Archives June 2009

6-25-09 RUNYAN RETURNS TO FORMULA FORD VICTORY LANE AT MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA
 


Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle driver scored the win in two of the three
races at the famed Northern California road course

MONTEREY, CALIF. (June 23, 2009) – Bobby Runyan returned to victory lane
this past weekend (June 20-21), scoring two San Francisco Region SCCA
Formula Ford wins at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The Ron Sutton’s
Winner’s Circle driver was the one to watch throughout the weekend,
earning three pole positions in the tripleheader in addition to the
double victories.

Runyan’s pursuit of the San Francisco Region SCCA Formula Ford title at
the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca commenced on Friday with a morning
practice session. Quickly getting up to speed behind the wheel of his
No. 2 Porter Racing/Raging Bull Motorsports Swift DB6 Formula Ford, the
talented young driver ended the session second quickest, setting the
stage for a strong afternoon qualifying session. Runyan promptly met
those expectations, turning the fastest lap by nearly a second, earning
his second pole position of the season.

Returning to cool and damp track one day later, Runyan did not get the
launch he desired when the green flag waved, falling as far back as
fourth on the opening lap. The 16 year-old however quickly refocused,
advancing back into the top-three. Showing good speed, Runyan was soon
challenging for second place. It appeared he would make the pass for
position on lap two, but the duo collided, briefly sending his race car
airborne. While the car was damaged, he was able to continue. Runyan,
benefiting from a subsequent full-course caution, soon found himself
once again battling among the leaders. When the checkered flag waved,
the young race pilot had made an impressive comeback to second place.
Unfortunately, following the race Runyan was penalized three positions
for a pass under yellow, placing him fifth in the final results.

Runyan was soon back on-course in Northern California, with a second
qualifying session setting the grid for race two of the weekend. With
the damage from race one having been expertly repaired by his crew, the
teenager was again the driver to beat in the timed session, earning his
second pole position by nearly a second.

The first-year Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle driver lined up for the
second race of the event on Sunday morning confident he could visit the
Laguna Seca victory lane. Getting a good launch when the green flag
waved, Runyan soon had a multi-car advantage on his nearest competitor.
Just as it appeared the Californian was headed towards a comfortable
win, the yellow flags waved around the course bunching the field back
together. Runyan, in a repeat of the initial start, again got away
cleanly when the green flag waved for a second time, easily holding the
P1 position. However within a few laps the yellow flags waved for a
second time due to a car off-course. While Runyan did not get an ideal
launch on the final re-start, allowing second place to get alongside,
the young driver maintained his composure, holding on to the lead and
his third Formula Ford win of the season.

With the San Francisco Region awarding a third race to the Formula Ford
group, Runyan was back behind the wheel of his Swift DB6 on Sunday
afternoon, lining up on the pole position. Making the most of his
starting position, the former karting standout drove a picture perfect
race, leading every lap and setting the fastest time en route to a
fourth series win.

“Bobby Runyan continues to impress everyone with his speed and race
results,” stated head of driver development Ron Sutton. “He is having an
amazing first season in car racing. That’s due to his incredible talent,
a good team and solid guidance,”

Runyan resumes his 2009 San Francisco Region SCCA Formula Ford race
campaign on July 26, with Round Seven taking place at Thunderhill
Raceway Park in California.
 

6-21-09 Central Valley Championship Race Kerman Kart Club

Kerman Kart Club presents the Central Valley Championship weekend July 3rd, 4th, & 5th at the Fresno Fairgrounds. Kerman is back with a temporary track at the Fresno Fairgrounds- 400 Scribner barriers, temporary fencing, AMB Scoring, a new track design every race weekend so nobody has a home field advantage, and great personel makes for a great race weekend.

Our last Club race had 72 entries and our Central Valley Championship Race weekend may go over 100 entries. All drivers are wanting the Championship Checkered Flag.

Early Bird Special- We will start the race weekend early Friday morning 5am with channel 26 KMPH FOX Great Day's Clayton Clark live from 5am-10am. Clayton will be interviewing drivers, parents, talking about and promoting our sport of karting. Want TV time? This is it, all KKC asks is to show up and be very professional.

Friday July 3rd a controlled practice will start at 9am and go until 5pm.
Primerica will host movies for the kids Friday and Saturday nights at the track.

Saturday Club Race #3- 2 rounds of practice starting at 9am, followed by qualifying, heats, and mains. After the main events on Saturday we will have LeMans style Trophy Dashes for all classes and all drivers. One class which is still to be determined will run a Dash for Cash.

Sunday Club race #4 and Central Valley Championship Race. 2 rounds of practice starting at 9am, followed by qualifying, heats, and mains.
We will also have raffle prizes and a pot luck style BBQ at this event.

Check out www.kermankartclub.com for more information and to see the special discounts for this weekends events.

Ron Perry

6-21-09 PROKART CHALLENGE SOUTH GEARS UP FOR SANTA MARIA KART TRACK
 


 
South program nears the end of 2009 season with penultimate round next weekend

TEMECULA, CA (June 19, 2009) – The sixth round of the 2009 ProKart Challenge South program is set to return to the Santa Maria Karting Association kart track on June 27. The penultimate round of the seven race championship will mark a joyous but somber return to the 7/10-mile circuit, or the ‘National K-layout’.
 
Last year’s PKC South season finale took place at what was schedule to be one of the last races held at the Santa Maria, California kart track. The facility, located on the grounds of the city’s airport, was scheduled to close following the 2008 year. However, the karting organization that runs the day to day operation were able to strike a deal to continue racing on the grounds through June 30, 2009. The sixth round of the PKC South program is tapped as the final karting event to run on the circuit location of the SMKA. With that, many drivers are expected to be in attendance, including some PKC North competitors joining the South championship contenders.
 
The biggest question heading into Santa Maria will be if anyone can stop the winning streak of S3 championship leader Jacob Neal. The 18-year old is on a six feature race winning streak - including the South and North programs - winning four of five in the South. Due to a rib injury in the opening round at CalSpeed, Neal recorded a low point total from that round. Thus with the championship counting the best six of seven results, Neal will need to continue to run near the front to clinch the title. Patrick Cushenberry and Clinton Schoombee are sitting in the wings, waiting for Neal to make any type of mistake to take over the point lead. On top of that, Neal also holds the top spot in the S1 championship chase, with Peter Abba continuing to give chase each weekend. Both will be welcoming back former PKC champion and current Skip Barber National point leader Connor De Phillippi, as he will return to his karting roots for the weekend.
 
Six points is the margin between first and second in the G1 championship standings, with Troy Butts and Roy Montgomery continuing their battle in Santa Maria. Butts has only one feature win to his credit, while Montgomery is still searching for that first trip to the top of the podium. Montgomery had been the more consistent driver; however, Butts looks to have the speed each weekend to hold off his challenger. The run for the TaG Senior title has come down to just two drivers for now, with Larry Fraser and Howie Idelson only separated by 14 points entering the Santa Maria round. Fraser has just one feature win, while Idelson carries a zero in that category as the class has seen five different winners. However, if the two tie, Idelson currently holds the tie breaker advantage by besting Fraser in three of the five feature races.
 
The S4 battles are a close affair, as well, with Jeff Smith currently leading over Rob Whitley while Luke Bianco is on top in the Magnum division over Tony Morrison. Smith has yet to earn a checkered flag this season, but is among the quick drivers each weekend out. Whitley has two podiums to his credit, including a win at Qualcomm, and will need to add another to hope to close the 50 point deficit he faces. Thirty points is all that separates Bianco and Morrison, with their championship beginning at round two in Willow Springs. Each come in with two wins. However, Bianco’s two runner-up finishes has him in front of Morrison’s one second-place finish thus far.
 
Introduced at round three at Grange, the KF2 chase is down to two teammates - Alex Speed and Will Martindale. Speed has won the last two after Martindale won the opening feature, putting their point totals at 130 points different. The last round at Buttonwillow saw young driver Gustavo Menezes mixing it up with Speed for the win but eventually settling for second. The three, along with the rest of the field, should put on a great show in Santa Maria. The TaG Masters and TaG Juniors are all but wrapped up with Steve Wiener and Max Zacky controlling both divisions. Wiener has zero feature wins on the year; however, his point advantage over Mike Kelley in second may be too large to overcome - even with the drop race included.  Zacky has run unchallenged for most of the season, with the exception of the Shootout last month where he was able to match his talent against the PKC North contingent.
 
Trailer parking begins Thursday evening from 4pm-8pm, with camping allowed (for a $50 flat fee) from Thursday night thru Saturday night. Practice day will be conducted Friday, June 26 from 9am to 5pm. The host hotel will be the Radisson Hotel Santa Maria, which is located just across the airport with a special rate of $109 by mentioning ‘ProKart’. For more information on the Superkarts! USA’s ProKart Challenge itself, head to www.prokartchallenge.com or call 951-491-0808.
 
 

6-18-09 NEAL TAKES THIRD STRAIGHT PROKART CHALLENGE NORTH VICTORY
 


SoCal driver continues to dominate S3 division with win at Jim Russell International Karting Center

SONOMA, CA (June 13, 2009) – ProKart Challenge North - the Superkarts! USA’s Northern California regional program - reached their midpoint of the season with the running of the fourth round on June 13 at the Jim Russell International Karting Center in Sonoma, California. The popular ‘reverse national’ circuit was utilized for the first time this season, and helped produce some fantastic racing around the 7/8-mile course. The theme throughout the year has been seeing Southern California stud Jacob Neal atop the podium, and Saturday was no different as he won both the S1 and S3 divisions.
 
Neal had to work for both victories as they were not easy to come by. The challenging S3 division saw Neal just miss out for the top spot in qualifying as veteran and Grand-Am Rolex star Memo Gidley returned for another outing to steal the pole position by just 13-thousandths. The two were joined by third fastest qualifier Tommy Thompson in the opening heat race. Neal led in the early goings until Thompson took his turn at the point. Neal would reassume the position and would go on to take the win in front of Thompson and Gidley. The final heat would be a near repeat of the first, with Neal and Thompson swapping the lead before returning to the same finishing positions. Neal, however, threw down the gauntlet in the feature to pull ahead by more than four seconds after leading all 20 laps for the victory. Teammates Thompson and Gidley shuffled the second spot in the early portion of the race until Thompson secured the position. Another pair of teammates, Steve Reasoner and New Zealander Daniel Bray, rounded out the top-five.
 
In the S1 category, Neal would only have to fight one other driver in the championship race: defending class champion Cody Hodgson. Neal won the first round as he out-qualified Hodgson by just two-tenths. In the first heat, however, Hodgson won the battle with a final lap maneuver. Neal would then be removed from the results, as his kart came off the track too wide at tech. The second heat would go to Hodgson, as well, with Neal in tow – who would be penalized one position for jumping the start. In the feature, the deciding point would be lap 12 when Hodgson retired with a seized engine, handing Neal the lead and the victory. Troy Castaneda would finish second with Hodgson placing third.
 
