Archives March 2009

3-31-09 PROKART CHALLENGE SOUTH HITS GRANGE MOTOR CIRCUIT


 
Neal scores second double victory weekend while Kelley sweeps TaG Senior in series debut

APPLE VALLEY, CA (March 28, 2009) – The third round of the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge South was a day of firsts for many at the Grange Motor Circuit in Apple Valley, California. The March 28 event saw over 60 competitors on hand for the 8/10-mile circuit, four of which – including PKC TaG Senior newcomer Bobby Kelley – earned their first victory of the 2009 PKC South season in four classes that have seen no repeat winners. On the flip side, hotshoe Jacob Neal duplicated his performance in round two by scoring two wins once again, while Phil Conte bagged his second straight victory in his division.
 
As he did last month at the Willow Springs event, Neal would run double duty on the day to compete in the S1 and S3 divisions. The S1 portion of the event was perfect for Neal, as he showed the way in every on-track session from qualifying to the main event. Neal took the feature win by nearly five seconds over Peter Abba and Imran Hussain.
 
In S3, the day began in the right direction, with Neal securing the top qualifier position by a tenth of a second over Patrick Cushenberry and Bobby Legate, who sat second and first in the standings heading into the weekend. Although he rolled onto the track late, Neal was improperly allowed to start in pole position, and therefore continued on to take the opening heat win by over two seconds, with Cushenberry in second of round two runner-up Jimmy McNeil. To correct the heat 1 start, Neal agreed to a sixth grid position start in the second heat (with the agreement of the rest of the drivers). He was able to work back up to third – but not have enough for the lead as McNeil took the win over Cushenberry with a late race pass.
 
The opening laps of the feature were a wild one, as McNeil was slow off the line and fell to third while Neal was unable to get started and came from last on the grid. McNeil’s chance at victory ended on lap two, however, as he made contact with Legate which resulted in him spinning off course. Though he was able to continue, it was well behind the pack; however, he battled up to sixth at the line. Neal on the other hand was able to get back up to the leaders by lap five, first putting Legate behind him. Lap 13 of the 20 laps scheduled would be Neal’s time to steal the top spot from Cushenberry before posting solid lap times to extend a lead out to five seconds by the checkered flag. Cushenberry held second with Legate holding off Clinton Schoombee for the third podium step.
 
Bobby Kelley, a newcomer to the ProKart Challenge South program, was no stranger to the Grange circuit. Using his knowledge and experience of the track, Kelley earned top qualifier honors, posting a lap time over seven-tenths quicker than round one winner Brett Felkins. Kelley continued his torrid pace throughout the day – which was a battle of attrition for the rest of the field – to lead all the laps in the heat races and the feature. It was a seven second margin of victory for the first time PKC winner as he outran Felkins and championship leader Howie Idelson.
 
The second of four class sweeps on the day was courtesy of Phil Conte in the S4 division. The ‘08 S3 Heavy champion showed the way in qualifying, out-pacing Jason Attwood and ’08 S4 Heavy titlist Ken Schilling. Like Kelley, Conte would pace the S4 field throughout the day as he recorded both heat victories and earned the top step of the podium, leading all the competition laps. Schilling ran a solid second for the majority of the feature, until he went off track ‘at the top of the bowl’ and fell back in the order. That moved championship leader Jeff Smith into second and Phil Dunford up to third for his first podium finish of the year.
 
ProKart Challenge North TaG Masters champion from 2008 Rob Soares made his first appearance in a kart in ’09 at Grange, and it was a successful one as he dominated the field. A solid qualifying effort put him at the point for the opening heat. Soares would record both heat wins and the main event victory by a 14-second margin. Jeff Bobbitt settled for second on the day, while Jeff Deehan crossed the line third – but was removed due to a technical infraction. That moved up fourth place finisher Pasha Mirhadi, who edged out championship leader Steve Wiener, to the third podium position.
 
The third driver to earn his first win of the season was PP Mastro in G1. However, Nick Firestone, who was making his first start of 2009, edged Mastro for the top spot in qualifying by just two-tenths of a second. Mastro would strike back as he got the holeshot and showed the way in the opening heat race, with Firestone settling for second. The two ran nose to tail in heat two, with Mastro earning the win once again with Firestone on his bumper. The feature looked to repeat the results of the heat with Mastro and Firestone running 1-2 until lap 13, when Firestone’s engine experienced gearbox issues. That gave Mastro clear sailing to the feature win with Troy Butts and Roy Montgomery filling up the podium and the top two spots in the standings – with championship leader Jason Campbell a no-show for round three.
 
The fourth and final driver picking up his first win of the season was Tony Morrison in the new S4 Magnum division. Added at the second round of the season, the heavier stock moto category saw Luke Bianco take the inaugural victory. Bianco showed the way in qualifying with Morrison slotted in second in the order. They would run that way in the opening heat until lap 10, when Bianco lost his exhaust silencer and was forced to pull off. That put Morrison at the point with Jim Miller placing second. Bianco recovered in the second heat, working his way to second by lap three; however, his comeback would be short-lived as his engine experienced a fuel pump issue, allowing Miller to finish second once again. Bianco’s troubles continued in the main event as he attempted to climb back to the lead group only to last one lap longer than the final heat race as a broken coil wire put him on the sidelines for good. Morrison cruised to victory, with Miller in the runner-up spot and Gary Sanchez third.
 
Making its series debut, the new KF2 package ran its first official weekend with the ProKart Challenge South program. Filled with karting veterans and rising stars, the opener was an exciting one. Indy 500 champion Buddy Rice was scheduled to compete; however, an injury during testing prevented the Arizona driver from competing. Alex Speed, having spent the last three months racing the new package in Florida, earned the pole position over his teammate Will Martindale. Former national champion Joel Miller – currently racing in the Star Mazda Championship – returned to his karting roots and was third in the qualifying order. Speed took the heat one win, with Miller getting by Martindale for the second spot to start outside row one in the main event (as the class did not run a second heat). In the feature, Speed fell back to sixth, allowing Martindale and Miller to show the way. Martindale went on to take the inaugural win, with Miller falling back to fourth behind Brett Felkins and a recovering Speed.
 
Next month will be the fourth round of the seven event PKC South championship, taking the teams south to San Diego for the temporary circuit outside Qualcomm Stadium on April 25, as part of a joint race with the San Diego Karting Association. For more information on the event or the Superkarts! USA’s ProKart Challenge itself, head to www.prokartchallenge.com

3-30-09 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge Preview
 


With the postponement of Race #1 at Dixon due to rain last month, the April 4th race at Infineon Raceway will now be the opening race of the year for the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge. This 10 race series will challenge the Rotax racers with 7 races at the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma and 3 races at the Kinsmen Kart Club in Dixon. One Dixon race is scheduled to be a night race. The championship will be determined on the best 8 of 10 races. The April 4th race will run on the National Track layout.

If the winter rumors have any bearing on the matter, the 2009 Jim Russell Nor Cal Rotax Challenge should be the largest regional Rotax challenge in the country. 2009 will be the first year where three different Nor Cal Rotax Service Centers will be supporting customers in the Nor Cal Challenge. Marin Karting, a service center since 2003, is now joined by Cambrian Go-Karts, SwedeTech Racing Engines. All three service centers will be focused on supporting customers in 2009, which should make for some very competitive racing.

The Rotax sealed engine formula provides a strong history of a level playing field for all drivers. The clear rules do not allow deviation from the stock parts which appeals to the kart racer who wants to focus less on the engine and more on chassis set up and driving skill. The Nor Cal Challenge Tech Director for 2009 is Joe Whitson. Joe brings a strong background of motor building and engine inspection to the tech area. Expect Joe to be in close contact with Rotax National Tech Director Don Moormeister, who will help support Joe's own technical knowledge.

Again for 2009, the race events will be coordinated and race directed by Ric Shaw. This will be Ric's 8th year of organizing karting events for the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School.

The Nor Cal Rotax Challenge is an open series and drivers are not required to be national Rotax members in 2009. All drivers who compete in the Nor Cal Rotax Challenge will be eligible for the class championship as well as any series awards.

The Nor Cal Rotax Challenge allows Rotax members to become eligible to compete in the Rotax Grand National (in Norman, Oklahoma in September) as well as earn points towards the National Points Championship. The National Points Championship allows local drivers to earn regional points and compete against other regional point winners to determine the National Points Champion. In 2008, Nor Cal drivers won 3 of the 4 National Points Championships. You must be a Rotax member to compete in the National Points Championship. Rotax membership forms are available at www.norcalrotax.com.

Also for 2009, two new Rotax classes have been added, Micro Max (8-10 years) and Mini Max (10 to 12 years). With the addition of these two classes, the Nor Cal Rotax Challenge offers the whole Rotax family of classes for the first time.

Classes Previews

Micro Max and Mini Max - These two Junior 1 classes are already generating lots of interest and several karts are expected to be at the April 4th race. Many of these Micro and Mini karts are drivers who are new to karting which is a good indication of how the three service centers are steering new karters to the reliable and cost effective Rotax formula.

