10-19-09 Full Details of the November 15 Banquet for the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge

The Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge is pleased to announce that the 2009 awards banquet will be held on November 15th in the Jim Russell Forum at Infineon Raceway.

Time: 2:00pm -6:00pm, November 15, 2009

Where: Hosted in the state of the art, Jim Russell Forum overlooking Turn 1 at Infineon Raceway.

Who: 2009 Jim Russell Karting Championship Banquet for participants of:
- Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge
- Jim Russell 80 Shifters and Junior 1
- Jim Russell Arrive and Drive (Sprint, Junior and Cadet)
Tickets:
- $40 for all guests
- Drivers competing in 6 or more races in 2009 issued free entry (you must RSVP)

Enjoy an afternoon celebrating the 2009 Champions at the Jim Russell Forum. Come and take part in season prizes, tours of the Jim Russell Garage and announcements about 2010 championship.

RSVP to cmaravilla@jimrussellusa.com by November 9th. Only a very limited number of tickets will be available at the door.

For more information, schedule, results, news, rules and sponsor information for the 2009 Northern California Rotax Challenge go to www.norcalrotax.com 
 

Runyan would like to thank his sponsors, Raging Bull Motorsports and City Tires of Modesto for their continued support in his championship-winning season.

“We are very happy with Joey’s racing season results this year,” commented head of driver development Ron Sutton. “He is a true talent and we think we can develop him all the way to a NASCAR career. We need some funding help for him next year … and provided we can get some financial support, we plan to run him a full season in NASCAR Modifieds.”

10-13-09 Jim Russell Announces 9th Annual Karting Endurance Race
Stock Moto Class Added to the Competition

Registration
Rules 

The Jim Russell Racing Drivers School announced its ninth annual Karting Endurance race set for the weekend of December 5 and 6, 2009.  As a staple of the Northern California karting calendar, Jim Russell endurance races have seen the karting industry’s most prominent names competing in the season-ending event, including Gary Carlton, Tom Dyer and Memo Gidley. 

With race length of 4 hours, Saturday’s competition will host Junior class drivers who will race in the HPV-2 category alongside Jim Russell Arrive and Drive contenders in the school’s Rotax powered karts. 

In sports-car style, Sunday’s event will be split between three classes, TaG Senior, TaG Masters and the addition of the Stock Moto category, all running at the same time. 

“We wanted to put Stock Moto driver’s endurance skills to the test and there’s no better way to do it than in the multi-class structure of great endurance races like Sebring and Le Mans,” said Frank Bain, manager of the Jim Russell International Karting Center. 

“We’re really looking forward to this year’s event” said race director Ric Shaw.  “It’s a great way to wrap up the season in a challenging format.  Here in Northern California, we have one of the strongest karting contingents in the country and these endurance races will definitely challenge each competitor. 

In a four-hour format run on two days of competition, teams will have to balance speed and consistency on the Reverse National layout. Both Senior and Junior Enduro events will be limited to 30 teams of two or more drivers and each entry comes with (1) set of Yokohama Y801 tires. 

Each kart will use the Yokohama Y801 karting tire.  The Y801 tire has been the exclusive choice of the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School karting programs for its durability.  The harder SL compound of the Y801 will challenge driver’s skill and also keep the cost of competition low as one set of tires is expected to last the entire race distance.

Following the direction of regional and national TaG events, the Senior Enduro will allow Rotax, Rok TT, Parilla Leopard and the Motori 7.  Stock Moto races will be run per Superkarts USA rules at the S3 category weight.  

Competitors can obtain a full set of rules and entry form from either the Jim Russell Pro Shop or by contacting race director Ric Shaw at racedirector-ric@hotmail.com.

10-28-09 Class Championships still on the line after Race #9 of the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge
 

Round #9 of the Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge struck it rich with an unseasonably, warm weather day for the last race at Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway. The event marked the final round for the 80 Shifter classes, while the Northern California Rotax Challenge still has one more race left to determine the class champions.

Championship positions in some classes were strengthened while in other classes, the chase is now even tighter as the series heads to the Kinsmen Kart Club in Dixon, California on Sunday, November 8th for the season finale.

Senior Rotax
Thirteen drivers of arguably the strongest talent pool in the country took the green flag in the hotly contested Senior class. With the first eight races seeing six different winners, the championship battle is coming down to just two drivers for top honors. 2008 champion Gregory Liefooghe held a modest lead over multi-time Junior Rotax Champion Jordan Jadallah at the race onset.

In qualifying, Jadallah set the pace taking the pole over David Harwin, Matthew Powers and Liefooghe.

At the start of the pre-main, Jadallah took the initial lead, but was challenged every step of the way by Powers as the drivers swapped the lead several times. On the final lap, the drivers ran side-by-side until Jadallah slipped by with two turns to go, taking a very close win over Powers. Harwin finished third with Larry Fraser and Liefooghe close behind.

Powers took the early lead in the main heading into turn two and led the field for the first seventeen laps. Jadallah was able to stay in contact with the strong running Powers as the two pulled away from the rest of the pack.

Behind the leading duo, Fraser moved into the third spot as Harwin dropped back to fourth. Liefooghe fell back to sixth as Nikola Radosavljevech moved past for fifth position. Harwin was able to re-pass Fraser, but a mechanical issue ended his run shortly thereafter. Radosavljevech challenged Fraser for third, but he too pulled off due to mechanical issues. Liefooghe continued his bid for the championship as he passed Fraser for third.

As the race entered the final two laps, all eyes in the crowd were riveted on the lead as Powers and Jadallah battled in every corner. With the white flag waving, Powers held a defensive line through turn one as Jadallah prepared for a run. Jadallah pulled alongside at the exit of turn one, where the two touched seeing Powers spin off track. Jadallah recovered, leading the final lap to the checkered, claiming valuable championship points. Liefooghe inherited second position from Powers with Fraser following through for third. A season's best run to fourth for Matthew Weiss with Ray Andrews, returning from a three year hiatus, rounding out the top five. The win moved Jadallah within twenty points of Liefooghe for the championship title.

Rotax Micro Max
Nicky Hays claimed another pole in Micro Max followed by Michael Michoff and Toni Breidinger in the field of five drivers. At the drop of the green flag in the pre-pain, Hays took the lead ahead of Michoff and Sarah Setzer, who moved from fifth to third after turn one. With some great driving, Michoff was able to get by Hays, holding the point to the final lap. Hays showed his skill as re-passed for the lead in the final corner.

At the start of the main Hays took the lead, but Michoff made a nifty pass to move into the lead early on. In a great battle, Hays was only able to find a way by Michoff at the end of the front straight on the last lap. Michoff tried to fight back, but Hays held on to pick up his fifth win of the year. Toni Breidinger grabbed the third spot in her strongest drive of the year followed by her sister Annie Breidinger who was able to just get by Sarah Setzer.

Rotax Mini Max
Points leader Drew Setzer took the pole ahead of Harrison Mills and JR Raczko in the 10-12 year old Mini Max class. Mills grabbed a short lived lead in the pre-main, however Setzer was able to retake the top spot as they entered lap two, holding on to take the win.

