speed to
win in Phoenix; in fact, Reyes won two races at the
recent IKF Region 7 opener at Fontana and may be poised
to take his first Gatorz win.
Overdrive Karting Rotax Junior
Were it not for a minor mechanical issue
in his Sunday premain, Phil De La O (CRG) would have had
a perfect weekend at his home track in Phoenix. So
dominant was he that starting last for Sunday’s main
event did not stop him from winning – by a healthy
margin, no less. However, there was great racing behind
him in Phoenix, as Taylor Miinch (Top Kart), Adrian
Starrantino (CRG), Lou Pagano (birel) and Phillip Orcic
(Mach 1) put on a show for the Phoenix crowd. The
question that Fontana will answer will be if De La O’s
speed came from racing on his home track, or if he is
clearly head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the
field.
De La O Motorsports Rotax DD2
The class numbers may be on the light side but DD2
produced great racing in Phoenix. Scott Campbell (Italkart)
swept the weekend’s races but was pushed hard by Troy
Castaneda (CRG), who actually had the speed to take pole
position in qualifying on Sunday. It will be interesting
to see how this race shakes out as most of the drivers
in DD2 have no prior experience on the Calspeed layout.
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|
2-25-09 Tri-C Karters Race Action
Tri-C Karters Return to Adams Motorsports Park
It was like déjà vu for long time club members as the
Tri-C Karters returned to Adams Motorsports Park on
Valentines day after an absence of five years. The 2009
season opener was held under sunny skies and warm
temperatures, a welcome break after the original
forecast of rain.
This season the Kid Kart class, sponsored by
Andrew Murray Motorsports, is a championship
class for Tri-C Karters. In this class Luis Ortiz Jr.
was the big winner of the day finishing first in both
the main event and the second heat race. Hudson Morrow,
Hayden Wagner, Brody Thrails, and Justin Hodge rounded
out the top five. Justin Hodge ended up the winner of
the first heat race.
In the HPV-1 Cadet class, Nick Ramirez made a clean
sweep of qualify-heat-and main races. The race for the
second spot on the podium was a hotly contested one with
Skylar Estrada, Henry Falls-Hand, and Chancellor
Tiscareno running nose to tail throughout. Ian
Wesolowski ran down the pack to make it a four way
battle. In the end, Henry Falls-Hand won the spot
followed by Chancellor Tiscareno, Skylar Estrada, and
Ian Wesolowski.
Sheila Bukamier-Nash won the HPV 4 Senior class. She
was the pole sitter but lost the heat race to Zachary
Tobin after spinning out and working her way back to the
second spot. In the main event she passed Zachary to
take the win. Long time member Kanji Takagi finished
third.
Nick Ramirez swept the Junior 1 class, sponsored by
Empire Karts,
with Ian Wesolowski coming in second over Chancellor
Tiscareno by a mere .214 second margin.
The TAG class was won by Lloyd Mack followed by John
Molinare and Brad Bowman. Qualifying was interesting
when Brad Bowman stuck his motor and spun off. He was
able to run the rest of the event on the down on power
unit. Robert Brooks won the TAG Masters class.
The drivers in the newly added World Formula classes,
sponsored by Hyper Racing Engines, put
on a show. The World Formula class had 10 drivers in
the class which is very respectable. In qualifying
Tristen O'Rear qualified on point in the junior class
with a 48.882, and Chelsea O'Rear qualified on point in
the senior class with a 49.830. The pre main showed
great signs of racing with Emmanuel Mestre coming from
the back of the field to battle with Tristen O'Rear for
the lead. With just a few laps to go Emmanuel took the
lead from Tristen with a great pass in the little Monza
and would go on to win the pre main.
In the senior class Chelsea O'Rear and Gabriella Robles
battled back and forth for the first half of the race
but Chelsea would have a slight gap at the finish for
the pre main win. It was time for main event Emmanuel
Mestre would lead the field to the green flag but
Tristen O'Rear was the leader coming out of turn one.
Emmanuel would regain the lead in a few laps and never
looked back, while Chelsea and Gabriella would battle
for a few laps in till Chelsea had a spin trying to take
the lead from Gabby, and in the back of the field Joe
Grable was able to work his way up to finish third and
Chelsea with a nice recover from her spin to finish
second and Gabriella took the win the Senior class.
Jared Torres won the HPV 2 race coming in first in
qualifying, heat and main. Parker Stanway ended up
second in the main event in his debut race in Junior 2.
Tristan O'Rear finished second in the heat race. Kenton
Koch won the HPV 4 junior race.
The motto for the HPV 4 Plus race was "Old Guys Rule".
To race this class, sponsored by Oswald & Yap
Attorneys, you must be over 35 years old, or
weigh more than 190 lbs. Race veteran Brian Phillipsen
took the win over a field of 14 drivers. After a DQ in
qualifying, Stu Hayner moved through the pack to finish
fourth in the heat race and second in the main event.
These "old guys" beat out 19 year old Tyler Brooks
forcing him to settle for a third place finish. Pole
sitter Mike Bowers finished a solid fourth and. Greg
Pringle had a good run, rounding out the top five.
Tri-C Karters will return to Adams Motorsports Park
again for round 2 on March 21st before going to Grange
Motorcircuit for their April, May, and June races. To
learn more about Tri-C Karters visit
www.tri-ckarters.com.
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2009 Tri-C Karters Race Day
Awards Info
Are you aware that there is an alternative to receiving
a trophy at the end of the race?
Just as in 2008, the club will be offering drivers a
choice of race day awards; Drivers have the option of
receiving a trophy or a Gift card. Gift cards may be
redeemed for purchases from our sponsors, or they may be
applied to future race entries.