Junior Rotax - 2007 and 2008 Champ Jordan Jadallah will be moving to Senior Rotax in 2009, so expect a strong battle to develop in the junior championship race. 2008 runner up Donavon Wheeler will be pressed hard this coming year by Bryce Hylbert, Brody Zink and Bobby Tifft. With only two 2008 junior drivers moving up to Senior Rotax this coming season, and the rumors of a few new drivers coming into the series this year, the 2009 Junior Rotax field should not only be strong, but also a potential 15+ kart count class.

Senior Rotax - 2008 class champ Gregory Liefooghe will be back this year, but 2009 should be tougher with a very strong field of drivers. 2nd and 3rd place drivers from 2008, Nikola Radosavljevich and Matthew Powers will definitely be stronger this season. And the two junior graduate drivers Jordan Jadallah and Jordan Miller will be very competitive as well. Jadallah was second in his first Senior Rotax last October and Jordan Miller went off and beat Liefooghe and Fritz Leesmann to win the last Dixon club race in her first Senior Rotax race in November. It's being rumored two veteran TaG drivers will be joining the Rotax series with support from one of the service centers. Add the likes of Kierstin Gee, Raymond Bustamante Jr, Carlos Calderon, Jake Mottaz and many others to the field, the Senior Rotax class will offer some of the best racing in Nor Cal in 2009.

Rotax Masters and Rotax Masters Light - Rotax Masters may have a new Champion in 2009. It appears that David Carlisle, the 2007 and 2008 Rotax Masters Champ will take the year off from racing. This leaves the Masters class wide open for lots of competition in 2009. Expect to see Jerry Pretti and Jay Brosius do battle for class honors this coming season, unless David Harwin returns to the class.

In the Nor Cal Regional class Rotax Masters Light, we expect some additional drivers who are considering this class for 2009. 2008 Champ Mike Lawler should see more competition with Marc Pingol, Mary Beth Wilson and Mert Solis expecting to improve on their 2008 results. Oh, did I mention Rotax Masters is actually Rotax Masters/Heavy Driver. Drivers under the 32 year Masters minimum age can run in the class as long as they are over 200 pounds with suit, helmet, etc at the scales.

Rotax DD2 - The Nor Cal two-speed Rotax class has been the largest regional class in the country for the last two years. But it has been mostly a Masters aged class in the Nor Cal Challenge. That will change in 2009 as young 17 year old Kyle Gimple will campaign the whole season this year. Off his first ever win in DD2 at the October race last fall, look to see Kyle applying pressure on 2008 Champ David Arnstein as well as Glen Poy-Wing and January Grove. New for 2009 will be the MOJO D3 tire used exclusively in the DD2 class.

Entry fee for the 2009 Nor Cal Rotax Challenge will be $105 at Infineon. This includes a transponder. If you provide your own transponder, the entry fee is $100. Fuel for the series will be ERC 98. Oil is Motul 800 2T Off Road mixed to a ratio of 33:1 to 50:1. Tires for all classes except DD2 is the MOJO D2 tire. The DD2 class will use the MOJO D3 tire. The rain tire for the Rotax Grand National will be the MOJO W2 rain tire. All races at Infineon Raceway are rain or shine.

With the generous support of many sponsors, the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge is shaping up to having its biggest year ever and should provide great competition across all classes. And, it is not too late to consider running the series. Remember, there are two throw away races in the Challenge.
 

PKC So Cal 2009 – Round 3

Grange Motor Circuit – March 27-28

Round #3 of the 7-race ProKart Challenge So Cal kart racing series will be held IN JUST ONE WEEK at the Grange Motor Circuit on Saturday, March 28th. A practice day will be held on Friday, March 27th from 9am to 5pm, with a complimentary PKC dinner following at 6pm. Complete details are available at www.prokartchallenge.com, including an ONLINE store where you can pre-enter the event as well as purchase/renew your SKUSA membership, purchase spec tires, spec fuel/oil, transponder rentals, Friday practice, reserved pit spots, etc.

Track Configuration: The layout for this event, both practice and race days, will be the standard layout in the normal (clockwise) direction.

Event Entry: Pre-entry cutoff for this event is midnight this coming Wednesday, March 25th. Enter before the cutoff and save $35 on your entry fees -- PLUS save yourself from standing in long registration lines at the track! Enter the event and purchase the other race products that you will need through the ONLINE store or call 951-491-0808. You can also download, fill out and fax your entry/order to 951-491-0809.  Click here for that form. If you do not receive an email confirmation of your entry within 24 hours -- or you need special assistance with your entry -- please call the office: 951-491-0808. Classes to be run at this event: S1, G, S3, S4, S4 Magnum, TaG Jr, TaG Senior, TaG Master and KF2.

Other Important Race Event Info:

  •  Practice Day: Gates and Registration open on Friday, March 27th at 7:00am. Track is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Fuel and tire desks will be open starting at 7:30am.  Practice fees are $60. (No SKUSA membership required to practice.) Stick around for a Complimentary PKC dinner at 6pm!
  • Race Day: Gates and Registration open on Saturday, March 28th at 6:30am. Track is open from 7:30am to approx 4:00pm, with podium awards and raffle prizes following the final tech inspection. See the PKC website for a tentative race day schedule. A final schedule will be handed out at the track on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.
  • Pit Spots: PKC is taking reservations now for reserved pit spots for this event. Each reserved spot is $30. Click HERE for a current pit space map.
  • Overnight Camping & Trailer Parking: Overnight camping for this event, as well as trailer parking overnight, will be available AT NO CHARGE starting Thursday, 3/26. See below for host hotel information if you need a hotel room locally.
  • Memberships: Are required to race. Purchase or renew your SKUSA membership thru the online store, or sign up at the PKC registration desk on Friday or Saturday morning. Memberships are $75 and are good for 12 months.
  • Colored Number Panels: ProKart Challenge now requires a specific color combination on your kart number panels, in addition to running your SKUSA race number and letter designator. See the website under the RACE NUMBERS section for those specifics. (Colors for KF2 will be posted shortly.)
  • Rules:  See the PKC/SKUSA rulebook, as well as rules specific to this event, on the PKC website under the RULES section and in the INFO SHEET that will be included in each driver registration packet.
  • Spec Tires: All classes must run PKC's MG Yellow tires, type "FZ". Race tires must be purchased from PKC and have the special PKC '09 stamp. Practice tires are open spec. PKC is shipping tires NOW, if needed, especially for practice!
  • Spec Fuel/Oil: All classes must run the PKC spec fuel/oil during all competition sessions:  Motul Kart Grand Prix 2T oil + either VP MS98 or VP C12 (built motos only). Practice fuel/oil is open spec.
  • Tires and Fuel Availability: Because it is unsafe for the PKC crew to transport large amounts of excess tires & fuel, only enough tires & spec fuel will be brought to the track to satisfy pre-event orders and projected race entries. Pre-ordering race/practice tires & fuel will guarantee your products will be on site.
  • Air Boxes and Silencers: For all motos, the silencer is open spec and airboxes are not required at this event.
  • Press Coverage: Media releases with this event's highlights will be distributed to the major karting publications, giving everyone a chance to become a local hero to their family and friends. 
  • Podium Prizes: Post-podium raffle prizes include tires, fuel, free entries, kart and car care products, and more! All drivers in attendance are eligible.
  • Hotels:  ProKart Challenge has arranged a hotel room block at two different hotels/motels in the area for this event. See additional info on the website under the HOTEL&ACCOMMODATIONS section if you need a place to stay (especially if you are bringing a pet).  

3-25-09 Championship showdown in the California desert
 

 
March 25, 2009 (Orange, Calif.) – It’s four down, but two to go for the racers in the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas. The final two races of the 2009 season, which will be held at the Willow Springs Kart Track in Rosamond, Calif., will no doubt be as exciting and action-packed as the previous four in Phoenix and Fontana. Three trips to the Rotax Grand Finals in Egypt, and two to the Rotax Grand Nationals in Oklahoma are to be doled out Sunday afternoon, ensuring that this may be some of the best racing seen on the West Coast this season.
 
 Rotax Senior
 
Just as it did last year, the Rotax Senior battle has boiled down to a battle of the two titans – Wes Phillips (birel) and Joey ‘The Busdriver’ Collins (Top Kart). Both have two final wins each and are well clear of third-placed Joey Wimsett (Intrepid) and fourth placed Joey Licata, Jr. (CRG). Stepanova Nekeel (CRG) has been a factor and could also act as a spoiler in the Phillips / Collins championship battle. Incidentally, at the Challenge of the Americas opener at Willow Springs last year, Collins and Phillips split the victories.
 
Rotax Junior
 
Phil De La O (GRG) enjoys a healthy championship lead heading into the final weekend at Willow Springs, but that lead belies the amount of action that the Rotax Junior class has seen all season. Phillip Orcic (Mach 1) has matched De La O at two wins a piece and sits second in points, just ahead of Taylor Miinch (Top Kart) and Lou Pagano (birel). Out of this group, De La O has never raced at Willow Springs, Orcic has only raced there once, and Starrantino won one of the rounds at Willow Springs last year. Local knowledge – which Miinch, Pagano, and Starrantino have – may well end up being a factor early in the weekend. De La O may be in the ideal spot to win that trip to Egypt, but there are plenty of other drivers taking aim for that trip as well.
 