The largest division of the event was the TaG Senior group – with all drivers vying for the victory. Championship leader Larry Fraser began his quest to extend his point lead as he laid down the fastest lap in qualifying, just 29-thousandths quicker than Brett Buckwalter. Will Martindale and PKC Shootout winner Andrick Zeen were both within a tenth of Fraser, showing just how tight the competition was up front for the pole position. An opening lap skirmish dropped Zeen and Buckwalter outside the top-five, allowing Fraser and Martindale to pace the field. That changed on lap three when Fraser experienced an engine issue that caused him to spin, dropping him to the tail of the field and putting Martindale at the point. He went on to lead the remainder of the laps ahead of Nic LeDuc and a charging Zeen. Martindale and Zeen ran 1-2 the entire final heat race, as LeDuc fell to the tail of the field following some opening lap excitement. Round two winner Brett Felkins moved up to third with Buckwalter returning to the mix with a fourth place run after running the fastest laps of the race. Martindale led the first circuit of the 20-lap feature with Zeen and Buckwalter on his tail, but would be shuffled back to fifth the next time by the scoring loop, leaving Zeen at the point. Buckwalter changed that on lap three as he assumed the lead. From there, he managed to stretch out to a solid three-second advantage for his first victory of the season - as the rest of the group battled for second. Zeen eventually came out with the position, as Martindale ran third. JP Cadoux advanced up to fourth - with Chris Scribner returning to the seat for a fifth place performance.
 
The HPV 2 Junior class has been a solid addition to the PKC North program, and continues to provide exciting racing for the future stars of karting. Defending class champion and championship leader Kiel Spaulding showed the way in qualifying, as he edged rival Luis Tyrrell by just 86-thousandths for the pole position. Tyrrell would have the advantage come race time, taking the opening heat race win after swapping the top spot with Spaulding in the eight lap event. Tyrrell went unchallenged in the final heat after Spaulding fell to eighth in the opening lap. That advanced Kyle Kaiser to second and Dylan Lupton up to third. Kaiser would be pushed out on the first lap, which opened up things for Spaulding. After starting fifth he was first, as they came to the stripe for the first time. Tyrrell held ground on Spaulding’s bumper for 13 straight laps - until he made his move on lap 14. From there, Tyrrell pulled out to a 1.359-second victory, as Spaulding fought and held onto second ahead of Joseph Keaton after Lupton retired on lap 13.
 
The TaG Masters class had much excitement on track, with the largest turnout of the season thus far. Jim Zootis led the way in qualifying, ahead of defending champion Rob Soares. Zootis led all eight laps of the first heat race, with Jeff Deehan sliding in for second ahead of Soares. With Soares falling back, Zootis and Deehan began a short battle for the lead in the second heat. Deehan held the spot early before Zootis took his turn. On the final lap, Deehan stole the position and the win - with championship leader Steve Elo moving up into third. The feature would be decided on the final lap after the two swapped the lead for the first 19 laps. Zootis held the lead on the final lap until contact between the two sent him off track. Deehan continued on and crossed the line first but was penalized and placed behind Zootis in the final order. That gave Elo the victory over Paul Hohlbein and Helmar Beregszaszy. Zootis was fourth with Deehan positioned fifth.
 
The TaG Junior field looked just as promising, until two lead drivers blew their motors in qualifying. However, that did not take away from the performance put in by Dylan Lupton. After qualifying on pole and winning the opening heat, Lupton retired early in the final heat race to put him at the back of the field to start the feature. He quickly advanced himself up the order and took over the lead by lap two. From there, he pulled out to a 13-second margin of victory for his first win of the season. Adrian Starrantino was second with Niki Luna finishing third.
 
S4 championship leader Jamie Wilson extended his point lead with a victory Saturday in the feature. Jared Woolf was the early favorite, after posting the fastest lap in qualifying; but Alex Keith took the opening heat win. Wilson got into the mix in the final heat by scoring the win, leading to a flag-to-flag victory in the 20-lap feature. Woolf retired on lap three with mechanical issues, allowing Keith to run second to the line with Peter Workum completing the podium.
 
Jim Kidd and Ron Tamba went back and forth throughout the day in the G1 category. Kidd had the advantage in qualifying, while Tamba won the first heat. Kidd bounced back to win the second to set up for a killer main event. Kidd led all but the final lap, as his engine let go as he was headed toward the checkered flag. Tamba was able to slide by to steal the victory in his first PKC outing of the season. Ethan Wilson went by as well for second, as Kidd pushed his kart across the line for third.
 
A special PKC thanks goes out to Shawn Thomas Automotive for again bringing out a priceless classic race car from the Tom Price private collection to share with the weekend’s competitors. The winners from both Junior classes, Dylan Lupton and Luis Tyrrell, were treated to a few laps around the kart track in a 1957 Maserati on Saturday afternoon, driven by Memo Gidley. More of these race cars will be featured in future ProKart races.
 
The ProKart Challenge North program returns to Sonoma on July 11 for the fifth round of the seven race championship. The South program, however, is slated to hit the Santa Maria Kart Track on June 27, with a number of South and North drivers expected to attend. For more information on the Superkarts! USA’s ProKart Challenge itself, head to www.prokartchallenge.com or call 951-491-0808.
 
 

6-17-09 Stars of Karting Heads in New Direction

The following is a statement released by the Stars of Karting organization regarding their future plans
 
The Stars of Karting Series has announced that all remaining 2009 Stars events will be held at the new Pacific Grand Prix at Pacific Raceways circuit just outside of Seattle, Washington.

Additionally, Stars of Karting will be introducing new Rotax and Supermoto Series, as well as a special Winter Series, to be conducted at the facility.

Following an aborted sale of the Series, the advent of the new CKI karting series, which duplicates the Stars of Karting Series’ current class structure, rules and regulations, and event format - as well as employing key Stars operating officials and several Stars dates and venues - forced an unexpected reevaluation of the Series’ direction and future.

The new Northwest focus for the Stars of Karting Series dovetails with the Grand Opening of the Pacific Grand Prix circuit on June 20th and brings Series President Paul Zalud full circle to his roots as a promoter in the region.

"When I was approached to sell the series in February of this year, I was prepared to step back from the national spotlight and concentrate on the Northwest and the new track we recently completed,” stated Zalud. "My return here to our own track feels like coming home to where it all started for me in 1994."

The Stars of Karting Series will continue to support all of the 2009 classes utilizing existing rules and regulations with no changes. The Series will honor the results of the first two races completed in the National Schedule and any competitors that may choose to continue to compete in the Series will be competing for a championship that encompasses all six 2009 National-class events and awards will be distributed accordingly.

In addition, from this next race forward, a new Stars championship will start to be tallied and awards will also be awarded accordingly. Additional classes and elements will be added to the series based on Spec Honda and an age and weight class for shifters. If no entries for the Stars of Karting National classes show up to the scheduled events, those classes will be dropped from the series.

Stars of Karting 2009 Northwest Karting Series (National Classes) at Pacific Grand Prix:

July 11-12
August 8-9
September 19-20
October 3-4

The Stars of Karting Series is also very excited to announce the additional of a new Northwest Rotax Series at Pacific Grand Prix, these dates and specific details will be coming shortly.

The Stars of Karting Series is also pleased to announce the expansion of their promotions to include a new 2009 Supermoto Series at Pacific Grand Prix:

June 27-28
August 1-2
September 12-13
October 17-18

Additionally, the Stars of Karting Series will run a 5-race Stars Winter Series at Pacific Grand Prix:

October 31 - November 1
December 5-6
January 9-10, 2010
February 6-7, 2010
March 6-7, 2010

The Stars Winter Series will combine Supermoto, Rotax and Stars classes all in one weekend.

There are many other exciting elements that the crew at Pacific Grand Prix is working on that will make the Pacific Northwest one of the most successful regions in the country for karting and Supermoto action.

Comments from Paul Zalud, President of Stars of Karting:
“In November of 2002, I was a successful regional director for the Northwest SKUSA series and had an opportunity to become directly involved with Stars as an owner. In 3 short weeks, 278 entries were able to race in a nationally-televised event at the Sloan, NV kart track. The Stars of Karting Series never looked back and has been the cornerstone of professional karting in all of North America for over 7 years now.

“I am very proud of our accomplishments through all these years on behalf of the sport. The Stars of Karting Series distributed well over one million dollars in cash and prizes, produced numerous nationally-televised broadcasts, graduated a number of today's bright young talent that is now in mainstream motorsports, and constantly delivered professional events culminating in the now-marquee PRI All-Stars Karting Classic event each year in Orlando. Perhaps most importantly, we provided our manufacturers, importers, shops, engine builders, mechanics, tuners, and the media a national platform that generated millions of dollars in revenue on their behalf. Much of this was done by shifting the financial burden from the karting industry to sponsorships from outside the sport.

“Despite constant criticism and pressure from all sides to elevate one special interest over another, we always remained professional and equitable in our approach and delivery and conduct. We were extremely fortunate at Stars to share common goals and a deep camaraderie which helped us to make sense out of the organized chaos that was a Stars National weekend. Everyone was willing to take an equal share of our struggles and successes with no favoritism. That each National event truly was a total team effort is a constant source of pride for all of us.

“Unfortunately, recent events have made things difficult for our competitors, for the sport, and for me personally. The last thing our industry needs are two National prog rams promoting exactly the same thing. The long-term health and prosperity of our industry is paramount and our new direction addresses this.

“Regardless, I am truly grateful for all the friends we have met through the years, the families we shared time with, the history, the success, and the many, many tales we all will share.”

6-15-09 Hotel Group Rates End Quickly for the IKF 2 Cycle Nationals

Next week The Grand Sierra Resort Will be closing out the group blocks Bev Ban has held for the event. The Hotel is sold out other than the additional group blocks held for the IKF Event.  Please call and reserve your rooms before the dead line next week. If you have any questions please call:

Grand Sierra Resort- Rate 89.oo---800-648-5080 or Bev Ban916-601-9638
 
 
The Rate code is: IKF Grand national Go kart
 
Don't forget about the Nightly activities held specially for the IKF National Participants.
 
Monday- Movie night;
Tuesday-- night At the Grand Sierra we are having fun kart races on their track ( go karts provided) the mechanic challenge will be here......only 10.oo entry fee and you can win some great prizes as well as bragging rights!  *regular go kart rentals, 5.oo per session
 
Weds.- Movie night- & fun quest zone events.
Thursday- Bowling night
 
Friday night- GSR club
  
Nugget- rate is 65.oo
 

6-18-09 BRUNELLI ADDS SECOND TROPHY DASH WIN TO HER NASCAR GRAND AMERICAN MODIFIED RESUME

Prepared by: ProMedia Motorsport PR

BRUNELLI ADDS SECOND TROPHY DASH WIN TO HER NASCAR GRAND AMERICAN MODIFIED RESUME

Teenage Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle race pilot scored her second victory of the season at All American Speedway in California

ROSEVILLE, CALIF. (June 17, 2009) – Jessica Brunelli continued his strong rookie campaign in the NASCAR Grand American Modified ranks on Saturday (June 13), capturing her second Trophy Dash win of the season. The 16 year-old Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle development driver scored the win at All American Speedway, giving her two wins at the California oval this season.