For 2009, an engraved plate will be give to each award
winner, even if they choose the Certificate.
Gift cards will be issued in amounts according to the
following formula:
First place $30.00
Second Place $25.00
Third Place $20.00
Fourth Place $15.00
Fifth Place $10.00
Trophies or gift cards will be awarded according to IKF
rules - 1 for 3 racers, 2 for 5 racers, 3 for 7 racers,
4 for 9 racers and 5 for 11 or more racers. This
program is OPTIONAL. Drivers have the option of a trophy
OR a gift card.
Novice Cadet Drivers and Kid Kart drivers after position
5 will receive participation trophies. New for
2009: Win Stickers and Placing Results Plaque
Every time you win your class at a Tri- C Karters Club
in 2009, you'll receive a Win sticker.
Placing Results Plaque !!!
To commemorate their finish in each event, each awarded
driver will receive an engraved plate for their
class/race placing along with their trophy or
certificate. Custom Trophies, Tri-C's trophy supplier,
has created a special wooden plaque for drivers to mount
and display their engraved plates;.....a way to display
one year's triumphs in an attractive and orderly
fashion.
If you would like to order a 2009 Tri-C Karters Race
Series wooden Placing Results Plaque, please ask for the
form when you receive your trophy or Contact Custom
Trophies @ 951-845-6311. The Special pricing for Tri-C
members is $19.93 including tax and your plaque will be
delivered to you at the following club race.
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2-21-09 FX Racing Makita
Team Introduces Shifter Karts to Moto Fans at AMA Supercross
Event in San Diego
The
FX Racing Makita Team played matchmaker this Valentine’s
Day, introducing fans of Supercross racing to the thrill of
kart racing. Through a relationship with Makita Industrial
Power Tools, FX Racing garnered a shifter kart display in
the Makita Demo Truck in the Supercross paddock.
Makita has been involved with Supercross for many years and
has recently initiated a presence in the kart racing market
with FX Racing as a partner. The innovation and quality of
Makita tools have made them well recognized as some of the
best in the world. This fact is well appreciated by those
who spend their time pushing racing vehicles to maximum
performance, whether they are a weekend motocrosser, a tuner
for a top supercross team or a kart racer striving for the
championship.
The
FX Racing Makita Team brought a new Trackmagic Hornet
chassis with Swedetech Honda power to show the Supercross
fans a prime example of a high-performance racing kart.
Makita had plenty going on for the fans also, including the
appearance of 2008 Supercross Champion Chad Reed, which
brought a crowd of thousands right to the FX Racing display.
The
kart setup generated a lot of excitement, with a steady
stream of people coming by to see what this four-wheeled
rocket was all about. The fact that this class of shifter
kart used a powerplant the moto guys were very familiar with
was a surprise to many, and a big plus. The FX Racing crew
at the event definitely got a workout as product experts,
fielding tons of questions about the performance, operation
and maintenance of a racing kart.
At
the end of the day, as the crowd made their way into the
stadium to watch some of world’s best moto riders go head to
head, there were a large number of them who were now fans
and future participants in kart racing. Thanks to a partner
like Makita, who sees the common bond that ties all weekend
racers together, and FX Racing, this Valentine’s Day
introduced a whole new area of powersports to the supercross
fans —definitely sparking some new affairs of the
high-performance kind.
FX
Racing USA, LLC is a professional motorsports and marketing
organization with headquarters in San Diego, CA offering
programs ranging from auto and kart racing to corporate team
building and training. The kart racing efforts are supported
by Monster Energy, Makita Industrial Power Tools, K&N, Bell
Racing, Trackmagic Racing Karts and Swedetech Racing
Engines.
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2-25-09 SKUSA
CENTRAL STATES CHALLENGE ANNOUNCES 2009 SCHEDULE
Sophomore season on deck for Superkarts! USA regional
program with four new facilities
ST. LOUIS, MO (February 25, 2009) – Following a successful
debut season as part of the Superkarts! USA regional
program, the Central States Challenge is set to tackle its
sophomore season in 2009. With that, the Central States
Challenge is proud to announce the 2009 series schedule with
four new facilities added to the calendar, including the
first ever sprint track race at the Gateway International
Raceway (GIR).
The 2009 season will open up at the Madison, IL facility,
just east of downtown St. Louis, on May 9-10. GIR features a
NASCAR 1.25-mile oval track with a 1.6-mile road circuit
laid out within the oval perimeter. Using the majority of
the infield course and a section of the back straightaway,
the result is a 3/4-mile sprint track.
“Basically, the whole idea came with the help of my son
Joe,” said Central States Challenge coordinator Pam Freund.
“We did a road race at Gateway, but due to a mechanical
issue he was unable to race. After spending two days there,
I pictured running a shortened circuit for sprint racing as
the venue is too awesome to pass on. After getting in touch
with Gateway General Manager Lenny Batycki, it took roughly
a year to work out all the details, but we were able to get
it on the schedule for 2009 and hopefully be the first of
many events to come at Gateway for the Central States
Challenge.”
Also new to the Central States Challenge schedule will the
New Castle Motorsports Park in New Castle, IN on May 23-24.
The NCMP facility is one of the top circuits in North
America and is a solid addition to the Central States
Challenge program. Two events in the state of Illinois are
scheduled for the month of June with Mid-States Raceway in
Springfield on June 6-7 - another new track for the series -
and the historic TNT Kartway in Quincy on June 27-28. After
taking the month of July off, the series returns for another
double-weekend month in August with the popular 61 Kartway
and new Kansas Speedway events ending the year. The series
will head to Delmar, IA on August 8-9 with possible night
racing to take place at 61 Kartway. The season finale will
take place just outside the Kansas Speedway facility with a
temporary circuit.