Rotax Masters
 
If it weren’t for his DNF in round three of the Challenge of the Americas, John Crow (birel) would be running the table in Rotax Masters. Despite that result, he maintains a slight lead over David Harwin (CRG), who was a man on a mission at CalSpeed. Despite Crow’s victory on Sunday, Harwin narrowed the gap in the points standings to a mere seven points. Moving up the points table was a charging Mike Daniel (CRG), who leapfrogged Tyler ‘Tyrel’ Brooks (Kosmic) into third as Brooks was a DQ in round four for non-compliance. Mathematically, Daniel and Brooks have a shot at winning the championship, but Crow and Harwin would almost literally have to have their wheels fall off on both Saturday and Sunday at Willow Springs.
 
MiniMax
 
The only class yet to not have a repeat winner is MiniMax, with four different winners in four rounds of Challenge of the America competition. Riley Ryes (CRG) leads the championship ahead of Royal McKee (CRG), Michael Davis (birel) who has yet to win a race in the class he dominated last year, and Michael Womack (birel). With no drops, Reyes has a healthy margin but second through fifth – which is Trenton May (CRG) is a hard fought battle that is only separated by 21 points. Davis swept both Willow Springs races last year, and such a result this weekend would put some serious pressure on Reyes for the championship and the trip to the Grand Nationals.
 
DD2
 
DD2 has more or less been the Scott Campbell (Intrepid) show, as the accomplished Canadian pilot is set to wrap up his championship and book his tickets to Egypt for the 2009 Grand Finals. His closest pursuer, Troy Castaneda (CRG) hasn’t notched a win yet and would probably like to before the season is out, as would local driver Erik ‘Action’ Jackson.
 

 

3-20-09 ROUND THREE OF PROKART CHALLENGE SOUTH ON THE HORIZON


 
Championship battles to take shape as series looks forward to Grange Motor Circuit

TEMECULA, CA (March 20, 2009) – The third month of the year will take the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge South program to the Grange Motor Circuit in Apple Valley, California. The March 28 event will be the third of a seven-round championship battle, with exciting racing beginning the series in the first two rounds of the ’09 season. The Grange event is forecasted to be no different, with a stellar line-up of drivers slated to compete and the new Spring weather providing perfect racing conditions.
 
The Grange event will see the debut of the KF2 division added to the PKC South class line-up. The new engine package is becoming widely known across the country, and a number of supporters of the program will be in attendance next weekend - with nearly a dozen entries to participate.
 
Looking at the early championship contenders, the S3 category is wide open, with a number of drivers in position challenge. Defending S3 Light champion Bobby Legate tops the standings after two rounds, despite not earning a victory as of yet. Round one winner Alex Barron did not compete in round two, where Jacob Neal took the honor. Neal sits fifth in the standings behind Patrick Cushenberry, Jimmy McNeil and Clinton Schoombee. TaG Senior sees veteran Howie Idelson leading feature winners Brett Felkins and Billy Cleavelin as they head into Grange.
 
The S4 category is another class with many drivers in the thick of the early chase, with a consistent Jeff Smith showing the way after the opening two rounds. Rob Whitley sits second in front of round one winner Peter Workum, with Jason Attwood and Ken Schilling running a close fourth and fifth. Round two winner Phil Conte is sixth in the order, despite missing the opening round at CalSpeed. Jason Campbell and Troy Butts are currently the drivers to beat in the G1 category. Both have a feature win; however, Roy Montgomery and Brad Dhesi are looking to add their names to the win column.
 
The TaG Master standings currently sees three in the driver’s seat of the championship chase, with Steve Wiener leading Mike Kelley by a slim margin of two points – with Ken Manning looking in. Peter Abba holds the point in the S1 division after his round one victory and runner-up to Jacob Neal at round two. Gregory Liefooghe and Imran Husain currently stand second and third ahead of Neal who sat out the feature in round one. The S4 Magnum category made its debut at the Willow Springs event, with Luke Bianco taking the inaugural win ahead of Tony Morrison and Jim Miller. In the Junior categories, Austin Schimmel leads in S5 with Max Zacky showing the way in TaG Junior.
 
Friday prior to the event will host a full day of practice from 9am to 5pm. A complimentary dinner following the practice day will be provided by the PKC organization to those in attendance. Pre-entries will be taken up until midnight, March 25, with competitors able to save $35 on the entry fee by registering early. PKC is taking reservations for reserved pit spaces along with arranging special pricing at two local hotels. For more information on the event or the Superkarts! USA’s ProKart Challenge itself, head to www.prokartchallenge.com

3-17-09 ProKart Challenge North Opens ’09 Season with Solid Event in Sonoma
 
The second season of the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge North regional program got underway this past Saturday, March 14, in Sonoma, California as the Infineon Raceway Jim Russell International Karting Center played host to the opening round. Despite cooler weather than expected, the weekend saw phenomenal racing in the eight categories – with nearly 80 drivers on hand. Coming away from the event as the star of the show was Kyle Spaulding, as the Junior driver scored two trips to the top step of the podium on the day.

The month has been a successful one for Spaulding, who entered the PKC event fresh off a three-win weekend in Southern California. Competing in both the TaG Junior and HPV2 Junior divisions, it would be a typical busy weekend for the youngster.

The HPV2 Junior field was stacked with 19 karts entered. The early leader of the group was Luis Tyrrell, as he posted the best lap in Qualifying – just over a tenth quicker than the defending class champion Spaulding – with Kathryn Cornell, Dylan Lupton and Cody Kay completing the fast-five. In the opening heat race, Tyrrell and Spaulding went back and forth until Tyrrell came across the line first on the tenth and final lap. During post-race tech inspection, an improper clutch would, however, cost Tyrrell the win and put Spaulding in P1 for the start of heat two alongside Lupton. Spaulding paced the field in the second heat until the final lap, when Lupton got around for the win to start in the pole position for feature.

A bad start for Spaulding put him back to third behind Lupton and Joey Teves on the opening circuit of the feature. The drivers would hold their positions until Spaulding charged forward on lap 13, first getting by Teves and then Lupton for the lead one lap later. Holding off Lupton, Spaulding went on to take the victory by just 0.187-seconds. Tyrrell carved his way toward the front in the 20 laps to take third, just behind the front two, along with the quick lap of the race to recover from his heat one disqualification.

In TaG Junior, Spaulding battled Cornell throughout the day. Earning top honors in Qualifying, Spaulding ran second to Cornell in the opening heat while the second heat came down to inches as Cornell came just short of nipping the win from Spaulding, a margin of 0.095-seconds at the line. Spaulding made the right adjustments before the main event, getting away from Cornell early, and went on to lead all 20 laps to his second victory of the day. Cornell held on for second with Camden Geise completing the podium.

Will Martindale made the trip back home to California after spending most of the first two months of the year competing in Florida. In his return, he was matched up against veteran Larry Fraser, who edged him by 0.029-seconds in TaG Senior Qualifying. The fight would be short-lived as Fraser spun on lap two while running on Martindale’s bumper. That gave Martindale the space he needed to take the win over Senior rookies Mason Marotta and Brett Felkins. Martindale would escape the challenges of the field once again to lead all 10 laps of the second heat race, while Fraser climbed back to second ahead of NorCal veteran Brett Buckwalter.
 

The main event would be a near duplicate of the opening heat race with Fraser once again getting shuffled out after starting second, giving Martindale enough breathing room to go on and cruise to the victory for a near perfect weekend. Behind him, Buckwalter held on for the second spot on-track; however, he would be removed from the results due to an improper carburetor. That placed Felkins into the runner-up spot and Marotta on the podium, as well.

The S3 category continues to grow throughout the karting community, with the Californian coast no stranger to the emerging division. The field in Sonoma welcomed karting veteran and Grand-Am driver Memo Gidley – who was looking to keep his skills sharp during his long break between Daytona Prototype races. Like he never left the seat of a kart, Gidley was quick out of the box – but was edged in Qualifying by Steve Reasoner, just 0.050-seconds separating the drivers’ best lap. Come race time, however, Gidley shined in the opening heat race, leading all 10 laps to edge SoCal star Jacob Neal by just 0.016-seconds at the line with Reasoner running third. The 1999 SKUSA SuperNationals winner would again go flag-to-flag over Neal in heat two with a little more distance between them when they crossed the line, while Tommy Thompson advanced up to third.

The charging Thompson saved the best for the end as the rubber continued to get laid down on the Sonoma circuit. Jumping up to second in the opening lap, Thompson quickly got by Gidley for the lead on lap two. From there, Thompson would run unchallenged as he went on to lead the remainder of the 20-lap race for the victory. Gidley fought Neal for the second spot with Neal eventually coming out with the spot, putting Gidley on the third step of the podium.
 

Neal would add a victory to his runner-up finish from S3, as he went on take the opening S1 main event win. New Zealander Daniel Bray returned to the States once again, and was the early favorite after taking the top honors in Qualifying from Neal by over three-tenths. Neal, however, got the hole shot to begin the opening heat race and held off Bray’s attempts to regain the spot. Then Bray got the jump in heat two as he led the opening three laps of the race before Neal retook the lead and went on for the win. The opening lap of the feature shuffled up the field as Bray went into the tic-tack-toe section a little too hot. As a result of the skirmish, defending class champion Cody Hodgson slide through for the lead as they came by the stripe for the first time. He and Neal went back and forth in the 20-lap event until Neal locked in the position to take the victory. Hodgson took second with Bray recovering from his lap one error to take third.

