1-22-10 Extreme Motorsports Pro Tour Team Update

Extreme Motrosports is proud to announce the newest addition to its driver line-up to compete in the 2010 SKUSA Pro Tour.  Kathryn Cornell, Nor-Cal’s number three ranked driver in 2009, joins the team aboard an Extreme Motorsports powered Intrepid in the popular Tag Jr. division.  With several victories and podium finishes in 2009, Cornell will look to carry that momentum into the 2010 season.  Showing to be a major force wherever she competes, Cornell will continue to work side-by-side with ace tuner/mechanic and Pro S1 driver, Bryan Eady.

Extreme's confirmed driver line-up includes:

·     Kathryn Cornell – Tag Jr·        
Andy Mewhirter – S4
Bryan Eady – S1

The three-weekend SKUSA Pro Tour begins with the SpringNationals, taking place April 16-18 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA, and features the first two events of this five race series.  The SummerNationals are scheduled for July 16-18 in St. Louis, MO; with the season finale calendared for November 17-21 in conjunction with the prestigious world-class SuperNationals at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

For more information on how you can join the Extreme Motorsports race team for the SKUSA Pro Tour, contact Steve Eady at (530)949-8975, or write info@extremegokarts.com.  Visit our website featuring an on-line store for all your karting needs at extremegokarts.com.  We look forward to a fun and successful season in 2010!

Marin Karting is very pleased to announce Sanzaru Games Inc. as a new sponsor to the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge.

Sanzaru Games Inc. will provide over $1000 worth of videogames and hardware developed by the company as well as their publishing partners.

"As a game developer, we are very pleased to support the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Challenge" said Glen Egan President and CEO of Sanzaru Games Inc. "We wanted to support the largest local race series and the Nor Cal Rotax Challenge is the best out there.  With the addition of 2 junior classes this year in Mini Max and Micro Max we also think it is timely to offer some great games to the kids."

"I am really excited and thank Sanzaru Games for their the generous support for the 2009 Rotax race season." said Adrian Szwarcburg, Owner of Marin Karting and series organizer. "Glen is a kart racer himself and his company's contribution to this year's Rotax race series is fantastic.  I am sure there will be a lot of excitement at the track as we give away some great games throughout the season."

Official race series site: www.norcalrotax.com

1-27-09 Gatorz Challenge of the Americas invades Phoenix

January 26, 2009 (Glendale, Ariz.) – The Gatorz Challenge of the Americas formally kicked off its second season with new faces, new sponsors, and a new track – in this case, the PKRA facility near Phoenix, Arizona. For most of the drivers in the series, the track represented a blank slate as most had never raced at PKRA. Thankfully, the area provided near perfect weather that was a stark contrast to the rain that plagued the CotA during the 2008 season.

Rotax Masters

Saturday

There was going to be a new order in Masters, as defending champion Erik von Zeipel has switched to Rotax Senior. John Crow (Birel) is making his full time return to the series after taking most of 2008 off, and wasted no time by firmly establishing himself at the top of Saturday’s qualifying session. Second-qualifying Tyler Brooks (Kosmic) returned to the series in good form, while Paul Bonilla (Birel) was third. The order remained unchanged in the premain.

Crow took the point in the main, but Brooks was right behind and was clearly looking to get by and get away early. David Harwin (CRG) slotted into third, ahead of Ian Thomas (Birel) and Paul Bonilla (Birel).

A few laps in, Brooks made a move on Crow into PKRA’s turn 11, but was repassed on the exit. A lap later, Brooks made the same pass but made it stick this time, and the race had a new leader. At this point, the two had a comfortable gap between them and Harwin, who had a gap over Thomas. Bonilla retired from the race with a chassis problem, and Mike Daniel was in fifth.

Crow spent several laps stalking Brooks, before making a pass headed into turn 10. Brooks countered immediately, diving under Crow into turn 11, but overshot the mark and Crow snuck back by. Crow instantly pulled out a sizeable gap that Brooks would not overcome. At the checkered, Crow had a healthy margin over Brooks, who enjoyed an even bigger gap over Harwin.

Sunday

Crow led the way again in qualifying on the second day of competition, with the order behind Brooks, Harwin, and Thomas. Paul Bonilla qualified third before being disqualified for a radiator tape infraction.

The four leaders held their positions throughout the premain, with the only excitement coming from Thomas’ continued harassment of Harwin. He had one good look headed into turn one but backed out of it. At the stripe it was Crow, Brooks, Harwin, and Thomas.

Brooks got a great start in the main and swept around the outside of Crow in turn 10, taking the point into 11. Behind them, half of the field scattered as the Masters field frantically tried to get position heading into the first corner. All the karts except for Frank Powell (Birel) continued. Later that lap, Harwin’s kart crawled to a stop in the middle of the backstraightaway. He would continue but finish two laps down with an engine problem.

Crow was stalking Brooks, in what looked to be almost a repeat of Saturday’s race, and the two were stretching a lead over the battle for third between Thomas and Bonilla. What no one yet knew was that Bonilla was to be assessed a one spot penalty for jumping the start. Then, the unexpected – Crow drove off the track exiting turn eight, rejoining right in front of the Thomas / Bonilla battle. Brooks, however, now had an insurmountable lead that continued to grow with each passing lap. Crow got away from Thomas and Bonilla, who battled hard for third and swapped positions several times.

Both arms in the air, Tyler Brooks took his first Gatorz Challenge of the Americas win ahead of Crow. Thomas out battled Bonilla for the final podium spot, but Bonilla was demoted to fifth after the race director’s penalty. Steve Dzurilla (Birel) finished in fourth.

Senior Rotax

Saturday

There was no question that this Senior Rotax field was one of the strongest assembled fields in the country, and qualifying definitely proved the point as the first nineteen drivers were covered by less than one second. Joey Collins (Top Kart) took pole, ahead of Wes Phillips (Birel) and series newcomer Joey Wimsett (Intrepid). Cameron Jocelyn (Birel), Stepanova Nekeel (CRG), Mike Herda (Birel), Joey Licata Jr (CRG), Scott Campbell (Intrepid), Erik von Zeipel (Birel), and Andrew Novich (Birel) rounded out the top ten.