In the main, Setzer took the early lead and was never challenged. Mills came on in the early laps, but in the end settled for second. Raczko's mechanical problems continued as the driver had to pit again without making a lap. Going into the last race, Setzer has all but locked up the championship.

Junior Rotax
Brody Zink took the pole over an improved Josh Feiber who was less than one tenth of a second back, with Niki Luna in third. Pre-main action saw Zink taking the initial lead and never looking back. Feiber stayed close to come home less than two seconds back with Luna coming in third. The main saw much of the same as Zink again took the lead, however Luna was able to edge out Feiber at the start to grab the second position. The two battled for second for several laps until Feiber finally made a good pass move to take over the spot. Zink cruised home to a comfortable win, with Feiber second, and Luna third. With the win, Zink clinched the class championship in Junior Rotax.

Rotax Masters and Masters Light
A combined field of twelve drivers took to the track in Race #9. In qualifying, David Harwin took the pole ahead of Jack Arluck making it an all Masters front row. Row two had Light drivers of Mary Beth Wilson in third ahead of David Carlisle, the 2008 Masters champion returning for his first outing this year. Masters points leader Donald Durbin qualified in fifth just ahead of Light competitor Dolores Mosqueda.

In the pre-main, Harwin took the lead from the green, driving to a five second win.

Harwin again took the lead at the start of the Main, pulling out to a commanding lead in the early going. Arluck moved into second at the start followed by Carlisle and Mike Lawler (Light) who made a strong move at the green flag to move up from his sixth place starting position. On lap seven, Lawler challenged Carlisle as they went to the infamous tic-tac-toe turn when the two karts touched and hooked front ends. The contact pushed Carlisle off and Lawler back a few spots, allowing Durbin and Wilson to improve their positions.

By mid-race, the top three were Harwin, Arluck and Durbin, all Masters class karts. In close tow, karts of Light competitors of Wilson, Lawler and Stephan Gaudreau battled for the class win. Masters driver Andre Eriksen, who started the Main in nineth, did well to move up to the fourth place. In the end, Harwin took the race and Masters class win followed by Arluck (Masters), Durbin (Masters). Wilson claimed her first class win in 2009 followed by Gaudreau (Light), Eriksen (Masters) and Lawler (Light). The win put Harwin up by a substantial margin in the Master's championship points.

Rotax DD2
The two speed, direct-drive class continues to be the fastest group among the Rotax classes. Points leader Troy Castaneda took the pole ahead of 2008 class champion David Arnstein followed by Kyle Gimple and Bronson Eggert. In the pre-main, Castaneda took the lead at the green flag, never looking back en route to a six second win ahead of Arnstein.

In the main, the Rotax World Final bound Castaneda again controlled the pace of the race and came home over fifteen seconds in front of the rest of the pack. The real excitement was between Arnstein and Gimple as they battled for second the entire race. The two drivers exchanged positions several times until Gimple made the last pass late in the race, to claim second in front of Arnstein. Eggert finished fourth over January Grove and David Palic in sixth.

80 Grand Masters - The Championship Determined
Heading into Round #9, Marc Stanley led two-time class champion Tom Nelson by sixty points. Stanley, with two races wins to his credit this season, was trailing the consistent Nelson who had yet to reach victory circle. Nelson made his mark in qualifying, taking the pole over tough competitors Mark Nason and Ahmiel Freed with Stanley in fourth.

In the twelve lap pre-main, Nason took the lead at the drop of the green flag with Nelson close behind. Stanley stalled at the start, putting him to the rear of the field. The duo of Nason and Nelson pulled away from the rest of the pack and were locked in a race long battle for the win. With two laps left, Nelson made the pass at the end of the front straight to take the lead, holding on to take a slim two-tenths of a second win over Nason. The win notched fifty points for Nelson, to fall to within just ten points of Stanley who was only able to muster a sixth place finish.

Nason again grabbed the lead at the drop of the green flag in the main. In a repeat of the pre-main, Nason and Nelson pulled away from the rest of the pack locked in a race long battle for the lead.

Contact and resulting spins in turn one promoted championship contender Stanley to fourth by the exit of turn one. Stanley was able to put pressure on Freed to take over the valuable third spot just before the mid-race point, but Stanley was no match for the lead duo as they continue to pace in front. Nason crossed the line first with the crafty veteran Nelson finishing second, who played the year-long battle perfectly to claim his third class championship in the past six years. Stanley put up a strong fight finishing third, followed by Ahmiel Freed and Roger Cornwall.

Race #9 of the Northern California Rotax Challenge will be Saturday, October 24th at the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway. The series returns to the Dixon track for the season finale Sunday November 8th.
Full race results including MyLaps data are posted on series website at http://www.norcalrotax.com
Snapshots of the event have been posted at http://www.norcalrotax.com/multimedia/
For more information about the Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge go to the Nor Cal Rotax website at www.norcalrotax.com

 

10-27-09 PROKART CHALLENGE PROGRAMS COMPLETE SEASON WITH YEAR-END AWARD BANQUETS

South and North programs honor class champions, award two drivers with trips to Brazil

Following 13 events from January to September, the ProKart Challenge franchise honored its class champions in the last few weeks during the year-end award banquets. The ProKart Challenge South program held their awards ceremony at the Grand Event Center in Long Beach, California on October 3, while two weeks later the Tuscan Car Barn in Larkspur, California hosted the ProKart Challenge North extravaganza.

Nine different classes recognized the 2009 PKC South champions, with only one driver able to score two titles. Young Jacob Neal was honored as the S1 and S3 champion, where he won a total of nine feature races between the two divisions to clinch both titles by a solid margin. Neal was also honored as the PKC North champion in S3 and was presented with a three-time championship jacket during the awards presentation.

At the beginning of the year, I would have never thought I would have won three championships, let alone be racing Stock Moto, commented Neal following the awards banquets. This past year a lot has changed for me. My main class, S1, became a secondary class for me and S3 became our primary concern. S3 has done more for my career thus far than any other class I have ever raced, and I have not had this much fun racing since my days in Junior 1 Cadet. But the year was long and tiring running two classes; it took a lot out of me physically and mentally. We went on quite a winning spree from the beginning to the middle of the year but at the end we found ourselves still fighting for the championships. I am glad we were able to win the three championships, but I am disappointed to lose the fourth championship (PKC North S1) to Cody (Hodgson) but congratulations to him.

Another big winner of the night with the PKC South crowd was the S4 champion Jeff Smith. After receiving his champions jacket following a solid year consisting of six podium finishes in seven races Smith was drawn at random to receive the all-expense paid trip to the Granja Viana 500 event in Brazil (a $13,000+ value). Thanks to MG Tires, Smith will travel to Brazil to be part of the MG Tires/SKUSA team to race in the endurance event against worldwide stars in motorsports.

My feet have still not hit the ground, said Smith following the PKC South banquet. I am blown away by receiving the opportunity to go to Brazil. I was sitting there, just over the moon about winning the ProKart Challenge championship in S4 when Tom said I was the one that won the trip to Brazil for the Granja 500. It was like waking up from a dream...the ones where you are not quite sure where you are, or what's happening around you. I feel Tom and Patti (Kutscher) put on the best racing in the U.S. Winning the ProKart Championship was incredible. Winning the Granja 500 trip is unbelievable. Now I am focusing on doing my part to represent the U.S. in Brazil. Gotta' be fast, respectful of my opportunity, and ready for anything in Brazil!