In S4, Jared Woolf looked to have the class locked away after topping the charts in Qualifying and cruising to victory in heat one. A stuck piston in heat two put him on the sidelines for the day, which allowed Jamie Wilson to step up and take the honors in the second heat along with leading all 20 laps in the feature. Scott Cooper and Peter Workum completed the podium. Defending G1 champion Craig Corwin began his title defense on the right path as he took both heat wins and the feature victory. Fernando Diaz edged Corwin in qualifying, breaking up Corwin’s bid for a perfect weekend, and went on to finish second, with Ethan Wilson running third. In TaG Masters, Steve Elo took the main event win over Jim Zootis and Jeff Deehan.

The ProKart Challenge North program will return to Infineon Raceway on April 18 for round two of the seven event championship, with more details regarding the event to be announced in the near future. For more information on Superkarts! USA’s ProKart Challenge, head to http://www.prokartchallenge.com

 

3-17-09 BOWLES SCORES TOP-10 TO BEGIN CAMPING WORLD WEST SERIES CAMPAIGN
 


Multiple cautions halt Californian’s charge to the front at Thunderhill Raceway  

KYLE, TEXAS (March 14, 2009) – While the start to Jason Bowles’ 2009 NASCAR Camping World West Series season did not go exactly as planned, the Californian will be pleased to have earned valuable points and a top-10 finish in what was an incident-filled season-opener at Thunderhill Raceway in Texas.
Bowles entered Round One of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World West Series confident that he would be among those challenging for top honors, given his third place finish in the non-points NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown trophy race back in February, and previous success at the high-speed Texas oval, a fifth and sixth.  Unfortunately, he was unable to find the right set-up for his No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Oakley/Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/GS 610/RPM 12/Justice Brothers/Bell Ford in single-car qualifying, relegating him to a sixth row (12th place) starting position. Despite the rough start, Bowles maintained his belief that he had the talent and car to move up the charts once the racing action got underway.
Racing under the lights in Kyle, Texas, the former junior formula car standout got off to a clean start when the green flag waved to get the action underway. Bowles immediately showed good speed and racecraft around the fast 3/8-mile Thunderhill Raceway oval, steadily advancing up the timing monitor results. His advance was consistently slowed by repeated cautions, however, in what proved to be an incident-filled race. Despite the difficulties, Bowles was poised to score a top-five finish until a late race spin pushed him down the order. Ending via a green-white-checker, Bowles crossed the stripe in ninth, earning 138 valuable points and top-10 finish to start the 2009 race season.
“The result is a bit unfortunate, as we had a great car and got behind the eight-ball by going out early in qualifying,” commented Bowles. “Then I was just riding around in the top-five and with about 50 laps to go my right rear tire developed a slow leak, so I was just trying to hang on for a decent points night and ended up getting turned around with 10 to go. I have to thank the guys on the team, as they gave me a car that I could run faster then the leader with when moving up. We will move onto Roseville, where we won last year to close out the season, and look to turn things in the right direction.”
Bowles will now have a two-week break before traveling to the All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., for Round Two of NASCAR Camping World West Series. In the two series races at the high-banked oval last year, the California started on the pole position once and captured the win in the 2008 season-finale.
 

3-17-09 NEWGARDEN QUICKEST AT SNETTERTON TEST WITH JOE TANDY RACING
 


American teenager unofficially the fastest in first multi-team pre-season test   

NORWICH, ENGLAND (March 13, 2009) – The start to Josef Newgarden’s 2009 European racing campaign commenced officially on March 13 when the talented American took part in a multi-team MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain pre-season test at the Snetterton Race Circuit. Showcasing why many believe that Newgarden is a fast rising star in the world of open-wheel racing, the 18 year-old Formula Ford Festival race winner quickly got up to speed, unofficially posting the fastest lap of the day in his Joe Tandy Racing Mygale.

For Newgarden, the single-day test at the high-speed Snetterton road course just outside of Norwich, England, provided him with the first opportunity to pilot his newly-rebuilt JTR-prepared Mygale SJ08 Formula Ford. Despite having only first driven a Duratec-powered Formula Ford via limited tryout tests during the holiday season, the 18 year-old was immediately posting fast laps in his Robo-Pong backed car. With the goal of becoming more acclimated to the car and his JTR team, as well as beginning to work on a baseline set-up that suited his driving style, Newgarden consistently turned laps within tenths of a second of the current lap record (1:09.906). When the day’s on-track activities ended, the teenager had posted a fast lap of 1:10.003, unofficially the quickest of the day, ahead of his Joe Tandy Racing teammate Liroy Stuart and the six other series competitors taking part.

“We had a really successful test,” commented Newgarden. “This was the first time I’ve driven the Mygale in the dry, and it was a lot of fun. Despite running into a couple small problems, I still managed to post a very fast time, which is a testament to how good the JTR guys are. I’m looking forward to the rest of the pre-season testing program and the start of the 2009 season.”

With continued backing from Robo-Pong ping pong robots and Racer of Tomorrow LTD, a United Kingdom corporation formed by three new investors, Newgarden will return to his season-long home in Oxford, England for a brief break before resuming an extensive pre-season testing program. Over the course of the next few weeks, 2008 Skip Barber National runner-up will make his first visits to Rockingham, Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit and Oulton Park Circuit in preparation for his initial season of European junior formula car racing. The 2009 edition of the 25-race MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain officially gets underway with Rounds One, Two and Three taking place on April 11-13 at Oulton Park.

 

3-11-09 IKF Region 7 ButtonWillow Race Report
 By Goracing Magazine courtesy Ekarting New


Les Phillips needs to just hand over the keys to Buttonwillow Raceway Park to Cadet driver Brenden Baker, because he owned it all weekend long. Round two of the IKF Region 7 Championship Series presented by Bridgestone took place 100 miles or so north of Los Angeles in Buttonwillow, Ca. After a weather scare earlier in the week the skies opened up to that perfect shade of So-Cal blue and we all went about our business at one of the better facilities for Region 7.

Buttonwillow Raceway Park (BRP) has played host to the IKF Grand Nationals a few times in recent past for good reason. As one of the premier car racetracks in the area BRP is loaded with all the amenities that we sometimes don’t get at the purpose built tracks. Another key feature is the location. Sure, technically it is pretty close to being in the middle of nowhere, but it is the furthest north, therefore making it the closest of circuits to another successful IKF series, Region 11. On a side note, Region 11 kicked off their season this weekend in Redding, Ca. Seems to me that the better plan would have been to start things off with a Region 7 and 11 combined event or just not to have the series compete for any entries.

The Bakersfield Kart Club did their usual great job of fielding workers and making sure the place was suitable for racing. They threw a little change at the drivers by running the track in the backwards direction. Some times this works and other times it doesn’t. It works here and the racing was fantastic to see.

You can’t argue with facts, and the fact is that Brenden Baker was the man with four wins, sweeping the Cadet classes. If the area wasn’t already called Bakersfield, it is now. Coming off a pair of wins from round 1, Baker was poised to continue that momentum. You would think that going four for four means that you just have an unbeatable combination but truly this weekend Baker was just the better racer. In three of his four wins he finished less than a few inches ahead of second place. Twice that second place driver was Brennen Mankin. Saturday’s protagonists were Slater Stowell, Riley Reyes, Mankin, Baker and Carter Williams in Rookie Sportsman. The normal array of passing took place in a very typical Cadet race. Every lap was contested right down to the last. Mankin and Baker sprinted for the finish line and it took scoring to sort out the finish. Mankin came up short by a scant .002 and Baker took his first win. Williams, Sowell and Reyes finished just a tick behind the photo finish.
 
Saturday’s HPV 1 race was the only time all weekend that Baker was able to get an advantage and keep it. The field was split and Baker sped off to a 6 second win. You have to give a tip of the helmet to Jacob Drew who finished in second place. In only his second race as a Cadet driver the Kid Kart standout had a super finish. Stowell, Nick Ramirez and Chase McDaniel completed the top five.

Sunday was a difficult day for Baker who needed every ounce of luck and skill to keep his competitors at bay. Mankin and William scored the poles, and prefinals were again almost inconsequential as the 16-lap Finals gave plenty of time to gain or lose positions. The Junior 1 final came down to a game of inches as Williams, Michael Davis, Baker, Ramirez and Reyes controlled the pace up front. The sprint off the final corner started as five but by the time they hit the finish line only Williams and Baker were looking at each other to see who won. Baker again came away in first this time by .013 over Williams, and .225 over Ramirez in third. Davis and Reyes were right there to complete the top-five.

HPV 1 was another close one and again poor Brennen Mankin was the victim of a just a blink of the eye. Sunday’s final Cadet race, and I’m sure all the other Cadet drivers were glad of that, came down to only three drivers in the hunt at the end - Mankin, Reyes, and Baker. Again, these young guys and gals make passes stick defying the laws of physics. They crouch under a fairing that some can barely see over, they race to the line only to lose by .025 for the second day in a row. All this and afterwards take off their helmets and go play Wii in a motorhome together. There is a reason that we have so many Junior 1 drivers around the country, it is the best racing and people still care that the kids are having fun. Most class don’t matter to me who wins unless I have some side bet going on, but I was happy to see Baker sweep the weekend, but at the same time disappointed that Mankin didn’t get one win for his efforts this weekend or that Williams didn’t unseat Baker from the throne. The best part is we do it again a month from now at Grangé and who knows how that will play out. I’m pretty sure Stowell might be someone to contend with there.

