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Archives August 2009
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8-28-09 Norcal Gold Rush Atwater Race Report
At the beginning of 2009 a few clubs set out to do something out of the ordinary for the racers. With the current success of the Crossover series, it was decided to expand on what was working by surrounding valley clubs. This brought the Gold Rush Series. The Gold Rush was setup for four clubs in the Northern Ca. valley to hold a special series for the Club racers that make up competitive affordable Karting. The second race within the series was held at Atwater Kart Club.
First Class to take to the track was the Kid Karts. Carter Herrera grabbed pole with a lap of 45.741. In the Heat race MMI’s Courtney Batterton took the early lead but Kartworld’s Zach Corbitt took to the point late to start pole in the final. On the opening lap of the Main Event Corbitt grabbed the top spot early to pace the field. As the race progressed fast qualifier Herrera became faster and grabbed the Lead from Corbitt. Herrera would go on to win after Corbitt would encounter trouble. Batterton would come home second, Halie Beadles, Jarrett Gilmer and Jack Von Quilich would finish the top five.
Jr Comer was up next and Blaine Rocha took fast time with a lap of 49.888. On the start of the Heat race Rocha took to the point but it was short lived as Kartworld’s Hunter Corbitt took over the top spot. A few laps to go saw trouble for Corbitt which allowed Rocha to get the win for the Final Pole position. The Main Event saw an epic battle between Corbitt, Rocha, and Kartel’s Joseph LaRosa as the three swapped the lead several times. When the Checkered flew it was Rocha leading the pack for the win. Hunter Corbitt would come home second, MMI’s Curt Paul, Michael Avansino, and Tyler Burk would round out the top five.
Sr Superbox was on track and Cody Moss from Bakersfield making one of his few appearances in a kart grabbed fast time with a 34.629. In the Heat Moss looked strong but contact with another kart took him out of the race. Leading Edge’s Bryan Eady would get the win and pole for the Final. On the start of the Main Event Emmcik Cobra’s Jesse Gwin got the jump to lead the field on lap one. The lead would swap positions many times as multiple drivers battled in the lead pack. With a few laps to go contact between second and third would give Gwin the advantage to open up the lead gap he needed to get the win. Cody Moss made a great run from the back to come home second. Anthony Snow was third, Leading Edge’s Brian Gallagher and Chris Gomez were the top five.
Scott Gruikz won the Yamaha F200 division while Karl Cleaton won the five kart field of the Clone division. Leading Edges Jared Woolf won the three kart field of 125 Stock Moto on his home turf. In the Shifter 80 Sr. division, Kartel’s Adam Booker went wire to wire in dominate fashion winning both the heat and the main and qualifying pole by nearly three tenths.
Tag Sr was on track and Ryan Garcia go the pole by .324 with a 32.001. No doubt Garcia was quick. Garcia walked away to an easy victory in the heat. On the start of the Final MMI’s Tyler Bradstock grabbed the lead to pace the field early. Garcia was clearly faster waiting for his kart to come in. Once the opportunity presented itself, Garcia grabbed the lead from Bradstock winning by nearly a second. Bradstock came home second, Bordogna’s Troy Buckman was third, MMI’s Kevin Knight fourth and Amber Friedberg finishing the top five.
HPV-1 took to the track for battle and Jarred Campbell was clearly the kid to beat. Campbell grabbed pole by almost a half second with a fast lap of 34.459. Jarred would go wire-to-wire winning both the heat and the Final. Sonny Cervelle would come home second; Michael Avansino, Alieja White, and Michael Michoff would finish the top five.
HPV-2 would take to the track and Leading Edges Kathryn Cornell snagged pole with a 32.995. Cornell would have trouble in the heat race and MMI’s David Vasquez would get the win. On the opening laps of the Final, Kartel’s Austin Elliott would give Vasquez a run for the lead, but Elliott would never pull the trigger and Vasquez would win. Elliottt was second, TJ Fisher, Deven Sanchez, and Bordogna’s Justin Cole would round out the top five.
Briggs Animal was on track and Dennis Goodson would get the pole with a lap of 35.647. In the heat race however, the veteran Chip Mooneyham would get the win for the pole in the Main. Through the laps of the Final Mooneyham and Bobby Runyan would put on a show. The two would swap the lead sometimes twice a lap. Last lap Mooneyham made the pass going into the sweeper with Runyan coming back in the hairpin. From there the two would battle hard through the esses. Runyan would get pushed through the dirt only to dive bomb Mooneyham coming onto the final staright. Runyan would go down low to block his uncle, but the veteran stayed high and outdragged Runyan to the line to capture the win by less then an inch.
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9-2-09 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge Set for Dixon Night Race this Weekend
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8-22-09 PROKART CHALLENGE SOUTH PROGRAM READIES FOR 2009 FINALE
Championships on the line as program returns to Fontana for seventh and final round
TEMECULA, CA (August 21, 2009) � The Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge South is completing its fifth season next weekend (August 29) with the 2009 finale at the CalSpeed Karting facility in Fontana, California. The same circuit where the season began, located outside the Auto Club Speedway, will end the seven round series on the �Grande� course in the counterclockwise direction. The focus of the weekend, however, will be on the deciding results for the 2009 PKC South championship battles in the nine divisions.
