7-31-09 RUNYAN STANDS ON PODIUM AT FORMULA FORD 40^th ANNIVERSARY EVENT
 

Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle rookie started from the pole position and finished third in the historic SCCA Restricted Regional at Road America  
 
ELKHART LAKE, WIS. (July 29, 2009) – Bobby Runyan further established himself as rising talent in the junior open-wheel ranks over the weekend (July 25-26), with a superb performance in the historic Formula Ford 40^th Anniversary event at Road America. The Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle development driver, who is contesting his first season of FF1600 racing, impressed many onlookers by earning the pole position and finishing on the podium in the 90+car SCCA Restricted Regional race.
 
For Runyan, the Formula Ford 40^th Anniversary event at Road America provided not only the opportunity to take part in a truly historic race event, but also the chance to showcase his talents against a who’s who of Formula Ford racing. Despite having never visited the famed 4.0-mile Wisconsin road course, the 16 year-old quickly became one of the drivers everyone was watching in both the SCCA Restricted Regional and National race groups. Piloting the No. 07 Porter Racing/Raging Bull Motorsports Swift DB-6 Formula Ford, the first year RSWC driver continually improved his best time around the high-road track each time he went on-course.
 
Runyan as a result entered the first of two qualifying sessions for both groups on Friday (July 24) as one of the drivers expected to challenge for the pole position. The Californian promptly delivered, capturing the provisional pole position for the Restricted Regional race by nearly three seconds! Against multiple former National Champions, Runyan turned the fourth fastest time in National qualifying.
 
Runyan returned to the cockpit of his Formula Ford one day later for a second qualifying session in both groups. Like virtually all the other FF1600 drivers, the former karting standout was not able to match the times from day one, due primarily to the track conditions being not quite perfect. The result however meant that Runyan had secured the pole position for the Restricted Regional ahead of 97 other drivers.
 
Given Runyan was starting P1, it came as no surprise that the talented young American was among those in contention for the win throughout the 12-lap Formula Ford 40^th Anniversary SCCA Restricted Regional race on Sunday (July 26). The RSWC development driver, leading 10 laps, eventually crossed the stripe in third, following last lap contact with another competitor while battling for the win. While it was initially believed that Runyan’s Swift DB-6 had suffered no damage of note, it became apparent in the SCCA National race that a shock was not performing as planned. Runyan however overcame both the less than perfect car and treacherous wet conditions via a late race downpour, to finish 15^th among the 70-car field.
 
“One of our talent scouts told us Bobby Runyan was a young man on a mission,” stated head on driver development, Ron Sutton. “He impressed us big time in last year’s talent search Shoot Out, which is why we signed him and placed him with Porter Racing. In just his first half season in full size race cars, Bobby has won a bunch of races, poles and track records. This great run with almost 100 of the top Formula Ford veterans from across the country is further proof of his talent.”
 
Runyan continues his pursuit of the 2009 San Francisco Region SCCA Formula Ford title on September 5-6, with Rounds Eight and Nine taking place at Infineon Raceway in Northern California.
 

7-31-09 CRISTIANI SCORES INAUGURAL LATE MODEL STOCK CAR WIN AT UKIAH SPEEDWAY

 
14 year-old Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle driver captured the Trophy Dash victory with a flawless run in California  
 
UKIAH, CALIF. (July 29, 2009) – Young Trevor Cristiani has quickly established himself as driver who can win on any given night at Ukiah Speedway, adding a Late Model Stock Car victory to his 2009 resume. The 14 year-old Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle development driver scored his inaugural Airport Auto Broker Late Model Series win on Saturday (July 25), taking the victory in the Trophy Dash race.
 
Cristiani, having recently captured his first Grand American Modified feature race win in the King of the Hill Challenge Series at Ukiah Speedway, was among those worth watching when race activities commenced at the California oval on Saturday. In temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, the talented young driver routinely turned times among the top-10 in all three practice sessions prior to qualifying. When the multiple Outlaw Kart champion and record holder returned to the cockpit for single-car qualifying, he promptly went even faster. Turning a lap of 12.750, Cristiani ended the session fourth, only 0.05s off the pole winner’s time. The RSWC driver thus earned a place in the six-lap Trophy Dash race.
 
With Cristiani earning the pole position via a random draw, the No. 90 Fast Lube Plus/Matt’s Custom Tree Care/Smith Concrete construction/Johnny Franklin Mufflers/Nor-cal Transmissions/Lee’s Sporting Goods/Kutting Edge Auto Refinishing/Cristiani Racing/Ron Sutton’s Late Model led the top-six drivers from qualifying to the green flag. Showing the composure and skill of a future champion, Cristiani raced side-by-side with a multi-time track champion throughout the opening four laps, before eventually pulling out a slight advantage during the final two laps. When the checkered flag waved, Cristiani had scored his first win in the highly competitive series in front of friends, family and supporters.
 
“This young man is proving to be years ahead in talent and driving smarts,” stated head of driver development, Ron Sutton. I look forward to more great finishes from him this year, while we plan his career development for 2010.”
 
Cristiani continues his Grand American Modified season on August 1, at Ukiah Speedway in California.
 

7-29-09 Marin Karting prepared Rotax powers Gregory Liefooghe to the Senior Rotax class victory at the 2009 Rotax Summer Shootout
 

Marin Karting would like to congratulate Gregory Liefooghe on his overall win at the 2009 Rotax Summer Shootout. 
 
"I have been using Marin Karting serviced and race prepared Rotax motors for several years now.  They have always provided me with reliable, powerful performance, which reflects the extra effort Kris Shaw puts in to make sure every motor that comes out Marin Karting is perfect." commented Gregory after his win, "I would recommend Marin Karting to anyone who is looking for top quality Rotax motor service and support."
 
Gregory was the 2007 and 2008 Northern California Rotax Challenge (NCRC) Senior Champion, 2007 NCRC DD2 Champion, and the 2008 Jim Russell Driver of the year. He is striving to represent the US in the 2009 Rotax World Finals later this year in Egypt.  
 
We wish Gregory the best of luck for the remainder of the season.

In addition to expert Rotax engine service and repair, Marin Karting also offers the following services:
One-on-one and small group driving lessons
Lead and follow driver coaching
Chassis service, set up and engine tuning (all makes and models)
Electronic kart chassis scaling
Trackside race day support
Marin Karting
7586 Redwood Blvd. #D
Novato, CA  94945
T:  415.898.0999
F:  415.898.0966
www.marinkarting.com

 

7-29-09 Norcal Rotax Photos are now up

Ed Broberg Images are up!   72 hours and counting!
 
Are you racers ready?  
 
For only 72 hours you have the opportunity to get a high resolution jpeg image file from any of the last three rounds of the Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge for only $25.00 an image.  
 
You would then have the file for life!  Make your own prints, use it on your website, facebook page, or email it to friends and family.
 
Each gallery will display 100 images per page. Round 2 has 76 images, round 3 has 656 Images, and round 4 has 126 images.
 
The first 10 people to place an order will have their own gallery and reduced pricing for the next event!
 
In addition to the download special this month, you will be able to purchase a ceramic mug with your image on it, or order prints in 8x12 or 12x18.  
 
It is real simple-
 
Click on the event you are interested in.
 
Rotax Round 2  
Rotax Round 3  
Rotax Round 4  
 
Find an image you want and click on it.  This will make it larger.
 
If you like the image add it to the cart.
 
Once it is in the cart you will have three options: Prints, Products and Downloads. 
 
After 72 hours the image galleries will be permanently removed an unavailable for future images purchases.

Ed is also available to put together a multimedia packages and any event photography.

Thank you Ed for you continued support of the Nor Cal Rotax Challenge.
 
The Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge is the fastest growing kart racing series in Northern California.  For more information about the Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge Series, go to the Nor Cal Rotax website at www.norcalrotax.com
 

7-28-09 SwedeTech Customer Updates from the ProKart Challenge Series

SwedeTech customers are at the sharp point of many championship battles getting ready to finalize with one round left in both the NorCal and SoCal ProKart Challenge Series.