The class structure for the Central States Challenge will
remain unchanged with the addition of a few new divisions.
The S1, S3, S4, and G1 shifter kart divisions will return
under the same rules of the Superkarts! USA structure as
well as TaG Senior, TaG Masters and TaG Jr. New for 2009
will be an IAME Leopard Challenge class that will run only
the IAME Parilla Leopard engine for Senior drivers. Yamaha
Junior, Yamaha Rookie, TaG 60, Powder Puff and Kid Karts
will again join the series along with local option classes.
Being part of the Superkarts! USA regional program and with
help from MG Tires, the Central States Challenge will again
be able to award one lucky series racer with a free trip to
Brazil to compete at the Granja Viana 500 in Sao Paulo. Last
year, Joe Strum won the opportunity to represent the United
States, SKUSA, the Central States Challenge, and MG Tires
along with three other SKUSA drivers, competing against some
of the best motorsports drivers from around the world.
Details on how the driver will be chosen will be released at
a future date. For the classes that transfer to the SKUSA
SuperNationals, each class champion will receive a paid
entry to the Las Vegas event (fuel and tires not included).
Adding to the already friendly and patriotic atmosphere of
the Central States Challenge, this year the program will
show ita appreciation of the armed forces. Any military
personnel that attend a Central States Central event in
uniform will be given a free entry into the track property.
The 2008 series champions will be honored at the Awards
Banquet schedule for Saturday, May 9 at the Gateway
following on-track activities at the 2009 season opener. The
location will be at the event host hotel - Collinsville Inn
- which is located roughly seven miles east of the track.
Rooms will be $79/night with banquet tickets selling for $25
for adults, $15 for children (4 to 11 years) and 3 and under
in for free. For more details on the 2009 season, the 2008
banquet and other information you need to know to become
part of the SKUSA Central States Challenge,
2009 SKUSA Central States Challenge Schedule
Date - Track - Location
May 9-10 - Gateway International Raceway - Madison, IL
May 23-24 - New Castle Motorsports Park - New Castle, IN
June 6-7 - Mid-States Kartway - Springfield, IL
June 27-28 - TNT Kartway - Quincy, IL
August 8-9 - 61 Kartway - Delmar, IA
August 29-30 - Kansas Speedway - Kansas City, MO
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2-18-09 PROKART CHALLENGE
SOUTH revamps for round two at willow springs
S4 weights adjusted and KF2 program offered for second event
of 2009 season
TEMECULA, CA (February 18, 2009) – One thing that can be
said about the Superkarts! USA organization and its ProKart
Challenge South program is the success of their open policy
of feedback from their racers and teams. SKUSA President Tom
Kutscher and his staff have always taken into consideration
the needs of their racers, and the 2009 season will be no
different. As the program prepares for the upcoming round at
the Willow Springs Raceway kart track in Rosamond, CA on
February 28, they have made some improvements to the program
by adjusting the minimum weight in the S4 class and
introducing the KF2 program to the series.
Following a driver weight survey held at the opening round
at CalSpeed Karting on January 24, the ProKart Challenge has
made the decision to raise the minimum weight in the S4
class from 405 lbs. back to its previous 415 lbs, and has
even added an S4-Magnum class in the Southern region – with
the minimum weight set at 440 lbs – which has already seen
strong response to date. These changes will be implemented
at the Willow Springs event and will be in place for the
balance of the ‘09 PKC South season. ProKart Challenge also
surveyed the PKC North competitors in the S4 class from ’08,
and has made the same weight adjustment to 415 lbs. for that
division.
Another change for the PKC South program will be the
official introduction of the KF2 class. After a successful
test program at the opening round in Fontana, PKC will be
offering a KF2 testing opportunity for any registered
participant at the Willow Springs event on Friday, February
27, thanks to G-Phactory and Tony Kart. These shops will
have their KF2 packages available for laps during the Friday
practice day, as well as information on their motor rental
programs – which will be set at $500 for a complete PKC
weekend (Friday and Saturday). This will lead into the PKC
South introducing the category as a championship class at
the third round of the series, set for Grange Motor Circuit
on March 28. The class will count the final five events of
the year in its overall championship points tally.
With these adjustments in place, the teams will head back to
the track next weekend for their second event of 2009. With
the unique ProKart Challenge point system that awards points
from qualifying, heat races and the feature, two of the
eight feature winners from the opening round are not leading
the points chase. John Zartarian leads the TaG Senior
standings ahead of Round #1 winner Brett Felkins by 10
points, while Rob Whitley heads the field in S4 ahead of
CalSpeed victor Peter Workum by a mere five points. Other
feature winners from the first race of the year include Alex
Barron (S3), Jason Campbell (G1), Peter Abba (S1), George
Gallardo (TaG Master), Austin Schimmel (S5), and Max Zacky (TaG
Junior).
ProKart Challenge will be taking pre-registrations for the
Willow Springs event until midnight on Wednesday, February
25, which will provide drivers with the opportunity to save
money by entering early. For more information on Superkarts!
USA’s ProKart Challenge, head to www.prokartchallenge.com
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2-18-09 SEAN RAYHALL TESTS AT
ROAD ATLANTA
Young 13
year old professional open-wheel race car driver Sean
Rayhall (from Winston, GA) will be testing at the famous
Road Atlanta road course this week on February 19th
with Comprent Motorsports (from Athens, GA) in a Formula
Enterprise class race car. “I can’t wait to work with Kevin
Kloeper and Comprent Motorsports again” mentioned Rayhall.
“The last time I tested a car with them, it was phenomenal,
and I couldn’t have asked for any more from the team.”