Eyes will definitely be on S3 championship leader Jacob Neal, who barring any trouble should be able to clinch the title with a solid run. The 18-year old has five straight feature wins in the SoCal program (although his winning streak came to an end in the North program last month). Now, Patrick Cushenberry is waiting in the wings if Neal is to slip up at all, needing to score his first feature win of the season in hopes of a title shot. The situation in the S1 category is even closer for Neal as he has Peter Abba on his tail. Separated by just 165 points when counting the drop race, Abba needs to be on top of his game to steal the title from Neal.
The tightest battle for a championship is in the G1 category as Roy Montgomery and Troy Butts enter the seventh and final round separated by just 14 points when considering the drop race. Montgomery has zero feature wins to his credit, but a string of top-five results. Butts, however, has a feature wins and two second-place finishes, although his results have been less consistent. Depending on how the racing shakes down, the championship could be decided by qualifying or the fastest lap bonus points in the main. Fifty-five markers are all that sits between Howie Idelson and Larry Fraser in TaG Senior. Back and forth all year long, the two veterans will settle their battle in CalSpeed.
Steve Wiener is in control of the TaG Masters standings, though he has been challenge as of late by Jeff Bobbitt - who now sits second in the championship chase. Consistency has been key for Jeff Smith, the S4 point leader heading into the final round. Winning his first feature at round six, Smith extended his point lead and sits 101 points ahead of Rob Whitley. Head to head, Smith has bettered Whitley four of six events, leaving Whitley with a load of work ahead of him to challenge for the title next Saturday. The new S4 Magnum category - the class coming on board at the second round - has been kept close between Luke Bianco and Tony Morrison. Separated by just 60 markers, Bianco has the advantage with three of the five feature wins, although an event sweep by Morrison could see him at the champion instead.
Joining the PKC South program at round three, the KF2 division has Alex Speed showing the way with three straight feature wins. Will Martindale sits second in the standings, although a stab at the title is unlikely. The TaG Junior category has not seen the numbers as expected when the season began, however, judging by the full field of 40 karts and a significant wait list at this point for the upcoming SKUSA SuperNationals XIII in November, the class is truly growing and could be big for this final PKC South round . Max Zacky has already clinched the title, but is anticipating some fast local drivers to come out and challenge him for bragging rights on the podium next Saturday at CalSpeed.
Pre-registration is open until Wednesday, August 26 at midnight, with a $35 savings to anyone entering early. Following the deadline, entries will be accepted at the track. The event will begin with unofficial practice (for only PKC classes) on Friday, August 28 from 9am to 5pm, with a complimentary BBQ dinner served afterwards to all those who paid for practice or a pit pass. A tentative race day schedule is available on the series website. For more information on the Superkarts! USA�s ProKart Challenge itself, head to www.prokartchallenge.com or call 951-491-0808.
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8-22-09 JIM RUSSELL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES NON-CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AT INDY GRAND PRIX OF SONOMA August 2009 - The Jim Russell Championship Series will host a non-points paying race during the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway on Sunday, August 23, 2009. Drivers will compete in front of more than 40,000 Indy race fans. Sunday’s race is available to qualified individuals who are eligible to drive the FJR-50 in race conditions. Eligible drivers will participate in: · 20-minute qualifying practice session on Friday · 20-minute race on Sunday · Post qualifying and post-race press conferences for the top three finisher Jim Russell features a complete driver training program that includes instruction from some of the finest coaches in the world, technical instruction from industry leaders and educational seminars on how to be a complete race car driver. The Jim Russell Racing Drivers School program has a progressive ladder program where talent and achievement on the race track are rewarded with opportunities to rise onto the next level of the motorsports ladder. The program’s focus is on the continuous improvement of on-track performance through analysis of driving style and associated skills.Championship participants race in the Jim Russell FJR-50, which is one of the most advanced racing cars available. The FJR-50 is purpose-built to be the ideal learning platform for drivers, providing a modern, relevant link between the existing levels of motorsport About The Jim Russell Championship Series The Jim Russell Championship Series (JRCS) is the official racing series of the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School. The series is designed to foster and identify talent from the pool of graduates and competitors. As a competitive racing school, Jim Russell offers a complete driver training program that includes instruction from some of the finest coaches in the world, technical instruction from industry leaders, and educational seminars on being a complete racing driver. Seminars and additional educational opportunities are conducted during the course of each race weekend. Many drivers use the Jim Russell Championship Series as a launch pad for their careers in professional open wheel and sports car racing throughout the world. http://www.jimrussellusa.com/
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8-22-09 TEAM ALUMINOS SCORES SECOND STRAIGHT VICTORY AT PROKART CHALLENGE NORTH
Kiwi driver Bray earns first S3 feature win to put Aluminos on top of the podium once again
For the second straight Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge North event, Team Aluminos took the top step of the podium following the action during the sixth round on August 15 at the Jim Russell International Karting Center in Sonoma, California. With team manager Rob Soares overseeing the Team Aluminos activities throughout the weekend with help from national driver Fritz Leesmann and team engine specialist George Tavares, the four drivers contesting the event were in good hands.