Phillips, however, jumped ahead and took the lead at the start of the premain. Wimsett also found his way past Collins, and the three finished in that order.

Phillips held the lead from Wimsett and Collins at the start of the main. Behind them, Campbell, Licata, and Nekeel began a battle for position that allowed the three leaders to stretch away. After a few laps, Wimsett dove underneath Phillips in turn 11 to take the lead. Behind them, Michael Self (Tony Kart) drove over the back of Jake Thompson (PCR) in turn 11, and Nekeel was caught up in the crash, eliminating the three karts from the front of the field.

Wimsett was pushed by Phillips, who was being pushed by Collins, and the three pulled a gap over Licata in fourth. Gradually, Collins began to fade from the first two karts, setting up a shootout as the laps wound down. With two to go, Phillips got a great run down the back straightaway and passed Wimsett before the braking zone into turn 10. Wimsett was unable to counter on the final lap, and Phillips began his championship defense with a victory. Wimsett crossed in second, Collins third, Licata fourth and Mike Herda battled his way to fifth.

Sunday

Joey Wimsett avenged his Saturday race by grabbing pole, just ahead of Joey Collins and Phillips. Michael Giessen (Birel) found the speed he had been missing all weekend and put himself fourth, with Self taking fifth.

The premain was red-flagged at the start as contact between Self and Licata scattered over half of the field. When the field regrouped and took the green again, Wimsett held the lead while Phillips worked his way past Collins. A lap later, both drivers passed Wimsett into turn 10. A few laps later, Collins passed Phillips and began to build a gap which Phillips could do nothing about. Collins took the win, with Phillips in second and Licata finishing third. However, Phillips was DQ’d for being light at the scales, bumping Wimsett to third and setting up a very interesting main.

Collins held his lead at the start while Wimsett and Self worked past Licata in the first two turns. Wimsett and Self then demoted Collins to third the next lap through turn 10. The next lap, Self dove under Wimsett and Collins followed him, for yet another 1-2 change. And again, the next lap, Collins dove under Self to retake the lead that he had at the start.

Collins began to stretch a lead while war was raged behind him. Self hung onto second but Licata battled to keep Jocelyn, Wimsett, Nekeel, Giessen, Thompson, and Novich behind. Licata caught Self and began a battle for second, while Wimsett led the rest of the group and was under serious pressure from Nekeel. Nekeel dove under Wimsett in turn 10, Wimsett shut the door, and the resulting contact sent both of them off the track, and Thompson as well. The luckiest person in the group was Giessen, who missed all of them and wound up in fourth. By this point, Phillips, starting last, had moved up to sixth. A lap later, he dispatched Novich for fifth.

While all this went on, Collins stretched a huge lead and handily took his first win of the season. Self was second, with Licata third and Giessen fourth. For this race, the Bondurant SuperKart school donated a prize of and advanced karting school to the person that finished tenth. Mike Herda took the prize.

Junior Rotax

Saturday

The Junior Rotax class was one of the most competitive and controversial last season, with a championship battle that went down to the wire and then into the tech shed. However, Phil DeLao (CRG) is looking to make this year’s championship as dull as possible. On his home track, DeLao qualified nearly four-tenths of a second clear of second place Adrian Starrantino (CRG), and third place Dexter Hucal (PCR).

DeLao checked out at the start of the premain, with Starrantino, Louie Pagano (Birel), and Orcic (March 1) battling behind. DeLao won handily from Starrantino and Pagano.

DeLao controlled the main from the start, and Pagano slipped past Starrantino for second. Orcic and Starrantino traded punches through the first two turns before Starrantino got ahead. Later that lap, Hucal and Orcic came together before turn 9, putting Hucal off the track forcing him to lose a spot to Miinch (Top Kart). Miinch was the driver on the move, as he dispatched Orcic and Pagano and firmly set his sights on Starrantino. The pass for second came going into turn 10, and Miinch began pulling a lead out over the rest of the group. On the final lap, all the action was for third, as Orcic hit Starrantino heading into turn 10 which moved Starrantino past Pagano for third.

DeLao handily took the win ahead of Miinch, with Starrantino rounding out the podium.

Sunday

The order at the front was unchanged in Sunday qualifying, as DeLao took pole ahead of Miinch and Starrantino. Local driver Noel Dowler made a big move up the field to qualify fourth.

The premain would see the biggest shake-up of the weekend. DeLao led early but his dominance of Saturday appeared to be gone, as Pagano and Starrantino were not letting him get away. Then, suddenly, DeLao slowed and completed a slow lap before retiring with ignition problems in his engine. That left Starrantino and Pagano to battle for the lead, a position they traded until the final lap when Pagano defended the inside of turn 10 and Starrantino made a brilliant pass around the outside of the turn. Starrantino was first, with Pagano second and Miinch third.

With DeLao starting last, it was always going to be an exciting main. And it was, made more so by the crash that sent Dakota Dickerson (Birel), Colby Yardley (Birel), and Hucal off the track. Orcic led early, before Starrantino retook the lead and Pagano slotted back into second. DeLao was a big mover, up to fifth in the early laps. Shortly before the halfway point, DeLao had caught the fourth place kart of Orcic. With apparent ease, DeLao passes a kart a lap until passing Pagano for the lead into turn 10. He quickly established a gap of over 2 seconds and left the rest of the group to battle for second, cementing an incredibly impressive run.

Miinch battles his way to second and begins to pull away from the Starrantino / Pagano battle for third. At this point, Orcic was fading but was safe in fifth. On the final lap, Starrantino dove under Pagano in turn 11, making it stick and securing his spot on the podium. DeLao won his second race of the weekend, with Miinch second and Starrantino third.