Brunelli, who is in her second season of oval racing as part Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle program, having raced a USAC Ford Focus Midget in 2008, returned to the All-American Speedway on Saturday poised to resume her winning ways in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. The former Skip Barber Western Regional Rookie of the Year and two-time IKF regional karting champion quickly showed she was up to the task, turning some fast laps in practice, before finishing a strong second in her Heat race.

With the top-two drivers from each Heat race advancing to the Trophy Dash, Brunelli was soon back behind the wheel of her No. 3 K&N Filters/Tico Construction/Fremont Bank/Finishmaster Paint Company/PPG Paint/Grand Fund/Nascimento Motorsports/Brunelli Racing NASCAR Grand American Modified. The Hayward, Calif., driver, starting second, held her position when the green flag waved, running the high-line around the demanding 3/10-mile oval. After two laps of side-by-side running with the polesitter, Brunelli made her move exiting turn four, clearing the leader before turn one. From that point forward, the teenager never put a wheel wrong, taking her second Trophy Dash win of the season in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The talented 16 year-old has quickly become a fan favorite in Roseville, having scored two Trophy Dash wins and a Main event runner-up finish in just six NASCAR Grand American Modified starts.

“Jessica is truly an amazing talent, but being 16 years old makes it unbelievable,” stated Crew Chief Mike Nascimento. “To win her second Trophy Dash in Modifieds in just 6 races is incredible. Her feedback to the team, and her confidence behind the wheel, well you would think she had been racing these things for years not months. What impresses me most of all, is the level of respect she has earned from the veteran drivers in the series in such a short period of time. They feel very comfortable to race her wheel-to-wheel, and know she has control of her car.”

“Jessica continues to show week in and week out that she is the real deal,” stated head of driver development, Ron Sutton. “She is a 16 year-old rookie and is running with drivers considered to be the best on the West Coast,”

Brunelli resumes her NASCAR Grand American Modified campaign on June 20, with Round Eight of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at All American Speedway. The Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle development driver currently lies fourth in the championship standings.
 

 

6-17-09 Last Round action of the IKF Region 11 Series

At Desert Park Raceway, Reno Nevada

 

Story by Brian Rivera

 

Reno, NV - Northern Nevada Kart Club hosted the last race of the IKF Region 11 Championship Series this last weekend June 13th-14th, 2009.  Saturday, rain played a key role in determining 1 race but for the most part it was a cloudy and chilly mid June day which paved the way for some good racing. 

 

Up first were the Kid Karts.  John Paul Maxwell grabbed pole by a little under a second over Hudson Morrow.  Morrow would go on to win the first heat by 8 seconds over Donovan Bixler.  That set up the main event as Morrow would take the lead for the first 5 laps.  Jarrett Gilmer then made his pass for the lead on lap 6 and never looked back.  Maxwell would finish in 2nd only to be DQ�d at Tech.  1st place went to Gilmer followed by 2nd place Carter Herrera who drove a fine race all day.  Morrow would take home 3rd, Bixler 4th, Tyler Dean in his first IKF race would finish in 5th, Zach Corbitt 6th and JP Maxwell in 7th.  Great day of racing by these little guys.

 

Jr 1-2 Cycle was the most watched class of the day.  17 karts came out for this one.  Qualifying saw the top 10 positions no more than 4 tenths of a second separated from each other.  But it was Nitro Nick Sommers snatching the P1 from Hunter Corbitt.  The green flag dropped in the Pre-final and that would lead to Sommers falling back to the 9th position.  Justin Yanez would come from the 15th position to take the lead by lap 6 and win the heat by 10 seconds over Noah Hermansen.  That set up the final as the rain clouds started moving in.  Jeremy Kay�s crew decided to switch to rain tires right before the karts hit the track.  As soon as the karts were ready to take the green flag, RD Tom Halbasch waived it off and decided to bring in the kids because of the heavy downpour.  The #11 crew of Kay were not delighted.  But safety is and always will be a concern in karting.  A delay of several minutes ensued then the decision to let the kid�s race was made by the RD.  All the teams had to keep their sticky tires on while Kay had on his rain tires.  The green dropped and all the kids made it through turn 1-2 cleanly.  It didn�t take but 1 lap for Kay to grab the lead and walk away with a 25 second victory.  17 karts started the race, 4 finished.  JR Raczko came in 2nd followed by Justin Yanez in 3rd, who both drove a spectacular race in the rain on slick tires. Sonny Cervelli would finish up in 4th place and be the last moving kart on the track!

 

HPV-4 Junior got underway as hometown kid Cody Kay got back to usual business at Desert Park Raceway (DPR) out qualifying TJ Fischer by almost 1 second.  Kay would go on to win the Pre-final by 16 seconds over Joey Teves.  The main event saw the last of the rain on the track and that would make it a tighter race than the first.  Teves would take the green flag and come out of turn 2 with the lead only to have Kay grab it back the next lap by.  Deven Sanchez would also be able to pass Teves a little later on for 2nd.  Fischer would pass Teves 2 laps from the end to take 3rd.  But it was Kay who dominated all day to win the race and take the honors followed by Sanchez in 2nd, Fischer in 3rd and Teves in 4th.

 

Yamaha Super Y came up to Grid as 10 karts showed up for this battle.  It was Clayton Snow pulling out a pole run to secure his inside front row position over Timothy Weddle.  The Pre-final saw Weddle get the lead off the start from Snow.  Weddle would lead all laps and take the checkered flag.  Snow would follow in second.  That set up the finale as Weddle would not even make it to the green flag.  His kart broke at turn 3.  That allowed Snow and his brother Anthony to claim the top spots.  But at Lap 7 Clayton broke and had to retire.  2 laps� later Brother Anthony broke and his race was done.  That left crusty veteran Jesse Gwin to take the lead and bring home the checkered flag for a first place victory.  Reno Native�s Tyler Wamre and Zach Dericco, both finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

 

Next up was Formula 80 Senior.  8 drivers came out for some fun under the clouds.  Mark �Big Head� Nason took pole by 2 tenths of a second over Cody McKinney.  The Pre-final would see Nason lead from start to finish without much movement in the group.  McKinney would hold for 2nd followed by Travis Duhn in 3rd.  That led to the main event in which Nason got a great start and took to the lead.  Duhn would fall back to 6th on a bad start.  On lap 6, Nason would make a mistake and give the lead to Gerry Williams.  Williams would then get pressured by the surging Duhn.  By lap 7 Duhn would capitalize on all the other driver�s mistakes and take the lead and bring home the checkered flags.  Williams was able to hold off Nason for 2nd while �Big Head� had to settle for 3rd.

 

IKF TaG Senior provided some good hard racing throughout the day.  Position One Motorsports teammates Luis Martinez Jr and Bobby Kelley got off on a fast start with Martinez Jr grabbing pole over Kelley by 1 tenth of a second.  The 1st heat would see Martinez Jr take the early lead.  But by lap 2 he had fell back to 3rd leaving the door open for David Harwin to sneak into the lead.  Kelley would chase Harwin and make the pass on lap 4 for another lead change.  Kelley would eventually go on to win the heat followed by Harwin and Mike Botelho Jr.  The final then rolled around to see Harwin take an early lead only to be passed by Kelley for the lead.  Martinez Jr would come from dead last making his way through the field to take over the P2 spot by lap 6.  The order of Kelly, Martinez Jr and Harwin stayed the same the entire race until the white flag lap when Botelho Jr passed Harwin deep in the middle of turn 1-2.  Kelley would go on to win the race with Martinez Jr picking up the 2nd place.  Botelho Jr would finish 3rd followed by Harwin in 4th.

  

Sunday�s racing proved to have a better forecast than the previous day.  It was a cloudy day with a few of rays of sunlight with temperatures around the 70 degree mark.  A few sprinkles dropped, but not enough to stop the action from happening on the track.

 

First up was the big class of HPV-1 Junior.  17 karts again set out to battle for supremacy.  But it was 2 kids that paved the way for some great hard racing.  JR Raczko snatched pole by 2 tenths of a second from Jarred Campbell.  Raczko has been racing all of Reno�s 2009 club races in preparation for the IKF and Grand Nationals next month.  The first heat would see Raczko walk away from the pack and take a commanding 8 second lead and the win.  The battle was for 2nd though was between Nitro Nick Sommers, Noah Hermansen, Sonny Cervelli and Drew Setzer as they all battled ferociously to take the P2 spot.   Sommers would eventually take the 2nd spot followed by Hermansen in 3rd.  That led to the main event.  At the green, Sommers would take an early lead only to be passed quickly by Raczko who then checked out from the pack.  Sommers would hold his P2 spot over Hermansen who drove a solid race in 3rd.  But the drive of the day came from Campbell who drove through the field from dead last dicing and making great moves to finally end up in the 4th position.  Raczko would earn the victory by 10+ seconds over Sommers and Hermansen, who would finish 2nd and 3rd respectively.  A great race by all the young drivers.

 

HPV-2 waited patiently for their turn around the .667 mile sprint track.  On pace was Cody Kay who blistered a pole run 1 second quicker than his next closest competitor, TJ Fischer.  The Pre-final saw Kay walk away slowly from the second place kart of Joey Teves.  Kay would go on to win by 6 seconds.  Also, on the white flag lap of the Pre-final, TJ Fischer made his move for 2nd on Teves to claim the outside pole for the main event.  That brought up the main event.  As the green flag dropped, Fischer would stick his kart deep in turn 1-2 for the early lead.  But Kay had other plans.  He quickly took the P1 spot on the ensuing lap and never looked back.  The fight was for 2nd and 3rd between Fischer and Teves.  On lap 7, Teves would finally take his P2 spot and hold off Fischer for 2nd.  Johnny Norris and Spanish Springs local Logan Wyman had a fierce battle for 4th.  Wyman would eventually pass Norris on lap 10 to claim the 4th spot.  Kay would earn his 2nd victory of the weekend followed by Teves in 2nd, Fischer in 3rd, Wyman in 4th and Norris in 5th.

 

HPV-3 only brought out 2 drivers.  Bobby Kelley would get pole over Luis Martinez Jr by a little over 3 tenths of a second.  The two would battle neck and neck all day in identically equipped and prepared karts.  Kelley would go on to win the Pre-Final.  The main again was a close battle between the 2 drivers as Kelley once again proved to be the man to beat.  He would take home 1st place over Luis Martinez Jr.

 

Next up was 125 National Cup Masters.  Locals David Harwin and Glenn McKinnon were the favorites to win this one.  Harwin would go out and grab pole over McKinnon by a little over 7 tenths of a second.  That brought up the Pre-final as Harwin would take the lead from start to finish and never look back.  McKinnon would finish in 2nd, 5 seconds back.  The fight was for 3rd though, as race kart engine builder Danny Bordogna was in a battle with Kevin Knight.  Knight would eventually pass Bordogna and settle for the 3rd spot leaving Bordogna with the 4th.  That setup the Final and to no surprise, it was the veteran Harwin pulling away from IKF expert McKinnon.  Knight would find some speed and post some times in the 50 flats along with McKinnon.  Knight was only a few karts away from McKinnon but just couldn�t seem to pull up any closer.  Harwin would go on to take the checkered flag, followed by McKinnon in 2nd, Knight in 3rd and Bordogna in 4th.