Three drivers flew the Aluminos colors in the S3 division, led by New Zealander Daniel Bray. The Kiwi driver has been competing in the United States all season and switched to the wildly popular and successful stock moto division at round two of the PKC North program. Bray clocked in the second best lap time during qualifying, missing out on the pole position by just 0.069-seconds. Steve Reasoner and Brad Dunford joined Bray in the class, posting the fifth and sixth quick laps of the session.
Bray however would relinquish the top spot on the opening lap of heat one as a rare chain failure put him on the sidelines. Reasoner however picked up the pace and ran to a second place finish and went on to lead all eight laps for the win in the second heat race. Bray played catch-up and was up to fourth at the checkered. In the main event, both were entangled in a great battle for the lead position in the 20-lap race. Reasoner briefly held the lead but would be relegated back to fourth. Bray, on the other hand, was up to second place quickly and worked the leader for many laps before pulling the trigger on lap 12. From there, he went on to take the victory by just under two-tenths of a second.
Dunford would experience a tough day that he or anyone under the Aluminos tent had no control over. An unusual defect in a tire caused it to blister terribly and then eventually lost all the air inside in the opening heat. The next time on track, Dunford began gaining some of the positions lost in the first heat race until contact from another driver forced him off track and out of the race. While working to get back near the top-five in the feature race, a broken coil wire on lap 10 would be the next dagger to end Dunford�s event on a sour note. Looking forward, Dunford is in position to move into the top-five in the championship standings at the season finale.
Earning the other Aluminos podium from the event was S4 championship contender Peter Workum. Piloting an Aluminos-prepared entry, Workum was in the hunt all day in the S4 category. Posting the third quickest lap in qualifying - one tenth back of the pole sitter - Workum ran to finishes of second and fourth in the two heat races. Working himself up to the second spot early, Workum held that position for most of the race until falling back to third on lap 14. From there he held onto the spot for his fourth podium finish of the PKC North season while gaining a few points on the championship leader.
The Aluminos squad will now gear up for the ProKart Challenge South season finale at the CalSpeed Karting facility in Fontana, California for the August 29 event. The PKC North program will wrap-up on September 12, back at the Jim Russell International Karting Center, with the Aluminos drivers looking to secure the top positions in the point standings. Aluminos is all taking any inquires for Arrive and Drive packages for the upcoming SKUSA SuperNationals XIII in November at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Aluminos-prepared rides are available for all classes competing at this year�s event.
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8-20-09
FOUR SPOTS TO BE AWARDED IN DRIVER TALENT SEARCH
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Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix Presented by Lancaster Honda and the City of Lancaster Lancaster, California | October 11-12, 2009 Lancaster Welcomes Exciting Kart Racing Action to the Antelope Valley!Downtown Lancaster will roar to life October 10 and 11 with the first-ever Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix. Professional go-kart drivers will race at breakneck speeds of up to 100 miles per hour through the streets of downtown. The Grand Prix is being combined with the Celebrate Downtown Lancaster street fair and festival, which will offer a car show, live music, and a variety of food and specialty vendors. Also featured will be special events at Downtown businesses, including the annual Oktoberfest at Lemon Leaf Restaurant. This fantastic weekend of fun and thrills will draw to a close with a Sunday night Loggins and Messina concert at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center. Admission to all events except the concert is free; Loggins and Messina tickets can be purchased at www.lpac.org. For Event, lodging and race info, log onto www.streetsoflancastergrandprix.com The Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix is a signature weekend event in downtown Lancaster, Ca. The City of Lancaster is pleased to join with Lancaster Honda, Tri C Karting Club, the AV Chambers of Commerce and the Blvd Association in hosting this racing-in-the-streets Extravaganza which will kick off Saturday morning, Oct 10 with racing practice and qualifying. Racing will continue on Sunday Oct 11th with Heat races and the Main events. There will be racing classes for drivers from 8 to 88 years old. The Race clases are: HPV 1, HPV 2, HPV 4 & 4 Heavy, PRD, Spec, Sr. Rotax & Masters, Spec Honda Shifter 3 & 4, 125 ICC Shifter Entries will be limited to the first 30 Drivers in each class to get in their entry forms , so get those entry forms in now. For more information, contact:
Tri-C Karters and the City of Lancaster will be partnering to bring kart racing action to the streets of the Antelope Valley. Tri-C Karters will organize the kart race to be held in conjunction with the Celebrate Downtown Lancaster Street Fair and Festival. Tri-C Karters is seeking sponsors to participate in this exciting event. Sponsorship opportunities for the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix Race: Class sponsorships are awarded to companies or individuals donating $1000 Benefits of class sponsorship:
Event sponsorships are awarded to companies or individuals donating $1500 Each event sponsor will be assigned a class sponsorship yielding the above mentioned benefits plus the following:
The PRD SPEC class will have cash awards instead of trophies. Individuals or companies may donate to this class in any amount. Donations of $100 or more will be recognized in the program during the race, and at the trophy presentation. This event will draw both spectators and racers and will have media exposure. It has already been featured in the news on local channels 7 and 11. For more information about this race visit the event website at www.streetsoflancastergrandprix.com. Contact me at (909)793-9695 or (909)709-1642 to discuss how you can benefit from sponsorship at this event. Sincerely, Sharon Barros |