 MiniMax

Saturday

Upsetting the applecart in Minimax, Michael Womack (Birel) took pole for the first time, with Adam Iavelli (Birel) in second and defending class champion Michael Davis (Birel) in third.

Womack led the premain at the start while Davis swept past Iavelli for second. Riley Reyes (CRG) and Royal McKee (CRG) held down third and fourth. A couple of laps later, Blake Dunkelberger (Biesse) came to a stop and was out of the race. Later on, Bruno Carniero (Kosmic), Parker Thompson (PCR), and Austin Versteeg (Birel) came together in a crash that eliminated Carniero. But the big surprise was Davis’ kart rolling to a stop while in second place. Womack won, with Trenton May (CRG) making big progress to finish second, and Iavelli third.

Womack held the lead after the start, as McKee was hit and spun around. Later that lap, Iavelli spun exiting turn 4, and was an instant retirement. Before anyone had realized it, Womack was 25 seconds clear of the rest of the field – a lead which he held to the end. Davis would battle up to second, with Riley Reyes taking third.

Sunday

Davis retook his familiar spot at the front of the Minimax class, edging Parker McKean (PCR), McKee, and Reyes on the first two rows.

Davis led early but McKee was the big mover, getting a great run down the back straightaway to take second from McKean. A lap later, he pulled the same move on Davis, taking the lead and not giving it up until the checkered. McKee won with Davis and Reyes right behind.

At the start of the main, a crash between Cansdale, Dunkleberger, and Iavelli eliminated the last two. Cansdale continued in last, while Davis got ahead of McKee at the start. Reyes would work past McKee, then draft past Davis going down the back straightaway. McKee returned the favor two laps later. Reyes was then passed by Davis with a pass into turn 10. Davis then went to work at erasing McKee’s lead, and passed him into turn 10 as well.

On the final lap, McKee passes Davis into turn 10. Davis was unrelenting, and passed him under heavy braking for turn 8. Davis was able to stretch his lead so that the rest of his lap was unpressured, while Reyes dove under McKee in turn 10. At the checkered, Davis took the win ahead of Reyes and McKee.

DD2

Saturday

Troy Castaneda (CRG) just nipped Scott Campbell (Intrepid). Campbell, and teammate Jayson Clunie (Intrepid), were doing double-duty in Senior and DD2.

Campbell jumped ahead in the premain, while Castaneda fell behind and then had a run in with Erik “Action” Jackson (Arrow). Jackson then lost third place to Curtis Cooksey (CRG), and the order remained the same until the end, with Campbell, Castaneda, and Cooksey crossing the line in that order.

In the main, Campbell led again but Jackson worked his way past Cooksey and Castaneda to take second. Jackson was hung out to dry, as exiting Whistle Stop Bend, Castaneda and Cooksey drafted past. Campbell stretches a lead while Castaneda retires. The rest of the race was a procession, with Campbell winning from Cooksey and Jackson

Sunday

Castaneda was looking bounce back from his Saturday DNF, and took pole ahead of Campbell and Cooksey.

Campbell, however, used the outside line in turn 10 to take the lead from Castaneda at the start. Castaneda then fell into the clutches of Cooksey, who drilled Castaneda into turn three. After that, however, it is apparent that Castaneda’s kart is not shifting properly and is what probably caused Cooksey to run into him. Castaneda retires that lap, and a few laps later, Cooksey is out with a broken radiator mount. Campbell wins easily from Jackson.

Campbell held his lead at the start but Jackson was worked by Cooksey for the second position. Almost instantly, Jackson slows with what appears to be a shifting problem and retires after one lap. Castaneda passed Cooksey for second and began to work on Campbell’s lead. After several laps of following, Castaneda makes a pass for the lead stick in turn 10. Campbell’s response comes only a half-lap later, with a diving pass into turn eight. The two run side-by-side on the exit, and Castaneda is off at the exit of the turn. He falls about two seconds behind and is unable to make up the difference before the checkered flag falls. Campbell makes it two for two, with Castaneda second and Cooksey third.

1-23-09 Jim Russell Announces the Sunday Series

The Jim Russell Karting Series at Infineon Raceway has been offering 3 days of kart racing for 7 months a year since 2004. For 2009, in addition of the Pro Kart Challenge race day and the Jim Russell Norcal Rotax race day, Jim Russell will be again offer the Jim Russell Sunday Series. This race day will offer only 5 race
groups, have 3 practice sessions in the morning, a Qualify, Pre-Main and Main event and be done by 4:00 so people can get home at a reasonable hour. Over 60 minutes of track time each race day.

The line up of classes will focus on Junior 1 classes, 80 shifter classes and a return of the TaG Grand Masters class. Here is the class line up:
Junior 1 – Gazelle and HPV1, running together but scored separate
Junior 1 – Comer.
Senior 80 and 80 Masters/Heavy Driver. Run together but scored separate.
80 Grand Masters (45 and over)
TaG Grand Masters (45 years and older)

All classes will run on Bridgestone YHC tires. TaG Grand Masters will be a Parilla only class that will allow the older National Cup spec engines to run with the IKF Tag spec engines. All Junior classes will be per IKF rules and weights. All 80 shifters must run the 14 inch RLV or M4 silencer (which makes racing much easier on the ear drums). Juniors and TaG GM will use ERC 98 fuel, 80
shifters will use ERC 110 fuel. Spec oil to be announced soon.

Race Dates:
April 5, May 3, June 7, July 19, August 30, September 27, Oct 25
This will be a 7 race series with the best 6 races counting toward the championship.

The full Jim Russell kart racing lineup demonstrates a commitment by Jim Russell to Junior drivers with HPV2 being part of the ProKart Series, the Rotax Series offers all 3 National Junior classes in 2009, the Cadet and Junior Arrive & Drive Series in addition to the 3 Junior 1 classes that are part of the Jim Russell Sunday Series. With 4 different track layouts to run in 2009, the Russell Sunday Series offers lots of challenges as well as lots of morning practice to get set up to each track layout.