One of the most decorated competitors in ProKart Challenge history added to his trophy case at home, as PP Mastro claimed his fourth G1 championship in the South programs five years. Winning the title three years straight (2005, 2006, 2007), Mastro missed events in 2008 which cost him a shot at the crown. This past season, Mastro entered the program finale with a chance to steal back the title and did so by sweeping the event.

Despite some late charges by his rivals, Steve Wiener was crowned the TaG Master champion for his first title in his PKC career. After finishing fourth in last years heated program, Wiener was the most consistent driver in the field this time around as he ran near the front all season long. Howie Idelson returned to the PKC South program in 2009, and scored gold with the TaG Senior championship. Max Zacky became the first TaG Junior champion for the PKC South program, while Alex Speed and Luke Bianco were crowned champions in KF2 and S4 Magnum new in 2009.

As an added bonus, the top five drivers in each class (who also had competed at six of the seven races of the season) were eligible for a drawing to win a free entry to the SKUSA SuperNationals. Roy Montgomery (G1) Patrick Cushenberry (S3), Howie Idelson (TaG Senior), Mike Kelley (TaG Master) and Jeff Smith (S4) were all awarded tickets to the November 18-22 race.

Two weeks following the proceedings for the PKC South program, the eight class champions were honored for the PKC North series at their own celebratory banquet. Competitors were invited inside the Tuscan Car Barn, home of the Tom Price Car Collection, who provided vintage cars each PKC weekend for bonus victory laps. Completing its second season, two drivers were able to repeat their inaugural championships.

Cody Hodgson made a late season charge to claim his second straight S1 title in the PKC North program. After swapping feature wins with rival Jacob Neal, Hodgson ripped off three straight feature wins to complete the season and lock in the title at the finale.

The back to back titles really mean a lot to me, especially since it is in the S1 category, stated Hodgson. My goal in karting has always been to compete against the best in the ICC rankings and succeed. It is too bad that S1 has started to fall off the charts due to the economy, because I enjoy racing the class so much and it truly is a challenge. It takes a tremendous amount of skill in driving technique, chassis setup, engine tuning, and even physical fitness. If youre missing any of those factors, its almost impossible to compete.

The second repeat champion came in the Junior category, as Kiel Spaulding defended his #1 plate in the HPV-2 Junior division. Spaulding went near perfect on the year, recording seven podium finishes with four feature wins to score a solid second title.

I had a lot of fun running a full second season with ProKart and winning my second straight championship, spoke Spaulding. I enjoy the competition and watching the Senior classes when not on the track. Im looking forward to doing some shifting in S5 next year in ProKart Challenge.

Joining Smith from the South program in Brazil for the Granja Viana 500 event is S3 driver Tommy Thompson. His name was drawn randomly and with the help of MG Tires, will represent the official tire partner of the ProKart Challenge and Superkarts! USA at the famous endurance race.

Its difficult to talk about it really, due to the fact that I am truly speechless about the whole situation at this point in time, stated Thompson. First off, I would like to thank Tom and Patti Kutscher, the entire SKUSA staff, and everyone at MG Tires for making this possible for me and my other Brazil teammates. Also Id like to thank to my parents for making the flight arrangements as well as traveling with me. It is a great honor and opportunity to be chosen to race in an event of this stature. To be honest, Im not quite sure what to expect down there as this kind of racing will be a totally new thing for me. Im just going to do my best down there, try not to get to worked up about it, and use this experience as an opportunity to learn some on and off track tips from some of the greats of this sport. It is also great being able to go to a country Ive never been to.

One of the most exciting classes to watch through the year was the TaG Senior category. With a number of top contenders in the field each weekend, it was Brett Buckwalter that overcame early defeats with four straight feature wins at the end of the year to score the title. Four other drivers received their first ever PKC North championship honors: Jim Kidd (G1), Jamie Wilson (S4), Jeff Deehan (TaG Masters) and Dylan Lupton (TaG Junior). Kidd and Wilson were also drawn for free entries to the SuperNationals along with S3 champion Neal.

Superkarts! USA and the ProKart Challenge would like to thank all of their sponsors for their continued support throughout the 2009 season, especially: MG Tires, Mothers, Oakley, Axcel Fast Graphics, Classy Cars, Darcy DeCoste, SwedeTech and Aluminos, along with Tom Price and Shawn Thomas.

The 2010 ProKart Challenge regional schedules are currently in the final planning stages and will be released soon. To follow updates for the upcoming season or to find out how to be part of the ProKart Challenge, visit www.prokartchallenge or call the SKUSA office at 951-491-0808.

10-22-09 Jim Russell Karting Championship Round #9 -Race Preview
Rotax Registration
Event Schedule
 

The Jim Russell Karting Championship Series will hold Race #9 this weekend at Infineon Raceway returning to the original long straightaway National track configuration. The event marks the final round for the 80 Shifters and the 2009 class champion will be crowned at the end of the day. For the Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge, Round #9 is the final event of the season at Infineon Raceway.

Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge
With several classes still in tight points races, competition will be at its peak heading into the final two rounds. Micro-Max driver Nicky Hays is on a four-race winning streak and now holds a 85 ‘net’ points lead over Michael Michoff. Sara Setzer is also in a tight race for third place in class holding less than a 60 point advantage over Annie and Toni Breidinger.

In Mini-Max, Drew Setzer is also on a hot streak scoring wins in the last three events. Setzer now holds a 65 points lead over JR Raczko with Harrison Mills third in points.

Donald Durbin holds a 100 point lead over Jack Arluck in Rotax Masters, but Arluck is looking over his shoulder at David Harwin who is close on his heels. Andre Eriksen and Jerry Pretti are both in striking distance of the top three positions, with all drivers needing to put in their best drives of the year this weekend to solidify their positions.

The Senior Rotax class has been the most competitive group of the 2009 season with six different drivers in the first 8 races. Two-time winner and the 2008 class champion Gregory Liefooghe has a 100 points lead over first-year senior Jordan Jadallah. Jadallah had tough outings in the last two events and is looking to rebound with a strong race to get back into the hunt. A tight race for third in class as Nic LeDuc holds a slim lead over Nikola Radosavljevich and Jake Mottaz.

Championships have all but been wrapped up in three of the Rotax classes. Junior Rotax leader Brody Zink is set to claim the title in what has been a strong season. Andrea Delfanti holds a considerable lead in the Masters Light class over Mary Beth Wilson. In spite of the extremely tight racing over the last three rounds among the DD2 class, Troy Castaneda holds nearly a 200-point lead over the tight battle for second Kyle Gimple and David Arnstein.

80 Shifter Championship
Race #9 will be the final event of the 2009 season for the 80 Grand Masters class. Marc Stanley comes into this race with 2 wins, but has used up his allowed dropped race with a DNS earlier in the year. Stanley has a slim 60 point lead over 2008 Champion Tom Nelson. Nelson has yet to win a feature in 2009, but his sights are set to break through to the top step this weekend and seal the championship.