If not for Baker then Kiel Spaulding was the dominant driver with three solid wins, and one hard fought second place. With an outstanding weekend performance of his own Spaulding set the bar pretty high, but Tyler Palmer was able to sneak one in to ruin the sweep in Juniors. Saturday’s HPV 2 race saw Spaulding pull out a small gap on Palmer in the 16-lap final while Jared Torres and Camden Geise battled it out for third place ten seconds back. That win was nice, but Spaulding gets mad props for his Jr. Superbox victory a few races later. David Vasquez, Palmer and Spaulding were entrenched in a sweet three-way scrap for the lead for most of the final. Palmer and Vasquez made slight contact with only two corners remaining. This totally slowed their momentum heading into the final turn. Spaulding got a great run diving inside to streak down the straightway for the win. Sunday’s HPV 2 race again had Vasquez as the main rival, but this time it was Dylan Lupton running in third at the finish. With a few tenths a lap advantage it was a no brainer that without a problem Spaulding would land his third win on the weekend. Not quite perfect, but pretty close and nothing to sneeze at for sure.
 
It seems there is an epidemic going around where drivers get on a role and are unstoppable. Andrick Zeen is one of those drivers and he scored a pair of wins again this weekend in TaG. Kyle Shriver and Bobby Kelley were nearly up to the task of defeating Zeen on Saturday, but Go Racing Magazine’s February cover boy put the hammer down on Sunday and left everyone else hoping for secodn place. Lucas Barnett had a great run to get that position after starting fifth. Dylan Nobile started the final in third and finished there while Lloyd Mack couldn’t buy a break this weekend and started from the outside front row but his day ended only six laps into the contest.

Devin Lindsey is a recent convert to the Senior classes and this weekend he made his mark with what I believe to be his best win to date. Lindsey was another driver who posted multiple wins during round two. Both his trips to victory lane came on Saturday in HPV and in the premier class of the weekend PRD. HPV was a walk in the park as he was the only driver able to dip into the 51’s. Robby Harryman and Lucas Barnett stayed close for the first half of the race, but Lindsey was able to slap down a 12-second advantage by the end of the eighteen-lap contest.

PRD has become the queen event for Region 7 this year and for good reason, great racing. The spec program that has really come together this year continued to shine brightest as the largest class of the weekend with 28 entries. Kolby Araki turned the fastest qualifying lap of 50.905. Lloyd Mack sat outside row one with a 51.252 while Bobby Kelley and Phil Giebler sat poised in row two. Nothing went well for either of the front row drivers in the prefinal as Araki dropped a chain out of the lead and Mack had some help off the track and into the mud from Timmy Bachman - who was later penalized for the incident. Kelley took over the point to start the main event, joined by the seventh place qualifier, Derolique Zimmermann.

Giebler again would start from row two this time seated next to a charging Dylan Nobile who moved up after starting tenth. Giebler and Kelley got great starts and opened up a slight advantage as people tussled behind them for position. Devin Lindsey passed Zimmerman for third; only a few laps later we realized it would be the winning move. The needle fell out of Giebler’s carb causing him to slow. He was quick to cover it with a finger but Kelley was too close to miss him and they collided. Everyone went past while Giebler’s day ended and Kelley lost a few laps. The captain turned off the no seatbelt sign and Lindsey was now free to move about the cabin. He did just that for a great win, turning the fast lap in the process. Nobile continued to move forward ending his impressive drive with a well-earned second place finish. Zimmerman kept the pace to finish a solid third. Ty ‘the Italian stallion’ Matta had a wonderful run in the prefinal picking off a dozen drivers in the process. His main event was slightly less impressive only because there were so few people left in front of him to pass. He beat them all back to finish in 4th. Bachman rounded out the top five.
 
Saturday, in the combined HPV 4 Senior and Formula Y/C Heavy class we saw rodeo clown Jordon Brown turn an eight-second ride into 18 laps, besting Chris Riddington for the Formula Y/C trophy. Sunday’s HPV 4 field ran alone and it was the Bobby Kelley and Kolby Araki show. Kelley held the lead from the get go, but Araki looked like he might be the stronger kart. Within only a few laps Araki had closed the gap on the leader, but Kelley thwarted the multiple pass attempts by his rival. Araki mounted one last charge on the final lap but today he had to settle for second behind Kelley. Devin Lindsey added another podium finish in third to his already great collection of trophies from the weekend.

As mentioned before, Tyler Palmer was the only Jr. 2 driver to derail the Spaulding train this weekend and he did it right off the bat in Sunday in Junior Superbox. With only a handful of drivers in the lessoning Junior Yamaha field it comes as no surprise that the fast guys are the only ones who showed up to race. Typically the “also rans” are the ones to fill in the blanks and are the first to not come to the party. Lindsey and Spaulding were in close contact for the entire race. Spaulding held the early lead before being passed by Palmer. Jake Craig started off running a close third, but eventually gave up a little ground to the leaders. Craig still finished third, but he was not in contention for the win. Palmer’s win put an end to the possibility of Spaulding sweeping four wins in Junior. It was a solid effort turned in by both drivers.

Ethan Barrett and Jarett Tachovsky were the class of the Kid Kart field on both days. Anthony Sawyer contributed to some of the early excitement but just wasn’t up to the leader’s pace in the long haul. Barrett and Tachovsky raced side by side to the line on Saturday with Barrett just taking the win by less than a foot. Sunday played out in a similar fashion but Barrett lost the final heat in the tech shed with an illegal fairing. Tachovsky was elevated to first, Sawyer moved into second and Ryan Lewis finished third.

World Formula was the final race of the weekend and it was a complete blowout in both the Junior and Senior divisions. Chelsea O’Rear survived the first turn melee that knocked Junior driver Emmanuel Mestre back to the tail end of the field. Certainly there is the race within the race and overall winner has to count for something so O’Rear was a little shocked to see that Mestre had regained all the lost ground and was back up challenging again for the overall. Jonathan Miller and Gabby Robles were not quite up to their usual fastness and had to settle for second and third in the Sr. division while Matias Podboj and Brad Hillwig did the same in Junior. Mestre managed to get the overall and the Junior win with a great drive up from the back.

The backwards configuration turned out to be pretty cool. Although I might have had the drivers race into the hairpin instead of the chicane on the start you can’t argue with the amount of passing. It might actually be the safer direction as we only had one serious red flag all weekend long involving Raquel Martinez on Saturday. She was transported, but deemed unofficially in good health when she sent a threatening text to her mechanics about not putting away the karts for Sunday’s racing. She didn’t race Sunday, but was onsite to cheer on her friends. The next event will be Round 3 at the Grangé Motor Circuit hosted by Tri-C Karters, April 3-5. The challenging Apple Valley track always proves interesting as drivers struggle for setup. I bet we see far less repeat winners on the weekend, but I’ve been wrong before.

 

3-12-09 The MAGIC is Back: Spaulding Leads Strong Weekend for FX Racing and Trackmagic

March 9, 2009

San Diego, California

The FX Racing Makita Team travelled to Buttonwillow Raceway Park for Round 2 of the IKF Region 7. The team was looking forward to a dry race weekend after the tricky, changing conditions encountered at Round 1.

Three Wins Out of Four for Spaulding

Trackmagic Racing Karts Factory Driver Kiel Spaulding came into Round 2 of the IKF Region 7 Championship ready to put the frustrations of the previous event behind him. After Spaulding set a blistering pace in the dry practice sessions for Round 1, the field was equalized a bit by rain for the rest of the weekend. The wet track, combined with some tough calls by officials, dampened but did not snuff the strong performance the young Northern California driver delivered at CalSpeed. Buttonwillow would bring the opportunity to show that his new Trackmagic Hornet 100 with Swedetech power was going to be at the sharp end of the field in rain and shine.

Running this event with the FX Racing Junior Team, Spaulding lost no time getting his Trackmagic dialed in on Friday. Supported by his primariy wrench, Dave Spaulding, Jason Berry from Swedetech and Ryan Perry of FX Racing, the Trackmagic Factory driver made the most of the short practice day Friday. Running two chassis – one for HPV-2 and one for Junior Super Sportsman, Spaulding locked in setups that had him running very competitively.

Spaulding kicked off Saturday with Qualifying for the Junior Super Sportsman class, taking Pole. A broken exhaust stud moved him to the rear of the grid for the Heat race. Spaulding made the most of the hand dealt with a storming drive through the field to finish third, setting the stage for his eventual race win in Junior Super Sportsman.  The usual tough competition in HPV-2 continued as the Sacramento based driver just missed the pole. A good setup on the Trackmagic combined with some crafty driving by Spaulding brought the results though, as he nailed wins in both the Heat and the Final.