The Sunday Series will be giving the 80 shifter classes a real opportunity to have lots of racing fun in 2009. The Infineon kart track is a true shifter track, long, wide and fast, just what any shifter kart needs. In addition, race director Ric Shaw has a lot of 80 shifter heritage under his belt. “I was part of the Dixon Kart
Club when they were the first club in the country to run 80 shifters, my son’s first introduction in shifters was in 80 shifters in 1996 and he went on to winning the first SKUSA 80 shifter National Championship in 1999. 80 shifters today are a perfect club class and I would like to give them a great home at Infineon.”

The TaG Grand Masters class started up at the Jim Russell Series in 2005 and has been one of the largest classes at Infineon. Due to popular demand, this class will return in 2009 and fill a void that existed in the karting line in 2008. For TaG drivers under 45, ProKart will offer Senior TaG and TaG Masters, thus giving all TaG drivers a place to race.

So, consider the Jim Russell Sunday Series where one will get much more track time for your racing dollar. Detailed rules for all Jim Russell Sunday Series classes will be out by Feb 1 along with all class prize information. For more information, contact race director Ric Shaw at ricshaw_srp@hotmail.com

1-28-09 Former IndyCar driver invades PROKART CHALLENGE SOUTH Calspeed event

 
Alex Barron among the eight winners at the ‘09 season opener in Fontana

FONTANA, CA (January 24, 2009) – To commence its fifth year of competition, the ProKart Challenge South series – a Superkarts! USA regional program – began the 2009 season at the CalSpeed Karting facility in Fontana, California this past weekend. Seventy drivers in eight classes began their chase for championship glory at the 7/10-mile circuit located just outside the Auto Club Speedway (formerly the California Speedway). Wet weather would hinder the Friday practice day, but not the spirit of the opening event, as many drivers still took part in the festivities – including a dinner provided by the series on Friday evening. This led to nearly-dry racing weather on Saturday, dampened by just a light sporadic sprinkling around the course, where some of the best drivers from the western half of the United States were in attendance, including former IndyCar driver Alex Barron, reigning PKC South S3 Champion Bobby Legate, 2005 SuperNationals winner Lorenzo Mandarino and 2008 PKC South S5 Champion 14-year-old Race Liberante, who has moved up to contend in S3. The veteran Barron would eventually steal the show, putting in a great performance in the headline S3 category.
 
Barron would contend the S3 division, the top level of the spec Honda program in the ProKart Challenge. A former promoter of a spec moto-based series, Barron is no stranger to the six-speed Honda CR125. The 38-year-old put his entry third on the chart during the qualifying session as former SKUSA SuperNationals SuperPro winner Lorenzo Mandarino took the top honors by 15-thousandths of a second over reigning PKC S3 champion Bobby Legate. Clinton Schoombee was fourth on the time sheets, putting the top four lap times within one-tenth of a second. Race Liberante qualifies in the seventh position – just four-tenths off the top qualifiers.
 
The opening heat race saw Mandarino fall off pace with ignition troubles, eventually finishing 12th. This gave Legate the point and the race win, followed by Barron and Schoombee. Legate would win the second heat as well, leading all 10 laps as Mandarino battled up to second ahead of Barron and Billy Musgrave. Schoombee retired on lap two, forcing him to start the main event from the tail of the grid.
 
The start of the 20-lap feature would see Mandarino get the jump on Legate in the opening portion of the race. Musgrave, moving up from the S4 division this year, would be on a charge to make it a three-driver fight for the lead. Musgrave took his turn at the point before Legate would regain the spot. This shuffling allowed Barron to join the mix and he would take over the lead on lap 13. From there, Barron put his experience to work in holding off the valiant late-race charges of Legate to take the win by just 0.029 seconds at the line. Patrick Cushenberry would complete the podium, while Schoombee climbed his way back up to fourth. Attempting to regain the positions that he lost, Mandarino was blackflagged on lap 13 for rough driving. After battling inside the top six for 19 laps, Musgrave fell to 12th in the final lap. Liberante rounded out the top ten.
 
Qualifying was tight also in the TaG Senior division with NorCal shoe Troy Diede making his way south to show the way in the timed session, edging Andrick Zeen by 0.026 seconds. Fellow NorCal pilot Brett Felkins and SuperNationals TaG Masters winner Billy Cleavelin were within a tenth of Diede’s lap time as well. Diede would show the way in the first half of the opening heat race until coming under the pressure of veteran Howie Idelson. The two would battle for the lead, bringing Zeen into the mix in the closing laps. Zeen would emerge with the lead on lap eight and hold on for the win. Diede would fall to fifth behind Idelson, John Zartarian and Shawn Cricca. The experienced Zartarian would go on to win the second heat, while Idelson and Cricca would fall down the order. Diede rebounded with a second place run ahead of his brother Cody, who advanced from the tenth spot, while their young teammate Brett Felkins finished fourth.
 
The feature was a wild one with seven lead changes in the first 10 laps. Zartarian, Diede, Idelson, and Zeen each took their turn at the point until lap 11 when Felkins jumped from third to first, getting by Zeen and Diede. Felkins would hold on for the victory in his first Senior outing of the 2009 season. Zartarian slotted into second, while Cricca completed the podium in third.
 
A total of 13 drivers contended the S4 division, the heavier category for the spec Honda division in the ProKart Challenge. Defending S4 Heavy champion Ken Schilling was the quickest in the qualifying session by just over seven-tenths ahead of Rob Whitley and Peter Workum. Schilling saw smooth sailing in the opening heat, taking the victory by seven seconds. In the second heat, however, some precipitation came through the area and forced a restart after the opening lap. While leading, Schilling spun his machine on course as the rest of the field avoided him, ending his race early. Jeff Smith would assume the point and the win over Whitley and PKC newcomer Jason Attwood. Smith would have the advantage off the line to begin the 20-lap feature before Whitley assumed the top spot on lap six. The two ran nose-to-tail until the final lap when Smith made the final move and crossed the line first for the provisional win. PKC officials would dock Smith two positions for rough driving, putting Workum on the top step of the podium and Whitley to second. Schilling would drive back to fourth from the tail of the field following his heat two spin.
 