 

Jr Tag took to the grid and rolled out to have a little racing fun.  Again, it was Cody Kay running in the high 49�s to take pole over Austin DeMent. The pre-final would see Kay take off into 1st.  Chelsi Wagner would get a good start and jump into 2nd followed by DeMent in 3rd.  Wagner and DeMent would change positions twice in this race.  Kay would win the heat and Wagner would eventually hold on for the 2nd place followed by Dement in 3rd.  The main event was next and these kids were ready to race.  Kay would jump into the early lead and never look back.  The race was close behind though as Wagner would get passed by DeMent by lap 2 and then fall to Joey Teves by lap 4.  Christian Scholz would fall behind to 5th and be unable to mount any kind of chase on the leaders.  Kay would go on to win his 3rd and final race of the weekend followed by DeMent in 2nd who was able to hold off a late charge by Teves in 3rd, Wagner in 4th and Scholz in 5th.

 

IAME Cup rolled out next to take their qualifying run.  Luis Martinez Jr would snatch pole away from Travis Duhn by a half tenth of a second!  The first heat would see Teammates Martinez Jr and Bobby Kelley walk away to a 7 second win going to Martinez.  Hometown favorites Duhn and Mike Botelho Jr would come in 3rd and 4th, respectively.  That brought out the 16 lap final in which everyone knew was going to be a shootout.  Martinez Jr would take the green flag and dart into the lead coming out of turns 1-2.  Bobby Kelley would fall out on lap 2 for mechanical problems.  That left Duhn to chase down Martinez Jr.  In the mean time, Dylan Nobile would make his way up to third place.  Zach Dericco who had bad luck early on in Qualifying and the first heat was moving up quick posting a fast time of a 49 flat.  He quickly moved past Troy Buckman and Botelho Jr.  He then set his sights on Nobile in which he passed him with 5 laps to go.  Up front, Martinez Jr was doing everything he could to hold off Duhn.  Dericco could be seen catching the leaders at a furious pace. It wasn�t until the last lap 2 laps when Dericco finally caught on to the lead pack.  The two locals (Duhn and Dericco) were in hot pursuit of Martinez Jr.  Duhn tried as the white flag dropped to take Martinez Jr deep into turn 1.  The move was unsuccessful.  The 3 karts roared around on the final lap only to see Duhn try one more time coming down the hill after the turn 7 sweeper.  He stuck his nose on the side of Martinez Jr�s left rear tire but it was not enough to make the pass as he backed out to give Martinez Jr the victory.  At tech, Martinez Jr was DQ�d and that gave Duhn 1st place honors followed by Dericco in 2nd, Nobile in 3rd and Botelho Jr in 4th.  Great race by all the drivers!

 

Last on the track was the Formula 80 Masters gang led by Mark Nason who came out to grab pole over the fast Gerry Williams by 2 tenths of a second.  The pre-final proved to be the same for Nason as he led from start to finish.  Cody McKinney would make his move on Williams on lap 2 and never give that spot up again.  Williams would finish in 3rd driving a great race followed by Ben Fisher in 4th.  That setup the finale in which Nason would take the green flag and dart into the lead.  Williams was able to follow in second. But on lap 5, McKinney decided his best chance at catching Nason was to move past Williams in which he did at the end of the straightaway.  The top three were bumper to bumper the entire way.  That�s how they would finish as Nason earned another victory over McKinney in 2nd and Williams in 3rd.  Fisher would take the 4th place finish followed by Matt Kattanek in 5th.

 

It was a great year of racing in Region 11.  Championships were won at Reno this weekend but most are too close for us to make an unofficial announcement on.  We will leave that up to IKF and NCTA to post. 

 

The IKF 2 Cycle Sprint Grand Nationals in Reno are right around the corner.  It�s time to start getting your equipment ready and parts ordered to stake your claim as a Grand National Champion.  A Duffy holder!  We�ll see all of you next month at Desert Park Raceway, Reno Nevada!!! 

 

NNKC President

Brian Rivera

6-16-09 PAIR OF STAR MAZDA CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNER-UP FINISHES FOR JDC MOTORSPORTS IN NEW JERSEY


 
Christodoulou and Ardoin help Minnesota-based squad retain the Team Championship lead  

MILLVILLE, N.J. (June 13, 2009) – In what was the first of two doubleheader events for the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear this season, JDC MotorSports scored four podium finishes and valuable points in pursuit of capturing a second championship title over the weekend (June 13-14) at New Jersey Motorsports Park. English rookie standout Adam Christodoulou finished a close second in Round Four, just ahead of his Brazilian teammate Caio Lara in fourth and American JDC counterpart Joel Miller in fifth, while team co-owner Gerry Kraut captured the Masters win. One day later, JDC’s Alex Ardoin was the race runner-up in Round Five, ahead of Miller in fourth and Lara in fifth, while Michael Guasch added another Masters Series win to his JDC resume.

Given the results in the opening three events, four wins (two in the Masters series), 11 podiums and two pole positions, it came as no surprise that the JDC MotorSports drivers were immediately among those challenging for both the overall and Masters Series top honors when the action got underway at NJMP. This was evident throughout the five testing and practice sessions prior to qualifying, as JDC Motorsports routinely had cars among the top-five. Come qualifying things did not go quite according to plan however. While Christodoulou narrowly missed securing a third pole position in his No. 11 Red Line Oil/Molecule/JDC MotorSports entry, eventually earning a P2 starting position, Ardoin, Miller and Lara were unable to match the pace previously shown, qualifying seventh, 11th and 12th respectively. The two leading drivers in the Masters Series, Guasch took the class pole in his No. 91 Molecule/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports car, 20th overall, just ahead of Kraut in 22nd.

Despite New Jersey Motorsports Park being a notoriously difficult track to execute a pass, several JDC Motorsports drivers were able to work their way forward come Round Four later in the day. Christodoulou got an excellent launch from the standing start, leading the field into turn one. The championship leader entering the event however soon relinquished the lead to the polesitter, settling into second place. Not far behind, both Lara and Miller managed to avoid the off-course excursions of several cars in turn one, immediately slotting in fourth and fifth. Guasch and Kraut also enjoyed clean getaways, holding first and second in the Masters class. Over the course of the next several laps, the order remained constant. That changed on lap 18, when suddenly JDC MotorSports lost two of its drivers. Ardoin, having been forced off-course in turn one on the opening lap, suddenly slowed and retired with an electrical failure. Almost at the exact same time, Guasch spun and was subsequently involved in an incident when he pulled back on-course.

While the ensuing re-start provided the remaining JDC MotorSports drivers the opportunity to further advance up the charts, none of them were able to make a pass for position stick. When the checkered flag waved, Christodoulou had added a second place finish to championship-leading Star Mazda resume, Lara had matched his best result of the season with a fourth place finish, Miller had extended his top-five finish streak to four, and Kraut had his first win of the season in the No. 55 Dougherty & Co./Dougherty Funding LLC/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports car. Ardoin and Guasch were classified 25th and 27th.

Thanks to continued strong work from the JDC crew, all the drivers, except Kraut who traveled home for an important business meeting, were back on-track and near the front in the second qualifying session of the Mazda Formula X event on Sunday. This time it was Ardoin in the No. 51 Oral & Facial Surgery Center/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports who narrowly missed capturing the pole position, turning the second fastest time, just ahead of Christodoulou in third, Miller in fourth, Lara in eighth and Guasch in 21st, first among the Masters drivers.

Much like the start of race one, the P2 spot lent itself to a good launch, as Ardoin briefly led before relinquishing the top-spot to the polesitter. The order behind soon shuffled, as Christodoulou’s right front suspension broke, forcing him to slow and make his way to pitlane, just as the yellow flags waved for an incident on-track.

As the JDC crew frantically worked at fixing Christodoulou’s No. 11 Red Line Oil/Molecule/JDC Motorsports machine, the racing resumed with Ardoin seeking a way past into the lead, just ahead of Miller and Lara, who were battling for fourth place. While the leaders ran in close formation lap after lap, the order remained constant. In the end, Ardoin scored his second runner-up finish of the season, while Miller’s No. 2 Fader Higher Productions/Mockett/Burns Truck & Trailer/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports and Lara’s No. 19 MLD/ATW/Molecule/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports crossed the stripe virtually nose-to-tail in fourth and fifth. Guasch resumed his winning ways in the Masters Series with an 18th place result. Christodoulou was classified 25th.

Oval racing is next on tap for the JDC MotorSports Star Mazda Championship drivers, with Round Six taking place at the Milwaukee Mile on June 20th. JDC MotorSports remains the Team Championship leaders entering the event, with Miller, Christodoulou and Lara currently second, third and fourth in the championship standings. Guasch and Kraut are one-two in the Masters Series title chase.
 

6-16-09 BACK-TO-BACK WINS FOR OLEEN IN USAC FORD FOCUS MIDGET COMPETITION



Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle driver scored his third victory of the
season with a late race pass of his teammate at Madera Speedway

MADERA, CALIF. (June 16, 2009) – American Jeff Oleen is starting to make
winning a habit in the USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Car Series,
scoring the victory in Saturday’s (June 13) Midget feature race at
Madera Speedway. The win in Round Seven was the third of the season, and
second in a row for the Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle development driver,
who currently lies second in the championship standings.

Returning to the Madera Speedway for a second time in 2009, Oleen was
confident he could challenge for top honors in latest round of the USAC
California Pavement Ford Focus Car Series. Given the former multiple
World Karting Association champion and Skip Barber race-winner had
already visited victory lane at the 1/3-mile oval earlier in the season,
and was coming off a USAC Ford Focus Midget victory in Round Six at
All-American Speedway, this confidence seemed well placed.

Oleen quickly got up to speed when the on-track action got underway,
turning among the fastest times in practice. With the ultimate goal of
adding another USAC Ford Focus Midget Main race to his resume, the
Bethesda, Md., kept his nose clean in the subsequent Heat race, starting
and finishing third.

After a brief break, Oleen was back in the cockpit of his No. 8 Oleen
Pinnacle Healthcare/PitFit Training/Best Buddies/Ron Sutton’s Winner’s
Circle USAC Ford Focus Midget for the start of Round Seven. In what was
a rough and tumble affair, the second-year RSWC driver soon found
himself pushed back to sixth. Oleen however did not to panic, steadily
working his way back to the front of the field, capitalizing on any
mistakes made by the other drivers. With two laps to go, it came down to
a head-to-head fight between Oleen and his Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle
teammate Nik Romano. Executing a picture perfect pass for position in
turn three, Oleen took over the top spot, leading the final few corners
to the checkered flag. In taking his third win of the season, second in
a row, Oleen led a RSWC one-two for second consecutive race, further
strengthening his second place position in the driver standings.

“Jeff Oleen is switched on!” said Head of RSWC Driver Development Ron
Sutton. “He is doing everything he needs to do to win races and build a
resume. We couldn’t be happier with his performance, results and
progress. This places him in second place, behind his team mate Nik
Romano, for the championship.”

Oleen and the Ron Sutton Winner’s Circle USAC Ford Focus Midget team
return to action on June 20, with Round Eight of the USAC California
Pavement Ford Focus Car Series taking place at The Bullring at Las Vegas
 

6-8-09 IKF Spec Bridgestone Tires for Sprint

 

IKF Spec Bridgestone Tires for Sprint.