The Trackmagic driver continued his strong form in Qualifying for the Yamaha class on Sunday, taking pole on his final flying lap. Spaulding led every lap until he was passed on the final go around. Not content to let the win get taken away, Spaulding retook the lead in the last 100 feet before the checkered flag. Sunday’s final race for the Junior Super Sportsman class proved a little more of a challenge as Kiel ran in second, hounding the leader Tyler Palmer lap after lap. Unable to find a way by, Spaulding had to settle for P2. Later inspection by the team uncovered a worn clutch on the Yamaha, which had cost Kiel some performance on track.

The HPV-2 qualifying session only brought Spaulding P3 on the grid as a mismatched set of tires affected handling and balance, costing him about 3/10ths. In the hyper-competitive class, Kiel had a back and forth battle throughout the heat race until taking the lead on the last lap and holding on for the win. The final race for HPV-2 on Sunday did not feature the race-long battle for the front seen in the heat event. Spaulding took the lead from the start and ran away with it, finishing over 5 seconds ahead of the P2 finisher. The podium finish brought Spaulding’s tally for the weekend to one pole position, 3 heat race wins and 3 final race wins – a stellar performance for the young driver.

“It was a very good weekend.  It was the first time I was able to compete on the Trackmagic in the dry and it was the best kart I’ve been on,” young Kiel Spaulding explained. “The Swedetech power and team support from FX Racing really gave me an advantage on the competition…now the goal is definitely set at a weekend sweep.

FX Racing Makita Junior Team driver Andrew Wiener made his first trip to Buttonwillow for the IKF event. After struggling a bit to find a good rhythm on Saturday, Wiener put his mind to unleashing more of the speed in his Trackmagic Hornet 100 and Swedetech HPV-2 for Sunday. Working with mechanic Ryan Perry, the San Diego driver improved his qualifying position and set his fastest lap of the weekend in Sunday’s main.

Regular FX Racing driver Steve Wiener did battle in the TaG Masters class with his Trackmagic Hornet with Swedetech Leopard power. The package performed well all weekend, with Steve taking a half second off of his best time of the weekend in the Final on Sunday despite being on used tires.

3-11-09 IKF Region 11 Fuel Change

 NorCal IKF series we will mandate the fuel to be VP- MS98L for all classes except the shifters they will run VP-C12,the oil will be Blendzall # 460 or

Blendzall FK100 oil ratio will be 6 or 8 oz. per gallon. The competitors are responsible for bringing there own fuel and oil. 

 
Thanks
Bob Snow
NCTA President
 

 

3-27-09 ROUND THREE OF PROKART CHALLENGE SOUTH ON THE HORIZON
 


Championship battles to take shape as series looks forward to Grange Motor Circuit

TEMECULA, CA (March 26, 2009) – The third month of the year will take the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge South program to the Grange Motor Circuit in Apple Valley, California. The March 28 event will be the third of a seven-round championship battle, with exciting racing beginning the series in the first two rounds of the ’09 season. The Grange event is forecasted to be no different, with a stellar line-up of drivers slated to compete and the new Spring weather providing perfect racing conditions.
 
The Grange event will see the debut of the KF2 division added to the PKC South class line-up. The new engine package is becoming widely known across the country, and a number of supporters of the program will be in attendance next weekend - with nearly a dozen entries to participate.
 
Looking at the early championship contenders, the S3 category is wide open, with a number of drivers in position challenge. Defending S3 Light champion Bobby Legate tops the standings after two rounds, despite not earning a victory as of yet. Round one winner Alex Barron did not compete in round two, where Jacob Neal took the honor. Neal sits fifth in the standings behind Patrick Cushenberry, Jimmy McNeil and Clinton Schoombee. TaG Senior sees veteran Howie Idelson leading feature winners Brett Felkins and Billy Cleavelin as they head into Grange.
 
The S4 category is another class with many drivers in the thick of the early chase, with a consistent Jeff Smith showing the way after the opening two rounds. Rob Whitley sits second in front of round one winner Peter Workum, with Jason Attwood and Ken Schilling running a close fourth and fifth. Round two winner Phil Conte is sixth in the order, despite missing the opening round at CalSpeed. Jason Campbell and Troy Butts are currently the drivers to beat in the G1 category. Both have a feature win; however, Roy Montgomery and Brad Dhesi are looking to add their names to the win column.
 
The TaG Master standings currently sees three in the driver’s seat of the championship chase, with Steve Wiener leading Mike Kelley by a slim margin of two points – with Ken Manning looking in. Peter Abba holds the point in the S1 division after his round one victory and runner-up to Jacob Neal at round two. Gregory Liefooghe and Imran Husain currently stand second and third ahead of Neal who sat out the feature in round one. The S4 Magnum category made its debut at the Willow Springs event, with Luke Bianco taking the inaugural win ahead of Tony Morrison and Jim Miller. In the Junior categories, Austin Schimmel leads in S5 with Max Zacky showing the way in TaG Junior.
 
Friday prior to the event will host a full day of practice from 9am to 5pm. A complimentary dinner following the practice day will be provided by the PKC organization to those in attendance. Pre-entries will be taken up until midnight, March 25, with competitors able to save $35 on the entry fee by registering early. PKC is taking reservations for reserved pit spaces along with arranging special pricing at two local hotels. For more information on the event or the Superkarts! USA’s ProKart Challenge itself, head to www.prokartchallenge.com

3-10-09 PROKART CHALLENGE NORTH READIES FOR 2009 DEBUT
 


Sophomore season on the horizon for Northern California program

TEMECULA, CA (March 10, 2009) – The Northern California region is in a state of growth within the karting community, thanks in part to the introduction of the ProKart Challenge North series in 2008. A successful first year has garnered the respect of many competitors and teams within the area, which is helping to build the excitement for this weekend’s opening round of the 2009 season. With the heavy rains that the area has been experiencing over the past few weeks, the arrival of the PKC program will look to bring in sunny skies and great racing weather to start the year off right.
 
Seven events over the next seven months are on the PKC schedule for the sophomore season, with the Infineon Raceway’s Jim Russell International Karting Center set as the focal point of the series. Six events will be held at the Sonoma, California facility – including this weekend’s opening round – with a NorCal vs. SoCal shootout scheduled for May 16 at the Buttonwillow Raceway kart track. PKC will be varying the track configurations at Infineon throughout the season. The first round will run in the National Track layout in the normal (clockwise) direction.
 
The majority of the classes campaigned in ’08 will return, with the exception of TaG Masters Light. The S1, G1, S3, and S4 classes will fill up the shifter divisions while TaG Senior, TaG Master and HPV2 Junior will return, as well. New for ’09 will be the TaG Junior division, a class that was very successful for the Superkarts! USA organization at the SuperNationals XII just four months ago. In addition to the Parilla Leopard engines, PKC will also allow Rotax Junior engine packages per Rotax Max Challenge specifications in the class.
 
A number of drivers have already committed to the opening round this weekend. In the S3 division, PKC South championship contenders Patrick Cushenberry and Clinton Schoombee will make the trip to NorCal with the Select Shifter organization, while Brad Dunford and New Zealander Daniel Bray (returning to the states) will be running with Team Aluminos yet again. S1 champion Cody Hogdson, fresh off his big national victory this past weekend, will return to defend his crown and battle PKC South star Jacob Neal. The TaG Senior division will surely be the showcase class once more, with some big names coming back for season two, including Brett Buckwalter, Will Martindale, and Larry Fraser. PKC Newcomers Michael Hogg and Hayden Ritter of Kartel Motorsports are also scheduled to compete.
 
Primary series sponsor and PKC partner Jim Russell Racing Drivers School will be intimately involved in the program in ’09. In addition to the PKC divisions, JRRDS will again offer two arrive-and-drive groups to run within the race day schedule. Both PKC and JRRDS are working hard on putting together an exciting line-up of championship prizes for the year-end awards. Already part of that package will be an award given to one lucky racer from the region selected for an all-expense paid trip to compete in the annual Granja Viana 500 race in Sao Paulo, Brazil (valued at over $13,000). The winning driver will compete with other Superkarts! USA regional drivers against the elite in international motorsport, including many F1 drivers. Also, if a competitor finishes in the top-three in their respective class in the championship, they will be eligible to win a free entry to the 2009 SKUSA SuperNationals.
 
SwedeTech Racing Engines will be sponsoring the Friday night BBQ following the unofficial practice day. Longtime PKC friend and supporter Scott Jeffery will be serving up some tasty treats for all who are in attendance. Pre-entries will be taken through Wednesday, March 11 up to midnight, where competitors can save $35 by registering early. For more information on Superkarts! USA’s ProKart Challenge, head to www.prokartchallenge.com

3-3-09 Gatorz Challenge of the Americas CalSpeed Report
Article by: Shiftgroup.net

  It was new faces and familiar faces on the podium as the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas contested rounds three and four at the CalSpeed Karting Center in Fontana, California located at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California which just one week earlier had hosted the second race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Much as in Phoenix, the weather was perfect for the racers who had traveled far and wide to compete for a chance to compete in the Rotax Grand Finals and Grand Nationals.

A venue change for the final round of the series was announced, as X-Plex will be unable to host a kart race in one months time and the final weekend will now be at Willow Springs International Raceway. The series also unveiled a new Trackside page on the series website, which featured a live video feed and live blog that chronicled some of the best racing the series has seen to date. Reversing the trend of most other series, the CotA increased its total number of entries from last months round in Phoenix to this event.