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8-20-09 Jim
Russell Karting Championship Round #5 - Race Preview |
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8-19-09 2009 4th Annual Rick Jerome Memorial Night Race
Reno, NV – Saturday August 15th the lights came on and the stars shined as NNKC hosted the 4th Annual Rick Jerome Memorial Night Race at Desert Park Raceway. It was a low turnout but the racers that did come to support the club had a fast track and free food all night compliments of NNKC. The first class up was the Jr 1-2 Cycle class. This has been a battle all year long between these kids. Tyler Burk out qualified Jeremy Kay by 6 tenths of a second to give him pole for the 1st heat. But in the first heat, Burk and JR Raczko would make contact with each other and Garrett Dixon and Kay would get by for a 1-2 finishing order, respectively. The 2nd heat would provide some great racing from all the kids. Newcomers Dean Andrews and Isaac Wyett would learn the course for the first time in a race at DPR. But it was Raczko and Burk coming in 1-2 to end that heat. That set up the main event with Dixon on pole. However, Burk and Raczko would fight it out for 1st and 2nd with passes being made every other lap on one another. On the last lap, Burk made an inside move on Raczko who was using the blocking line. The 2 karts touched and Raczko spun around in turn 1 ending his race. Burk would go on to win with Dixon coming in a close 2nd and Raczko picking up the 3rd place finish. Next up on the order was Formula 125 in honor of the late Rick Jerome. 3 karts came out to play in this high speed race. Grabbing pole was long time friend of Jerome’s, Mitch Kennedy over Mark Nason by over a second! However, in the 1st heat you would see Nason and Kennedy go to battle. Kennedy would have to retire for a mechanical failure. That allowed Chris McCabe to pass Nason and the 2 would go on to finish in that order, 1-2. 2nd heat saw Nason get a good start and get a commanding lead. Kennedy would have to retire early again with mechanical problems. That would set up the main event with Nason taking the lead from the get go and never looking back. Kennedy would come in 2nd place followed by Chris McCabe. We would like to make the 125’s a regular class next year. C’mon guys, bring em out! Out the gate and running hard was the Formula 80 Masters gang. 2 of the regular contributors didn’t make the race so this was again a 3 kart race. Mike Roes would beat out Mike McMullen for pole by almost 2 seconds. The 1st heat would see Roes take a commanding win by 12 seconds over McMullen. The second heat would see points leader Darrel Dean finally get his kart working and take a close win over Roes by ˝ second. That set up the main event as Roes would take the lead from the start. Dean would be close behind for 14 laps trying to press Roes into a mistake. But Roes would not make that mistake and would eventually win the race over Dean by 1.1 seconds. McMullen would follow in 3rd. TaG Masters came unleashed as 8 karts showed up for the Night race. Dan Harris would start things out with a fast lap good enough to snatch the pole from Nick Wadlow by 3 tenths. The 1st heat saw Harris get out and fly away from the pack. Brian Rivera would come out to play for the first time in a year and make an outside pass down the straightaway on Chris McCabe to finish in the 2nd position. The second heat proved to be another great race with McCabe grabbing the early lead on the invert. Rivera would have to pass McCabe again this time setting up the crossover in turn 1-2. Rivera made it stick and eventually took the heat victory with McCabe in 2nd. The main event was up next and Rivera and Harris occupied the front row. The green dropped and Rivera grabbed P1. Harris would have a bad start and go back to 4th. Wadlow jumped in the P2 and latched on the back of Rivera for 14 laps. Harris finally broke free from the pack and starting reeling in the leaders. With 3 laps to go, the leaders would catch traffic kart Marty McNew at the corkscrew. Rivera would use his momentum to carry him around McNew before reaching turn 6. Wadlow and Harris would have to wait till the straightaway to eventually get by McNew. By that time, Rivera had a 3 second lead and eventually took the checkered flags, followed by Wadlow and Harris in 2nd and 3rd, respectively. TaG Senior came up next and 3 karts came out for this one. Ray Andrews would put his Tony Kart on pole by just 3 tenths over Curt Baker. The first heat would prove to be a shootout between Andrews and Baker. They stuck together like glue for 8 laps finishing in that order. The second heat would see the same race between the two drivers only this time Baker got the win by less than a tenth of a second. That brought out the final race in which Andrews would start on pole. Again, the main was a mirror image of the earlier racing. These two drivers were almost identical all day long. They stayed latched on to one another and eventually walked away from Lionel Fayet. The checkers waived to see Andrews take his first NNKC TaG Senior win followed by current champ Baker 3 tenths behind in 2nd. Fayet would take 3rd. The last race on the night was the $800 80 shifter money race. Formula 80 Seniors took to the track in torrid fashion as Tony Mangini snatched pole from Jereme Abshire by 1 tenth of a second. The entire field of 9 drivers would all qualify within less than 1 second from each other. Unbelievable!! The 1st heat saw Reno’s Mark Nason get an incredible start going from 5th to 1st by the first corner. Local Cody McKinney also would benefit from others mistakes to jump into the 2nd position. The heat would end with Nason taking the win followed by McKinney. The 2nd heat saw pretty much the same hard clean racing. But Nason who qualified 5th would benefit on this top 6 invert heat to start on the outside of the 1st row. He would take advantage and win again another heat by 1.5 seconds over Mangini. The main event had