Rayhall
is preparing for the 2009 Skip Barber (open-wheel) National
Championship after winning 9 of 12 Skip Barber Regional
races last year on the way to winning the 2008 Skip Barber
Southeastern Region Championship, making Rayhall the
youngest ever open wheel Champion in North America. Sean
Rayhall is hoping to follow up his brief 4-race debut in the
Skip Barber National series in 2008, where he became the
youngest open-wheel National event race winner, when he won
the New Jersey race at the age of only 13. With strong
hopes for more race wins in 2009 and the opportunity to win
the National Championship at the age of 14, Rayhall’s goal
is to be the youngest driver to ever win an open wheel
“National” Championship in North America.
Rayhall
also commented that “Road Atlanta is not only my home race
track, but it’s also my favorite, I’m really looking forward
to getting in the car this week.” Rayhall has been testing
often over the winter off-season months in preparation for
the 2009 championship season, and will follow the Road
Atlanta test this week with additional outings at Sebring
and Talladega race tracks prior to the Skip Barber National
Championship season opener on March 17th at
Sebring raceway in Florida. |
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2-18-09 BOWLES STANDS ON
THE PODIUM IN NASCAR TOYOTA ALL-STAR SHOWDOWN
Camping World West Series runner-up leads 24 laps en route
to third place finish in prestigious non-points race, now
looking towards ’09 opener
IRWINDALE, CALIF. (February 6, 2009) – For rising American
talent Jason Bowles, the 2009 race campaign is already off
to a good start. The Camping World West Series standout
finished a close second in the ‘08 championship and recently
returned to Irwindale Speedway as part of the prestigious
NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown trophy race. Showing why he
will again be a driver worth watching in 2009, Bowles
challenged for the race win all the way to the checkered
flag, eventually taking home third place.
A former standout karter and
junior formula car driver who made the switch to stock
racing in 2006, Bowles entered what is considered the
premier short track racing event of the NASCAR calendar as a
driver more than capable of taking home top honors. In his
second season of Camping World West Series competition this
past year, the Californian won an impressive four races (two
at Irwindale, Infineon Raceway and All American Speedway),
finished on the podium seven times, started from the pole
position five times (Irwindale twice, All American Speedway,
Infineon Raceway and Miller Motorsports Park) and led 374
total laps en route to second in the title fight, just 48
points behind the champion. Given these results, Bowles was
poised for a strong result against some of the best short
track NASCAR drivers in the nation.
Bowles was already guaranteed
starting spot in the race via his wins in the Camping World
West Series and he got off to a great start at the All-Star
Showdown when he posted the second fastest time in his No. 6
Sunrise Ford/Oakley/Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/GS 610/RPM
12/Justice Brothers Ford during single-car qualifying.
Starting on the front-row, he vaulted into the lead when the
green flag waved, pacing the opening six laps of the 250-lap
affair. Despite subsequently being shuffled back several
places, the talented driver never lost chase of the lead
pack. As a result, Bowles rejoined the fight for the win
during the second half, leading laps 162 to 166 and 201 to
212. Leading the 40-car field a final time on lap 242,
Bowles managed to avoid some of last lap carnage to earn
third place and a position on the post race podium.
“The race went well, as we ran
upfront most of the night,” stated Bowles. “The car started
off pretty tight in the first run and while we were able to
get it better all night, it ended up just a little too tight
on the longer runs and we were not able to make a run for
the win. That being said, I think we showed that we are
going to be tough to beat in 2009.
“We enjoyed a good season last
year, with four wins and five pole positions,” added the
Californian. “Most Cup drivers would be happy with those
stats. Unfortunately, we came up just a bit short in the
points. We had a flat tire tire in two of the last five
races while running first and second. While we can control
things like that, we are going to be as prepared as possible
for 2009.”
With the early season
non-points race now in the record books, Bowles and his
Sunrise Ford crew will narrow their focus on the upcoming
2009 NASCAR Camping World West series campaign, which
commences on March 14 with the opening round at Thunderhill
Raceway in Northern California.
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2-11-09 Southern
Oregon Karters and Medford Kart Track Receive Additional
Face Lift
Recently
Southern Oregon Karters extended the facelift of the
facility. Located in Medford Oregon, within the Jackson
County Sports park lies the ¾ mile kart track holding 11
different race configurations. The kart track is just a
small piece of the sports complex which also includes a Clay
dirt oval, Drag Strip, R/C car track, as well as many
baseball fields. Approximately 1 year ago Southern Oregon
kart track received a partial facelift in a paving of 1/3 of
the track, however the club recently extended the paving.
With the
new paving added to the track, 2/3 of the track now has new
pavement with the last 1/3 planned to be completed by the
IKF region 11 series race. The new paving now extends from
the beginning of the front straight all the way through turn
3. The new paving also included a widening project to bring
the track up to National specs. With the newest changes the
Southern Oregon Kart track will now only add to the exciting
racing action the track already holds.
To see
pictures of the Southern
Oregon Karting
Track Pavement project visit
sokarters.org. For questions directed to the club
members visit the
WestCoastKarters.com forum
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Region 7 Opener Saturday Report
By Goracing Magazine & Ekarting News
IKF Region 7 is under new management this year and is now
being called the IKF Region 7 Championship Series presented
by Bridgestone. Along with the new front man for the series
came new classes, new rules, new outlook, and some new faces
in the pits. Taking in a little racing themselves were past
IKF Region 7 head honchos, Lloyd Mack, Chris Villareal, and
Don St. Ours. All in attendance (135 entries for Saturdays 9
classes) were greeted to a day of on again off again rain.