 

Due to circumstances beyond IKF?s control and the limited availability of the YHC tire, effective June 15, 2009 the new YKC Bridgestone tire will be allowed for IKF competition with the following exception.

 

Exception:

The YHC tire will still be the spec tire for the 4 cycle Sprint Grand National.  There is ample supply for this event as Bridgestone has stockpiled tires for this event. The new YKC tire will not be allowed at this event.

 

The 2009 2 Cycle Sprint Grand National Spec Tire will be the Bridgestone YKC.

 

6-11-09 IKF Region 7- Calspeed Report
Article and Photos by Sean Burr, courtesy of ekartingnews


The Los Angeles Kart Club hosted round 5 of the IKF Region 7 Championship Series the weekend of June 6-7 at their home track of CalSpeed Karting. LAKC showed why they are the club leaders in the Southern California area this weekend by having a live audio web broadcast (also available on demand) of announcer Dave Williams on their website (www.lakc.org) and a live timing and scoring flat screen on the grid to view. Saturday night Wes Boswell earned the title of fastest tire changer of the event beating out countless others and one Mexican wrestler. Entries remained consistent picking up a few more drivers then we had at the last few rounds thanks to some club members strapping on the helmet for their home race. Weather was perfect all weekend as the “June Gloom” kept things cool. Rain was in the forecast but only the slightest of moisture touched ground.

Racers ran the “Grande” track configuration much to their dismay. Seems backwards was what they were looking for after running CalSpeed forwards earlier in the year, but you know someone would have complained either way. Half a dozen racers didn’t have any complaints as more than half the classes were won by the same six drivers. Not a lot of variety this weekend in the winner’s column, but when you are on your game that’s the way it goes. Bobby Kelley was the biggest winner of the weekend with three wins to his credit but Carlee Taylor, Taylor Miinch, Dylan Nobile, Tyler Palmer, and Ethan Barrett all doubled up as well.

HPV 2 was the first race group to hit the track on Saturday with Tyler Palmer scoring the pole over Taylor Miinch. These two would go head to head in every class this weekend splitting the spoils of victory and leaving nothing for any one else. Miinch and Palmer went 1-2 in the prefinal while Gustavo Menezes’ return to Region 7 was marred with a mechanical DQ costing him third place. Miinch led the opening circuits before trading places with Palmer. The leaders fighting allowed for Louie Pagano, Elliott Skeer and Jake Craig to join in the fun. They pretty much went five wide heading into the final turn and came off four-wide with Craig spinning. That wasn’t the end of things as Miinch came off the corner wide. Pagano went inside Miinch, Palmer went inside Pagano and Miinch started up the track to defend his position. Palmer and Pagano touched just avoiding contact with Miinch. Miinch scored the win, Palmer rolled over the line backwards for 2nd and Skeer snuck in for 3rd. Menezes rallied to 4th and Pagano salvaged a 5th.
 

Bobby Kelley was the TaG pole sitter on Saturday but a problem in the heat race left him starting the final from the rear. Kyle Shriver took the top position as Michael Lewis led the chase group three seconds back. Shriver knew he needed a large gap early in the final to keep Kelley at bay, but the solo break was gobbled up by Kelley before half way. Once out front it was game over and Kelley scored the win. Shriver stayed in the gas to finish 2nd and Lyle Webber was best of the rest in 3rd.

Ethan Barrett was on fire this weekend in Kid Kart competition destroying the field easily both days. Three drivers were DQ’d after Saturday qualifying including Barrett but that and his DNF in the prefinal did little to stop him in the final. Hudson Morrow won the prefinal but it was Jerett Tachovsky who led the first few laps of the final. Barrett came on fast in the final for the win. Tachovsky maintained 2nd place and Morrow finished in 3rd. Sunday was more of the same with a couple more early DQ’s and Barrett taking the win. Morrow again scored a podium in 2nd place but he was 24 seconds back from Barrett at the finish. Anthony Sawyer finished 3rd after out sprinting Justin Hodge and Tommy Trickle.

Carlee Taylor and Slater Stowell qualified on the front row of HPV 1. They also finished the prefinal in the same order. The final was a little abnormal for the class as Taylor went flag to flag for the win. Not to downplay her achievement, but it isn’t too often that someone pulls a gap out in this class. She was on her game for sure and in the end left all the action behind her for 2nd place. That action was typical of the class as drivers like Herta, Smith, Womack, Stowell, Ramirez, Brooks and Davis all looked for an advantage. Davis eventually landed 2nd place with Herta 3rd, Ramirez 4th and Brooks 5th.

HPV 4 wasn’t all that exciting. Dylan Nobile put his #7 on pole and drove it to a slim victory in the prefinal over Robby Harryman. The two leaders stayed within close quarters the entire final but Harryman was only able to make one pass stick for the lead. Nobile got back by the next lap and they went nose to tail like that for the remaining laps. Nobile kept his head and Harryman made him earn it but it wasn’t all that exciting. Keith Dees did turn in a solid performance coming from well back in the field to finish on the podium in 3rd.

Junior Superbox on Saturday was the Tyler Palmer and Taylor Miinch show. Palmer got the better of Miinch but even the close contact of the race leaders was not enough to keep the interest of this dead class. It got a little more exciting on Sunday as Jake Craig and Jason Hannegan joined in the fun, but ultimately Palmer scored the win with Miinch 2nd and Craig 3rd. Hannegan was right there for 4th and Bryan Lemon was 5th.

The Spec PRD pole went to Lloyd Mack but this guy can’t buy a break to save his weekend. Always fast, always in the thick of things and always sidelined before things get good for him. An early race mechanical cost Mack the lead and his chance at the overall. Ty Matta took over the point and won the prefinal. Before the final Matta said the kids were coming and it was going to be a hard one and he was right. The kids did mount an aggressive charge in the final including such punks as Bobby Kelley, Bobby Runyan, Kolby Araki, Devin Lindsey and Dylan Nobile. Matta had it easy for a few laps before being run down by Kelley and Runyan. Kelly moved to the point while Matta dropped back to forth and Nobile snuck by Runyan for 3rd. They continued like this for most of the race until Matta started clawing his way forward again. Lindsey was also on the move gaining a few valuable positions on the last few laps to reach the podium. With another solid performance Kelley was the victor. Matta fought back to finish 2nd and Lindsey came away 3rd. Runyan scored his best finish of the year in this class with a 4th while Araki moved up placing 5th.

Rookie Sportsman was a close one from the get go as Michael Womack just out qualified Colton Herta. Herta and Christian Brooks challenged in the prefinal but Womack was able to come out on top and start the final from the pole. For the first half of the race it was Womack leading the way, but Herta took over by the crossed flags. Zane Smith had made the selection, as did Brooks. Herta kept the pace high trying to negate any challenges from behind. Womack lost contact with the leaders late in the race, leaving only Brooks and Smith to unseat Herta. With one corner remaining it looked like Herta would hold on for his first IKF Region 7. Smith dove to the inside of Brooks allowing Herta to freely drive on to victory. Brooks countered coming off the final turn and drag raced Smith to the line to keep 2nd place. The chase group caught Womack elevating Slater Stowell and Willy Axton into the top five.

Some dew in the air kept the track moist for the first practice session on Sunday but after that it was business as usual for the drivers. Dylan Nobile and Robby Harryman were at it again in HPV 4, but this time Bobby Kelley and Kolby Araki looking to have some fun too joined them. Nobile wasn’t the fastest thing in the final but he was able to run clear of the infighting happening behind him. Kelley and Harryman went at it for a while with Devin Lindsey joining in the mix. It got a little ugly for a while but after some retaliation at the scale house positions remained the same at the finish. Nobile scored his second win of the weekend with Kelley 2nd and Lindsey 3rd.
 
Carlee Taylor grabbed another HPV 1 pole to get things rolling for the cadet drovers on Sunday. Jacob Drew qualified off pole with a great effort in his 4 laps, but it was Slater Stowell who crossed the line first in the prefinal. It looked like we were set for a Stowell/Taylor shootout but what we got was Stowell out front and Taylor in no man’s land, then a few seconds back everyone else attacking for 3rd. Stowell got dinked in tech to elevating Carlee up to 1st place for her second HPV 1 win of the weekend. It came down to the wire for Zane Smith and Michael Davis fighting for what was now 2nd place. Davis was able to get by Smith around halfway and hold the position to the finish. Brennen Mankin and Wyatt May completed the top five.

Emmanuel Mestre and Jonathan Miller took their respected poles in World Formula Junior and Senior. Both held the top position through the prefinals but Gabriella Robles and Tristen O’Rear looked racy for the final. Mestre went flag to flag for the Junior win, setting up for the 4 cycle GrandNationals coming up later in the month. O’Rear gave chase but had to settle for 2nd place. John Wallace and Matias Podboj traded 3rd a few times with Podboj eventually earning the trophy. In Senior Miller got a great start to hold off Robles, but she was able to sneak by a few laps later for the lead. Miller fought back around halfway to take the win. Terry Nash had a good run to finish in 3rd.

The next segment is based off SNL’s Weekend Update segment entitled “Really”. TaG Masters, TaG and PRD Masters were set to run together, but then the field was split because drivers were complaining. Really? A class with 7 drivers can complain? Really? TaG with 11 racers can complain? Really? Race officials cant have 18 karts on track at the same time? Really? PRD was 3 seconds a lap slower than TaG, but then the gap from first to last in HPV 2 was also 3 seconds so it can’t be that. Lap traffic must not be a part of racing. Passing people doesn’t seem fair. Maybe the slower drivers would feel badly about themselves. Really. Suck it up and race it off. This has been really. Ty Matta was by far the quickest of the Masters PRD drivers, but Kevin Manning and Troy Adams were going to give chase anyway. Manning retired early leaving the field completely spread out. Matta kindly slowed up to play with Adams and at least give us something to watch. The grandstands went wild with that move and we enjoyed a few laps of action before Adams overcooked a corner and Matta went on to the finish. John Bush finished in 3rd. TaG was again the Bobby Kelley show as he won the pole and the prefinal over Kyle Shriver. Kelley got the jump on the start and didn’t look back. Green, white checkered for Kelley once again. Shriver’s day ended early and Lyle Webber ran uncontested to a 2nd place finish. Everything spread out early in the contest, but Erik ‘action” Jackson did climb up a few positions to finish in 3rd.

Michael Womack and Colton Herta made up the Junior 1 front row to get the prefinal started. Womack won the slugfest setting up a crazy hard 16-lap final. For most of the final the lead pack consisted of at least a dozen drivers all vying for position. The main protagonists were Womack, Slater Stowell, Michael Davis, Willy Axton, Jacob Drew, Carter Williams, Herta, Carlee Taylor and Nicholas Ramirez. Positions changed every lap, but Womack managed to lead his fair share of circuits around the CalSpeed track. Late race moves broke up the leaders just a little bit but that didn’t stop them from going 4 wide off the last corner for the win. Stowell somehow jockeyed his way to the line first followed by Taylor. Womack who went in to the final turn out front finished in 3rd place. Davis and Drew rounded out the top five.