cold hard cash waiting for the eventual winner. The green flag dropped and Nason would get the point followed by Abshire and Mangini. The top 6 would stay together like a freight train the entire race. McKinney tried unsuccessfully to pass Mangini for the 3rd position throughout the race. But Mangini would not budge. Adam Booker would get by Ben Fisher on the 5th lap to take over the 5th spot. But the order stayed the same the entire race with Nason bringing home the victory and the $800 purse with it. Abshire would hold on to 2nd, followed by Mangini in 3rd and McKinney in 4th. A lot of great racing for those that attended. Our turnout was much lower than we expected. But it has been a long and prosperous year for the club and we are thankful for those that did come out to race. We’ll see ya’ll Sunday August 30 for our 7th race of the year. Don’t forget, we have a track clean up day the Saturday before, August 29th. See ya then!! Brian Rivera President - NNKC
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8-19-09 SMRZ EXTENDS JIM RUSSELL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES WIN STREAK TO FOUR
Defending series champion won both races of the doubleheader from the pole position at Infineon Raceway SONOMA, CALIF. (August 19, 2009) – American Brett Smrz continued his dazzling return to the Jim Russell Championship Series this past weekend (August 15-16), winning Rounds Nine and Ten from the pole position. The up-and-coming racing talent has now won all four races he has contested since rejoining the series. A month after making a return to the Jim Russell Championship Series, Smrz was back behind the wheel of the Formula 3 equivalent FJR-50 car at Infineon Raceway in Northern California. The defending champion, despite missing Friday testing/practice, was immediately up to speed in qualifying on Saturday morning. Working on posting a fast lap on cold tires, Smrz turned the quickest lap of the session early on, eventually earning the pole position by seventh tenths of a second When the green flag waved for Round Nine of the 16-race series later in the day, Smrz proved to be a dominating force. The Idaho-based driver led every lap, routinely posting the fastest race laps, upwards of 1.5 seconds quicker than his nearest rival, en route to a comfortable eight second win. Returning to the well liked undulating road course north of San Francisco on Sunday, day two commenced in the same fashion as day one, with Smrz at the top of the timecharts. The In Touch Physical Therapy/Jim Russell Championship backed driver turned the fastest time in morning practice, before securing his second pole position of the weekend by a full second. In what would be the lone blemish on a perfect weekend, Smrz relinquished the lead when the green flag flew for Round 10 after the lunch break. The 18 year-old was not to be denied however, as by lap three he was back in the lead and building an advantage on second place. When the checkered flag waved, Smrz had secured his fourth Jim Russell Championship Series win in a row by eight seconds. “It was a good weekend for me in the Jim Russell Championship Series,” stated Smrz. “Sweeping the weekend added to my win streak, which gives me four wins in a row. I will attempt to beat Patrick Barrett's Jim Russell win streak record of five wins in a row at the next race weekend. Jim Russell is doing a fantastic job coaching all of the other drivers. The drivers times are drastically dropping each weekend. Keep an eye out for me at the IRL race this weekend at the Infineon Raceway circuit, where I will be racing the Jim Russell car on Sunday.” Smrz returns to the cockpit of the Jim Russell Championship Series car this coming Sunday (August 23) at Infineon Raceway, taking part in an exhibition race as part of the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma event. Official series competition resumes on September 12-13, with Rounds 11 and 12. Between events, the talented American race pilot will continue his search for sponsorship and funding to resume his BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National and Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup race campaigns. |
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8-19-09 BUCKWALTER ADDS TO STREAK AND TAKES CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD WITH ANOTHER PROKART CHALLENGE North VICTORY
First time winners add to the excitement as title chasers continue fight to the end
SONOMA, CA (August 15, 2009) � The championship chases are shaping up the contenders � and the pretenders � with the running of the sixth round of the Superkarts! USA�s ProKart Challenge North series on August 15 at the Jim Russell International Karting Center. After a month off from competition, the program got back to business contesting the 0.68-mile �Reverse Sprint� circuit at the Sonoma, California facility for the first time in PKC�s history. The second season of the Northern California series has truly brought a strong regional program to the area for those interested in shifter kart and TaG racing � along with a solid unity among those competing. The racing has also improved each outing, with more and more drivers entering into the battles for the lead, mixing up the championship fights.
One driver, however, has been the focal point in the past few months. Brett Buckwalter added to his win streak � now at three � following the TaG Senior feature race Saturday afternoon, and has positioned himself as the #1 driver heading into the series finale in September. Buckwalter led the qualifying session with Larry Fraser and championship leader Will Martindale all within two-tenths of each others� fastest lap. Martindale and Fraser, however, began the racing on a sour note as the two made contact through the tic-tac-toe section, allowing Buckwalter to pull out to a solid win in the opening heat race ahead of Nic LeDuc � with Brett Felkins sliding up from seventh to third. In the next session, Felkins had the better opening lap on the cold MG Tires, and was able to lead the first time by the stripe to begin the second heat race. From there, he led all eight laps for the win, with Buckwalter pacing himself on Felkins rear bumper � as Andrick Zeen worked by LeDuc for third.