The usually sunny Southern California has been enjoying its
second rain of the season for the last few days and that
weather carried on over to the race weekend. Friday practice
was not affected by the precipitation, nor was qualifying on
Saturday, or even some of the prefinals. Murphy’s law
requires that any rain take place for main events, and
practice just to keep things interesting.
The best thing about CalSpeed karting is the location. It is
hard to beat racing in the shadow of NASCAR turn 4 of the
California Speedway. The bad thing is all of the massive
California Speedway drains right through the CalSpeed track
on its way to the ocean. A little rain isn’t bad, but a
downpour creates impassible rivers. Racers were lucky today
that a steady rain didn’t turn into a downpour. The final
three classes on the day battled with semi-dry conditions
and the difficult choice of running rain tires or taking a
chance on running slicks. Both options proved to be winners,
so really it came down to driver skill.
The driver with the most skills for day one was none other
than #25 Cadet driver Riley Reyes. Reyes was quick in the
wet and the dry and managed to double up in the win
category. Reyes dominated the Rookie Sportsman class besting
Chase McDaniel and Brenden Baker in the wet by nearly 8
seconds. He followed it up later in the day with a late race
pass on Michael Davis. Carlee Taylor was the fastest thing
on two wheels but she ran out of laps to catch Reyes. Two
for two is a great way to start the ‘09 season.
Probably the biggest surprise of the event was the
resurgence of the PRD class. Last season I doubt we saw more
than ten drivers in a single race. Now with better promotion
and word of mouth getting out about the cost effective TaG
Spec class it was the largest class of the day, and quite
possible the weekend. More impressive than the twenty-five
participants was that it is a senior class. Region 7 is
ruled by the Juniors and for a full field like this to
outnumber the HPV Cadets it is sign of good things to come.
The final was exciting right down to the last lap. Brendan
“Mini” Phinny worked everybody over in the prefinal, but a
huge hole in his seat didn’t help his kart’s handling in the
main. We saw a 5 second lead evaporate in the closing laps
into a third place finish. Bobby Kelley had his hands full
for most of the race with Ariel Jimenez, Ty Matta and Jaques
Lazier but once he saw Phinny fading he put it in high gear
and set out for the lead. As the laps dwindled away so did
Phinny’s chance for the win. Kelly and Jimenez both got
around the floundering Phinny to finish 1st and 2nd. Kelley,
aboard a new Position 1 ride took his first win of the
season. Fourth place was Phil Giebler who needs props for
his great drive up from the back of the pack. “Phast” Phil
spun in front of the field in the prefinal and couldn’t get
his ride re-fired. He started dead last in the final but
finished an impressive fourth.
Taylor Miinch annihilated the Jr. Superbox field in the
first final of the day, winning by an impressive 14 seconds
over Tyler Palmer. Palmer got his revenge in HPV beating
Miinch and Devin Lindsey to the line for his first 09 season
win.
Andrick Zeen crossed the finish line first in HPV 4 Senior
and TaG Light, but a clutch issue cost him the HPV win.
Robby Harryman then took the top HPV honors. Tech hadn’t
cleared when I had exited the track, but odds are that Zeen
was good to go in TaG. He manages a solid drive in the early
laps to keep him well away from the action packed fight for
2nd place. Neil McCoy was undecided if he was going to run
the main, but he did and started from the rear. McCoy worked
his way up to an impressive 2nd place behind race winner
Zeen.
Jarrett Tachovsky walked away with the Kid Kart win while
Colby Wright did the same in Formula Y/C Heavy. Wight
started behind the HPV field, but was fast enough to run
down and pass many of the lighter weight drivers on his way
to victory.
|
|
Region 7 Opener Sunday Report
By Goracing Magazine & ekartingnews
The weatherman apparently is not a mental giant and his
prediction of 30% chance of rain fell short, buy 70% or so
on Sunday. The day was filled with just enough wetness to
keep drivers on rain tires for day two of the IKF
Championship Series presented by Bridgestone. At times it
came down hard like a monkey on the last banana. The old
“when it rains it pours” saying was pretty fitting today
because drivers who were fast yesterday continued with
quality rain performances today too.
Taylor Miinch. Miinch, a winner from yesterday continued
along the righteous path adding two more first place
trophies to his rapidly expanding trophy case. Andrick Zeen
recovered from Saturday’s no stamp on the clutch disk DQ in
HPV 4 to win the best race of the day in Sunday’s HPV 4
class. The other repeat offender was Kid Kart pilot Jarrett
Tachovsky who had quite a scrap with Ryan Lewis before
taking his second checkered flag of the weekend.
First off Taylor Miinch had quite day going flag to flag for
both his wins. Again Tyler Palmer was in the hunt, but today
he was no match for the #20 Miinch machine. Camden Geise had
a solid run in the 23 kart HPV 2 field running himself up to
2nd place just ahead of Palmer. Palmer and Geise switched
positions in the Junior Can class, but both their efforts
were a few seconds behind race winner Miinch. Miinch busted
out 3 wins this weekend and might be the new rain meister of
region 7.
Carlee Taylor has been on the verge of her first IKF Region
win for over a season now. She keeps getting better and
better but luck never seems to go her way when the chips are
down. That all changed Sunday, when she scored win #1.
Junior 1 was Brenden Baker’s to lose and he did. With a
large lead over Taylor and only a few laps remaining Baker
spun alone on the back section of the track ending his day.
Racing in the rain is hard and sometimes when it’s sink or
swim you sink, and all his good efforts were wasted. Taylor
decided to swim, and she hammered on to get a great first
win over a strong running Carter Williams.