Elk Grove, CA – July 25, 2009 – As mid-summer arrives, the Prokart Challenge has 1 event left for both the Norcal and SoCal regions.  SwedeTech customers have packed the PKC podium all year long, so before the PKC wraps up the 2009 schedule, we shall highlight the performances so far.

To save time and space, let’s review the performances by Jacob Neal ( Maxter and Stock CR125 ) for both the NorCal and the SoCal regions.  To date, Jacob has been the mark in both the S1 class and the S3 class.  There have been a few exceptions when teammate and coach, Gary Carlton ( Maxter ), graced the track with his presence.  Cody Hodgson ( Maxter ) has been snapping at Jacob’s heals this year in the S1 class and Connor DePhillipi ( Maxter ) gave Jacob a good workout in Santa Maria. 

In the past couple of SoCal events, Clinton Schoombee ( Stock CR125 ) has stepped up to contend with Jacob in the S3 class.  As the series heads into the last event,  Jacob will have the big target on the back of his kart.  Leading the championship in four classes, many drivers are going to come out swinging to post a win for the 2009 season.

SwedeTech customers have the NorCal S1 division top three spots filled with Jacob Neal, Cody Hodgson, and Gary Carlton (with only a few events).  The SoCal S1 division sees Jacob Neal sitting on top, Imran Husain ( TM ) a tad back in third, and Greg Liefooghe ( Maxter ) with a fourth place position.

In the SoCal G1 class , Troy Butts ( Maxter ) sits right behind the first place driver.  Troy is looking for a good finish to end the season and boost his point total.  Darrell Tunnell ( TM  ) is sitting in a fourth place spot. 

In the stacked S3 classes, for both NorCal and SoCal, Jacob Neal sits on top.  Norcal pilots Tommy Thompson and Steven Reasoner, are both looking to spoil Jacob’s next event.  With only a few events to his credit, Memo Gidley is sitting in sixth.  In the SoCal S3 class, Clinton Schoombee sits in third, only a small glimpse out of first.  Jimmy McNeil is stiting in sixth after a few rough outings declined him of a win year to date.

The SoCal S4 class is watching Jeff Smith sitting in the lead with Ken Schilling sitting in third place.  In the NorCal S4 class, Jared Woolf sit’s a few points back from the leader.  Paul Blickman missed a few events, and finds himself sitting in seventh. 

The HPV 2 Jr. class has a very strong showing of NorCal pilots.  SwedeTech customers have done a fantastic job by filling the top four spots.  Kiel Spaulding leads the pack in first.  Dylan Lupton and Luis Tyrell have both been competitors all year sitting second and third.   Joseph Keaton has had a few rough events, which has placed him fourth in points.

TaG Jr is another class with strong support in NorCal.  Dylan Lupton and Austin Elliot sit in the top two spots.  Niki Luna can improve his third place position with a good finish at the last event.  Kiel Spaulding sits in fifth after sitting out a couple of events.

NorCal TaG Sr is watching Will Martindale ( Vortex Rok TT ) sitting on point.  This is always a fun class to watch.  There are four drivers looking to end the season with their name on top.

SoCal Tag Masters is lead to date by Steve Wiener ( Leopard ).  He is looking to end his year on a high note.        

SoCal’s KF2 class points is lead by Alex Speed ( Vortex ), and his teammate Will Martindale ( Vortex ) is right behind him.  Cody Hodgson ( Vortex ) sits in fifth and can jump up a few spots with a solid finish in Fontana.

SwedeTech Racing SwedeTech Racing Engines offers parts and service for all two – stroke kart racing applications.   If you are looking for technical information on the engines we sell and service, visit www.swedetechracing.com .  To shop online, visit www.shopswedetech.com .  For more information, contact Jason Berry at (916) 714 – 3980 or info@swedetechracing.com .  

7-28-09 The 2009 Rotax Grand National Online Registration Site Is Now Live

July 27,2009 - Palm Springs, CA - The official Rotax Grand National registration site is now live and ready to accept competitor registrations. Registration is live at www.kart-events.com. The link to the registration site will soon be active on the www.rmaxchallenge.com website.

In the continuing effort to improve on the quality of information, ease of use and interactive services for our customers, a new web design includes our single point shopping cart. Now Rotax Grand National competitors can add items to their shopping cart from all the different parts of the site. They can register as a competitor; add tires, fuel and other items to their shopping cart at random before checking out.

Housing Options:
With Norman, Oklahoma being the home of the University of Oklahoma, the Grand National is scheduled over two weekend home football games. For housing, we have secured a number of room blocks at surrounding hotels at competitive rates. Ranging from the most economical to great prices at deluxe accommodations, Rotax attendees will certainly find a level of comfort for their stay. You may also add your housing requests directly to the same registration order form.

The Sooner Legends Inn & Suites will be our main host hotel with the NCED Conference Center as our second host location. These two, along with our numerous other properties offer comfortable amenities and convenient access to the track. Housing blocks are limited and reservation cutoffs are in mid August so act fast to reserve your rooms.

Interactive Pit Selection:
We have brought back the interactive pit maps that show the different space rates and options. The compact pit area in Norman offers convenient access to Parc Ferme but it will require some move-in logistics to accommodate the large trailers, haulers and tent setups. You can request your pit spaces through the very same shopping cart order.

Shortly, competitors will be able to also secure tents, furnishings and other pit amenities from the same site. According to Patrick Stevenson, Rotax Program Director "We are finalizing our arrangements with a tent vendor who will provide our customers with quality rentals, timely installation service and competitive pricing; this will be finalized in the next few days."

New Media Marketing Options:
With the appointment of RaceFanRadio and SpeedcastTV as the official digital broadcast media partners, this will be the first time the Rotax Grand National will be broadcasted live for both Internet Radio and Streaming Internet TV around the world. The success of this digital broadcast partnership has delivered quality broadcast programming to tens of thousands of karting enthusiasts over the last few months and the multi-camera production crew will be on hand throughout the week to capture all the racing action.

Advertising on both radio and TV is included in most of the sponsorship packages as well as individual ad rates are available.


Based on the success of last year, the full color Official Program Guide will be published again giving sponsors, manufacturers, local Norman businesses and supporting Rotax vendors a chance to reach all of the attendees and spectators. Special rates for family and friends wishing to publish competitor support ads are available.

Between now and September, a number of electronic newsletters will head out to Rotax members updating them on the plans and events scheduled for the tenth Rotax Grand National.

Local Support
International Motorsports Marketing, our event management group has been working with the Norman Convention and Visitors Bureau, the local media, hotel properties and state promotional organizations to embrace the community and attract new karting enthusiasts to come and watch the various competitions.

Already we have a number of community events planned that include local businesses, charities, the university and local media. According to Ray Verhelst, Managing Director of IMM, "The entire Norman, Oklahoma community is very excited about playing host to a national event such as this and is planning to market our event right down to posters in the windows of businesses on Main St. and informational inserts heading home with thousands of school children."

"With the feedback we received from the Rotax Shoot Out competitors two weeks ago, we know this track will offer some great racing," according to Joe Ramos, president of SSC Racing and the head of the US Rotax Max Challenge program. Ramos added, "Being centrally located we have not heard any of the previous challenges to the location and as a matter of fact, we have heard of teams that did not show up last year are now planning to come to Norman in big numbers."

Breaks for Mini and Micro Max:
Families with budding young racers will benefit from the lower registration price points for both Mini and Micro Max competitors. The bundled pricing provides for lower costs at each competitor level.

To access the live registration site, visit www.kart-events.com  or check www.rmaxchallenge.com  and click on the registration link.

Photo By: Scribner Racing Promotions IAME Cup Andrick Zeen

Photo By: Scribner Racing Promotions Kid Kart Winner Jarrett Gilmer Leading Jarett Tachovsky & Zach Corbitt

Photo By: Scribner Racing Promotions Sr Superbox Winner Brendan Phinny

Photo By: Scribner Racing Promotions HPV-1 Cadet Winner Michael Womack

Photo By: Scribner Racing Promotions. Jr Sportsman Winner Cody Kay Leading Kiel Spaulding, Taylor Miinch & Raquel Martinez

Photo By: Scribner Racing Promotions. TaG Masters Winner Robert Logan

Day two holds some exciting races with Kid Kart Heavy, Sr Sportsman, Jr Super Sportsman, Jr 1 Heavy, and HPV-3 Sr which will see some popular drivers race.

