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