Baker bounced back like a true champion in HPV 1. He set an
early pace that was unrivaled. Carlee Taylor closed the gap
on Baker late in the contest and looked to be in a position
to make the pass for the win but she fell back after over
cooking a corner. She charged again and was just set to
catch him with a few corners remaining on the white flag lap
when a lapper caught her out. Baker expertly negotiated some
lap traffic and went on to the checkered flag for the win
and redemption for his earlier spin. Taylor finished second,
but suffered at the hands of tech moving Brennen Mankin and
Michael Davis up the podium with Baker. (Mylaps shows Baker
as the DQ and not Taylor so there was some mix up in the
original version of the write-up. Sorry Brenden I’ll make it
up to you.)
The best race of the day was HPV 4 between Kartel’s Brendan
“Mini” Phinny and Andrick Zeen. Zeen won Saturday’s TAG
class and was DQ’d out of his HPV 4 win for not having the
stamped Horstman clutch disk so it was no surprise to find
him up front again. Phinny too was fast all weekend and a
little bad luck towards the end of the PRD race cost him a
win. Today’s HPV 4 race was decided on pure skill in the
kart. Zeen is scored leading every lap of the final, but
that doesn’t account for all the times Phinny made a pass
only to get passed right back. Phinny’s best time was just a
tick faster than Zeen’s, but you have to give Zeen mad props
for not letting get a pass on him that would stick. Try and
try again, but Phinny couldn’t overcome Zeen on the last
lap. Two wins for Zeen is a good start for the series, and
if not for the disk incident he would have tied Miinch in
the win category. Zeen was a bad boy and got black-flagged
out of the TAG final for giving the finger to another
driver. Shame, Shame, Timmy is not #1.
What was thought to be World Formula for most turned out to
be the combined World Formula Sr. and Jr. They ran together
and intermixed so it was a 4-cycle free for all. Tristen
Orear dominated all the times on track sessions on Sunday.
Sure as a Jr. it might not be a fair fight, but the first
driver to finish overall is the winner. From qualifying to
leading all the laps in the final you could do no better
than Orear. He drove it home with an impressive 20-second
advantage over Matias Podboj. Podboj did battle early with
John Wallace and Brad Hellwig before clearing them for 2nd
place. Wallace maintained 3rd overall while Gabby Robles
came home 4th and the 1st of the Sr. drivers.
Sunday’s TaG race might just be the best win for Travis Lowe
so far. Andrick Zeen scored the pole as 7 of the 20 drivers
scheduled to start didn’t. Neil Alberico was off pole just
two-tenths off Zeen with Lowe holding down 3rd. The prefinal
turned out to be the Lowe and Alberico show with Lowe just
taking the win. Lowe went flag to flag but that doesn’t
really encompass how hard he had to work to keep himself out
front. Alberico would gain a little ground, but Lowe would
counter with a few fast laps of his own. At the finish he
had a solid 3-second lead on Alberico. Brett Felkins gained
a few positions in the final to end his day on the podium in
3rd. Steve Weiner was the TaG Masters winner.
All in all the weekend went pretty well. Running the first
race of the year with new rules and management is hard under
the best circumstances and the rain just made it harder. It
was great to see some different teams out at the event who
have been running other series the last few seasons. I think
what we’ll find is that the second event of the year at
Buttonwillow will be fine-tuned a bit more and some of
imperfections will be ironed out. Having right around 250
entries is a pretty good start of the season, and a great
base number to grow off of. After all was said and done the
PRD Spec class pulled down the largest number of drivers for
the event. World Formula also had a respectable showing as
did the normal Junior 1 classes. Missing though were Kid
Karts. We were well short of last year’s average in what was
one of the most consistent classes of the year. Hopefully a
little better weather next month will inspire a few extra
people to dust off the old kart and strap on the brain
bucket for racing at the Buttonwillow Kart Track. |
|
Team Challenger Registration:
Friday February 20, 2009
Location: Rico’s Pizza- 2650 Northgate
Blvd. Sacramento, Ca 95833
916-921-6700
Team Challenger will be holding a
sign in for interested drivers for the 2009 Season. More
information will be available as well as open discussion
held with parents on that evening. Team Challenger will have
several seats available for the 2009 season, but space is
limited. We are going to try our best to accommodate as many
drivers as possible. This year’s program will be made up of
families that have karts already as well as Team Challenger
provided karts.
Team Challenger will be hosting a HPV1
division (8-12) and a HPV 2 class (12-15). Rule packages
will also be discussed as well. We are working on
finalizing a 13 event schedule as well as 3-4 training days
for team participants. If parents are interested in the
program please contact program administrator Darin Stahl at
drskartsports@hotmail.com.
Team Challenger is now set up as a
non-profit through the Cultural Marketing Center and is able
to accept donations of product and cash. We greatly
appreciate those who have stepped up so far, but we are
still in need of donations for equipment and up-keep costs.
|
2-9-09 IKF Region 6 Gold Cup to
host FREE Four-Cycle Tech Seminar
After the sucess of
Portland
Karting Association's IKF 4 Cycle Tech
Seminar. Region 6 Coordinator Bill Hettick felt it would
be a great service to rest of the regional racers to
host another Seminar prior to the start of the 2009
racing season. With the growing interest in four-cycle
racing in the area, Bill Hettick felt this is a great
time for new and experienced racers to learn more about
post race IKF Technical Inspections. The seminar will
use the
Briggs &
Stratton Animal and World Formula engines
as examples of the procedures and fundamentals used for
post race IKF technical inspections. Also there will be
some basic 4 cycle theory and tuning tips to help
prepare the racer on race day.
The Free IKF 4 Cycle
Tech Seminar will be held
Febr. 21st at
7330 Bothell
Way NE
Kenmore, WA 98028
Time: Noon-4:00pm or a bit later.