Day two of the 2-cycle IKF Sprint held a little bit of everything. Rain, wind, and mass confusion of getting several karts lined up on the track correctly. Couple red flags with a few major pile ups, but all in all, no driver was seriously injured.

Photo By: Scribner Racing Promotions Kid Kart Heavy Winner Jarett Tachovsky

7-28-09 Jim Russell Karting Championship Series #4

Race Recap

Jim Russell Series Race #4 Recap

The Jim Russell Karting Championship Series dawned to a great day of sunshine and warm temperatures, a great day for some competitive kart racing at the Jim Russell Karting Center at Infineon Raceway.  Joining the Northern California Rotax Challenges classes are the 80 shifter classes who have moved over from the Sunday Series and will remain on the Saturday Jim Russell dates for the remainder of the year.  65 racers showed up for Race #4

Rotax Micro-Max and Gazelle

Again, a solid field of 7 Micro-Max karts turned out along with one Gazelle engine TaG kart.  In Qualify, Michael Mitchoff took the pole ahead of Nicky Hays and Wilson Skjerven.  At the start of the Pre-Main, Mitchoff took the lead ahead of Hays, Skjerven and Toni Breidinger with the Gazelle of Tommy McCarthy starting last and working his way through the field.  Toni B. and Wilson tangle early on and this allows Toni’s sister Annie to get by and take over 3^rd.  Shortly thereafter, McCarthy continues his passing through the field and takes over 3^rd, then gets by Hays and near the end of the race gets safely passes Mitchoff to go on to a 2 second win followed by Mitchoff, Hays and Annie Breidinger.  For the Main, McCarthy started from the rear again to work on his passing skills, thus it was Mitchoff leading the field into turn one from the poll.  Hays had another slow start and lost contact rather soon.  Annie showed that here Pre-Main performance was not a fluke and pulled away from Skjerven.  McCarthy again carved his way through the field and was up to second when he dropped a wheel and spun, eventually rejoining the field in 7^th.  Mitchoff continued to increase his lead on Hays and took the checkered just over 4 seconds ahead.  Annie pulled away from Skjerven to finish in her best position of the year with a sold 3^rd, followed by McCarthy (Gazelle) and Wilson Skjerven, who was 5^th over, 4^th in class. 

Rotax Masters and Masters Light

The combined Rotax Masters and Masters Light classes again turned out a large field with 10 Masters karts and 8 Masters Light karts.  In the Qualify, the front row went to a couple of Masters Lights drivers, Joe Karratt and 3 time winner Andrea Delfanti.  Donald Durbin was the top Masters in 3^rd followed by Mert Solis (Lights), David Harwin (Masters) and Mary Beth Wilson (Lights).  In the Pre-Main, Karratt lead the field into turn one and pulled away easily to take an uncontested 5 second win.  The real racing fun was for 2^nd where Durbin and Delfanti went back and forth the entire way with Durbin finishing just ahead of the Lights driver.  Harwin was another 5 seconds back then there was a gap to a group of 4 karts that battled the entire way.  Mert Solis led this group to the checkered flag followed by Wilson, Doloras Mosqueda (Lights) and Jack Arluck (Masters).  In the Main, some bumping just after the green flag caused Mert Solis to crash out.  Karratt again to the early lead and he again went on to a comfortable 7 second win to take the race and 1^st place in the Lights class.  Durbin and Delfanti battled back and forth again for the second overall spot with Durbin finally taking control of 2^nd and also the win in the Masters class.   Delfanti was 3^rd, 2^nd in Lights.  Two time Masters winner David Harwin just did not have the fast set up today and had to settle for a 4^th overall and 2^nd in the Masters class.  David Oroshnik came up and challenged Mary Beth Wilson for 5^th overall at mid-race, but he spun while attempting a pass under hard braking and that ended his day.  Jack Arluck then pressured Wilson and took over 5^th at the end of the race, 3^rd in Masters.  Wilson (Lights) was 6^th just head of hubby Jerry Pretti (Masters) in 7^th, Ron Jenkins (Masters) in 8^th, Dolores Mosqueda (Lights) in 9^th and Andre Eriksen (Masters) recovering from a lap one spin to come home 10^th.

Rotax DD2

Eight of the 2 speed Rotax karts took to the track with everyone expecting another run away from 3 time winner Troy Castenada, but Troy would end up with a day to forget.  As the field was preparing to go out for Qualify, Troy’s starter motor failed, thus he got no time.  David Arnstein took the poll by over a half second ahead of Kyle Gimple followed by January Grove, Bronson Eggert and David Palic.  In the Pre-Main, Arnstein took the early lead ahead of Gimple.  Castenada quickly carved his way through the field and got right behind Arnstein and looking to make the pass.  But as Troy pulled out to make a pass, he clipped Arnstein’s rear bumper and David went a spinning.  David recovered and was running in 4^th.  Troy was now in the lead, but it did not last long as something went wrong with the kart and it stopped on track.  Gimple went on to the win followed by Grove, Arnstein and Eggert.  At the start of the Main, Gimple took the lead into turn one followed by Arnstein and Grove.  But on lap one, Castenada again was coming up the inside of Eggert to attempt a pass but instead he misjuded it and went over the rear wheel of Eggert and the two karts flew off the track.  Eggert’s kart was broken but Bronson was OK.  Troy’s kart continued but had damage and he exited to the pits.  There would be a new first time winner of the DD2 class this day with Troy’s exit.  Gimple is now the leader, but he is being chased by a very tenacious Arnstein.  As the race wore on, Arnstein is eating a bit into Gimple’s lead each lap until be was just about 5 karts lenghts back.  With 3 laps to go, Gimple mustarded up all his reserves a to put in 3 of his best laps and he increased the lead with each lap and came home a second in front of the 2008 class champ.  This was Gimple’s first feature win at the Infineon track.  In 3^rd was January Grove with David Palic putting in his best drive of the year by coming home a strong 4^th followed by Dave Moody in 5^th.

Junior Rotax and Mini-Max

The Junior Rotax and Mini-Max karts combined for Race #4.  The two Junior Rotax karts of Brody Zink and new comer Dominic Cavalli were on the front row with Drew Setzer leading the Mini-Max Qualify ahead of Harrison Mills and JR Raczko.  In the Pre-Main, Brody quickly pulled away from the pack and went on to a convincing win.  But the best battle all day was amongst the 3 Mini-Max karts.  Early on in the 12 lap Pre-Main, Mills took the lead and held off Setzer and Raczko by the slimmest of margins, less than a half second separating the 3 karts.  In the Main, again Brody Zink pulled away to take the Junior Rotax win.  Cavalli also pulled clear of the Mini-Max battle to take 2^nd in the Junior class.  But the real excitement was again in the Mini-Max class.  For 18 laps, the three karts ran nose to tail and exchanged the lead several times.  First Harrison controlled the front of the battle for the first 9 laps of the Main, then JR made the pass to take over second then made the same pass to get by Mills to take the lead.  But Mills was not going to give up the fight that easy.  Mills got a good run on the sweeper going into the infield and took over the lead from JR.  With the white flag waving, the 3 karts were still nose to tail with one lap to go.  Mills drove a flawless lap and JR could not see a place to make his move.  It all came down to the last turn.  Harrison set it up to get through quickly, but he left the door open and JR put his kart right on the inside rumble strips and took over the inside line of the curve and rolled around the corner just ahead of Mills with Setzer just behind.  All three karts came across the line almost side by side with only .121 of a second separating the three. 

80 Shifters 

The 80 Shifter classes has moved over to the Saturday race for the rest of the year, with 9 drivers entered, 7 Grand Masters and 2 Masters/Heavy driver.  Ahmiel Fried took the poll ahead of Marc Stanley, Tom Nelson and Rob Mullaney.  In the Pre-Main, Fried took the early lead ahead of Stanley with Roger Cornwall getting a good start to take the 3^rd spot ahead of Nelson.  It took Nelson a few laps to get by Cornwall but once he did he was too far back to catch up to the leading duo.  Stanley made a pass under braking to take over the lead and held on to win by less than a second, Nelson 3^rd and Cornwall 4^th.