The drive of the day, however, came in the feature � when Buckwalter was shuffled back to the eighth spot on the first lap. Jumping into the top-five the next time by, Buckwalter worked to join the lead group of Felkins, Zeen, and PKC newcomer Matthew Powers. Felkins was leading when his fuel line broke loose, causing him to slow down and wreak havoc behind him -- as drivers shuffled to avoid making contact with the retiring Felkins. This gave Buckwalter the chance he needed to sling-shot by the rest of the lead pack, and from there Buckwalter showed the way to the checkered flag for his third straight victory. Zeen crossed the line roughly three seconds back, with LeDuc completing the podium. Martindale would earn the hard charger award, coming from last on the grid to fifth, just behind JP Cadoux.
The S3 division continues to impress week in and week out with another great show on track. The top five in qualifying were separated by less than two-tenths of a second, led by point leader Jacob Neal. Just 69-thousandths behind was New Zealand transplant Daniel Bray, with returning class champion Jason Toft getting some extra seat time during his Skip Barber National schedule break. Neal was slow to get off the line to begin heat one, while Bray broke a chain in the opening lap � which allowed Toft to show the way ahead of Steve Reasoner and Tommy Thompson. Reasoner would have the advantage off the line to begin heat two, as he led all eight laps to the win. Behind him, Toft fought off Thompson and Bray for the second spot � as Neal spun on lap six while battling for the position and fell to sixth in the order.
The 20-lap feature was an eventful one, with Reasoner showing the way in the opening lap � until both Thompson and Bray were able to work by for the top two spots. Toft would move up to third by lap seven, with Neal working to fifth by lap eight as Thompson continued to show the way. Bray made his move for the lead on lap 12, assuming the top spot from Thompson who now had to deal with Toft. Two laps later, Toft took over the second spot and set his sights on Bray. Methodically working on Bray, Toft was unable to make a move as he came up 0.176-seconds short at the line with Bray taking his first win of the season. Thompson and Reasoner held on to third and fourth, with Neal unable to advance past the fifth position.
S4 witnessed the PKC debut of Casey Scherer -- and he was able to outgun the championship contenders in the sixth round of the season. Alex Keith showed the way early on, edging standings leader Jamie Wilson by just 25-hundredths of a second for the pole award, with Peter Workum just one-tenth back. Once racing got underway, Keith controlled both heat races, with Workum getting by Wilson in the first heat for the second spot, and Wilson taking the third spot ahead of Scott Cooper.
The main event early run-down was a familiar Keith-Workum-Wilson show, as Cooper fell out of the front pack in the opening lap. Things changed near the halfway point, when Scherer began his charge forward. Having retired on lap six of the second heat from a spin, Scherer worked to come from the tail of the field up to Wilson�s bumper. From there, he took one position at a time, first by Wilson, then by Workum, setting up for Keith. It would be the final lap where Scherer would seal the deal, getting to the line first for the victory by 0.681-seconds. Workum took the third and final step on the podium as he and Keith each gained points on fourth place finisher Wilson.
Craig Corwin has many victories with the PKC North program. However, this past weekend he earned his first in the TaG Master category. The defending G1 champion made the switch to the TaG category � and swept the action. Corwin led all the laps, including both heat races, with the exception of the opening lap of the feature. Round five �sweeper� Jeff Deehan was able to get the jump at the green to pace the field on the opening lap before Corwin assumed the position to take the victory. Deehan was a solid second ahead of Jim Zootis, with point leader Steve Elo having a tough feature race, finishing just off the podium.
A rare sweep happened in the HPV 2 Junior division, as Dylan Lupton was on top of his game Saturday. Like Corwin, Lupton paced the field in the two heat races, running ahead of Luis Tyrrell and point leader Kiel Spaulding, who swapped the second spot. In the feature race, however, Tyrrell and Spaulding stepped up and challenged Lupton early on. Tyrrell took his turn at the point before Spaulding paced the field in the middle portion. Once all the jockeying for position calmed down, Lupton escaped with the lead and went on to earn the checkered by just 0.224-seconds over Tyrrell � with Spaulding crossing in third. Lupton nearly swept the Junior divisions, as he showed the way in the TaG Junior category throughout the day � until lap 19 of the feature with a mechanical issue. That gave the win to Austin Elliott, with Maxx Marian placing second. Lupton would still be classified third with only three drivers competing.
Fresh off his Jim Russell Racing Drivers School session for his 2008 PKC North S1 championship, Cody Hodgson positioned himself to repeat with his third S1 feature win of the year. Battling rival Jacob Neal all day, Hodgson took the feature win by 0.961-seconds after the 20-lap battle. On track at the same time, Jim Kidd extended his points lead in the G1 class with his third feature victory, edging Ethan Wilson. The PKC North finale promises more competition for these top two contenders, as more and more drivers come out to prepare for SuperNats XIII.
The series will wrap up the 2009 season with the seventh and final round set for September 12 at the same Sonoma circuit � with the configuration to be the Reverse National layout. For more information on the Superkarts! USA�s ProKart Challenge itself, head to www.prokartchallenge.com or call 951-491-0808.