Seminar Instructors:
Chris Hatch - IKF Region 6
Road Race
Coordinator & engine builder
Tom Martinet- IKF Region 6 Gold Cup Head Tech Inspector
Marty Patrick TKO Power Plants Motor Builder of the year
2008 Gold Cup
Mike Schorn - IKF National Board Member, IKF 4 Cycle
Committee Member & PKA President
Beverages and snacks provided by
BAM Racing
Reserve your space now!
For More Info call
206-353-6569
or e-mail
wghrock@comcast.net |
2-5-09 Wagner
finally gets
championship
by Dan McGee
Jan 11, 2009
Tribune/Dan
McGee
-
Chelsi
Wagner
sits
in
her
family's
home
with
some
of
the
trophies
she's
won
with
the
Northern
Nevada
Kart
Club.
This
Saturday
evening
she'll
add
a
champion's
trophy
to
her
collection.
Tribune/Dan
McGee
-
Chelsi
Wagner,
a
sophomore
at
Spanish
Springs
High
School,
heads
down
the
front
straight
at
Desert
Park
Raceway.
This
year
she
raced
to
the
TAG
Junior
championship.
Tribune/Dan McGee - Chelsi Wagner and Christian Scholz
have
some
fun
at
the
trophy
presentation
after
a
day's
racing
at
Desert
Park
Raceway.
They
battled
all
season
but
in
the
end,
Wagner
won
the
TAG
Junior
title
by
41
points.
SUN VALLEY - In
racing there is an
old saying how a
driver first has to
lose a championship
before they're ready
to win one. Well in
the case of Spanish
Springs High School
sophomore Chelsi
Wagner, the saying
is in triplicate.
Over the past four
years she's been
runner-up three
times and now has
finally won a
championship.
Despite being only
15, Wagner is a
veteran racer with
the Northern Nevada
Kart Club.
"When I was younger,
about 5, I did
T-Ball and was about
7 when I ended it,"
she said. "That and
go-kart racing are
the only two sports
I've ever done."
Over the years her
grandfather Ed
Diederich has been a
mentor, mechanic,
chief sponsor and
advisor. In fact he
introduced Wagner to
the sport after
taking her to drive
the go-karts that
are by the Grand
Sierra Resort and
Spa.
Asked what happened
next she said, "I
said that I liked
them and he said,
'would you like to
go see what a real
go-kart looks
like?'"
From there it was
off to Desert Park
Raceway, the home of
NNKC, where her
grandfather arranged
for her to drive a
Kadet kart.
"I absolutely fell
in love with it the
first time I went
out there," she
said. "I think I got
my first kart when I
was 5 and 6 years
old when I did my
first race."
And like most
rookies, Wagner
found being on the
track was a lot
different than
watching the action.
"Back then the
classes were pretty
big so it was a
little more than I
thought I could
handle. I got
discouraged as I
didn't come in the
front," she said.
"It was a little
harder than I
thought it was going
to be."
She did stick with
the racing because
at that time she was
the only girl racing
in the club. Wagner
wanted to prove that
she could race to
those that doubted
her abilities.
Two years later, it
was time to move up
to the Junior 1-2
class. After
watching some of her
fellow racers move
up, and feeling she
was as good as they
were, Wagner knew
she could handle
this change.
"When I moved up I
did pretty well as I
got fifth in almost
every single race.
There were like 10
karts and I've been
told that I can
adapt to new things
pretty well so once
I moved up, I was
ready to go," she
said.
The Junior 1-2 class
is for racers 8 to
12 years old and
Wagner spent the
next four years
racing with this
group. Then it was
time to move up into
what is now TAG
Junior.
This meant adapting
to a slightly
heavier kart with a
more powerful motor,
which meant she had
to change her
driving style. The
Junior 1-2 uses a
Komer that's slower
to accelerate while
her new class has
more power and
quicker throttle
response.
"The Komer is slower
on the get-go and if
you're not on point
with your
acceleration, you're
going to lose
positions," she
said. "But with the
TAG, once you step
on the gas, you're
going!"
In her first race
with the new class,
Wagner quickly found
this out when she
hit the gas at too
early and spun.
"It was a very big
transition because
it was a little bit
faster than I
thought," she said.
To keep Wagner safe,
her grandfather
arranged the gas
pedal so Wagner
couldn't hit full
speed at the end of
the straight. This
gave her some time
to get used to the
new handling.
"But when he finally
let the pedal go all
the way, it was
really like
exhilarating, you
got the big jolt of
excitement because
you got the full
speed," she said.
Wagner and David
Brant started
competing against
each other as soon
as they began to
race. Once they got
into TAG Junior
their battles
reached epic
portions and it
changed their
friendship.
"They started
calling us the
'Dynamic Duo'
because when we were
out there with a
different class, we
would be the only
two people they
would watch," she
said, "We used to be
called the
'eight-wheeled kart'
because we were so
tight knit, so close
together and we had
such clean racing
abilities that it
was a very nice race
to watch."
For the past three
years, Wagner has
been the runner-up
to Brant. It was a
time of both
frustration and
motivation for her.
"I would get
discouraged because
I would be in front
for most of the race
then, all of a
sudden, he'd pass me
and pull away," she
said. "I figured out
that I didn't have
the stamina he does
as I was getting
tired at the end of
the races. So I
started to lag off
of the speed because
I couldn't handle
the kart any more.
"So once I figured
that out, I started
working out and
getting more
stamina. And I
started staying with
and beating him. And
he didn't like it."
She added that after
that things became
chilly between them.
Yet Brant was a huge
motivating factor
for her eventual
success.