In the Main, Fried took the lead on the drag race to the first turn and held the lead for the first 17 laps.  Nelson was in a very lonely 3^rd with Cornwall and Bob Lesnett battling for 4^th.  By staying behind Fried the entire race, Stanley had plenty of time to see a weakness in Fried’s driving.  So on the last lap, a much anticipated pass move was expected.  Stanley made his move under braking at the end of the back straight.  But Fried matched Stanley’s move and ran through the turn side by side.  Stanley came out a bit ahead but Ahmiel went to the inside of the next turn to out brake Stanley and regain the lead.  Stanley tried to out brake Fried at the next turn, but Ahmiel came out ahead and with it the control of the race.  Fried went on to take a very close win ahead of Stanley with Tom Nelson 3^rd.  While everyone was watching the leaders on the last lap, the Cornwall/Lesnett battle came to a crashing end when the two came together and spun off.  This allowed Rob Mullaney to take the 4^th spot with Blake Richards coming home 5^th. 

Senior Rotax

15 drivers turned out to run what has been the toughest class in 2009 Rotax season.  Even though four regular drivers were back at the Rotax Shootout in Norman, Oklahoma, the depth of the 2009 Rotax field meant that there were lots of strong drivers to compete for the Race #4 win.  In Qualify, two 2008 Junior Rotax graduates took the front row with Jordan Jadallah on poll with Donavon Wheeler right next to Jordan.  Nikola Radosavljvich was third followed by a fast improving Carlos Calderon  and Mathew Weiss in 5^th.  In the Pre-Main, Jadallah took the lead through turn one and the race was over after two laps as Jordan started to pull away.  Nikola got by Wheeler at the start and controlled 2^nd for the entire race.  Wheeler challenged Nikola at first but had to spend more time holding off a challenge from Andrew Novich, who got a great start moving up from 7^th at the start.  Mathew Weiss put in his best drive of the year to come home 5^th just ahead of Calderon.  In the Main, Nikola, Novich and Wheeler did not allow Jordan to get away so quickly and battled the 2007/2008 Junior Rotax Champ for the first few laps.  Novich got by Jordan on the second lap with Nikola and Wheeler also getting by Jordan.  Jadallah did not panic and got back into a fast rhythm and picked off the front three karts one at a time until he was able to pass Novich for the lead.  Novich could not hold on and eventually was under attack from Nikola.  All the while a great battle was ragging for the 5^th through 9^th spots with Travis Duhn methodically getting by one kart at a time.  Once in 5^th, Travis was able to pull away and put pressure on Wheeler who was 4^th.  Travis and Wheeler battled with Travis getting by near the end of the race.  Jadallah held the top position to take the checker flag nearly 3 seconds in front of Nikola with Novich another second back in 3^rd followed by Travis Duhn and Donavon Wheeler.

All Results and Championship points can be found at www.mylaps.com .

The next round of the Jim Russell Championship Series will be on August 29^th and will run for the only time in 2009 the Reverse Sprint configuration.  This will start a very busy 2 and ½ months for the Jim Russell Norcal Rotax Challenge Series which will have 6 races plus the Rotax Nationals during this period.

For more information on the Jim Russell Championship Karting Series or on the Norcal Rotax Challenge, contact race director Ric Shaw at racedirector-ric@hotmail.com.  You can also get more Norcal Rotax Challenge info at www.norcalrotax.com .

7-27-09 SUPERKARTS! USA STEPPING UP WITH RETURN OF PRO TOUR IN 2010
 

Famed SuperNationals to be joined by SpringNationals and SummerNationals

TEMECULA, CA (July 27, 2009) – From the first day that Tom Kutscher sat at the Superkarts! USA helm following his purchase of the shifterkart organization, the karting enthusiast had one underlying goal – return the program to its glory days. The popular SKUSA ProMoto Tour vaulted gearbox racing to the forefront in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, making famous the names of top drivers like Darren Elliott, Jason LaPoint, Bobby Wilson, Scott Speed and Ron White.  Kutscher was a top competitor in the series’ Formula G1 category for Masters drivers, spending considerable time on the podium himself.  During this stretch, he reveled in the electricity of the trackside atmosphere, the paddock camaraderie and the quality of the racing.  After watching the series fall from grace, Kutscher eventually assumed control of SKUSA and has been systematically putting it back together by developing regional programs and re-stoking the magic in its annual SuperNationals.  Looking into the future, the Californian will now take the next logical step in bringing back a national series in the promotion of a three-race Pro Tour for 2010, which will expand the popularity of the SuperNats with the running of a SpringNationals in April and a SummerNationals in July. As customary, the SuperNationals will once again cap off the year of competition in Las Vegas in November.
 
“My memories of the ProMoto Tour are spectacular, and I’ve always known that events of that quality, prestige and excitement are needed within the Superkarts! USA program,” admitted Kutscher, excited about his newest effort. “Expanding the SuperNationals model with a pair of additional venues is motivated by our desire to grow our platform into new regions of the country. Providing a sample of the SKUSA equation to new racers will be a lot of fun.  The ultimate goal is to have three events that are presented in the quality of the SuperNationals.”
 
Demand for such a program has been high, and Kutscher is ready to tackle this new challenge. “I’ve been asked countless times to bring back the ProMoto Tour, and I think the timing is right,” Kutscher continued. “We’ve been working on this for a couple of years, so that it would be ready to roll out when it was needed, and I think the continuing growth of our Stock Moto program and the return of the SuperNats to the Rio all point towards putting a series back together.”
 
The new ‘SKUSA Pro Tour’ program will kick off in April – once the assorted ‘winter series’ have been completed and the teams and drivers have been able to enjoy a little downtime to reset for the season.  While the venues have yet to be confirmed, the inaugural SKUSA ‘SpringNationals’ event is being targeted at the southern half of the United States, likely in the middle of the country, to take full advantage of the warmer weather. To balance out the schedule, the ‘SummerNationals’ will be held in July in a more northern location, again centrally located.  Kutscher is expecting to run one event at an existing karting facility during the inaugural year of the Pro Tour, focusing on the move to all temporary venues in 2011. Temporary circuits that eliminate testing will keep the costs down, and they also provide for exciting and unique experiences.
 
“We want to bring the SKUSA experience to racers all across the country – and working our way from East to West all the way to the SuperNationals will help us develop new regional enthusiasts as well,” Kutscher explained. “I can see the SummerNationals working in conjunction with our ever-expanding Central States Challenge, which will certainly help make sure that it is a huge event. We’ve got a great event in the works for that stop on the Pro Tour.”
 
The program will remain true to SKUSA’s unique class structure, which maintains the unbeatable thrill and experience of shifterkart racing paired with the affordability of a spec stock engine package in the Honda CR125.  Although the final class structure for the new ‘Pro Tour’ is not yet confirmed, racers can expect to see the stock moto-based S3 and S4 categories featured prominently, along with the popular addition of the G1, TaG Senior, TaG Masters and TaG Junior classes, all four of which drew hugely at last fall’s SuperNats when the Senior class attracted 100 competitors to the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in November. The recent surge in support of the S5 Stock Moto Junior class, which will likely see a full field of 40 drivers in Las Vegas, may put this category in the line-up as well.
 
“The Stock Moto and TaG classes are the foundation of our program and keeping a focused line-up is extremely important to our brand of racing,” Kutscher adds. “By offering a limited number of classes, we are able to offer our customers lots of track time without having to bring multiple karts to the track.”
 
The first two events will feature two full and separate days of competition on Saturday and Sunday, putting the series race total at five when you factor in the single main events at the SuperNats. The series will also give SKUSA the opportunity to restart its national number program, awarding special number plates to the top-10 in each category at the end of the five-race schedule.  At the end of the SuperNationals, SKUSA will award the prestigious #1 plates to the country’s best drivers.
 