HPV 2 closed out the day’s racing and again we saw Taylor Miinch and Tyler Palmer running together up front. Gustavo Menezes, who has been all over the world racing lately, got a great start to lead the first four laps of the final. Miinch went to the front and Palmer followed him through into 2nd. Menezes countered Palmer and regained his position but that small gap was all Miinch needed to carry this one home. Palmer and Menezes never stopped looking for a way by, but eventually Menezes conceded 2nd to Palmer. Jared Torres and Jake Craig were a few seconds back watching the podium unfold in front of them. They completed the top five.

Next up for the IKF Region 7 Championship racers is the IKF Grand Nationals hosted by the Northern Nevada Kart Club in July. Regional racing takes a few months off since round 6 at Willow Springs has been moved to Irwindale later in the season.

 

6-15-09 Racing for Research - Zero Breast Cancer - only a few spots left

Only a few spots left - an opportunity to support a great cause and experience karting.
 
Event details: Racing for Research, Infineon Raceway, Sunday, June 28, 2009.

A full day of racing on Infineon Raceway's lightning quick karting track with professional driving
instruction courtesy of Jim Russell Racing Schools.

In addition to instruction, you will have the use of a kart, a driving suit and helmet, lunch and the possibility of
being one of 10 finalists who will compete in a timed lapping at the end of the day.
 
To reserve a slot or for further questions, contact Sharon Doyle at the Zero Breast Cancer office at
415-507-1949 or send an email to: sharond@zerobreastcancer.org.

 
Registration Fee: $275 each
 

6-15-09 Motoring Memories images now available for the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge Race #3 June 6, 2009
 


The 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge is very pleased to announce that series sponsor Motoring Memories, specializing in hand rendered digital paintings, has posted images taken at race #3 June 6, 2009.
 
All Nor Cal Rotax drivers are able to receive a 10% discount off any purchase of a painting using a discount code of MKarting.
 
All images shot will be posted at a new website SHSstudios. The photos can be ordered on anything from a mouse pad to a mug.

At the end of the year artist Stephen Harris-Smith will provide a grand prize of an 18"X24" canvas painting to be randomly drawn from amongst the seven Rotax class winners at the end of the season. Each of the remaining six Rotax class winners will receive a 50% discount coupon.
 
 "We are extremely grateful for generous support from such a talented artist." said Adrian Szwarcburg, Northern California Rotax Series organizer. "One very lucky Rotax class champion will receive one of Stephens hand crafted images.  Any Rotax racer can order Stephens paintings by supplying their own photo as well."
 
Contact Stephen at (415) 823-3505 or info@motoringmemories.net.
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.


 

6-10-09 Valhalla Neck Restraint Recall

 

Free upgrade for owners of a 360 Plus Device

 

A few months ago, we had a couple customers call to let us know that a Velcro piece, which helps hold the front opening of the 360 Plus Device together, had come off.  We sent them both new sets of chin foam pieces and asked they return the original parts for evaluation.

 

After reviewing the returned parts and discussing the situation with the material supplier, it became apparent the product they had suggested we use in this application was not going to work for the life of the finished product.  Needless to say, we were not pleased.

 

The conversations and testing of different adhesives with the Velcro manufacturer led us to a simple short-term solution and an answer to the problem that will last for the life of the 360 Plus Device.

 

Having said all that, we�re going to ask you to take a look at your 360 Plus Device and see if you have this issue.  We�ll tell you how to fix it quickly and most importantly how we�re going to eliminate it altogether.

 

The Velcro pieces that we�re referring to are the ones on the hard foam pieces that come together under the driver�s chin.  They are on the two surfaces that come together to hold the opening shut.  If you�re not sure you understand what I�m describing, take a look at this link.  www.valhallaracing.com/images/products/2%20device%20Opened.jpg

 

Look at the edges of the Velcro pieces.  Pull at the edges of the Velcro piece all the way around it.  If they are flat against the surface of the foam piece and don�t want to lift up without a fight, you don�t have an issue.  If that�s the case, great, but keep an eye on it.

 

A side note at this point, be sure and use the redundant Velcro strap that goes across the front of the foam pieces.  This assures that the two hard foam pieces will not come open.  If you have lost your Velcro strap somehow, let us know and we�ll send you a replacement at no charge.

 

On the other had, if in the past you have had to reapply the Velcro piece because it has come off, or find that you are able to lift up on the Velcro piece and are able to pull it away from the foam, we need to fix it.

 

As mentioned earlier, conversations with the Velcro manufacturer led to a quick, short-term fix � Super Glue.  Any new adhesive they would have used on the Velcro pieces would have a hardener in it that is very similar to that in Super Glue or Krazy Glue.

 

If your Velcro pieces are coming off, simply pull it back and dab a bit of Krazy or Super Glue on the backside and reapply it.  A lot is not necessary and be careful not to get it stuck to yourself.  Apply the glue to the piece that is coming off and let it thoroughly dry before pressing the two Velcro pieces together in the closed position.

 

If you have this situation and are not comfortable doing this yourself, you can contact us at 419.682.1360 or sales@valhallaracing.com.  We�ll ask for your name and address and we�ll send you replacement parts.

 

Now, in our opinion, it�s not acceptable to be in a position where we�re producing a product and asking the customer to put Super Glue on it so they can use it.  As a result, we�ve redesigned the front foam pieces and are building new tooling to eliminate the problem completely.  The new design eliminates the Velcro pieces and Velcro strap all together.  By the end of July, we will have replacement parts available to send at no cost to anyone that has a 360 Plus Device. 

 

In the coming weeks, we�ll be posting a special email address and asking anyone that wants the free replacement kit to drop us an email containing their name and address they want the kit sent to.  The kit will be sent at no cost to anyone that wants one. The kit will contain the replacement foam piece, instructions, and a sticker that will need to be applied to the back of the 360 Plus Device.  We will also have a video on our website that will address the retrofit any questions that may come up.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us and we�ll work to answer your questions.  We can be reached at 419.682.1360 or sales@valhallaracing.com.  Emailing your question(s) may result in a quicker response, but don�t hesitate to call.

 

6-11-09 ProKart Challenge Nor Cal 2009 -- Round 4
Jim Russell Int'l Karting Center/June 12-13

Round #4 of the PKC Nor Cal 7-race series will commence at the Jim Russell Int'l Karting Center at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. THIS WEEKEND -- June 12th-13th. The practice day and race day will be run in the Reverse National track configuration (backwards) for this round.

The PKC practice day will be held on Friday, June 12th from 9am to 5pm, with a complimentary tri-tip BBQ dinner sponsored by G Force Motorsports served afterwards. Additional details regarding this event are below and at www.prokartchallenge.com, including an online store and a downloadable entry form where you can pre-enter the event, as well as purchase Friday practice, tires, fuel/oil, SKUSA membership, transponder rentals, extra pit passes and more!

Event Entry: Pre-Entry cutoff for this event is midnight next Wednesday, June 10th. Enter before the cutoff and save $35 on your entry fees -- PLUS save yourself time at registration that you could be prepping your kart! Enter the event and purchase everything else you need thru the online shopping kart with a credit card -- or call 951-491-0808. You can also download, fill out and fax your entry/orders to 951-491-0809. Click here for that form. If you do not receive an email confirmation of your entry within 24 hours, please call the PKC office: 951-491-0808. Drivers who wish to practice on Friday only can also pre-purchase it, or sign up at the track on Friday morning starting at 7am (for the same price).

Class Line-Up: The following classes are being run at this race: S1, G1, S3 (Light), S4 (Heavy), HPV-2 Jr, TaG Junior, TaG Senior, and TaG Master. Click HERE for the details of each class.

Other Important Race Event Info:

  • Practice Day: Gates and Registration open on Friday, June 12th at 7:00am. Fuel and tire desks will be open starting at 7:30am. Track is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm for OPEN practice. Practice fees are $60. SKUSA membership is not required to practice on Friday.
  • Friday Night Dinner: G Force Motorsports is sponsoring a tri-tip bbq at 6:00pm at the kart track, and PKC friend Scott Jeffrey will be our chef. It will be complimentary to registered drivers who have paid for Friday practice and guests who have paid for a pit pass for the day. Please bring your own drinks.
  • Race Day: Gates and Registration open on Saturday, June 13th at 6:30am. Tire and fuel desks will be open 7:00am - noon. Track is hot 8:00am to approx 4:00pm, with podium awards and a raffle drawing immediately following the final tech inspection. Click HERE for a tentative race day schedule. The final schedule will be distributed at the track on Friday evening and Saturday morning.
  • Track Layout: The track configuration to be run at this event is the Reverse National track layout (backwards). Track configurations for the balance of the season will vary, and have been posted on our website in each event's Venue Info section. 
  • Championship Points Standings: Remember, our PKC Nor Cal series is based on the best 6 of 7 races of the season for the points standings (one drop), so for most classes, it's still GAME ON!
  • Overnight Camping & Trailer Parking: Trailer parking for this event, as well as overnight camping, will be available on Friday night only. The track is not open on Thursday or Sunday to PKC (unless you have pre-arranged it and/or are staying for Sunday practice). Pit spots are first come, first serve, although some up front spots may be reserved for kart shops, large teams and sponsors by calling PKC 951-491-0808 before Wednesday, June 10th (or see Tom Kutscher or Bob Bellino at the track).
  • Membership: ProKart Challenge requires all racers to have a current SKUSA membership with their first race of the season. Purchase or renew your membership thru the PKC online store, download and fax in your form, or sign up at registration on Friday or Saturday mornings. Memberships are $75/year, offer many great benefits, and are good for 12 months from the date of purchase. See the PKC website for more details: www.prokartchallenge.com. NOTE: Only last year's 1st thru 9th place champs in each class are allowed to run single-digit race numbers. Click HERE for more info.
  • Rules: See the PKC/SKUSA rulebook, as well as rules specific to this event/venue, on the PKC website under the RULES section and in the INFO SHEET that will be included in each driver's registration packet. PKC is also mandating specific number plate color combinations this season. Click HERE for more info. Call PKC for help with a local vendor to get number plates made in a hurry: 951-491-0808.
  • Spec Tires: All classes (except HPV-2) must run PKC's MG-FZ yellow tires for all race sessions. Race tires must be purchased from PKC and have the special PKC '09 stamp. Practice tires (and rain tires, if necessary) are open spec. HPV-2 Jr's are allowed to run Bridgestone YHC tires, or can purchase PKC's MG-HZ tires. Tire Availability: You may order PKC practice/race tires to be shipped or for pickup at the track. Order them with your race entry or separately thru the ONLINE store or by calling PKC: 951-491-0808.
  • Spec Fuel/Oil: All classes must run the PKC spec fuel/oil during all competition sessions: Motul Kart Grand Prix 2T oil and either VP MS98 or VP C12 (built motos only). Practice fuel/oil is open spec. Your fuel/oil can be purchased with your race entry or separately thru the ONLINE store, by downloading and faxing the entry form, or by calling 951-491-0808. Fuel availability: Because it is unsafe for PKC to transport large amounts of excess fuel, only enough spec fuel will be brought to the track to satisfy pre-event orders and projected race entries. Pre-ordering race or practice fuel and oil will guarantee your products will be on site.
  • Air Boxes and Mufflers: Air boxes are required for all moto engines -- up to three (3) 29mm +- 1mm tubes. All moto motors must have a 14-inch RLV or M4 muffler.
  • Weather: Great news! The 10-day weather forecast predicts sunshine and temps in the high-70's for our event. Perfect racing weather!
  • Race Action Coverage: During the race, we will be broadcasting live video on the  www.westcoastkarters.com website, as well as broadcasting the MyLaps Monitor and micro-blogging the sessions as racers come off the track at www.superkartsusa.com/live. After the race, a post-race press release will be distributed to the major karting publications and websites, giving everyone a chance to become a local hero to their family and friends.
  • Podium Trophies and Prizes: Trophies and prizes will be awarded to 1st thru 3rd place finishers in each class. Then comes the drawing for post-podium raffle prizes -- including car-care products, free tires, free fuel, and more! All drivers in attendance are eligible. See the website for details on the end-of-season championship prizes -- including FREE entries to this year's Supernats! (Have you booked your RIO hotel rooms yet....?)
  • Host Hotel: If you are in need of a hotel room for this event, PKC has again made room block arrangements with the EconoLodge in Novato, just 11 minutes from the track, and they will honor last year's special pricing. Call them today, and mention ProKart Challenge for 10% off their standard rates: 415-883-2406. They are located at 275 Alameda del Prado, Novato, CA 94949.