"I wanted to show
him that I was not
just a girl that was
just a runner-up to
him," she said. "And
I was going to show
him that I am a girl
that can beat you
and I will be the
first girl to beat
you. Because at that
time he wasn't
racing IKF, was only
racing club races
and I was the only
girl that was racing
against him."
Since then Brant has
moved up and does a
lot of racing with
the IKF so his
appearances at
Desert Park are
infrequent. However,
his departure hasn't
meant that this year
was a cakewalk for
Wagner.
In fact she began to
feel the heat from
another young racer,
Christian Scholz.
"We've been friends
since he started
racing because I
used to help him. So
I guess it was bad
on my part because I
gave him tips,
showed him how I
raced and my lines,"
she said. "Well it's
okay when he's not
racing with you, but
when he's racing
with you, he knows
where you're going
to go and where he
can pass you."
This past season
those two battled at
every race forcing
Wagner to make some
changes.
"We had good racing
and I changed a
couple of my lines
during the season
because he would
pass me in certain
places where I
didn't know people
could pass. But he
pulled it off," she
said.
Like most racers,
Wagner has found a
technique to keep
her self up to
speed. Oddly enough,
it's a negative that
gets a positive, as
she uses
self-criticism
during a race.
The result is anger
that becomes
motivation to do her
very best and to be
as fast as she can
be.
"So it brings out
like an inner devil
in me that wants to
go faster, wants to
do better, so I
basically motivate
myself inside my
helmet," she said. "
I honestly put
myself down and when
someone passes me I
say, 'you suck
Chelsi, get'em
back.'"
Her dealing with the
frustration and
motivation of being
a three-time
runner-up has not
gone unnoticed among
her peers. Over the
past four seasons
she's matured both
as a person and with
her driving.
"A lot of people
said I've improved
greatly over this
past year because
I'm more aggressive
and will take you
side-by-side in any
corner. Last year,
if you went
side-by-side with me
I'd say, 'go ahead,
I'll let you go,'"
she said.
And over the past
years the
relationship between
her and her
grandfather, a
veteran motorcycle
racer in his own
right, has also
changed.
A few years ago she
even stopped
listening to his
advice. But not
anymore.
"It was teen
rebellion as I
thought I knew
everything and was
like the queen of
the world. Then I
found out that once
I stopped listening
to him, I was losing
races and wasn't
coming in as close
as I could be," she
said. "And it was
like, wait a second,
he may know things I
don't."
Wagner freely admits
that if it weren't
for her grandfather
and his wife Sandy,
she wouldn't be
racing. They are her
main sponsors and
fund all of her
racing.
"If they weren't
doing anything I
would not be racing,
I'd be sitting at
home and doing
nothing on race
weekends," she said.
"I would not have a
kart and would be a
regular teenager. He
learns more about my
kart every single
race, knows how to
make it better, and
he has more racing
underneath his belt
than I do so he
knows what he's
talking about."
Now with her
maturity and success
she's also getting
help from long time
kart racing shop,
MMS.
This past season
Wagner and Scholz
traded victories and
staged very close
battles with each
other. Oddly enough,
she never knew how
the points race was
actually going.
"The first time I
realized that I had
a chance was the
third or fourth race
as I was ahead of
him (Scholz) in
points," she said.
"I didn't' know I
had it, because no
one would tell me
until the very last
race after I won."
All season those
around her kept
telling Wagner that
she could lose this
title if he let up.
Even though she had
the championship
sewn up at the night
race, she continued
to press on.
When the final
checkered flag
waved, Wagner ended
up 41 points ahead
of Scholz.
Her success has
brought about a
change between
Wagner and her old
rival, Brant.
"The title feels
very good. And I'm
starting to get
David's trust back
because he's going,
'oh, you've actually
won, good job.' He's
starting to talk to
me more and I'm very
happy because I've
gotten back to being
semi sort of friends
with him," she said.
Her accomplishment
is ever more special
due to the fact that
only a handful of
females have raced
and won
championships with
the club.
"It feels great, I
love the
championship and I'm
only like the second
or third girl in the
club to earn one,"
she said.
Looking ahead,
Wagner knows the
defense of her title
is going to be
tough. Several
drivers are coming
out of Junior 1-2
and they include,
Logan Wyman, Nicky
Pritchard and Austin
Dement.
While she could have
moved up a class,
Wagner was asked to
stay in TAG Junior
by both Dement and
his father.
"I'm going to have a
lot of good racers
to compete against
and I'm going to
have my work cut out
for me. A lot of
people say, 'oh
you're going to have
it, you've got a lot
of experience,' it's
like no I don't,"
she said. "Austin
has been to many
Grand Nationals,
many Stars races,
many other big races
that he's had to
basically had to
grow up from and
he's a really good
racer."
Even though Wagner
could have moved up
a Class, she's
staying in the
juniors because
Austin and his
father Bill Dement
asked her to. It's
quite a compliment
as they felt she'd
be Austin's main
competition this
next season.
Asked about the
future, and
acknowledging it's a
long way off, she
expressed a wish of
someday turning pro
and racing either an
Indy Car or in
NASCAR.
Right now however
she's savoring
finally being a
champion. After four
years of hard work,
she's going to enjoy
it.
Asked about what's
the best part of
racing for her, she
said, "The feeling
of accomplishment,
the feeling of when
you win a race and
it's a close one
like you're not
necessarily better
than the other guy
but you're better in
that race. It's a
rush of adrenaline
and it's amazing."
This Saturday
evening Wagner will
be at the NNKC
awards banquet and
be awarded the
championship trophy
she's worked so hard
for. And she'll
undoubtedly
acknowledge her
appreciation to
family and friends
that have helped her
reach this level in
racing.
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