SATURDAY
DD2
Scott Campbell (Italkart) picked up where he left off by taking pole and waltzing off with the pre-main win ahead of Troy Castaneda (CRG) and local driver Erik Action Jackson (Arrow). Notable by his absence was Curtis Cooksey.

Campbell then pretty much had things his own way as he drove away from Castaneda, Jackson, and DD2 new guy Matt Ostiguy (CRG) in the main.

Rotax Masters
David Harwin (CRG) was a man on a mission this weekend, and stated his intentions by grabbing pole position from local driver Paul Bonilla (Birel). First and second in the championship, John Crow (Birel) and Tyler Brooks (Kosmic), fell in third and fourth. The gap from Harwin to Crow was a mere 0.023 of a second.

Harwin led the field through the first lap, but almost instantly Brooks was off the pace and retired with a torn valve stem on his kart. Ian Thomas (Birel) and Greg Smith (Tony Kart) jumped to fourth and fifth. Crow made his way past Bonilla and put heavy pressure on Harwin, but could not get by before the checkered flew.

But there was major drama at the start of the main, as Paul Bonilla went up and over the back of Crow in the first corner, triggering a big pile-up and a red flag. Crow would be checked out by the EMTs and was fine, but would be unable to take the restart. This was a gift to Brooks, who would be able to make up some lost ground in the championship after his pre-main DNF.

Harwin led at the restart from Bonilla and both began to put some distance on Ian Thomas, Greg Smith, and Mike Daniel (CRG). The next moment of excitement came when Daniel passed Smith going into turn one, overshot the mark a bit, and Thomas swerved and spun to avoid contact. Thomas fell down the order, while Brooks was doing the opposite and running up to sixth. He caught fifth-placed Steve Dzurilla (Birel) but was tripped up in traffic and was unable to make a move.

Harwin won the race with a healthy gap over Bonilla, with Daniel third and Smith fourth. The top four were well spread out at the end.
 

Rotax Senior
Another deeply talented field was out in force for this one. Some local drivers joined the fray, and on a track that is notoriously tough to tune for, practice produced some new names at the front. However, after an exciting practice session, Wes Phillips (Birel) took pole ahead of Joey Licata, Jr. (CRG), Joey Collins (Top Kart), Stepanova Nekeel (CRG) and Garrison Masters (Maranello). Collins entered the weekend with a healthy point advantage over Phillips in second and Wimsett in third.

Licata took the lead early in the pre-main but Phillips was back by a lap later. Phillips stretched a gap but soon Licata, with Collins in tow, was closing the gap. There was great racing throughout the field with several multi-kart battles going on. At the checkered, Phillips held a narrow lead over Licata and Collins, while Nekeel and Michael Self (Tony Kart) worked past Masters at the end.

Phillips held his lead at the start of the main, with Collins, Nekeel, Self and Licata dropping into line. Phillips was able to get away while Licata, Collins, and Nekeel battled for second, but after a few laps Licata was closing the distance to Phillips, who was struggling with a stuck throttle cable. Licata pounced in turn one and passed Phillips, while Collins snuck through into two and Nekeel followed, demoting Phillips to fourth. Collins then dove under Licata in the left hander off the back straightaway, and instantly began to pull away. Phillips got past Nekeel and then Licata, and began to close the gap to Collins again. He got close on the final lap, but not close enough to make the move. Collins took the win just ahead of championship rival Phillips, with Licata out-battling Nekeel for third.

Junior Rotax
Taylor Miinch (Top Kart) survived a furious qualifying session which saw Phil De La O (CRG) and Philip Orcic (Mach 1) take multiple shots at his early qualifying time.

De La O, however, showed that he had lost none of his competitiveness from the Phoenix race and swept into the lead in turn one of the pre-main. Miinch attempted to take the lead back the next lap, but overshot the corner which allowed Orcic to pass both of them and take the lead. The rest of the race was a scrum, as the three drivers were joined by Louie Pagano (Birel), Dexter Hucal (PCR) and Adrian Starrantino (CRG) in what may have been the best race of the day. De La O made a late race pass to win ahead of Miinch and Orcic.

Miinch swept around the outside of De La O in turn one to take the lead to start the feature, while Orcic and Pagano muscled past De La O. Orcic dove past Miinch in turn one, but Miinch returned the favor a few laps later in turn nine. While the two battled, they stretched their lead over De La O and Pagano in fourth. There were some anxious moments as they threaded their way through lapped traffic, but with two laps to go Orcic made a decisive move in the infield hairpin to take the lead. Miinch was unable to counter on the last lap, and series defending champion Orcic took his first one of the year, just ahead of Orcic. De La O out-battled Pagano for the final spot on the podium.
 
Mini Max
It was all CRG on the front row as Royal McKee took pole ahead of Trenton May. Blake Dunkelberger (Biesse) put in a strong performance to grab third, with the Birels of Michael Davis and Michael Womack rounding out the top five.

McKee held his lead throughout the pre-main, while Womack went backwards after going off the track in the infield, while Riley Reyes (CRG) put in a strong run to jump up to second from sixth. At the checkered, it was McKee just ahead of Reyes, Davis, May and Womack.

McKee kept the lead at the start while Davis got past Reyes for second. Reyes immediately took the position back and began to work on McKee, with the first five karts running in a train. Reyes finally made his move on McKee in the infield hairpin, taking the lead. Karts went three wide as the drivers behind tried to capitalize, and Trenton May moved past McKee for second. McKee took the spot back and Davis also went past May, and Reyes had a small gap with one lap to go. McKee was looking for a way past Reyes, and then May spun in the Contino Carousel, letting Davis get back onto the podium.

McKee didn't have a clear shot on the last lap, and Reyes took the checkered flag to win his first Gatorz Challenge of the Americas, with McKee second and Davis third.

SUNDAY
DD2
No surprise that Campbell was on pole again on Sunday, with Castaneda second and Ostiguy third. Castaneda had found some speed at the Sunday Phoenix race and pushed Campbell hard, and was no doubt looking for the same kind of performance.

Campbell made a clean getaway in the pre-main but Castaneda was getting a big push from Action Jackson. Jackson made the pass stick into turn one midway through the race. Castaneda had no answer for Jackson, and Campbell led Jackson home by two seconds with Castaneda right behind.

Campbell streaked off into the distance at the start of the main, while Castaneda got past Jackson for second. Jackson stalked for two laps before making the pass into turn one to take the spot back. Castaneda was all over Jackson, however, and made the pass for second a few laps later. He pulled out a small gap to solidify his second spot, but it was Campbell who made it four wins in four races, with Castaneda second and Jackson third.
 
 Rotax Masters
Harwin the Reno Rocket had told series owner Andy Seesemann that he had been motivated by the pre-race report which stated that he would be fighting for third. Harwin never saw third, as he led the field throughout Saturday and then grabbed pole again on Sunday, just ahead of Bonilla, Crow, Smith and Brooks.

The pre-main started with a bit of drama as Smith was unable to roll off with the field as he was unable to finish some emergency work on his kart. He got his kart to the grid and down on the ground but missed green flag which was waved off, allowing him to start at the back of the field. When the green fell, Harwin, Bonilla, Crow and Brooks dropped into line and began to separate themselves from the rest of the field before Crow made the pass on Bonilla in turn one. Behind them, David Busby (Tony Kart), Daniel, Thomas and Andy Seesemann (Birel) battled for fifth.

The four leaders finished in that order, with Crow pushing Harwin across the line and Brooks pushing Bonilla for third.

At the start of the main, Harwin held his lead while Brooks snuck past Crow into second place. Crow countered quickly to move back into second and Bonilla locked on his bumper and also got past Brooks. A few laps later, Thomas retired with clutch problems while contact between Busby, Seesemann, and Smith meant Seesemann and Smith retired on the spot. Crow passed Harwin in turn one but Harwin was able to cross him on the exit and take the lead back. Two laps later, Crow did the same pass and made it stick, and for the first time all weekend Harwin was not leading the Rotax Masters field. Behind them, Brooks was leading Bonilla and Daniel, while Busby was under attack from local racer Jarrod Bradley (Birel).

Crow pulled away slightly from Harwin, but Harwin was obviously pushing hard and closed the gap a bit. Meanwhile, Daniel passed Bonilla for fourth and went to work on Brooks. Try as everyone might, the order was unchanged to the end, and Crow took the win ahead of Harwin, Brooks, Daniel and Bonilla. However, Brooks was DQ'd for non-compliance, promoting Daniel to the third spot on the podium for the second day in a row.

Rotax Senior
In almost a near repeat of Saturday qualifying, Phillips grabbed pole ahead of Licata, Collins, Masters and Nekeel.

The order remained the same through the first corner of the pre-main, but Licata put a move on Phillips in the infield hairpin to take the lead. A couple of laps later Phillips retook the spot but Licata got it right back and Collins capitalized on the battle and slipped past Phillips. Half a lap later, Collins passed Licata into turn one to take the lead, only to have Licata take it right back while Masters passed Phillips for third. Collins then took the spot in the infield hairpin, which jammed up the lead group allowing Joey Wimsett (Intrepid) and Nekeel to catch the group and make it a six-way battle for the lead. Wimsett wasted no time by passing Licata for fourth. Wimsett then passed Masters for third.