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8-19-09 NEWGARDEN WINS ONCE AND TAKES IT ON THE CHIN TWICE IN BRITISH FORMULA FORD AT SILVERSTONE
American rookie remains confident series title still within reach SILVERSTONE, ENGLAND (August 18, 2009) – Josef Newgarden experienced the highs and lows of racing over the weekend (August 15-16), winning once and crashing twice during Rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain. The talented American showed the speed and skill of a potential champion at the famed Silverstone Circuit in Round 17, winning for a sixth time. A pair of incidents in Rounds 16 and 18 however relegated him to 19th and 16th in the other two races of the tripleheader. Despite the less than desirable results, Newgarden remains second in the title fight. As everyone has come to expect from the Joe Tandy Racing rookie, Newgarden was among the pace setters throughout Friday testing at Silverstone, turning some very fast laps around the high-speed road course, which hosts the British round of the Formula One World Championship. The No. 21 Robo-Pong/Race of Tomorrow Ltd/Joe Tandy Racing/Mygale SJ08 Premier Power car continued its strong showing in the lone qualifying session on Saturday morning, with Newgarden narrowly missing out on the pole position, earning a front-row starting place for the Round 16 later in the day. When Newgarden lined up P2 for race one of the weekend, the initial goal was to get away cleanly from the traditional standing start and challenge for the lead, as the championship leader was back in 13th due to a mechanical problem in qualifying. While the 18 year-old did just that, his chances at potentially winning another race in his rookie campaign and closing the championship gap vanished at Abbey turn, when he was struck by another competitor under braking. Newgarden was able to return to pitlane, however the damage proved too great to fix, ending his race prematurely. Newgarden, as he has shown throughout his young racing career, put the incident behind him when he returned to the cockpit of his JTR Mygale one day later for race two of the tripleheader. Lining up P4 for the morning race, Newgarden got a less than ideal launch, falling back to eighth place. The rising young talent quickly refocused however, rejoining the top-five by lap two and top-three by lap three. Repeatedly posting the fastest lap, Newgarden was soon challenging for the lead. Executing a pair of picture perfect passes for position, he was in the lead by the conclusion of lap 10. Newgarden from that point forward was unbeatable, scoring his sixth British Formula Ford win of 2009. Thanks to the fastest race lap during Round 17, Newgarden earned the pole position for race three of the tripleheader. For a third consecutive race, the opening laps proved dramatic for Newgarden. While the American lost the lead prior to turn one, the defining moment of his race occurred one lap later, when the Robo-Pong-backed car touched wheels with the leader and collided with another front-runner. Newgarden was able to continue from the incident, albeit with a damaged car. Circulating well below his standard race pace, the championship contender was classified 16th at the waving of the checkered flag. “We definitely didn’t get the results we wanted but we had a great pace here at Silverstone,” stated Newgarden. “While I’m pleased to have won another race, I think we had a car capable of winning all three races. The two incidents certainly did not help in the championship points, but there are still seven races left to go. I’ll be ready and well prepared at the next round and so will the Joe Tandy Racing crew.” The 2009 edition of the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain resumes on September 5-6, with Rounds 19, 20 and 21 being contested at the Brands Hatch Circuit. Newgarden enters the tripleheader second in the championship standings and the leading rookie driver. |
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8-17-09 BOWLES RETAINS NASCAR CAMPING WORLD WEST SERIES
CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD IN COLORADO |
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8-17-09 CENTRAL STATES CHALLENGE FINALE MOVES LOCATIONS
Facility issues force series final round to relocate to I-55 Raceway
ST. LOUIS, MO (August 17, 2009) � Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Superkarts! USA AMB i.t. Central States Challenge (SCSC) will move its season finale - set for August 29-30 - to the I-55 Raceway in Pevely, MO. The original location of the Kansas Speedway with the BP Motorsports Group encountered unforeseen issues that have caused the program to transfer the location of the sixth and final round of the 2009 championship to the nearly 6/10-mile course south of the metropolitan St. Louis area.
�I must apologize to all of the Central States Challenge competitors for the late announcement regarding the series finale,� expressed series coordinator Pam Freund. �We had all intentions of making a return trip to the Kansas City area however situations out of our control arose in the last few days that have forced us to move the event to a new facility. With our close relationship with the I-55 Raceway, we were able to keep our original date for final round. I would like to thank all of the competitors for their understanding during this ordeal and hope each enjoy the 2009 closer.�
The sixth round of the series will decide the champions for the 2009 season with the best four races of the year counted toward the standings. With his win at the last round in Delmar, Richy Yates has made the chase for the TaG Junior championship intriguing. Trailing leader Drake Ostrom by 45 points when considering the drop races, Yates� second half charge has put him in contention and another win could help him towards his title hopes. Ostrom, with two feature wins already to his credit, will look for a third to clinch the championship. Lukas Johnson however has clinched the S5 Junior title with his fourth straight feature win at the 61 Kartway event. The fight will be for the runner-up spot with Kaylee Granberg, Kevin Donahue and Joe Reed battling it out for the standings position.