Superkarts! USA will be releasing more information on the Pro Tour as the season continues, beginning with the official class structure, the event schedule and the introduction of the organization’s new licensing system. SKUSA is also preparing several updates on this year’s SuperNationals, which is already close to filling several of its classes.  
 
 

7-23-09 OLEEN RETURNS TO VICTORY LANE WITH USAC FORD FOCUS MIDGET TROPHY DASH WIN

Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle driver scored the win in Round 11 of the USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Series at Madera Speedway

MADERA, CALIF. (July 22, 2009) – Jeff Oleen continued his pursuit of the USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Car Series title on Saturday (July 18), with another visit to victory lane at Madera Speedway. The talented American Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle development driver, who currently sits third in the championship fight, captured the USAC Ford Focus Midget Trophy Dash win at the California oval.

Given Oleen had previously captured a pair of USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Car Series Feature race wins at Madera Speedway this year, both he and the team were confident when the event activities commenced via Friday Night practice. The Bethesda, Md. Native promptly lived up to the expectations, turning the fastest practice times on the 1/3-mile oval.

When the No. 8 Oleen Pinnacle Healthcare/PitFit Training/Best Buddies/Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle USAC Ford Focus Midget returned to the track one day later for qualifying, Oleen was among those in contention for the Feature race pole position. While the RSWC race pilot did turn the ideal lap, posting the fourth fastest time, it did result in the pole position for the Trophy Dash race.

Oleen, as fans and fellow competitors have come to expect, made the most of the starting position a short time later. Never relinquishing the lead, the former multiple World Karting Association champion and Skip Barber race-winner scored a comfortable win when the checkered flag waved.

With one win already under his belt on the night, Oleen set about adding points to his championship effort in the Heat and Feature races. While unable to return to victory lane, a second and fourth place results in the two races earned the Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle development driver valuable points.

“Jeff has proven his talent week in and week out in this series with poles, trophy dash wins and main event wins,” said head of development, Ron Sutton. “We’re impressed with his talent, his results and character as a person.”

The 2009 USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Car Series resumes on August 15, with the Ron Sutton Winner’s Circle USAC Ford Focus Midget team traveling back to the tricky 1/3-mile Madera Speedway oval in central California.
 

7-23-09 Excelent Racing for Round #4 of the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge

Race #4 of the 2009 Northern California Rotax Challenge dawned to a great day of sunshine and warm temperatures and some competitive kart racing at the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway.  We have been joined by a couple of classes from the Sunday Jim Russell Series so we had some extra competitors who also enjoyed the day. 
 
Rotax Micro-Max
 
Another solid field of 7 Micro-Max karts turned out along with one Gazelle engine TaG kart.  In Qualifing, Michael Mitchoff took the pole ahead of Nicky Hays and Wilson Skjerven.  At the start of the Pre-Main, Mitchoff took the lead ahead of Hays, Skjerven and Toni Breidinger with the Gazelle of Tommy McCarthy starting last and working his way through the field.  Toni B. and Wilson tangle early on and this allows Toni's sister Annie to get by and take over 3rd.  Shortly thereafter, McCarthy continues his passing through the field and takes over 3rd, then gets by Hays and near the end of the race gets safely passes Mitchoff to go on to a 2 second win followed by Mitchoff, Hays and Annie Breidinger.
 
For the Main, McCarthy started from the rear again to work on his passing skills, thus it was Mitchoff leading the field into turn one from the poll.  Hays had another slow start and lost contact rather soon.  Annie showed that her Pre-Main performance was not a fluke and pulled away from Skjerven.  McCarthy again carved his way through the field and was up to second when he dropped a wheel and spun, eventually rejoining the field in 7th.  Mitchoff continued to increase his lead on Hays and took the checkered just over 4 seconds ahead.  Annie pulled away from Skjerven to finish in her best position of the year with a solid 3rd, followed by McCarthy (Gazelle) and Wilson Skjerven, who was 5th, 4th in class. 
 
Rotax Masters and Masters Light
 
The combined Rotax Masters and Masters Light classes again turned out a large field with 10 Masters karts and 8 Masters Light karts.  In the Qualifing, the front row went to a couple of Masters Lights drivers, Joe Karratt and 3 time winner Andrea Delfanti.  Donald Durbin was the top Masters in 3rd followed by Mert Solis (Lights), David Harwin (Masters) and Mary Beth Wilson (Lights).  In the Pre-Main, Karratt lead the field into turn one and pulled away easily to take an uncontested 5 second win.  The real racing fun was for 2nd where Durbin and Delfanti went back and forth the entire way with Durbin finishing just ahead of the Lights driver.  Harwin was another 5 seconds back then there was a gap to a group of 4 karts that battled the entire way.  Mert Solis led this group to the checkered flag followed by Wilson, Doloras Mosqueda (Lights) and Jack Arluck (Masters). 
 
In the Main, some bumping just after the green flag caused Mert Solis to crash out.  Karratt again took the early lead and he went on to a comfortable 7 second win to take the race and 1st place in the Lights class.  Durbin and Delfanti battled back and forth again for the second overall spot with Durbin finally taking control of 2nd and also the win in the Masters class.   Delfanti was 3rd, 2nd in Lights.  Two time Masters winner David Harwin just did not have the fast setup today and had to settle for a 4th overall and 2nd in the Masters class.  David Oroshnik came up and challenged Mary Beth Wilson for 5th overall at mid-race, but he spun while attempting a pass under hard braking and that ended his day.  Jack Arluck then pressured Wilson and took over 5th at the end of the race, 3rd in Masters.  Wilson (Lights) was 6th just head of hubby Jerry Pretti (Masters) in 7th, Ron Jenkins (Masters) in 8th, Dolores Mosqueda (Lights) in 9th and Andre Eriksen (Masters) recovering from a lap one spin to come home 10th.
 
Rotax DD2
 
Eight of the 2 speed Rotax karts took to the track with everyone expecting another run away from 3 time winner Troy Castenada, but Troy would end up with a day to forget.  As the field was preparing to go out for Qualifing, Troy's starter motor failed, thus he got no time.  David Arnstein took the poll by over a half second ahead of Kyle Gimple followed by January Grove, Bronson Eggert and David Palic.  In the Pre-Main, Arnstein took the early lead ahead of Gimple.  Castenada quickly carved his way through the field and got right behind Arnstein and looking to make the pass.  But as Troy pulled out to make a pass, he clipped Arnstein's rear bumper and David went a spinning.  David recovered and was running in 4th.  Troy was now in the lead, but it did not last long as something went wrong with the kart and it stopped on track.  Gimple went on to the win followed by Grove, Arnstein and Eggert. 
 
At the start of the Main, Gimple took the lead into turn one followed by Arnstein and Grove.  But on lap one, Castenada again was coming up the inside of Eggert to attempt a pass but instead he misjudged it and went over the rear wheel of Eggert and the two karts flew off the track.  Eggert's kart was broken but Bronson was OK.  Troy's kart continued but had damage and he exited to the pits.  There would be a new first time winner of the DD2 class this day with Troy's exit.  Gimple is now the leader, but he is being chased by a very tenacious Arnstein.  As the race wore on, Arnstein is eating a bit into Gimple's lead each lap until be was just about 5 karts lengths back.  With 3 laps to go, Gimple mustarded up all his reserves to put in 3 of his best laps and he increased the lead with each lap and came home a second in front of the 2008 class champ.  This was Gimple's first feature win at the Infineon track.  In 3rd was January Grove with David Palic putting in his best drive of the year by coming home a strong 4th followed by Dave Moody in 5th.
 
Junior Rotax and Mini-Max
 
The Junior Rotax and Mini-Max karts combined for Race #4.  The two Junior Rotax karts of Brody Zink and new comer Dominic Cavalli were on the front row with Drew Setzer leading the Mini-Max Qualifing ahead of Harrison Mills and JR Raczko.  In the Pre-Main, Brody quickly pulled away from the pack and went on to a convincing win.  But the best battle all day was amongst the 3 Mini-Max karts.  Early on in the 12 lap Pre-Main, Mills took the lead and held off Setzer and Raczko by the slimmest of margins, less than a half second separating the 3 karts. 
 