Registration starts at 7:15 Saturday morning, two sessions of Practice starts at 8:15, Qualify at 11:00 and the afternoon of racing will start at 12:45. Pre-race practice and pre-registration is available on Friday from 10:00am to 6:00pm. For a detailed race day schedule or more information on the Jim Russell Karting Championship Series, visit www.jimrussellusa.com or contact race director Ric Shaw at rshaw@jimrussellusa.com For details on Northern California Rotax Max Challenge, visit website at www.norcalrotax.com

10-20-09 Trevor Schmid Runs Strong in Winged Sprint Car Debut
Source: RaceMediaGroup.com

Trevor Schmid looks to run a few more events before the year is out. Schmid Racing would like to thank the team sponsors Zamp Helmets, Scribner Plastics, MMI and RMG-Race Media Group for the supports of their racing endeavors.

10-20-09 Sean Rayhall Ends Season With Win

After taking a short break from Skip Barber National competition, Sean Rayhall got back in the saddle for his home event at Road Atlanta during Petit LeMans weekend.  Confident and focused he was a consistent top five car throughout practice.

Turning the wick up in qualifying, Sean posted a lap good enough for third position.  In the second qualifying session Sean went P5, but was not satisfied with the result.  He would look forward to the race where he knew he would have an advantage with his knowledge of the track.  Getting a good start in race one, Sean went back and forth in the lead battling his way through the race.  Sean knew the best position to be in on the last lap was second heading into the final corner, and heading down the back straight put a great out breaking move on the leader to take the win.

"It is always great to race in your hometown, even better to win,” commented Rayhall.  “I couldn't have been here without Wagon Train and 1st Action Services and can not thank them enough.”

Starting from the fifth position in race two he was able to battle his way up to third position where he settled in on another podium finish.

Just two weeks later Sean headed to Lime Rock Park for the season Finale in the Skip Barber National series.  Showing his talent in the rainy conditions, the young star put the car in the top three in every practice session.  When qualifying came he was ready and on the final lap went put the car in second.  In the second qualifier Sean went P3 with difficult track conditions.  After making changes for race one Sean was on the move making it up to first and started to break away until the full course caution came out.  On the restart Sean made the mistake of not warming up his brakes and went off in turn one putting him ninth.  In race two Rayhall recovered in style battling for the lead most of the race until the final lap where he was pushed back to third.

10-19-09 Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix Race Report

Article by: Sean Buur courtesy of Ekartingnews

It’s positively clear that the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix (streetsoflancastergrandprix.com) was a hit with racers, fans and host cities alike. The inaugural street race presented by Lancaster Honda is finally in the bag after months and months of work from Tri-C Karters and the City of Lancaster, CA. The city welcomed racers with gift bags at registration on Friday (at the Panache Salon on Lancaster Blvd.) and a driver reception at the art gallery featuring beer, wine, sodas, and assorted appetizers. The mayor and other city officials were on site to greeting racers and crews.

All weekend crowds gathered for the street fair starting early Saturday morning. The street festival featured live music, a beer garden, food vendors and business booths that started at the end of the straight. Tri-C Karters collaborated with Henderson Karting and Courtney Concepts to promote karting in a booth at the festival. The racers received awards on the stage at the festival with trophy girls, umbrella girls, and interviews in front of a crowd of local citizens. Drivers were asked to sign autographs for local kids. The best part about the festival was the people. Spectators actually lined the track and watched the racing. Not moms and dads of participants but moms and dads, and kids who were interested in the 120 drivers rocketing down their streets. This race did more to boost outside interest in the sport of karting than any other race in So-Cal this year.

Immediately following qualifying on Saturday, the city held a hot-rod car show. The cars cruised the race circuit revving their engines and doing burnouts on the straight. Their speeds were a lot less than their karting counterparts for sure. Some of the shifter drivers even did bigger burnouts when the green flag dropped for racing on Sunday. The Celebrity race was run during the lunch break on Saturday. It featured city officials and major sponsors competing for bragging rights and trophies. It seems there are many different sides to how the race actually played out and who had the best race craft, but at the end of the contest the winner was clear. The celebrity race raised $25,000 for the new Antelope Valley Medical Clinic.

Forest River, an event and class sponsor manufactures motor homes, trailers, and toy haulers. They had two on display at the street festival. They put up $1000 in gift cards for the winners ($200 each shifter class; $100 each other class, except PRD). They also provided hats for all participants. The class sponsors for the event were: Burris Racing - HPV Classes, RLV - PRD Class, Courtney Concepts - Rotax Classes, Forest River, Inc. - Shifter Classes.

HPV 4 Plus got the event in motion with Rob Logan scoring the pole with a time of 42.774. The heat race saw Logan overcome early attacks from Brian Phillipsen and Michael Graham, eventually taking the checkered flag by three seconds. The main event went in similar fashion with Logan on the run and being chased by Phillipsen, Graham and Paul Hohlbein. Logan drew away once again, but he slowed way down for a yellow flag and was caught with two laps to go. The white flag was awesome with them going three wide into turn one. Logan managed to regain his lead and take a hard fought win. It was a great way to get the onlookers into the action right out of the gate. Logan was presented the first place helmet trophy encased in plastic and painted by Tri-C’s very own Taylor Jocelyn. I must say these were some of the coolest first place trophies ever. The glass with the wood bases for second and third were also cool, but the helmets stole the show.

In HPV 1, Brenden Baker was the pole sitter with a 44.836. The heat race saw Baker pull out a three second advantage over Cole Davis, and finish well ahead of the Wesolowski brothers of Troy and Ian. The final was in the bag for Baker from the drop of the green, but alas it was not to be on this beautiful Lancaster weekend. A little brain fade on Baker’s part cost him the lead. He then spent the next 19 laps chasing back into contention. Even with a few more collisions on track he managed to salvage a second place finish after tech. Once Baker was out of the way it came down to the #24 of Davis and the #88 of Tyler Burk. The lead duo changed positions a few times but mostly Burk chased Davis. In the end Davis had a small gap at the line for the race win. Burk suffered in tech, elevating Baker up to second place and Henry Falls-Hand onto the podium in third.

Joey Barros set the pace in Rotax International qualifying with a 40.348. Apparently sporting the classic Kodak driving suit his dad wore “back in the day” was a good luck charm for the guy who hasn’t raced a kart in nearly two years. Race Liberante stepped up his game in the prefinal to cross the line first and set up a doozy of a final. Liberante grabbed the hole-shot and sped off into the lead followed by Barros and Ariel Jimenez. Liberante’s day didn’t go as planned, as his day ended abruptly on lap 5. Barros assumed the lead and never looked back. Jimenez wasn’t quite able to turn laps quick enough to keep pace with Barros, but she was fast enough to hold onto that coveted second place and make a trip to the podium. Lloyd Mack clawed his way up into third place, joining Jimenez and Barros in front of the fans to receive their trophies and get interviewed by Chappy.

In the Masters Rotax class FTK’s own Andy Seesemann blew the field away in qualifying besting teammate Frank Powell by nearly half a second. His dominance continued through the 10-lap prefinal where he clearly won his class and ran top five in the overall. Seesemann improved by finishing an impressive fourth overall and waxing the field of Masters drivers. With a 15 second advantage at the finish it is no wonder Seesemann is a past Rotax National Champion. Paul Hohlbein did a great job to finish in second place, keeping an International driver between himself and Powell for the majority of the race. Hohlbein also had the distinct honor of ruining the Masters podium sweep by FTK drivers. Powell was the first driver to exploit the fact that we had a stage and trophy girls and got a kiss for his third place finish.