Counting the two drops already, Matt Zeis and Derek Crockett are separated by just 25 points heading into Pevely. Zeis has three feature wins to Crockett�s two but a weekend sweep could land the challenger with enough points to steal the title from the current point leader. Crockett also trails in the S1 category when factoring the drop races with Carly Mandarino jumping to P1 from P3 with current point leader Kyle Gnau falling to third. Separated by just 80 points, the top three will sort things out at the final round with the weekend winner projected as the champion.
Crockett however does lead the TaG Senior with a solid lead over Kyle Gnau, needing to record just enough points over the final weekend to secure the title. Forty points is all that separates Brit Phillips and Jim Donahue in the TaG Masters scrap. Donahue may have some home track advantage at Pevely but things won�t be settled until the final checkered flag. Rick Freund has all but wrapped up the S4 championship with Kyle Donahue still mathematically in the hunt. Kyle Donahue is looking in good shape in the TaG Cadet division with three feature wins to his credit and a solid lead in the standings over Zach Bohmer and Cole Hannah. Same goes for Jacob Winslow in the Kid Kart division, leading Grant Greisbach and Owen Leatherberry.
The I-55 karting circuit will be open for practice the Friday before the event (August 28 - times to be announced) with free camping available for the weekend. The host hotel will be the Comfort Inn in Festus with $75 room rates with the Central States Challenge discount - call 636-939-2888. Action begins Saturday with official practice, leading into qualifying with the Prefinal and Finals taking place Sunday. The entry fee for the event will be $75 - which included the driver pit pass. To pre register for the event or to become part of the SKUSA Central States Challenge, visit www.centralstateschallenge.com The series would like to thank the following sponsors for their support in 2009; AMB i.t., MG Tires, Car-Car Motorsports, Crockett�s Mobile Car Wash, Digatron, Nado Alley Printing, PG Racing, Russell Karting, and Unique Heating and Cooling.
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8-6-09
SUPERKARTS! USA RETURNS TO COLORADO FOR SUPPORT OF NEW
REGIONAL PROGRAM
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8-4-09 MMS Karting News
Report With the 2009 season coming to a close soon, we would like to report on the accomplishments of MMS Karting/Racing Engines driver’s performance. Having just finished the IKF 2 Cycle Grand Nationals in July, MMS Karting/Racing Engines is very pleased with how our drivers and motor packages placed and performed. At the IKF Grand Nationals, there were over 400 entries. Amongst those entries were some great Junior and Senior drivers using MMS Karting/Racing Engines’ services, products and motor packages. MMS Karting/Racing Engines garnered 11 podium finishes in 10 different classes and some finishes just one off of the podium. In the HPV 1 class, Noah Hermansen brought home the Screamin’ Eagle and then finished 6th in the main event. In Super Sportsman Light, Mike Botelho Jr finished 2nd. TaG Masters had Dave Harwin finishing 4th. Jr 1 - 2 Cycle Heavy saw Noah Hermansen bring home the 5th place award. Mike Botelho Jr had another great finish in the Senior Sportsman class bringing home the Screamin’ Eagle award and 2nd place in the main event. HPV 2 had a great race with Austin DeMent finishing in the 5th place position. TaG Cadet (Gazelle), had the most podium finishes in any one class for MMS Karting/Racing Engines drivers, with Davey Manthei Jr bringing home the Duffy and the Screamin’ Eagle. Finishing behind Manthei Jr was Jeremy Kay, 2nd place and Flinn Lazier finishing in the 5th place position. In Super Sportsman Heavy there was drama from start to finish. Mike Botelho Jr, due to some engine issues in qualifying and the pre-final was relegated to starting dead last in the main event. Mike Botelho Jr was not to be denied. From the start of the race Botelho began picking off competitors one at a time each lap until on the “white flag” lap Botelho was in third place. Coming down the hill from turn seven the two front runners touched going into the chicane leading onto the straightaway and Botelho won the “drag race” to the finish line for the Duffy. Jr TaG had some good racing also, with Austin Self finishing 3rd and Chelsi Wagner just missing a podium finish in 6th at her first IKF Grand Nationals event. Finally, in IAME Cup, Mike Botelho Jr had another great finish taking 4th place with Zach Dericco right behind in 5th place. The highlight of the IKF Grand Nationals event for Mike Botelho Jr was to be awarded the “Lake Speed Grand Nationals Sprint Award”, which is the award given for “Achievement of Excellence In Karting”. Congratulations Mike!!! In other racing news, with the IKF Region 11 Championship Series ended for 2009, the TaG Junior Class Championship was won by Austin DeMent with his MMS Karting/Racing Engines teammate Chelsi Wagner finishing 2nd. This is DeMent’s first year in TaG Junior and Wagner’s last year in the class. Not a bad way to pass the torch for MMS Karting/Racing Engines teammates. MMS Karting/Racing Engines would like to thank all of those racers that depend on and WIN with MMS Karting/Racing Engines’ services, products and motor packages. We are proud to let everyone know who our drivers are and how well they perform.
JOB WELL DONE!!!
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8-4-09 SUPERKARTS! USA SUPERNATIONALS XIII CLASSES FILLING UP FAST
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