In the Main, again Brody Zink pulled away to take the Junior Rotax win.  Cavalli also pulled clear of the Mini-Max battle to take 2nd in the Junior class.  But the real excitement was again in the Mini-Max class.  For 18 laps, the three karts ran nose to tail and exchanged the lead several times.  First Harrison controlled the front of the battle for the first 9 laps of the Main, then JR made the pass to take over second then made the same pass to get by Mills to take the lead.  But Mills was not going to give up the fight that easy.  Mills got a good run on the sweeper going into the infield and took over the lead from JR.  With the white flag waving, the 3 karts were still nose to tail with one lap to go.  Mills drove a flawless lap and JR could not see a place to make his move.  It all came down to the last turn.  Harrison set it up to get through quickly, but he left the door open and JR put his kart right on the inside rumble strips and took over the inside line of the curve and rolled around the corner just ahead of Mills with Setzer just behind.  All three karts came across the line almost side by side with only .121 of a second separating the three.  
 
Senior Rotax
 
15 drivers turned out to run what has been the toughest class in 2009 Rotax season.  Even though four regular drivers were back at the Rotax Shootout in Norman, Oklahoma, the depth of the 2009 Rotax field meant that there were lots of strong drivers to compete for the Race #4 win.  In Qualifing, two 2008 Junior Rotax graduates took the front row with Jordan Jadallah on poll with Donavon Wheeler right next to Jordan.  Nikola Radosavljvich was third followed by a fast improving Carlos Calderon  and Mathew Weiss in 5th.  In the Pre-Main, Jadallah took the lead through turn one and the race was over after two laps as Jordan started to pull away.  Nikola got by Wheeler at the start and controlled 2nd for the entire race.  Wheeler challenged Nikola at first but had to spend more time holding off a challenge from Andrew Novich, who got a great start moving up from 7th at the start.  Mathew Weiss put in his best drive of the year to come home 5th just ahead of Calderon. 
 
In the Main, Nikola, Novich and Wheeler did not allow Jordan to get away so quickly and battled the 2007/2008 Junior Rotax Champ for the first few laps.  Novich got by Jordan on the second lap with Nikola and Wheeler also getting by Jordan.  Jadallah did not panic and got back into a fast rhythm and picked off the front three karts one at a time until he was able to pass Novich for the lead.  Novich could not hold on and eventually was under attack from Nikola.  All the while a great battle was ragging for the 5th through 9th spots with Travis Duhn methodically getting by one kart at a time.  Once in 5th, Travis was able to pull away and put pressure on Wheeler who was 4th.  Travis and Wheeler battled with Travis getting by near the end of the race.  Jadallah held the top position to take the checker flag nearly 3 seconds in front of Nikola with Novich another second back in 3rd followed by Travis Duhn and Donavon Wheeler.

The next round of the Jim Russell Championship Series will be on August 29th and will run for the only time in 2009 the Reverse Sprint configuration.  This will start a very busy 2 and ½ months for the Jim Russell Norcal Rotax Challenge Series which will have 6 races plus the Rotax Nationals during this period.
 
Full race results including MyLaps data posted on series website at http://results.norcalrotax.com.
 
Some snaps of the days events have been posted at http://www.norcalrotax.com/multimedia/.
 
2009 National points tables can be found at www.usrmaxnrd.com.

For more information about the Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge, contact race director Ric Shaw at racedirector-ric@hotmail.com or go to the Nor Cal Rotax website at www.norcalrotax.com.
 
Thank you to all our series sponsors.  Please give your business to these businesses that support you.

7-16-09 CRISTIANI SCORES INAUGURAL GRAND AMERICAN MODIFIED FEATURE WIN AT HOME TRACK
 

A near perfect run sent Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle 14 year-old shoe to victory lane at Ukiah Speedway

UKIAH, CALIF. (July 14, 2009) – Fourteen year-old Trevor Cristiani took the next step towards a career development on Saturday (July 11), scoring the Grand American Modified feature race win at Ukiah Speedway in California. The win in the King of the Hill Challenge Series marked the first feature race victory of the season for the first-year Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle development driver.

Racing at his home track, Cristiani wasted little time showing he was going to be factor when the Grand American Modified cars took to the Ukiah Speedway quarter-mile oval in Northern California on Saturday. While the young Ron Sutton Winner’s Circle driver did not turn the time he desired in single-car qualifying, posting the ninth fastest time, Cristiani immediately responded during the heat race. The second-year Grand American Modified driver immediately jumped into the lead when the green flag waved, and never looked back en route to the heat race win.

When the feature race got underway a short time later the trend continued, as the No. 90 Fast Lube Plus/Matt’s Custom Tree Care/Smith Concrete construction/Johnny Franklin Mufflers/Nor-cal Transmissions/Lee’s Sporting Goods/Kutting Edge Auto Refinishing/Cristiani Racing/Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle Grand American Modified quickly became the car everyone was chasing. Cristiani, having worked his way into the lead on the opening lap, soon had a multi-car advantage. While lapped traffic in the closing stages of the race allowed second place to get within striking distance, the Californian never panicked. With help from his spotter, the multiple time Outlaw Kart champion and record holder never relinquished the lead, scoring his inaugural Grand American Modified feature win.

“Trevor did an extremely good job of remaining patient,” commented Cristiani Racing principal Danny Cristiani. “We had a strategy when he got out front, and he executed it to perfection. Despite still being a young driver, Trevor weaved his way thru lapped traffic like a veteran to claim his first win.”

“Trevor is a real talent,” Head of Driver Development, Ron Sutton stated, “Winning in full-size race cars … in various competitive series … is the key to building an impressive resume for young drivers. To do that at 14 is impressive. We see great things in Trevor’s future development with RSWC.”

Cristiani continues his Grand American Modified campaign on July 18, with action at Lakeport Speedway in California.
 

7-16-09 Jim Russell Norcal Rotax Challenge Race Schedule

Race day schedule and registration forms for this weekends Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge is available at

 
http://www.norcalrotax.com/2009/07/round_4_preview/


After a six-week break, the racers of the Nor Cal Rotax Challenge are ready to get back in action on July 18 for round 4 of the series. Running on the tight and challenging Sprint Track configuration, drivers will certainly need all their endurance for the mid-summer heat.
 
The Rotax classes have seen upwards of a 20% growth over last year and officials expects the strong fields to continue for this mid-summer event. Senior Rotax has been the strongest class of the year with 20 entries per race and a very tight field of drivers. With three winners in three races, (Nic LeDuc, Wes Phillips, Jake Mottaz) the Senior Rotax class has shown to be very competitive in 2009.
 
The same can't be said for three other classes which have seen domination by Kiel Spaulding (Junior Rotax), Andrea Delfanti (Masters Light) and Troy Castenada (DD2), all sweeping the first three races. Tight racing has been the standard in Micro-Max, Mini-Max, and Rotax Masters with multiple winners and several drivers contending for top honors.

Registration starts at 7:15 am Saturday morning with pre-registration available on Friday, 2 sessions of Practice starts at 8:15 am, Qualify at 11:00 am and the afternoon of racing will start at 12:45 pm.

Hope to see many of you this weekend.

Thanks,
2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge
 

7-15-09 BUCKWALTER LEADS DOMINATING WEEKEND IN SONOMA FOR PROKART CHALLENGE NORTH

 
Seven drivers score event sweeps at Jim Russell International Karting Center for round five

SONOMA, CA (July 11, 2009) – The Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge North wrapped up the fifth round of the seven event championship program on July 11 at the Jim Russell International Karting Center inside the Infineon Raceway facility. The event was contested on the 0.68-mile ‘Sprint’ configuration at the Sonoma, California circuit, with a number of drivers offering dominating performances to sweep the day’s action.
 
Brett Buckwalter put himself back into the TaG Senior championship chase with a weekend sweep – to a near perfect score in the points on the day. A 48.524 lap time in qualifying gave Buckwalter a two-tenths advantage over championship leader Will Martindale for the pole position. A bad opening lap by Martindale – which dropped him to eighth in the order – allowed Buckwalter to cruise to the first heat win over Larry Fraser. Despite his bad luck, Martindale powered through to regain most of the spots to end up third after the eight-lap sprint. Buckwalter went flag to flag in the second heat, as Martindale assumed the runner-up spot – Fraser retired after taking the green with a broken chain. Brett Felkins – struggling in qualifying and the opening heat – found the right changes to come up from 13th to third.
 