TaG Masters’ top qualifier Hawshon Riley had a tough time staying up front after a superb lap during the timed session. After leading in the opening heat, he would fall back in the closing laps as Steve Wiener took the win. Both would be denied victory in the second heat as George Gallardo stepped up his game to take the victory and the pole for the main. In the feature, it was all Gallardo from green to checkered to take the victory. Mike Burnett outran Wiener for third after Riley retired on lap 13.
 
Jason Campbell was the class of the field in the 13-kart G1 division by winning the feature – after topping the qualifying charts and winning heat two. Steve Ferrario was second, while Brad Dhesi crossed the line in third. Jacob Neal was on his way to a sweep in the S1 category until he sat out the final after injuring himself in the S3 main event. Peter Abba, who ran second to Neal throughout the day, ran unchallenged to the victory, while Imran Husain edged Gregory Liefooghe for the second spot.
 
Phil Giebler and Cody Hodgson were on hand to showcase their KF2 engine packages, mixed in with the TaG Senior group and starting half a lap behind. Both put in impressive lap times throughout the day. Austin Schimmel and Max Zacky ran unchallenged in the S5 Junior and TaG Junior divisions to earn their first victories of the 2009 season. “I’m not giving up on these junior classes,” stated a hopeful Tom Kutscher, SKUSA President. “I would love to see more junior racers take advantage of running with us this season – especially on the same tire compound that we’ll be using in this year’s SuperNats. And the KF2 engine package is one I’m looking at seriously for our program in the near future. Keep an eye on our website for more information on this.”
 
The SKUSA ProKart Challenge South program will return to action on February 28 as the series travels to the Willow Springs Raceway kart track in Rosamond, California.
 

1-23-09 F1 Weekly is the official podcast of the 2009 Jim Russell
Northern California Rotax Challenge.

1-20-09 No membership required in 2009.  Race the Nor Cal Rotax Challenge and save money

The Northern California Rotax Challenge wishes to notify all drivers Rotax membership is NOT a requirement to participate the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge.  Although there is much value in being a Rotax member and we encourage you to do so, it will not be a requirement to race in the 10 race series.  As a Rotax member you receive a printed rule book, Rotax t-shirt and subscription to National Kart News. 

“We thought long and hard about this decision.  We value Rotax membership, but felt given the economic conditions, we would do whatever we could to reduce costs for racers in 2009.” said Adrian Szwarcburg, Series Administrator. “Rotax is already the most cost effective racing program and this adds to this cost savings in 2009.”

Rotax membership is required if you intend to participate in the Rotax Grand Nationals or want to participate in the Rotax National Points rankings.

1-20-09 Jim Russell Enduro had Closest Finish in 7 year history

In the closest finish in the seven year history of the Jim Russell Enduro, Team Cameron Karting (Parilla) finished just 1.7 seconds in front of the fast closing kart from G-Force Motorsports (Rotax). This was the second overall win in a row for the Cameron Karting team and lead driver Brett Buckwalter.
The 2009 Jim Russell Enduro weekend could not have been run in more beautiful weather, sunny and 70 degrees. 22 teams took advantage of the excellent weather to contest the Junior and Senior Enduros at Northern California’s premier kart track. This year’s Enduro had several firsts: the first year in which there was an open pit strategy  (vs. stopping every 30 minutes) for the Senior Enduro, the first year in which Rotax engine karts out numbered Parilla engines (10 Rotax vs. 6 Parilla), and the first year using the HPV2 engine in the Junior Enduro.

Senior Enduro
16 teams started the Senior Enduro in this the first year with the event being run in January. The change of race date and the economy probably cut into the entry numbers this year, but the quality of the teams remained high with many of the past class winning teams returning this year to continue to race the challenge of the 4 hour Enduro. In Qualify the G-Force (Rotax) kart took the pole with Gregory Liefooghe at the wheel. Tres Amigos (Rotax) was second and the first masters class kart from veterans Star Motorsports (Parilla) was third. After the LeMans start, Andrew Novich put the Team Novich (Parilla) kart into the lead from their 4th place starting position. Buckwalter did not waste much time and went into the lead early on and quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. After the first hour, Cameron Karting had a 2 lap lead due to Buckwalter being the only driver who had not yet to make a pit stop. At 73 minutes Buckwalter finally stopped for fuel and a driver change. The first hour was not good to several top teams including the Star Motorsports (broken header), Emmick Cobra (shattered rear brake disc), Team Novich (lost transponder), and Team Kartworld (carb problems).

In hour two, Cameron had to pit with a broken rear bumper. The masters class Team Why Not (Parilla) was the lead after 2 hours followed by Cameron Karting, G-Force and the consistent drive from Fine Mech Racing. But at the three hour mark, Team Why Not came to the pit line for a routine stop in the lead, but the drive gear was worn out and the kart could not return to the action until a gear change was made. So at three hours, Cameron was in the lead again by 2 laps over G-Force with Star Motorsports working their way back up to 3rd overall and 1st in the Masters class. Disaster hit the Star Motorsports team again in hour 3 when they lost the lower end of their Parilla motor joining Team Novich and Emmick Cobra as the only teams out of the race. With 30 minutes remaining in the race, G-Force made up 1 lap on the leading kart. Unknown to the other teams and the fans, the Cameron kart was slowing down with a bent spinal and a fast wearing right front tire. Cameron then went to the pits for a splash of gas and a driver change giving up the lead. But with 12 minutes to go, GForce likewise dashed into the pits for a splash of fuel and handing the lead back to the Cameron kart. With 10 minutes to go, the Cameron kart with Buckwalter back in the seat, had a 8 second lead but was losing over a half second per lap to the hard charging G-Force kart with Liefooghe at the wheel. Entering the last lap, Liefooghe was still 2 seconds back and eventually fell 1.7 seconds short of the winning Cameron Karting team, which finished the 4 hour challenge with the cords showing through the right front tire. And for their efforts, each driver of the winning team received an annual practice pass at the Jim Russell karting track. 16 teams took the challenge and not one team had a perfect race. All the teams had to overcome problems with most teams having more than one problem, but the problems did not stop them from working hard and getting back into the race. A testament of the challenge of the Enduro.