HPV 2 and HPV 4 shared the track, but ran split starts in the final. The split start was a joke as drivers from each class were once again intermixed within three laps. Jared Torres was primed for the HPV 2 win from qualifying. His 42.325 was good enough for the pole over Nicholas Silva and Adrian Starrantino. Torres put his foot down in the prefinal as Haley Jenni and Michael Graves finished four seconds back. The final was a slugfest as Torres led the opening circuits and Starrantino worked his way through traffic and into send place. By halfway, Torres was under pressure and had to give way to the charging Starrantino. The continued the battle lap after lap with Starrantino eventually getting the win. Jenni held strong and battled her way onto the podium as the only other driver not finishing a lap down.

HPV 4 was even more exciting as Brody Roa, Robby Harryman and Carl Modoff put on a show for the fans. Harryman was the guy on pole with a time of 42.112, but the heat race saw Roa slip by Harryman on lap 3 for the win. They were three seconds clear of the pack. Modoff joined the fight in the 24 lap final and the trio bashed off each other nearly every lap. I have never seen more contact in a race that didn’t result in karts not finishing. Roa led the final from the drop of the green until lap twenty-one when all hell busted loose. Harryman led lap 22 with Roa and Modoff in tow. Modoff took a flyer on lap 23 followed by Harryman and Roa. The race was decided on the last lap as all three drivers dove for the inside line in turn one. Harryman stepped onto the podium and asked the crowd if they liked the show. They did, and he liked his first place trophy too. Modoff held on for second and Roa had to settle for third after an amazing 24-lap race.

PRD was one of the most anticipated races of the weekend. With 20 drivers and the lions share of prize money fans lined the fences to watch what was surely going to be the best race of the weekend. Lloyd Mack Jr. kicked things off with the pole, running a 41.144. Kyle Kuntze, Joey Barros and Steven Clark were Mack’s nearest competitors but they were five tenths off his pace. The prefinal didn’t go too well for Mack or Clark, as they didn’t make it the full race distance. Barros took over the lead from Mack on lap 8 and carried it home for the prefinal win. Derek Zimmermann finished in second place with Devin Lindsey moving up from sixth to finish in third. The final got ugly from the drop of the green as Barros got assisted into turn one on the start. Completely sideways in front of the field is no way to start a main. After the contact subsided, Barros was well back in the pack as Lindsey had clear track in front and Kuntze glued to his rear bumper. It didn’t take long for Lindsey to put it into overdrive and sail off into the Lancaster sunset. Barros picked off drivers one by one and eventually made his way past everyone but Lindsey to finish in second place, only five seconds back of the winner. Shawn Cricca ran solidly all race long and was rewarded with a trip to the podium in third place. The purse for the PRD class saw $2200 divided up with Lindsey taking home $1k in cash while Barros and Cricca left $700 and $400 richer. A randomly selected driver was given $100 - going to Gene Pasquini. Thanks goes to RLV, Lloyd Mack, Performance Racing, Anonymous Donor, Fleming Racing Engines, Empire Karts and Jerry Henderson for donating to the cash purse.

I can’t even remember the last time that shifters were the headline class by sheer numbers alone. With enough karts for two classes it was no wonder the fans stuck around until later in the day to see these rocket ships blast down the street with average speeds above 63mph. Of course it doesn’t hurt that the SKUSA SuperNationals are just around the corner and this was a great test and tune for the temporary circuit at the Rio parking lot.

Open Shifter saw PP Mastro run a time 37.585 to sit on pole. Troy Butts was right in the hunt and started from the outside of row one for the prefinal. Mastro was the heat winner, but we saw Imran Husain move up to second place and start the final off pole. The final was filled with traffic as Mastro hit lap traffic only a few laps into the contest. Husain made a go of things, taking over the point for a few laps during the mid point of the race. Mastro may have been surprised once by Husain, but it didn’t last long for the driver of the #44 CRG. Once back out front Mastro gapped the field by four seconds. Husain finished an impressive second with Kyle Lewis third. Kyle Hathcox moved up from ninth to finish in third place overall to take the Spec Honda Shifter Heavy victory. I think Kyle might have been the most excited guy on the podium all day long. Casey Scherer was just under two-seconds back with Paul Russell completing the podium. Of the 30 overall drivers who took the green only 11 of them finished on the lead lap.

Spec Shifter saw Bobby Legate run the fastest qualifying lap of the event, 37.128. Jacob Neal was two tenths off but came alive in the prefinal to beat Jason Toft and Legate to the checkered flag. Toft came to the final ready for a fight. With a quick start and some fancy driving he managed to gain a small advantage on Neal. Legate maintained third but was involved in an early battle with Clinton Schoombee, Patrick Cushenberry, and Willy Musgrave. Neal gave chase to what seemed to be a lock in for Toft, but as the laps wound down Toft would disappear. One lap, Toft was up front on his way to the win and the next moment it was Neal on his way to victory. Finishing is always a big part of finishing first and today was Neal’s day. Neal has had plenty of good days this year, but not nearly as many as he has to come in his career. A solid performance landed him the first place helmet award. Legate eventually was able to gain a large advantage over the pursuing field of drivers led by fellow Arrow driver Cushenberry.

The event drew racers from all over California, Arizona, Nevada and even one from Iraq. Jeff Dyers was on a short leave from being an EOD Specialist (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) in Iraq used his time away from the war to hit the streets of Lancaster for some needed R & R. His day ended early in turn one, but you gotta figure the worst day karting is still better than a good day disarming bombs.

The event went off nearly flawless. Racers left with something rarely seen, a smile, and hats off to Tri-C for making that happen. The city of Lancaster officials seemed pleased, and looked like they were all ready to commit for next year’s event. Lets hope that happens and we have a new karting tradition for years to come in the Southland.
 

10-15-09 To all Prairie City Kart Track racers and fun-seekers 

It is official; All Star Karting, owned by Joey Hand, has acquired the Prairie City Kart Track and will be the new promoter for at least the next five years.  Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Prairie City Kart Track, or is an existing member who would like to renew, for the 2009/2010 season, please send an email to info@allstarkarting.com.  The annual membership fee will now be $160 per household.  Membership is effective November 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010.  A member of the Prairie City Kart Track will save money on practice days, race events and is entitled to earn points towards a championship at the end of the season.

A message from Joey Hand:

“I am very excited to take over the promotions of the Prairie City Kart Track.  I would like to thank Gary and Vicki Lovotti for all they have done to keep the Prairie City Kart track up-and-running and in tip-top shape over the past five years.  I would like to extend a special thank you to Gary and Vicki for their assistance in the transition from Racecraft Motorsports to All Star Karting. 

As most of you know, I spend the majority of my time traveling around the country driving racecars.  Because of my career, I will not necessarily be the face of Prairie City.  I will, however, be involved in every decision made concerning the racetrack and racers and I will be at the track as much as my schedule will allow.  Fortunately, I have many great, dedicated people surrounding me who will make track operations the best they have ever been. 