The feature was a mere duplicate of Buckwalter’s earlier performances, as he again went green to checkered in the 20-lap main event for his second straight feature victory. The only thing that kept it from a perfect weekend was Martindale stealing the fast lap honors in the feature for 10 extra championship points. It would be much needed after losing the second position to Felkins in the opening lap and unable to reclaim the position to finish third. JP Cadoux recorded his third fourth-place feature result of the season, while Fraser recovered to fifth to salvage his points total for the weekend and stay in the title hunt.
 
Tom Dyer was successful in ending the S3 winning streak of championship leader Jacob Neal with a sweep in the class action Saturday. The 2007 S3 SKUSA SuperNationals champion returned to action – in preparation of this year’s November event – and was successful in stopping Neal’s streak at three on the PKC North program. Dyer edged teammate Daniel Bray for the pole position, with title contenders Tommy Thompson and Neal third and fourth quickest. Dyer and Kiwi Bray ran 1-2 in the opening heat, with Neal getting around Thompson for third. Neal would get by Bray in the final heat to run second to Dyer to set up for a great feature battle. The inside line with Dyer and Bray would relegate Neal back to third at the start of the main event. With Bray running second, Dyer was able to put space on the two fighting for the runner-up spot to lead all 20 laps. Neal spent the entire race chasing Bray, and was successful in taking over the second spot on lap 18. It would all be for not, as Neal made a slight error and went off course on his way to the checkered flag, ending his race and putting him eighth – which allowed Bray to assume the second spot. Steve Reasoner slipped past Thompson for fourth at the start and would end up completing the podium in third with Neal’s DNF.
 
A kart change did not slow down HPV-2 Junior point leader Kiel Spaulding, as the young pilot switched brands prior to the event and nevertheless put in a perfect weekend to extend his lead. Scoring the fast lap in qualifying by just one-tenth over championship rivals Luis Tyrrell and Dylan Lupton, Spaulding cruised to two-second wins in both heats. Lupton would run second in both eight-lap runs, with Tyrrell in third. Spaulding continued to put down a torturous pace – nearly four-tenths of a second quicker a lap – to stretch out to a nine-second victory. Lupton held strong in second, while Tyrrell retired on lap four with mechanical issues, handing the third position and the final podium step to Federico Paoloni in his first PKC North event.
 
Lupton would earn his victory on the day, however, in the TaG Junior division – and assume the points lead. With the absence of Spaulding and former point leader Adrian Starrantino, Lupton ran unchallenged throughout the day, scoring the pole position in qualifying while leading flag to flag in the heat races and the feature. Austin Elliott scored the fast lap of the feature to steal 10 championship points; however, he was unable to stick with Lupton for the full 20 laps. Elliott earned his first podium of the season, while Kathryn Cornell ran to third, scoring her second podium finish of the season.
 
The S4 category saw championship leader Jamie Wilson add to his points lead with his second straight feature victory, his third on the year. Wilson was two-tenths quicker than Peter Workum and Alex Keith in qualifying, and continued to show the way once racing got underway. Keith kept it close in the first heat as he crossed the line just half a second back from Wilson – as Workum ran third. Wilson picked up the pace in the second heat to stretch out to a three second margin over the field. Workum assumed the challenger role in the 20-lap main event, as he put Keith back to third while setting his sights on Wilson. Though he kept it close early, Workum was unable to match Wilson’s pace as he went on to take the victory by two-seconds.
 
Jeff Deehan submitted his name into the TaG Master’s title mix with his class sweep toward his first feature victory of the season. Deehan edged championship contenders Jim Zootis and Steve Elo for top spot in qualifying. A poor opening lap in heat one put Deehan at the back of the six kart field; however, he muscled his way back to the point to take the win over Elo and Zootis. That would be the only time Deehan was challenged, as he went flag to flag for the heat two win and the feature victory. Zootis and Elo ran second and third in heat two. However, they fell off the pace in the feature -- finishing sixth and fourth respectively. That allowed Helmar Beregszaszy and David Gwin to slide through for second and third.
 
Jim Kidd was the final sweep of the day, as he bested Ethan Wilson each on-track session in the G1 category to extend his standings lead. Cody Hodgson and Jacob Neal each now have two wins a piece in the S1 category, as Hodgson scored the victory Saturday to tighten up their duel for the class title.
 
Tom Kutscher wants to thank Shawn Thomas for again bringing out a priceless vintage race car – this time a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO – to share with the ProKart Challenge contenders. TaG Masters winner Jeff Deehan and S4 winner Jamie Wilson enjoyed a victory lap (or two) around the track after the race on Saturday, courtesy of the Tom Price collection.
 
Round six of the seven race program will take place on August 15 at the Jim Russell International Karting Center, while the ProKart Challenge South will wrap up the 2009 season on August 29 at the CalSpeed Karting circuit in Fontana, California. For more information on the Superkarts! USA’s ProKart Challenge itself, head to www.prokartchallenge.com or call 951-491-0808.
 
 

7-15-09 ROCK ISLAND GRAND PRIX UPDATE

Rock Island Grand Prix

7-13-09 Jim Russell Karting Championship Round #4 –

Race Preview 

After a six-week break, the racers of the Jim Russell Karting Championship are ready to get back in action on July 18 for round 4 of the series.  Running on the tight and challenging Sprint Track configuration, drivers’ will certainly need all their endurance for the mid-summer heat.

As previously announced, the 80 Shifter and Junior 1 Comer/Gazelle classes will move over to the Saturday race day schedule, sharing the day with the Jim Russell NorCal Rotax Challenge Series competitors. Also on tap, the Cadet and Junior Arrive and Drive series, offering from the Jim Russell Race Drivers School as hassle free approach to racing. Competitors in the 80 Shifter class will run in their own race group for Qualifying, Pre-Main and Main, the Comers and Gazelles will run with the Rotax Mini-Max class in July.

The Rotax classes have seen upwards of a 20% growth over last year and expecting the strong fields to continue for this mid-summer event.  Senior Rotax has been the strongest class of the year with 20 entries per race and a very tight field of drivers.  With three winners in three races, (Nic LeDuc, Wes Phillips, Jake Mottaz) the Senior Rotax class has shown to be very competitive in 2009.  The same can’t be said for three other classes seeing domination by Kiel Spaulding(Junior Rotax), Andrea Delfanti (Masters Light) and Troy Castenada (DD2) sweeping the first three races.  Tight racing has been the standard in Micro-Max, Mini-Max and Rotax Masters with multiple winners and several drivers contending for top honors.

Moving to the Saturday line-up, the 80 Shifter race group has seen the largest turn out so far this year in its Grand Master competitors.  A stalwart in NorCal, 80 shifters continue to find a competitive home at the Jim Russell International Karting Center.  Mark Nason, Mark Stanley and Ahmiel Freed have won the Main events at the end of the day, but points leader Tom Nelson will be looking to claim the top spot for July.  The 80 Shifter group also will host Senior and Master category.

Registration starts at 7:15 Saturday morning with pre-registration happening on Friday, 2 sessions of Practice starts at 8:15, Qualify at 11:00 and the afternoon of racing will start at 12:45.  For a detailed race day schedule or more information on the Jim Russell Karting Championship, contact race director Ric Shaw at racedirector-ric@hotmail.com.

7-2-09 WKA’s Karting Scene Correction – Team Valhalla Racing 360 Plus Device

The current issue of WKA’s Karting Scene magazine includes a reference to Team Valhalla’s program to provide a field replacement part for its 360 Plus Device.  There is misinformation in this reference to the 360 Plus Device. WKA’s Karting Scene staff was provided with incorrect information and it was published; the magazine staff apologizes for the errors.

The errors include an incorrect contact number for Team Valhalla. The correct number is 419-682-1360.