Senior Enduro Results:

1st Place Cameron Karting – Parilla – 1st Senior Class – 259 Laps - Brett
Buckwalter, David Oroshnik, Neil Joseph

2nd Place G Force Motorsports – Rotax – 2nd Senior Class – 259 Laps -
Craig Corwin, Gregory Liefooghe, Larry Fraser, JP Cadoux.

3rd Place Fine Mech Racing – Rotax – 1st Masters Class – 252 laps - Peter
Boot, Tim Boot, Henri Richard, David Arnstein

4th Place KLS Racing – Rotax – 3rd Senior Class – 252 Laps - Greg Sawyer,
John Espinor, Terre Rothweiler

5th Place SPT Kart Sport – Parilla – 2nd Masters Class – 246 Laps - Tom
Nelson, Bob Lesnett, Rob Mullaney,

6th Place – Russell Team #2 – Rotax – Senior Class – 246 Laps -

7th Place – Russell Team #3 – Rotax – Senior Class – 245 Laps -

8th Place – Russell Team #1 – Rotax – Senior Class – 243 Laps -

9th Place – Night Mare Racing – Rotax – 3rd Masters Class – 242 Laps – Paul Hohlbein, Lance Grimm, Scott Cambell

10th Place – Tres Amigos – Rotax – Senior Class – 238 Laps -

Fastest Lap – Team Novich 51.621 seconds

Junior Enduro
After a two year break from this event, the 3 hour Junior Enduro returned. The HPV2 engine replaced the Puma engine this year and proved to be a competitive, reliable and faster replacement. Even though there were only 6 entries, these six teams not only took the race serious, but are committed to running again next year when the Junior Enduro will be expanded to 4 hours in length. The line up of drivers included two Duffy winners (Kyle Kaiser and Luis Tyrrell) and 5 former Junior 1 drivers making the Enduro their first junior class race.

In Qualify, Grant Ereth put the Team Leading Edge kart on the pole. The Enduro started using the famous LeMans start with the driver and mechanic running to their karts with the Doug Braddock leading the Team Mariah kart into the first turn. Braddock lead the first 4 laps. On lap 5 Kyle Kaiser took over the lead in the Leading Edge kart. During the second driver shift, the first casualty of the race with Luis Tyrrell experiencing a thrown chain which made for a lengthy pit stop. During the second hour Team FAST took the lead briefly before mechanical problems took a toll on their efforts. By half distance, Team Leading Edge drove fast yet smooth and made very organized pit stops and found themselves with a 3 lap lead. Moving up the leader board was the teams of Dynamic Duo and Acme Racing. During the last pit stop, the Leading Edge team took extra time to tighten the chain to help prevent a possible chain problem.
At the end of 3 hours, Team Leading Edge took the checkered flag with a three lap lead, the largest margin of victory of any Enduro in the past. For the win, each of the winning drivers will receive an annual practice pass at the Jim Russell Kart track.

Junior Enduro Results:

1st Place – Team Leading Edge – 192 laps – Dain DaVirro, Grant Ereth, Kyle Kaiser

2nd Place – Dynamic Duo – 189 laps – Daniel Langon, Maxx Marian

3rd Place – Acme Racing – 188 laps – Austin Thomas, Andrew Wolocatiuk

4th place – Team Mariah – 181 laps – Luis Tyyrell, Doug Braddock

5th Place – Team FAST – 163 laps – Bobby Tifft – Brody Zink, Conner Ford

6th Place – Team Kartworld – 134 laps – Marvin Gardner, Jarad Wolff

Fastest Lap – Team Mariah – 53.625 second

1-23-09 TEAM ALUMINOS READY TO TACKLE 2009 KARTING SEASON

 
Returning roster in arrive-and-drive program set to battle for wins and championships

DANVILLE, CA (January 22, 2009) – The 2008 season proved to be a successful campaign for the Team Aluminos karting squad, which ran up and down the California coast and under the bright lights Las Vegas as well, throughout a long year. After only a short month off from competition, the Danville, California based team is now set to tackle the ‘09 schedule. On the calendar for the new season will be the full schedule of both the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge South and North series, as well as a number of one-off events that will be announced at a future date, including the prestigious SKSUA SuperNationals.
 
Working off the achievements that the team posted in ’08, the Aluminos Arrive-and-Drive program is set to return for the full 2009 season. Three different engine packages will be placed aboard Aluminos-prepared GP Karts, including the Intercontinental C (ICC), Stock Moto, and TaG powerplants – giving plenty of options for drivers who are looking to get into the sport or for those looking to gain an advantage over the competition.
 
“The Arrive-and-Drive program is our bread and butter,” stated Aluminos owner Rob Soares. “With the experienced staff we have assembled, there is no better place to learn more about the dynamics of the kart and the skills to pilot it to victory.”
 
Soares has been a fixture in the United States karting scene for the last five years, being a former owner of GP Kart dealer KLS Racing. Now focused on the competition side of the sport, he’s built a team around him to help develop and tutor those in the Arrive-and-Drive program. A number of veteran drivers, such as Tom Dyer, Lorenzo Mandarino, and Ron White, have put their time in with Aluminos drivers, joined by noted engine builders and tuners Vince Mandarino and Joe White. Mechanic George Tavares helps keep a watchful eye over the paddock when not looking at the data for each machine under the Aluminos tent.
 
A number of drivers will be under the tutelage of the Aluminos squad for the upcoming season, beginning at the opening round of the ProKart Challenge South program set for the CalSpeed Karting facility in Fontana, California this coming weekend.
 