Feel free to call ProKart Challenge for more information, assistance with your entry, or to check your race number availability for your SKUSA membership: 951-491-0808. The website also has additional info and special rules that apply to the kart track and pits. Click here for that info.

NOTE: Round 6 of PKC So Cal is coming up in 3 weeks on Jun 26-27 in Santa Maria. Click here for those details. And online registration for Supernationals XIII open July 1st! Watch www.superkartsusa.com for all of the latest details.

See you at the track!

Patti & Tom Kutscher 

6-10-09 IKF ROAD RACE GRAND NATIONALS INVADES EAGLES CANYON RACEWAY
 


SWRA to host first ever Grand Nationals at Northern Texas facility

DECATUR, TX (June 9, 2009) - Since securing the race back in October 2008, the Southwest Roadrace Association (SWRA) has been hard at work preparing for this week’s action at the Eagles Canyon Raceway for the 2009 edition of the International Kart Federation (IKF) Road Race Grand Nationals. Thirty-three classes will be competing over the four day event on the Decatur, Texas facility for the prestigious Duffy trophy that awaits each winner.
 
The Eagles Canyon Raceway was completed in 2007. The track features a 2.55-mile circuit with 15 turns and four straights over 1,300 feet long. Though you may think the track being in Texas would not have much elevation, it actually has 70 feet of elevation changes with some challenging corners. SWRA has host two karting events at the facility, one in 2008 and another in March 2009.
 
A change from previous Road Race Grand Nationals will be the introduction of a spec tire for the majority of the classes. The Brazilian made MG Tire brand will be mandatory for 20 classes - all of them in the sprint category. MG Tires is one of the major sponsors for the event and has supported the SWRA program for the last three seasons. Other supporters of the event include Red Bull, Royal Purple Synthetic Oil, and Nichols Bobcat Equipment.
 
With IKF dropping the traditional three-punch rule, the event is bringing in a number of outside drivers along with those who are looking to make a return to road racing from the Southwest area. Already 11 states are represented in the pre-entry total which was near 200 entering the weekend prior to the event with an expected 400 entries total for the event predicted. Another deal breaker that is bringing people to Eagles Canyon -similar to last year’s ‘Thrifty Five-Fifty’ program by race host Portland Karting Association - the SWRA has instituted an ‘All You Can Run’ entry fee of $600 dollars. This will allow a competitor to enter as many classes as they desire for a flat fee. Drivers that enter the program will save money if they compete in four or more classes during the event while increasing their chances at earning a Duffy.
 
For those not accustom to the SWRA racing format, 13 classes will have two heat races on their race day to decide the winner. Each heat race is 20 minutes and points from each race will be combined to determine who takes home the Duffy. The remaining classes will run either 30 minutes or 45 minutes - depending on the style of karts competing.
 
Competitors will move into the Eagles Canyon facility starting on Tuesday at 3pm with registration and pre-tech opening at 5pm. Action starts Wednesday with open practice from 8am to 3pm before the opening ceremonies kick start the racing action as the first three races of the event will be contested that afternoon. After a long day of racing on Thursday, SWRA and MG Tires will be hosting a ‘Louisiana Hog Roast’ dinner for drivers and a guest. Following Friday’s action, Red Bull will be providing special events and entertainment track side. Completing each day’s racing will be the official awards ceremonies where the top-five drivers from each class will be honored for their achievements and the winners award the coveted Duffy trophy.
 
For more information about the event, visit the SWRA website @ www.swra.org

6-10-09 Beautiful Weather, Big Turnout and Fantastic Racing for Round #3 of the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge


 
Dry weather returned to Northern California just in time for round three of the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge.  The racers responded with 62 entries making it the second largest race day in series history. 
 

The atmosphere in the pit area was great and with the full line up of Rotax classes now being run, racers from ages eight to sixty-plus came out to enjoy some strong, competitive racing on the popular Reverse National track layout at the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway.
 
Rotax Masters and Masters Light

Seventeen karts took to the track for the first race of the day.  Pole went to two time class winner Andrea Delfanti (Lights) with Jack Arluck (Masters) off pole.  The winners of the two previous Masters class races filled the second row with Donald Durbin 3rd and David Harwin 4th.  The third row consisted of the two women drivers in the field, Mary Beth Wilson (Lights) in 5th and newcomer Dolores Mosqueda (Lights) in 6th. 
 
In the Pre-Main, Delfanti took the early lead and lead the entire twelve laps to take a 12 second win, but there was plenty of action was right behind.  Arluck, Harwin and Durbin began the battle for the Masters class lead.  Early on, Durbin overshot the turn two sweeper and had to take to the cut off road to avoid a collision.  Arluck then had problems and dropped out on lap 10 leaving Harwin to cruise to a comfortable 2nd.  Wilson and Mosqueda started their battle right from the green flag until Mosqueda spun in turn three.  She would eventually rejoin the race one lap down.  Wilson went on to finish a solid 3rd followed by Jerry Pretti (Masters) in 4th and Andre Eriksen (Masters) in 5th. 

In the Main, Delfanti controlled the front of the race unchallenged and went on to a 3 second win to make it three class wins in a row.  Harwin ran strong and fast but he knew that Durbin and Arluck were going to be coming through the field.  Durbin made the best progress through the field and eventually finished 3rd, followed by Wilson in 4th overall and 2nd in the Lights class.   This was an impressive drive by Mary Beth Wilson; maybe her best drive in the last two years.  Jack Arluck worked his way up to 5th followed by Pretti, Eriksen, Jay Brosius (Masters), Steve Weiss (Lights) and Mert Solis (Lights). 
 
Rotax Micro Max
 
The seven drivers in the Micro class had an action filled day.  In Qualifying, Wilson Skjerven cracked the minute mark to take pole followed by Michael Michoff, Nicky Hayes and Sarah Setzer. 
 
In the Pre-Main, after early battles, Nicky Hayes pulled away to take a 7 second win over Skjerven with Setzer narrowly beating out Nate Fleischli.  Michoff had kart problems and went a lap down.  
 
A great battle was in store for the Main.  Skjerven and Hayes battled at the front, with Michoff charging through the field.  Setzer pulled away from Fleischli to run a pretty uneventful race with the last three karts in the field battled all race long.  Skjerven's race came to an end with a kart problem.  Michoff then caught Hayes and they dueled for the remainder of the race.  At the checked flag, Hayes pulled out the win by just over a second over Michoff with Setzer finishing a comfortable 3rd.  The battle for 4th was a great one between Fleischli and the Breidinger sisters.  Toni and Annie went into the tight turn two hairpin side-by-side late in the race and came together for a moment and that was all Fleischli needed to get by and take 4th place followed by Toni then Annie Breidinger.
 
Rotax Mini Max
 
Even though the class was only four karts, the best battle for a win came in Mini Max on this day.  Drew Setzer took the pole over Harrison Mills, JR Raczko and new comer Camden Lile.  In the twelve lap Pre-Main, Setzer and Raczko hooked up for a race long battle with Mills just behind.  Setzer took the win by just .178 seconds.  The fast front trio went at it again in the Main, but the battle now lasted eighteen laps.  Setzer took the early lead with Raczko right behind, followed by Mills.  Raczko went from one side of Setzer's rear bumper to the other looking for a way by. 
 
In the mean time, Mills was sitting a couple seconds back waiting for a chance to take the win if Raczko and Setzer were to come together.  In the end, Setzer withstood the pressure and took an even closer .170 second win over Raczko, with Mills finishing 3rd and Lile in 4th.
 
Junior Rotax
 
After the first two races, Kiel Spaulding with two wins has been in control of the Junior Rotax class.  Was this the race when the field would catch up and be able to challenge Kiel?
 
In qualifying, Dylan Lupton gave some early indications that he had what it took by taking the pole by over a third of a second ahead Kiel who was off pole followed by Conner Ford and Brody Zink. 

 
 
At the start of the Pre-Main, Dylan took the lead at the green and Kiel lost a couple spots coming out of turn one.  Kiel made a couple of passes and got back to second, but he could never make a serious run for the lead.  Lupton took the win with Kiel just over a second back followed by Ford, Zink and Austin Root. 

 

In the Main, Spaulding got off the green well and took the race lead going into turn one.  Spaulding opened up a good lead and held it steady for the remainder of the race to take his third win in a row.  Lupton finished strong in 2nd making three 2nd place finishes in a row followed by a much improved performance from Conner Ford in 3rd.  Brody Zink took 4th, but he was pressuring Ford the whole way and finished only .037 seconds back.  Austin Root took the 5th place spot.
 
Senior Rotax
 
The Senior Rotax field was 17 strong and like the first two races, the field was very deep in talent.
 
In Qualifying, Jake Mottaz took the pole just barely over Nic LeDuc followed by Gregory Liefooghe, Nikola Radosavljevich, Troy Castenada and David Harwin. 
In the Pre-Main, the field got through turn one cleanly, but the sparks started flying at turn two.  The top six drivers were diving into corners and making passes at nearly every corner.  Mottaz first would lead, then LeDuc with the next four drivers all shuffling positions.  On lap four, Harwin went around a couple of drivers that were battling and came up the hill into the last turn side-by-side with Radosavljevich.  Unfortunately, the two karts' front wheels touched and both karts went up in the air.  Harwin got the worst of it when his kart flipped bringing out a red flag.
 
On the single file restart, minus Harwin, Mottaz took the lead and the mad dish racing continued.  Mottaz and LeDuc continued to go back and forth for the lead.  A great battle between Carlos Calderon, Matthew Powers, Jordan Jadallah and Donavon Wheeler raged on until the end of the twelve lap race.  LeDuc came home first, but was underweight and thus would start the Main from the back.  Mottaz was declared the winner followed by Radosavljevich, Castenada, Liefooghe and Calderon. 
 