I am a better racecar driver today due to the great battles endured in racing karts at Prairie City.  I want the Prairie City Kart Track to be known as a place to have fun and to learn how to be a great and better driver.  Karting is where a professional racecar driver’s career begins.  I am living the dream and it started at the Prairie City Kart Track. 

Good luck to everyone and I hope to see you at the track!”

Supporters, fans and media can keep abreast of Newgarden’s rookie season of European racing via the newly designed and developed website www.raceroftomorrow.com

As member of the Team USA Scholarship program De Phillippi will pilot a Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GRS07/08 this coming weekend (October 17-18) in the Kent class of the famed Formula Ford Festival at the Brands Hatch Circuit in England, before taking part in the renowned Walter Hayes Trophy event on October 31-November 1 at the Silverstone Circuit in England.

10-15-09 MK ROTAX MOTOR PROMOTION - 12 MONTH WARRANTY AND FREE SET OF TIRES


Purchase a new ROTAX engine and receive a set of MOJO tires FREE. Additionally, every motor purchased between now and December 31st comes with an extended factory warranty of twelve months*.

*EXTENDED MANUFACTURER WARRANTY GOOD NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2009. MOTOR MUST BE REGISTERED ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 31, 2009. REGULAR WARRANTY IS SIX MONTHS.


Marin Karting is most experienced Rotax dealer and service center in Northern California. Top drivers choose Marin Karting Rotax power.

In addition to CRG chassis and kart engine sales and service, Marin Karting also offers:
One-on-one and small group driving lessons
Lead and follow driver coaching
Chassis service (all makes and model)
Expert Rotax engine sales and service
Engine tuning (all makes and models)
Electronic kart chassis scaling
Trackside race day support

Contact Marin Karting for all your karting needs: (415) 898-0999 or sales@marinkarting.com


Marin Karting
7586 Redwood Blvd. #D
Novato, CA 94945
T: 415.898.0999
F: 415.898.0966
www.marinkarting.com


 

10-14-09 Cool Windy Weather but Some Hot Racing in Race #8 of the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge
 

The Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge took to the Kinsmen Kart Club track in Dixon, California for Round #8. This was the second visit to the tough four-tenths mile long track and the Rotax drivers had their hands full with the cool and windy weather as well as the challenge of the track itself.

Rotax Micro Max
Five drivers took to the track and continued their year long battle for points in this first year class for Northern California. Nicky Hays took the pole in qualifying ahead of Michael Michoff and Annie Breidinger. In the ten lap Pre-Main, Hays took the lead at the green flag and never gave up the lead as he drove on to a six second win over Michoff with Annie Breidinger in third. In the twelve lap Main, Hays took the lead again at the drop of the green flag. Michoff stayed closer in the Main but was not able to challenge Hays for the lead. The best battle of the race was for third place with Annie Breidinger being

challenged the entire race by her twin sister Toni Breidinger. In the end, Annie came home one-tenth of second ahead of Toni for third with Sarah Setzer finishing fifth.

Rotax Mini Max
Mini Max had four contenders including the first time entry of Garrett Dixon who was trying out the class. In Qualifying, points leader Drew Setzer took the pole just ahead of Harrison Mills. In the Pre-Main, Setzer took the lead at the start and was never challenged. Mills stayed close and finished less than a second behind Setzer followed by JR Raczko and Dixon. The Main was a repeat of the Pre-Main with Setzer controlling the race followed closely by Mills with Raczko and Dixon finishing third and fourth.

Rotax Masters and Masters Light
Nine drivers turned out to race, three Masters and six Masters Light. Dixon club driver Chris Rossi (Light) took the pole ahead of David Harwin (Masters), Andre Eriksen (Masters) and Andrea Delfanti (Light).
In the Pre-Main, the veteran Harwin took the early lead in Masters until his rear bumper came adrift and he had to pit. With Harwin's exit, the race came down to a battle of three Light drivers with Chris Rossi in first followed by Delfanti and Stephan Gaudreau. The Masters class win went to Eriksen who finished fourth overall just ahead Jerry Pretti (Masters). In the Main, Delfanti got in front of Rossi in turn one but disaster struck in turn two when the two Light drivers came together and Rossi flipped over Delfanti bringing out a red flag. The restart of the Main was minus Rossi and Delfanti.

At the restart, Gaudreau took the early lead ahead of Eriksen and Pretti. Harwin started the Main from last on the grid and started his drive to the front, but the task was made tougher due to the difficulty of making passes on the tight Dixon track. In the end, Gaudreau took the overall win and with it, the win in the Light class. Eriksen was less than a second back for second overall and his first class win in Masters. Pretti (Masters) was third followed by Harwin (Masters), Steve Weiss (Light) and Mary Beth Wilson (Light).

Rotax DD2
The DD2 class was a tight and exciting race with six drivers taking the green. In Qualifying, Bronson Eggert took his first DD2 pole ahead of Kyle Gimple and David Arnstein. Points leader Troy Castaneda had problems and had to start the Pre-Main in the sixth position. Eggert took the lead at the drop of the green flag followed by Arnstein and Gimple. Castaneda worked his way through the field and slid by Arnstein to take over second by the end of the race. The Main started off fine until turn one where Castaneda, Gimple and January Grove all spun. Eggert took the lead followed by Arnstein and Dave Moody. Castaneda, Gimple and Grove all recovered and gave chase. In the end, Eggert went on to his first DD2 feature win with Arnstein 1.7 seconds back. Castaneda worked his way up to Arnstein's rear bumper but could not find a way by thus settling for third followed by Gimple, Grove and Moody.

Senior Rotax
The Senior Rotax class was the largest class of the race with twelve drivers. In Qualifying, Jake Mottaz took the pole ahead of Nic LeDuc and Dylan Lupton. This was Lupton's first senior race having just moved up from Junior Rotax. In the Pre-Main, Mottaz was really on and took the early lead. By mid-race, LeDuc started to make his move to catch Mottaz and made the pass for the lead on lap seven. Now it was Mottaz's turn to look for a way by. Going into the last lap, Nic's lead was inches with Mottaz looking for an opening to make a pass. In the back turn, the two touched and LeDuc slowed to a stop. Mottaz recovered and went on to the win with Lupton second and Matthew Powers third.

In the Main, Lupton got into turn one first while Mottaz got sideways and spun taking Carlos Calderon and Jordan Jadallah with him. Lupton continued to lead followed by Nikola Radosavljevich and Powers. By mid-race, Powers moved to the front by out braking Radosavljevich into the hairpin turn. Powers now set his sights on the young Lupton. Powers looked for the opportunity and with only two turns left Powers made his move again at the hairpin turn. Powers went on to take the win, his first Senior Rotax feature win and the sixth different driver in eight races to win a Senior Rotax Main. Lupton finished second with Radosavljevich third, Larry Fraser fourth and Matthew Weiss fifth.

Race #9 of the Northern California Rotax Challenge will be Saturday, October 24th at the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway. The series returns to the Dixon track for the season finale Sunday November 8th.