The growing S3 division will see the same trio from 2008 back in action carrying the Aluminos colors. Brad Dunford, Harley Owen and Kyle Hathcox piloted their Aluminos GP machines to fourth, fifth and sixth in the Light championship one year ago and will be focused on continuing their development.  New under the Aluminos tent will be a quartet of S4 pilots as well. Peter Workum, Jeff Smith and Jonathan Allen will join the team, while Phil Dunford, Brad’s father, will try his skills behind the wheel after helping with the wrenches last year. Returning G1 driver Blair Chang will be back in action for 2009, however, he will be absent at the opening round due to a conflicting schedule.
 
For the opening weekend, new GP Kart importer AJ Noud of Rocky Mountain Kartworks will be on hand, as will Mandarino - who will be providing his expertise to the team’s drivers when not piloting his Aluminos-prepped S3 Vemme entry, which will be tuned by his father Vince. Dyer will also be present as driver coach for the Aluminos squad

1-20-09 Ribtect is the official rib vest of the 2009 Northern California Rotax Challenge.

1-15-09 Sean Rayhall Prepares for 2009 Skip Barber National Championship

Atlanta, GA (January 15, 2008) - Sean Rayhall, who at the young age of thirteen is preparing for his first full season in the Skip Barber National Championship.  Last season after competing in a partial season, Sean won at New Jersey Motorsports Park race becoming the youngest driver to win a Skip Barber National and was ranked in the top ten by Eformula car news for the series.

Testing his new FE car prepared by Comprent Motorsports at Sebring, Sean unofficially got down to a 2:10:25, two seconds faster than the current lap record of 2:12:55.  Working with Andrew Davis, driver for the Stevenson Motorsports #57 Pontiac GXP.R in the Grand-AM Rolex Series, Sean is looking forward to the 2009 season and going after the Skip Barber National crown. 

”It was such a great time working with Andrew and Kevin Kloeper at Comprent Motorsports,” said Rayhall.  “Andrew taught me so much in regards to driving.  We worked out some problems I was having and improved my skills immensely.  Also, Comprent has taught me so much in regards to the handling of the car and the set up.  It is great to be able to work with a team who is prepared and can give me a top running car every time we go to the track!”

“I had my first opportunity to work with Sean during a recent test day at Sebring International Raceway,” commented Davis.  “His natural talent and potential was immediately noticeable as he completed the entire day without putting a wheel wrong, not to mention that all of his laps would have placed the car at the front of an S.C.C.A. national field.  I was extremely impressed with Sean's ability to give feedback on the handling characteristics of the car, as well as his willingness to adapt to the changing conditions of the track.  These skills are essential to a successful racecar driver, and can take years of experience to master.  That being said, the most impressive thing to remember is that Sean is just 13 years old!  As he continues to develop as a driver, he is sure to make a significant mark on professional motor sports.”

1-3-09 The Challenge of the Enduro & Rules

Well, the holidays are over and you good karters stayed home and spent quality time with the family.  But now it is time to get ready for Norcal’s first karting race of the year, the Jim Russell Enduro, January 17 and 18, at the Infineon Raceway kart track.

For the past 6 years, the Jim Russell Enduro has challenged teams of drivers to be the best they can be, as drivers and as mechanics.  Once a team has driven the Enduro, they are bitten by the ‘challenge’ to come back and do better the next year.  The fastest teams are not the most likely winners and teams of average drivers have excelled in the past. 

Entry fees are $350 per team for the 3 hour Junior Enduro on January 17 and $500 per team for the 4 hour Senior Enduro on January 18 (two classes, Senior and Masters).  Entry fees include one set of race tires (Bridgestone YHC).  All family and friends are free to this event. 

Junior Enduro – The Junior Enduro has provided the tightest competition the two times it ran.  This year, using the reliable HPV2 engine, one could expect a pack of karts to be nose to tail for most of the race, making pit stops so important to execute smoothly.  2 or 3 driver teams, along with one mechanic have to prep their karts to go the distance.  Driver changes every 30 minutes makes the pit stops a very important part of the race.

Senior Enduro – Past Senior Enduros have seen large leads with minutes to go in the race turn into disaster when the engine or brakes fail.  Or when the weight strategy goes wrong and takes a victory away form the winning team as occurred last year.  And teams that were near last in the first 5 minutes of the race come to win it all due to a good strategy of smooth driving and fast pit work.  Teams of 3 or 4 drivers plus one mechanic (a new addition to the 2009 Enduro) need to put a lot of thinking into how to prep their kart so as to last the 4 hour grid of the Enduro.  An additional strategy element added this year is that there will be no limit on how long a driver can drive on any one leg of the race (karts are limited to size of the standard size fuel tank).  This should make for some interesting strategies that have never been seen before.

For complete race rules, you can get them from the Pro Shop at the track, or by emailing race director Ric Shaw at ricshaw_srp@hotmail.com.

If you have a kart and need drivers, or a driver looking for a team, email Ric Shaw and let him know.  Ric will work at matching drivers with teams.

There will also be a swap meet during the day on January 18.  Contact Bob Bellino at bbelino@jimrussellusa.com for more details.

Practice days to remember will be Sunday, January 11, 9:00 to 5:00; Wednesday, January 14, 10:00 to 5:00; Thursday, January 15, 1:00 to 5:00; and Friday, January 16, 10:00 to 5:00 (this is an expanded time for Friday).  J&D’s Snack Shack will be open Fri/Sat/Sun of the event weekend.

Entries must be in no later than Wednesday, January 14.  You can enter at the Pro Shop at the track, or request an electronic entry form from Ric Shaw by emailing him.

So get those teams together and get ready for the challenge of the Enduro.  Entries are limited, so enter soon and don’t miss out.