Phillips then made the pass on Collins for the lead into turn one, and the two were pulling a gap on the rest of the field. Nekeel passed Masters for fifth with two laps to go. Collins made no move on Phillips in the last lap, and Phillips crossed first with Collins, Wimsett, Masters, Nekeel, and Licata in tow.

The main was another frantic race, with Phillips getting away early and establishing a huge lead as Wimsett, Masters, Collins, Licata, and Nekeel all battled for second. Collins, in fact, fell to sixth after being pushed off the track but continued behind Jake Thompson (PCR). Collins went to work working through the field, with the most resistance coming from Nekeel who passed him back in turn one. Further back, Self and Tyler Wheeler (PCR) made contact in turn two, causing both to retire.

Three laps from the end, Collins shook Nekeel loose and passed Wimsett, who was apparently struggling with a broken clutch. Collins set sail for Phillips, but Phillips had almost six second in hand. Phillips responded to Collins Saturday win with his dominating Sunday performance, with Collins second, Wimsett third, Nekeel fourth and Thompson fifth.
 

Junior Rotax
It was no surprise to see De La O on pole with Orcic right behind, but Hucal raised some eyebrows with a strong third-place qualifying effort. Miinch was fourth and Dakota Dickerson (Birel) was fifth with another strong qualifying effort.

Drama started for the Junior Rotaxers even before they hit the track as Taylor Miinchs kart would not start. Miinch would be forced to start the main from last.

De La O lead the field into turn one but it was Orcic who got the better run out of the corner and led the field, with De La O, Hucal, Pagano, Colby Yardley (Birel), and Starrantino giving chase. Hucal and Pagano worked past De La O. Pagano then passed Hucal, but De La O and Starrantino followed and Hucal was demoted to fifth. Pagano then ran down Orcic, bringing De La O and Starrantino with him. Junior Rotax was producing some of the best racing of the weekend. De La O slipped back to fifth, and Pagano made the pass on Orcic to take the lead. Starrantino followed him through to take second. Orcic re-passed Starrantino for second, while De La O battled back to take third from Starrantino.

It was an extremely exciting pre-main, and Pagano led Orcic, De La O, and Starrantino across the checkered.

The start of the main was crazy with a crash in the midfield in turn two nearly caused a red flag, but Pagano held his lead ahead of De La O, Starrantino, Orcic and Hucal. A couple of laps later, it was De La O to the front with a pass on Pagano in turn two. Orcic quickly passed Pagano for second later that lap, while Hucal passed Starrantino for fourth. By this point, Miinch had raced his way to sixth from last. Orcic then passed De La O for the lead, with Pagano following him through into second. A couple of laps later, it was Paganos turn to lead the race as he passed Orcic into turn one. Both drivers then overshot turn one and De La O was back through to retake the lead. Miinch then caught fifth-placed Starrantino, and it took two laps for him to make the pass.

With two to go, Orcic passed Pagano into turn one and instantly had a small gap, while De La O began looking for a way into second. Behind them, Miinch and Hucal overshot turn one and Starrantino went from sixth to fourth. After that, there were no surprises in the last lap and Orcic crossed the line in first, going two-for-two on the weekend. Pagano finished second, De La O had his fourth podium trip of the season with third, Starrantino was fourth, and Miinch capped a great run through the field with a fifth.

Mini Max
Trenton May spun out of third place on the last lap of the Saturday main, which ultimately dropped him to sixth. He went ahead and put things right by putting his kart on pole for Sundays race, with local driver Blake Dunkelberger (Biesse) putting in his best performance of the season thus far to end up in second. Saturday winner Reyes was third, with Womack fourth and Davis fifth.

Reyes was past Dunkelberger at the start to slot in behind May, with Davis also getting past Dunkelberger who ended up in fourth. Reyes stalked May for a couple of laps before making the pass off the back straightaway, but May fought back and retook the lead. Dunkelberger fought past Davis for third, and the order at the finish was May, Reyes, Dunkelberger, Womack, and Davis.

The start of the main was clean with Trenton May hanging onto his lead, but disastrous for Reyes as he fell from second to fifth. Reyes, Davis, McKee and Womack battled for third while Dunkelberger was angling for a way past May, and made his way past in the grandstand turn only to have May take the spot back at the exit of the turn. Davis spun and was eliminated from contention.

With two laps to go, May held the lead but was under serious pressure from Dunkelberger, Reyes and McKee. Dunkelberger finally made the pass off the back straightaway. May tried to take the lead back in turn two but couldn't get the pass, then spun himself out of second place, promoting Reyes to second and McKee to third. At the line, a jubilant Dunkelberger pumped two fists in the air as he celebrated his first Gatorz win.

Courtesy of ekarting News & Go Racing Magazine

 

3-3-09 FX Racing ProKart Challenge South Round 2: Winning at Willow

The FX Racing Makita Team closed out February at the famed Willow Springs Kart Track in Rosamond, CA for round two of the SuperKarts! USA ProKart Challenge (PKC) SoCal Series. After the dark skies and rain of the CalSpeed opener, the PKC competitors were greeted with perfect racing conditions in the California desert.

Conte Back In the Groove

After missing the first round of the ’09 PKC SoCal season, Philip Conte (Monster Energy/Makita/TrackMagic/MidCities Honda) returned to the driver’s seat in the S4 class with a brand new TrackMagic Hornet 125. Coming off his 2008 championship win, the Lakewood, CA driver sported the #1 on his number plate. With only one day in the kart since his strong performance at the 2008 SuperNationals, Friday’s practice sessions were critical.

Working with mechanic Greg Marlow, data specialist Bill Kreig and the rest of the FX Racing Makita Team, Conte worked through multiple setups on Friday. As the checkered fell for the final practice session, driver and team felt confident they had the right combination to dominate the tight, abrasive Willow track.

Qualifying showed the team’s confidence was well founded as Conte took P2 just under two-tenths behind Jason Attwood, who calls Willow Springs his home track. Heat 1 saw Attwood late arriving on the grid so Conte had the front row all to himself. Making a clean getaway at the start, the FX Racing Makita driver never looked back, taking the Heat 1 win. Heat 2 saw Conte starting from the front again and leading the field until two laps from the end when he was passed by Jeff Smith. Conte pushed back for the remaining laps but had to settle for second place in the end.

Starting second for the Main, Conte was determined to get back to the P1 spot. Making a perfect start, Conte launched into the lead but was under constant pressure from Jeff Smith in second. Conte kept Smith behind up until the last lap, when going into turn seven Smith put a pass on Conte. Conte fought back and retook the position on corner exit, holding on to take the win. Despite a break from driving after SuperNats, the FX Racing driver showed he will be a serious force to reckon with for this year’s championship.

Montgomery Gets Some Magic

Roy Montgomery (Monster Energy/Makita/TrackMagic) had a new ride for this round of the PKC SoCal series as he made the move to the TrackMagic chassis with a new Hornet 125. Montgomery put in two test days prior to the event to familiarize himself with the new ride, spending Friday’s practice sessions working with mechanic Ryan Pfau to put the finishing touches on a setup. It all came together in qualifying with the Newport Beach, CA driver taking P3 – putting his built moto to good use against the ICC machines. 

Despite being hounded all race by Brad Dhesi, Montgomery kept his cool and brought home 3rd place for Heat 1. Starting from P3 for Heat 2, Montgomery pushed hard to take second away from Jason Campbell but had to settle for 3rd place at the checkered flag.

Starting the Main, the FX Racing Makita driver again set off to take second, pushing hard in the opening laps. Campbell was able to keep Montgomery at bay, making the Main event result the same as Heat 2 with the FX Racing driver in third. A podium finish was a great result for the relatively new Montgomery as this was his first G1 podium and also his first event on Trackmagic.

Wiener Comes Close to Top Step

Prolific Southern California kart racer Steve Wiener (Monster Energy/Makita/Trackmagic) was on a roll for this round of the PKC SoCal series. Working with mechanic Brad Bowman, Wiener dialed in the kart in the practice sessions, ending at P3, just a half-second off the leaders pace. In Qualifying, the San Diego, CA driver was able to use that speed to take P2 in the competitive TaG Masters field.

Making a great start for Heat 1, Wiener took the lead and never gave it up, despite Mike Kelley getting close at the end. Starting from the pole for Heat 2, Wiener kept the lead and held it until the last corner of the last lap where he was passed by Jeff Deehan, leaving Wiener in 2nd just four-hundreths of a second behind at the flag

Wiener was determined to get back to P1 in the Main. Dropping back to third on the first lap, Wiener made a move to take P2 into turn 9. Caught out by cold brakes, Wiener went off track, ending his run. Wiener keeps moving up the field at each event and will be looking forward to moving up the podium too.

FX Racing USA, LLC is a professional motorsports and marketing organization with headquarters in San Diego, CA offering programs ranging from auto and kart racing to corporate team building and training. The kart racing efforts are supported by Monster Energy, Makita Industrial Power Tools, K&N, Bell Racing, Trackmagic Racing Karts and Swedetech Racing Engines.

 

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