Full race results including MyLaps data will be posted shortly on series website at http://results.norcalrotax.com

Snapshots of the event have been posted at http://www.norcalrotax.com/multimedia

For more information about the Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge go to the Nor Cal Rotax website at www.norcalrotax.com
 

2009 Prokart North Awards Banquet This Saturday 10-17-09
 

When:
Saturday, October 17, 2009
6:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Where:
The Tuscan Car Barn (Google Maps)
135 E Sir Francis Drake Blvd
Larkspur, CA 94939

It is now past the deadline to purchase banquet tickets online for the 2009 PKC NorCal Awards Banquet.

Please call Patti Kutscher immediately to check availability of a late reservation: 951-491-0808.

We will be honoring our 2009 series champs, as well as awarding incredible raffle prizes!

Tickets:
$39 for all drivers and guests, including minors.
Please, no children under 12.
Ticket price includes dinner, drinks, awards presentation and raffle. Valet parking included

In order to provide an accurate head count to the caterer, Friday, October 9th is the deadline for all RSVP's and ticket purchases.

Attire is business casual. Collars are preferred, and please, no baggy or ripped jeans.
No limit on quantity of tickets purchased, but please, no refunds on cancellations.

Host Hotel: (1 mile/5 minutes from banquet)

Courtyard by Marriott
2500 Larkspur Landing Circle
Larkspur, CA 94939
(415) 925-1800
(800) 321- 3131
Use group code ProKart Challenge to get these rates when booking over the phone:

$109 – 1 king bed (Click HERE to book this room online now)
$119 – 2 queen beds (Click HERE to book this room online now)

OFFER EXPIRES SOON! MUST BE RESERVED BY THIS FRIDAY, OCT. 2ND!


About THE TUSCAN CAR BARN
This venue houses the Tom Price private collection of vintage racing and road cars. It has been the site for many private parties and local celebrations. It offers beautiful views, gorgeous classic cars and a slot car racing track. This banquet is being sponsored by the Thomas Family and the Tom Price Family. Come and enjoy!

 

10-13-09 CRG are World Champions
 

For the 15th time in its history, CRG has won the World Champion title in the top category of karting and confirmed itself as the most titled champion in the world at this level! 2009 season proved once again that the CRG chassis is an undisputable reference point for all karters.

After Jonathan Thonon's victory at the World Cup for KZ1, it was Arnaud Kozlinski's turn to triumph in Macao, at the World Championship for Super KF. Regardless of whether or not it is equipped with a gearbox, the Italian chassis wins!

"When we chose the technical features of the Road Rebel chassis, we were not wrong" stressed CRG's technical manager. "It is both reliable and versatile. It wins in every country where it races and once again it has enabled us to make the difference at the highest level".

Marin Karting has been selling the CRG chassis in Northern California for 8 years with great success. Top local drivers choose CRG.

In addition to CRG chassis and kart engine sales/service, Marin Karting also offers:

One-on-one and small group driving lessons
Lead and follow driver coaching
Chassis service (all makes and model)
Expert Rotax engine sales and service
Engine tuning (all makes and models)
Electronic kart chassis scaling
Trackside race day support
(Arnaud Kozlinski - 2009 World Karting Champion)

Contact Marin Karting for all your karting needs.
Marin Karting
7586 Redwood Blvd. #D
Novato, CA 94945
T: 415.898.0999
F: 415.898.0966
www.marinkarting.com

10-10-09 November 15 is the Banquet Date for the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge

The Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge is pleased to announce that the 2009 awards banquet will be held on November 15th in the Audi Forum at Infineon Raceway. So save the date. Full details to be announced very soon.

For more information, schedule, results, news, rules and sponsor information for the 2009 Northern California Rotax Challenge go to www.norcalrotax.com

10-4-09 EMMICK’S FALL ENGINE SPECIAL

LIMITED TIME ONLY

YAMAHA REBUILDS
COMPLETE ENGINE REBUILD INCLUDES :  PISTON KIT-GOLD RING- ALL BEARINGS AND SEALS AND PINS AND GASKETS-CARB KIT
$425.00 PARTS AND LABOR 

YAMAHA TOP END ONLY
WHICH INCLUDES PISTON-GOLD RING-TOP CAGE-WRIST PIN AND HEAD GASKET FOR $225.00 PARTS AND LABOR

PARILLA COMPLETE ENGINE REBUILD
PISTON KIT-TOP AND BOTTOM CAGE-MAIN BEARING-SEALS-TOP AND BOTTOM PINS-GASKET KIT-CARB KIT
$595.00 PARTS AND LABOR

PARILLA TOP END ONLY
PARTS INCLUDES PISTON KIT-UPPER CAGE AND WRIST PIN-GASKETS AS NEEDED
PARTS AND LABOR ONLY
$375.00 Parts and Labor

CR-80 TOP END
PISTON KIT AND TOP CAGE AND WRIST
$140.00 PARTS AND LABOR

CR80 COMPLETE REBUILD
$250.00 Labor PLUS 10% off  PARTS

HPV –1 and 2 ENGINES 
COMPLETE REBUILD  INCLUDES NEW PISTON KIT-UPPER CAGE BEARING AND WRIST PIN LOWER CAGE BEARING AND CRANK PIN-ALL BEARINGS AND SEALS –GASKETS REBUILD CARB.
$595.00 Parts and Labor

Comer 50 and K80  Complete Rebuild
$150.00 Labor- Plus parts

EMMICK COBRA RACING
2340 GOLD RIVER ROAD SUITE  E
RANCHO CORDOVA, CA 95670
916-383-2288  /  916-852-8110

Cambrian Go-Karts is Offering a 12 MONTH MANUFACTURES WARRANTY on all new Rotax kart engines purchased between October 1 and December 31, 2009

10-10-09 Prairie City Race Finale

Saturday rain fell across Sacramento Valley and the foothills including the PC race track and it's over- night die-hard campers/ racers. An early snow dusted the Sierra's and made people wonder if Sunday would prove to be a Rain out but instead the Sun came out brightly and set up for a great day of racing. In fact the best junior races all year were poised for a Grand Finale run that kept the fences lined and waiting for the outcome;
Hpv 2 race set up With Scott Anderson flexing his muscles and making a come back to be remembered after his knee injury just 2 short races ago that left him sidelined. Scotty picked off fast time and sat P1,Turn 1 would be his enemy on this day and he found himself pushed off and side-lined to watch the show from the in-field in the heat and having to come back from the rear in the main, made quite a showing driving his way to the front and a impressive 3^rd place finish. Brandon $B!H (B The Blaze $B!I (B Tomko ran away with the show and I believe his First win in both the heat and the Mains with Ashlie Couch also coming from the back to finish 2^nd place for the day.
Kid karts:
Fast time Jack Von Quilich Kid kart win Jack Von Quilich, 2^nd Stephon Daniel, 3^rd Jason D $B!G (BArcy 4^th Donovan Krug 5^th Bret Cohen, 6^th John Michael Hughes, 7^th Jessica Mc Manus, 8^th Brandon Apodaca, 9^th Aj Okazaki. I love watching these kids race and love to watch the parents give them driving advice from the side lines J $B!! (B