For the Main, the start was good for all except Radosavljevich who got muscled off the exit of turn one and fell back several positions.  Mottaz was able to open up a lead and was never challenged.  But, right behind there was constant passing going on.  Liefooghe got by Castenada.  Castenada then got passed by Jordan Jadallah who came up from the 7th spot.  LeDuc was picking off one or two positions a lap and got by Castenada near the end of the race to come home 4th.  Castenada held onto the 5th spot with a much improving Carlos Calderon taking the 6th spot. 
 
In his real senior class debut race, Donavon Wheeler drove a strong race to take the 7th spot with Radosavljevich recovering to take 8th, followed by Harwin and Powers.  The top eight positions all finished within 10 seconds of each other showing how competitive the Nor Cal Senior Rotax field is.  With three races in the book, there have been three different winners so for in 2009.
 
Rotax DD2
 
For the past three years, the 2-speed Rotax DD2 class has been mostly a masters aged group with few, if any young drivers campaigning the series.  That all changed as four senior age drivers ran this round #3 event.  But, don't tell that to David Arnstein...Arnstein, last year's DD2 champion as well as the Jim Russell Grand Masters driver of the year, took the pole over Troy Castenada, winner of the first two races.  Castenada was 2nd followed by seventeen year old Kyle Gimple, January Grove and Tim Salveson.  
 


                                         DD2 Class ready for battle (photo:NorCal Rotax)
 
In the Pre-Main, Castenada took the lead early in the race and went on to a 3 second win over Arnstein with Gimple coming back to take 3rd after a bad start.  Grove and Salveson finished 4th and 5th. 
 
In the Main, Troy once again took an early lead with Arnstein very close behind.  Arnstein then made a pass and took the lead for much of the middle portion of the race.  Meanwhile, behind the leading duo, Gimple had another slow start and had to work his way back through the field.  Grove and Salveson were dueling back and forth until Salveson's kart started losing its brakes.  Newcomer Bronson Eggert took over challenging for the 3rd and 4th positions.  Late in the race, Castenada took back the race lead, but Arnstein was not going to give the race away too easily.  Arnstein stayed close for the last few laps and came up .225 seconds behind Castenada at the checkered flag.  Again, Gimple had to come from 6th and by race end had taken over 3rd, 8 seconds back of the winner.  Grove came home 4th followed by the young Eggert in 5th and Bruce Weir in 6th.
 
_____________________________________________________________________________
 
 
The Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Series will now take a six week break, returning to Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, July 18th, when the drivers will run the Sprint track layout again.
 

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.
 

6-4-09 PROKART CHALLENGE NORTH SERIES RETURNS TO SONOMA
 


Fourth round of program takes competitors back to Jim Russell International Karting Center

TEMECULA, CA (June 4, 2009) – Following the inaugural ProKart Challenge West Coast Shootout, the PKC North program readies for the fourth round of the seven -vent championship on June 13, returning to the home circuit of the series – the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. The event will mark the first time this year that the series will utilize the popular ‘reverse national’ layout on the 7/8-mile circuit, which is expected to bring extra, intrigued drivers to the race.
 
“We introduced the reverse layout last year, which was a big hit with our regulars – and brought in a number of new competitors to the PKC North program,” said Superkarts! USA owner and PKC promoter Tom Kutscher. “Though we call the Sonoma track home in that region, the facility allows us to switch it up for the competitors each month to keep it fresh and exciting for those behind the wheel – and those along the fence.”
 
The championship battles are beginning to take shape as the program reaches the midpoint of the season. Two drivers currently hold the top spot in the standings in two divisions each – Jacob Neal and Kiel Spaulding. Neal has finished no worse than second in both the S1 and S3 categories, where he currently has a comfortable advantage over Cody Hodgson and Tommy Thompson respectively. The 18-year-old also has a five-race win streak dating back to February in the S3 division, including three in the South and the big victory at the PKC West Coast Shootout. Spaulding has a similar look in the Junior classes, as the HPV2 Junior defending champion leads over Dylan Lupton and Luis Tyrrell – while on top in the TaG Junior standings over Louie Pagano and Adrian Starrantino.
 
The TaG Senior, TaG Master, G1, and S4 categories have all had three different feature winners in the opening three rounds. The G1 division, however, has the closest points battle to date, as Shootout winner Fernando Diaz is just five points ahead of round two winner Jim Kidd – with Ethan Wilson within reach. Ten points separate Steve Elo and Shootout winner Paul Hohlbein in the TaG Master championship, with Jim Zootis just 35 points out of first. Larry Fraser has a 20-point advantage over Brett Felkins in TaG Senior, with round one winner Will Martindale lurking not far off. Jamie Wilson, Jared Woolf and Peter Workum hold the top three spots in the S4 rankings, with Workum looking to join Wilson and Woolf as feature winners next weekend.
 
Pre-registration will be open until midnight on June 10, with competitors able to save $35 by entering early. After that, at-track registration will be open early both days (Friday and Saturday). Practice day will be Friday, June 12. Gates open at 7am with open practice 9am to 5pm, followed by a complimentary BBQ – sponsored by G-Force Motorsports – for all who have paid for practice or a pit pass for the day (bring your own drinks). Again, longtime PKC friend and supporter Scott Jeffery will be serving up the feast to those who attend. Trailer parking and overnight camping on site will be available Friday night only. Those wishing to park early or stay extra must contact the facility. Pit spots are on a first come, first serve basis – with the exception of the front row spots that may be reserved. The host hotel for the event will be the Econo Lodge in Novato (call 415-883-2406 and mention ProKart Challenge for a special 10% off rate). For more information on the event or the Superkarts! USA’s ProKart Challenge itself, head to www.prokartchallenge.com  or call 951-491-0808.
 
 

6-4-09 DOUGLAS COUNTY SPEEDWAY LATEST CHALLENGE FOR BOWLES IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD WEST SERIES



Californian enters Round Six having finished on the podium in both previous visits to the half-mile Oregon oval

ROSEBURG, ORE. (June 4, 2009) – Jason Bowles resumes his pursuit of the NASCAR Camping World West Series title on Saturday (June 6), with Round Six at the Douglas County Speedway in Oregon. Thanks to a race win, a runner-up finish and results among the top-10 in every round thus far, the talented Californian enters the Toyota/Bi-Mart 150 presented by NAPA Auto Parts second in the title chase and one of the front-runners to leave the Northwest oval with a victory.

One of only two half-mile ovals on the 13-race NASCAR Camping World West Series calendar, Douglas County Speedway is sure to present an interesting challenge to all the title contenders. That being said, Bowles enters the one-day event in Oregon having enjoyed success at the banked oval in his previous visits, as well as at similar half-mile tracks. In two career starts at the Douglas Speedway, the former karting and formula car standout has finished on the podium twice, taking the checkered flag in third place both times. In addition, Bowles has two series wins at the 0.500-mile Irwindale Speedway. Given these results and the fact that No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Oakley/Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/GS 610/RPM 12/Justice Brothers/Bell/Ford has started from the pole position twice in the opening five races, and has yet to finish outside of the top-10, many on hand will be keeping an eye on the current championship runner-up.

“I’m really excited to go back to Douglas County, we have run good the last two years here and I think we are bringing back the best car we have had yet,” stated Bowles. “With the points battle being as tight as it is we need to have a good solid weekend. The team gives me a great car every week and I know they will do the same this week.”

The Toyota/Bi-Mart 150 presented by NAPA Auto Parts, Round Six of the NASCAR Camping World West Series, gets underway on Saturday (June 6) via a 45-minute practice session just prior to the lunch break. This will be followed by another 45-minute practice run ahead of single-car qualifying at 5:00 p.m. local time. The green flag for the 150-lap race is scheduled to wave at 8:30 p.m.
 

6-2-09 Jim Russell Sunday Series Preview Juniors, 80 Shifters and TaG Grand Masters



Race #3 of the Jim Russell International Karting Sunday Series will take to the track this coming Sunday, June 7. The track layout for this month is the new but very popular Reverse National track of the Jim Russell Karting track at Infineon Raceway. Practice starts at 9:00 with at least 45 minutes of practice for each race group during the morning.

The Jim Russell Sunday Series is a truly laid back type of club series where one can get lots of practice in on the morning, a 5 lap qualify session, 12 lap (about 10 minutes) Pre-Main and 18 lap (about 15 minutes) Main and be on the way home by 4:30. The Junior classes are the HPV1, Junior 1-Comer and Junior 1- Gazelle. Three 80 shifter classes will run, Senior 80 (360#), 80 Masters/Heavy Driver (375#) and 80 Grand Masters (385#). Also running on the program is the popular TaG Grand Masters (390#) for drivers over 45 years old. All classes run to Norcal IKF rules, use Bridgestone YHC tires and use VP 98 fuel and Burris or Motul oil.

Entry fee is $105 and this includes the transponder. All crew family and friends are FREE. So bring everyone along and have a good time at Northern Californiaʼs premier kart track. For more race or series information, contact Race Director Ric Shaw at racedirector-ric@hotmail.com

6-2-09 OLEEN VISITS VICTORY LANE FOR A SECOND TIME IN USAC FORD FOCUS MIDGET  COMPETITION
 


Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle driver led every lap of Round Six at All-American Speedway

ROSEVILLE, CALIF. (June 2, 2009) – American Jeff Oleen made a return
visit to victory lane on Saturday (May 30), winning the Midget feature
race in Round Six of the USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Car Series
at All-American Speedway. The win marked the second victory for the Ron
Sutton’s Winner’s Circle development driver this season, advancing the
Maryland native to third in the championship fight.

Oleen, having previously tasted the spoils of victory in Round Four at
Madera Speedway and finished third in the most recent USAC Ford Focus
Midget race, was poised to continue his strong start to the 2009
campaign when the on-track action began at the All-American Speedway.
The former multiple World Karting Association champion and Skip Barber
race-winner quickly got up to speed in practice prior to single-car
qualifying. While Oleen did not turn the time desired in qualifying due
to a fuel system problem, posting the fifth fastest time, he was still
confident he could work his way forward come race time.

After a third place result in the opening Heat race, Oleen rolled on to
the 0.300-mile high-banked oval for the 25-lap feature race. The No. 8
Oleen Pinnacle/PitFit Training/Best Buddies/Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle
USAC Ford Focus Midget proceeded to get a great launch when the green
flag waved, quickly taking over the lead position in turn three. Despite
constant pressure from his Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle teammate Nik
Romano, from that point forward the second-year RSWC driver never
relinquished the top spot. Leading flag-to-flag, Oleen scored his second
win of 2009, furthering his chase towards the series title.

“It was a wild race to watch, because Jeff’s Teammate…superfast rookie
Nik Romano…was tapping him and putting his nose in every hole he could
find,” Head of RSWC Driver Development, Ron Sutton stated, “If Jeff had
bobbled once, we would be celebrating Romano’s first win. But Jeff ran
another flawless race and won. Something clicked for Jeff early in the
season and he is on a mission every race. The last three races have been
impressive with a one-two finish, a two-three finish and, of course
we’re excited to have another one-two finish this early in the season.”

Oleen and the Ron Sutton Winner’s Circle USAC Ford Focus Midget team
resume the 2009 USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Car Series on June
13, with Round Seven at Madera Speedway in California.
 

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