It also refers to the program as a “recall.” This is a misnomer. The program is fully described in detail in the June 10, 2009, Pit Board announcements and Web site posts. Under the program Team Valhalla Racing will provide a replacement part for the 360 Plus Device at no charge to its customers. The part is to be installed by the customer. See the post on the WKA Web site for complete information on this program.

The two June 10 Pit Boards regarding the 360 Plus Device can be found at the following links: http://www.worldkarting.com/pg/news/2009-06/360Plus.html; http://www.worldkarting.com/pg/news/2009-06/Valhalla.html.

Again, WKA’s Karting Scene apologizes for any inconvenience.

7-2-09 FIRESTONE SWEEPS MASTERS SHIFTER CLASS IN SANTA MARIA AT PROKART CHALLENGE SOUTH

 
Last event at current Santa Maria Karting Association location for PKC South program

SANTA MARIA, CA – Beautiful weather welcomed the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge South program to the Santa Maria Karting Association facility on June 27 for the sixth round of the 2009 championship. The karting circuit, located on the grounds of the city’s airport, provided great racing around the 7/10-mile circuit known as the ‘National K layout’. The event marked the return of former PKC regulars to the top of the podium – as Nick Firestone showed the way the entire day in the G1 division, while Connor De Phillippi took the win in S1.
 
Firestone was on his game early as he out-qualified the closest competitor, Fernando Diaz, by four-tenths. Running in the 47-second lap bracket, Firestone cruised to a five second victory in the first heat and three second win in the second heat. Roy Montgomery and PP Mastro swapped positions to run second and third to Firestone in the heat races. Mastro tried to keep it close in the 20-lap feature; however, Firestone continued to put down a consistent pace that Mastro could not match. Firestone was able to stretch out to a two-second advantage for his first PKC win of the year. Mastro had to settle for second, although he gained ground on Troy Butts and Roy Montgomery in the championship chase, as they finished seventh and fifth respectively. Diaz was able to record the fastest lap of the race, as he played catch up on the front two, running out of time and filling out the final step of the podium – with PKC North driver Jim Kidd finishing fourth.
 
Running on the track at the same time, the S1 division saw a chess match between De Phillippi and championship leader Jacob Neal. In qualifying, Neal had the advantage by two-tenths and took the provisional opening heat win – until penalized two positions for jumping the start, thus giving De Phillippi the win. Though the two recorded identical fast laps in the second heat, Neal would again show the way for the race win. De Phillippi got the holeshot to begin the 20-lap feature, with Neal coming back on lap eight to reassume the lead. He would hold that spot until De Phillippi struck back on lap 18 to slide through for the position. The four-time SuperNationals winner held off Neal to take the win by just over seven-tenths, as the two nearly posted identical fast laps once again, showing just how evenly matched the two were. Peter Abba ran a solid third to complete the top-three, with Jason Chott and Imran Husain rounding out the top-five.
 
Neal, however, would continue his reign over the S3 division in ProKart Challenge competition, earning his fifth straight win in the South program. Clinton Schoombee had the early edge over Neal, as he nipped him in qualifying by just 82-thousandths for the top honor. Neal got the holeshot to begin the opening heat race, but Schoombee struck right back to retake the position and go on to the win – with Neal riding on his bumper the entire time and Patrick Cushenberry running a close third. Neal would not complete a lap in the second heat, as an issue with shifter linkage on his Honda engine forced him to pull off. This put Schoombee at the point, with Cushenberry putting on the pressure. Lap four, Cushenberry took over the position and went on to take the win. Schoombee fell to third, as Harley Owen picked up the pace, recording the fastest lap of the race to slide into second. As the field has seen before, Neal was able to slice his way forward in the 20-lap main event, eventually catching the leaders by lap three. The top three mixed it up hard in the early goings, as each took a turn leading, allowing Neal to close in quickly. By lap five, Neal had found himself at the point. From there, he put down some monster laps to pull out to a six second margin of victory. Schoombee won the battle for second over Cushenberry, as Brad Dunford slid by Owen for fourth near the halfway mark.
 
The S4 division looked to be a day-long battle between championship leader Jeff Smith and competitors Jason Attwood and Phil Dunford. The three qualified within 66-thousandths of one another – with Attwood getting the edge over Smith and Dunford. Once racing began, however, Dunford retired early after making contact with one of the barriers; then on lap five Attwood had contact with Ken Schilling, which sent Attwood to the back of the field. That allowed Smith to cruise to the opening heat win. The next session was all Smith once again, as he took the win over Rob Whitley and Casey Young. Attwood had worked up to fourth along with Dunford into fifth. Young was able to get the best start of the front runners in the 20-lap feature, and led the opening two laps before Smith regained the position on lap three. From there, he would go on to lead the rest of the laps to record his first feature win of the season and extend his championship lead. Attwood held off Dunford for the second spot, with Ken Schilling and Peter Workum completing the top-five.
 
Alex Speed also extended his points lead in the KF2 division with his win in Santa Maria. Speed showed the way in qualifying – as well as the opening heat over Cody Hodgson and Billy Cleavelin. In the second heat, Hodgson took advantage of Speed – retiring on lap two with his chain popping off – to go on to win over Cleavelin and Ryon Beachner. Speed was able to bounce back quickly in the feature, as he was leading by lap two of the 20-lap race – and then led the rest of the way for his third straight victory. Hodgson ran alone in second, with Will Martindale recovering from earlier issues to join them on the podium. Cleavelin ran fourth, with Beachner in fifth.
 
The TaG Master class saw Ethan Stone record the fastest lap in qualifying. However, he was not running up to SKUSA engine rules, which put championship leader Steve Wiener on the point to begin the heat race action. Wiener went flag-to-flag in the opener over Jeff Bobbitt – and Allan Svela up to third. Wiener was leading early in the second heat until lap three, when contact put him at the tail of the field. Bobbitt assumed the point and took the victory over Deehan, while Wiener climbed back up to third. At the drop of the green, Bobbitt put down some quick laps early on cold MG Tires to continue to show the way, eventually leading all 20 laps for his second feature win of the year. Wiener ran second, with Mike Kelley posting the fastest lap of the race as he came up from fifth to third. Deehan was fourth with Svela rounding out the top-five.
 
Though only three drivers contested the S4 Magnum division, all three were in the hunt throughout the day. Luke Bianco led the way in qualifying; however, Tony Morrison and Todd Scholta each won a heat race. In the end, Bianco muscled his way to the point and took the victory by six seconds over Morrison and Scholta. Howie Idelson gained points in the TaG Senior championship chase after taking both heat wins and the feature. Point leader Larry Fraser was the top qualifier; however, he was unable to match Idelson’s pace the rest of the day. Newcomer Tyler Jones took second in the main behind Idelson, as Fraser retired on lap seven with a broken chain.
 
The final round of the 2009 ProKart Challenge South program will take the competitors back to where it all began this season – CalSpeed Karting at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. On August 29, PKC South champions will be decided in the seventh and final round, this time contesting the circuit in the reverse direction. Following the action, those that earn the titles will be crowned at the October 3 banquet – location to be announced shortly. For more information on the Superkarts! USA’s ProKart Challenge itself, head to www.prokartchallenge.com or call 951-491-0808.
 
 

SONOMA, CALIF (JUNE 29, 2009) - Long time racer and world-class shifter kart pilot, Gary Carlton has joined the Jim Russell International Karting Center as a driving instructor.  Carlton will join the team of instructors at Jim Russell leading students in Techniques of Karting classes, school race events and individual driver development instruction.

Back in 1958, Jim Russell ran the first 24-hour karting race at the Snetterton circuit in England.  Today, the 16-turn, 0.76 mile Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway, is one of the premier karting venues in the country and offers a full range of karting courses for beginners to experienced drivers eight years and above.  Jim Russell Racing Drivers School trains drivers in a variety of karting and formula programs to help them make it to the highest rungs of motorsports.  Available for testing, the Jim Russell International Karting Center is open to experienced karting racers, who want to complete in a number of karting series, including the Jim Russell Karting Championship Series, the Northern California ROTAX MAX Challenge and the ProKart Challenge North.