Enduro Rules

Common Rules 

1.      Tires are Bridgestone YHC(dry) and any Bridgestone rain tire.  See Junior and Senior sections for more specific rules.  All tires used for Qualify and the Race must be a marked set purchased from the Jim Russell Pro Shop.  One set of tires will be provided each team as part of their entry fee.  Teams need to specify which type of tires they wish to be issued as the free set, dry or rains.  Teams have up to 2 hours prior to Qualify to make the decision on which type of type of tires to receive as the free set of tires 

2.      Fuel to be ERC 98 SPL. 

3.      Oil for be Burris Hi-Rev Castor or Motul 800 2T Off-Road (not Motul 2T Grand Prix).  Mixture to be 16:1 (8.0 oz) for Parilla, 20:1 (6.5 oz) for HPV2 and 33:1 (4.0 oz) for Rotax.  Fuel tech will be based on samples made from Jim Russell stock of ERC 98 and oils.   Fuel tech will be available prior to Qualifying so competitors can check their fuel.

4.      Qualify will be a 10 minute open session with only one driver as part of the Qualify for each team.  Kart/driver weight will be done each time a kart makes a pit stop during the Qualify session.

5.      The start will be a LeMans type start. 

1. For the Junior Enduro, the engine will be started using an external starter.
2. For the Senior Enduro, the engine must start using the onboard TaG starter.
3. If any engine does not start on the start line, the kart must be pushed to the teams pit space then the engine can be started using another external starter.

6.      Chain oilers NOT allowed.

7.      All teams must put down a 6 foot by 8 foot carpet to protect the pit lane from fuel spillage.

8.      Refueling during a pit stop must be done with the engine off and driver out of the kart.

9.      Any fuel spillage that gets on the pit lane surface will result in a 2 minute stop and go penalty.

10.  Race Director can and will assess stop and go penalties for rough driving or other driver infractions. 

11.  Any kart that is deemed unsafe to race during the race by the race director will be given a mechanical black flag and must report to their pit area and repair the kart as instructed by the race director.

Senior Enduro

1.      Race Length is 4 hours.

2.      Two different classes:

1. Senior Class for drivers 16 and up.
2. Masters class for drivers of minimum age 35 and over.   Masters class karts to have a letter “M” that is at least 2 inches tall in the lower right or left of all four number plates.

3.      Teams will be 3 or 4 drivers. 

4.      Drivers must be at least minimum age of 16 prior to Dec 31, 2009.  15 year old drivers who plan to race in Junior classes in 2009 age not allowed to run this event.

5.      Drivers can drive for only one team.

6.      Only one registered mechanic is allowed in the pit area for each team.  Mechanics can only work for one team, no jumping from team to team.

7.      The only people who can work on a kart are the team drivers and the one registered  mechanic.

8.      Engines allowed as follows:

1. Parilla Leopard per TaG USA specs
2. Parilla Leopard per IKF National Cup specs
3. Rotax per Rotax USA rules. 
4. Top three engines in each class at race end will be go through extensive tech which will require the seals of Rotax engines to be broken.

9.      Tires to be 4.5 fronts and 7.1 rears for dry tires and 4.5 front and 6.0 rears for rain tires.

10.  Each team can use up to 3 fronts and 3 rears (dry tires) or 4 fronts and 4 rears (rain tires) for the event.  If the event is run in both dry and wet conditions, tire usage rules will be restated prior to Qualify. 

11.  There will be no mandatory pit stops.  Drivers can run until they are almost out of fuel. 

12.  Fuel tanks must be original size tank that came with the kart.  Maximum tank size to be 15 liters. 

13.  Drivers can not exceed the following driving time of the Race:

1. For 3 driver teams, no driver can drive for more than 90 minutes.
2. For 4 driver teams, no driver can drive for more than 70 minutes.
3. A 5 lap penalty will result for any team that has a driver that exceeds the maximum allowed driving time.

14.  Front Brakes allowed with a 15 pound additional kart/driver weight.

15.  Kart Minimum Weights:

1. Rear brake only karts: 370 pounds combined driver/kart weight.  In the Race, the driver weight will be the averaged weight of the drivers added to the kart weight at the end of the race.   For Qualify, the weight will be 370 pounds minimum as the kart comes off the track.
2. Front brake karts: 385 pounds combined driver/kart weight. In the Race, the driver weight will be the averaged weight of the drivers added to the kart weight at the end of the race.   For Qualify, the weight will be 385 pounds minimum as the kart comes off the track.

Junior Enduro

1.      Race Lengths is 3 hours.

2.      Teams will be 2 or 3 drivers. 

3.      Drivers must be at least minimum age of 12 prior to Dec 31, 2009.  11 year old drivers who plan to race in Junior 1 classes in 2009 age not allowed to run this event.

4.      Drivers can drive for only one team.

5.      Only one registered mechanic is allowed in the pit area for each team.  Mechanics can only work for one team, no jumping from team to team.

6.      The only people who can work on a kart are the team drivers and the one registered  mechanic.

7.      Tires to be 4.5 fronts and 6.0 rears for dry tires and 4.5 front and 6.0 rears for rain tires.

8.      Engine to HPV2 per IKF specs.

9.      Each team can use up to 2 fronts and 2 rears (dry tires) or 4 fronts and 4 rears (rain tires) for the event.  If the event is run in both dry and wet conditions, tire usage rules will be restated prior to Qualify.   

10.  There will be mandatory pit stops every half hour.  There will be designated 5 minute pit window in which all teams must stop each half hour to make a drive change.

11.  Fuel tanks must be original size tank that came with the kart.

12.  Drivers can not exceed the following driving time of the Race:

1. For 2 driver teams, no driver can drive for more than 3 half hour stints.
2. For 3 driver teams, no driver can drive for more than 2 half hour stints.
3. Drivers can not drive back to back stints in the kart.

13.  Front brakes are not allowed.

14.  Kart Minimum Weights:

1. 320 pounds combined driver/kart weight.  In the Race, the driver weight will be the averaged weight of the drivers added to the kart weight at the end of the race.   For Qualify, the weight will be 320 pounds minimum as the kart comes off the track.

1-3-09 Consider Rotax in 2009!  Save money and continue to enjoy karting

Consider Rotax