Super Sportsman Light:
Heart Break came for Scott Formanek, He pulled off fast time and enjoyed the view from the front of the pack until his motor broke and he was side-lined watching Geoff Nickless pick up his first win followed by Larry Spain,
Jr 1-2 Cycle was a battle Royal out there; super fast, young guns, big talent and a points battle ending that I have never seen or heard of before. The Win went to young gun Hunter Kelly with an impressive run and lead all day letting the top 3 in the points battle among themselves. Nitro Nick Sommers picked off the championship by only 1 slim point over Blaine, $B!H (B The Rock $B!I (B Rocha and only 3 points out of 2^nd place sat
Jarred, $B!H (B The hitman $B!I (B Campbell $B!D (BGreat Race to watch !!
Hpv1 Rookie:
Wyatt Couch picked up another win out there and Blake Milton picked up his Championship Jacket

Hpv 1- another great race with some real talented young guns;
Nitro Nick Sommers, aced another win and picked up his 2^nd championship run for the weekend, followed by Jarred Campbell with another strong run all day long and Taylor Jacobs sneaking in there and giving the boys someone to think about during the race. Great job everyone
80 Shifter/ 80 Masters
These guys ran together and made it fun to watch; the start had to leave a mark; Someone stalled on the start and all you could see after that was karts and drivers digging trying to stay out of trouble. Josh Cole took the worse of it and finished the day on the side-lines unfortunately. Steve $B!H (B Hang loose: Nagai picked up the win in the masters , Kevin Clemens 2^nd and
80 Ltd Tony Mangini 1^st , Chris $B!H (B Wild Thang $B!I (B Yettito 2^nd,
Tag Master $B!G (Bs and Tag Senior $B!G (Bs ran together again this weekend; Crazy Ray Zarrick lived up to his name and in turn 2 while trying to chase Jon Ban P1 down, began to sing that country song; $B!H (B Don $B!G (Bt leave me loose Wheel $B!I (B where as he quickly found out that 3 wheels don $B!G (Bt work very well on a kart and left the corner workers with a job to remove him before the field came back around.
Tag Senior - Jon Ban 1^st, Tag Master $B!G (Bs first time winner Dan Leven
 
Prairie City Championship final points 2009
Kid Kart 1:
Stephon Daniel, Jason D'Arcy, Jack Von Quilich, Aj Okazaki
Kid Kart 2:
Aj Okazaki, Donovan Bixler, Jack Von Quilich, Stephon Daniel
Junior 1-2 Cycle
Nitro Nick Sommers Champion by 1 point, 2nd Blaine Rocha- 3rd Jarred " The Hitman" Campbell, -3 points, 4th Hunter Kelly, 5th Roy Fulmer,iv
Hpv2-
Shelby Sander- Champion- 1756 to 1584 2nd place Cole Trickel, 3rd place- Zack Kelly, 4th Scott Anderson, 5th Michaela La Spina,
Hpv3- Curt Sander, Kyle Kerhoff 2nd , 3rd Nick Phillips
Hpv 1 _ Rookie;
Blake Milton- Champion, 2nd Christian Peterson, 3rd Cody Orrick, 4th Wyatt Couch, 5th Kyle Johnson
Hpv-1
Nitro Nick Sommers- Champion, 2nd place Jarred " The Hitman" Campbell, 3rd place Taylor Jacobs, 4th Blaine Rocha, 5th Justin Yanez
Sr. 80 Shifter:
Tony " The tiger" Rodriquez, 2nd Steve " hang loose" Nagai, 3rd. Josh Cole, 4th Kevin Clemens, 5th John Espinor
80 Shifter-
Tony Mangini Champion, 2nd Tyler Espinosa, 3rd Chris Yettito, 4th jon Wozniak, 5th Jereme Abshire
Tag Master:
Crazy Ray Zarick- Champion, 2nd place John Chandler, 3rd Dan Levens, 4th mike Ketterman, 5th Steve Stein
Tag Senior:
Jon Ban- Champion, 2nd place Ryan Raspberry, 3rd place Brandon Phillips, 4th Kyle Mau, 5th place Tyler Espionosa
 

10-5-09 Cody Kay wins spot for Ron Suttons Driver Shootout
Source: RMG- Race Media Group

Cody Kay recently won a spot in the 2009 K&N Filters and Sunoco Racing Fuels Driver Shootout. Every year Ron Sutton's Winners Circle holds a driver shootout to compete for a chance to be selected for an opportunity to take part in the Winners Circle development.600 drivers around North America sent in applications to be accepted for this opportunity to further their career, however only 30 spots are available. Due to Cody's impressing stats through his years of Karting, as well as the way he composes himself off the track, Cody was a good fit for the team.

The shootout will be held at Stockton 99 Speedway in Stockton California. Each driver will have 100 laps to show their driving talent and how well they adapt to a racecar they have never driven. I am very excited about this opportunity that Ron Sutton's Winners Circle has given me. I have always wished to drive a Sprint Car and now I will get the chance to do that. Said Cody. I hope that is my path that will eventually lead me to a NASCAR Career. Cody was only 1 of 6 drivers that was sponsored a free spot in the Shootout.
Cody Kay would like to thank his sponsors RC Electric, PKS, and RMG-Race Media Group. More about Cody Kay and his racing career can be seen on CodyKay.com

10-6-09 Championship battles are heating up in the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge Race #8 this Weekend at Dixon

The Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge returns to the Dixon track this coming Sunday for what will be exciting racing in Challenge race #8 of 10. All Northern California Rotax Challenge race classes will run as part of the Kinsmen Kart Club's normal scheduled club race.

There are tight championship battles in most classes so expect so great racing.

In Micro Max, Michael Michoff and Nicky Hays are battling for the top spot in the class, but there is also a battle for third place in class between three drivers: Sarah Setzer, Toni Breidinger and Annie Breidinger.

In Mini Max, four drivers are battling for top honors. Current points leader Drew Setzer is followed closely by JR Raczko. Harrison Mills and Cole Davis will be pushing both of these drivers for the race win.

In Senior Rotax, expect to see another hotly contested race with five different 2009 race winners all wanting to take control of the class championship. Coming into this race, 2008 champion Gregory Liefooghe is leading in points, but Liefooghe has only one race win this year. Jordan Jadallah, Nic LeDuc and Nikola Radosavljevich are all challenging for the championship lead.

The Rotax Masters and Masters Light classes always have a long and talented entry list. Donald Durbin and David Harwin have an epic battle going. In their last confrontation at the Dixon, the night race in September, they had their closest race of the year .

In Rotax DD2, veteran driver David Arnstein wants to get after the young guns of the class and will be challenging points leader Troy Castaneda as well as Kyle Gimple and Bronson Eggert.

"The racing is getting better and better as we come down to the final three races of the year. We have seen a big jump in driver talent and it shows in the close class championship battles." commented Adrian Szwarcburg, series organizer. "Once again I would like to thank the Kinsmen Kart Club for allowing us to be part of their club race."

Come out and see some great racing this weekend at the Kinsmen Kart Club in Dixon.

Track opens for practice and parking on Saturday at 9am.
All drivers must sign in before going on the track, club members included
Race pre-registration will be Saturday starting at 9am. If you sign in to race for Sunday for non-members the practice fee will be $15.00 (reg $30). If you dont pre register cost will be $30. Saturday registration will close at 3 pm.
All Rotax drivers $75.00, 2nd kart $45.00 same driver.
Pit passes $10 per person, $6 for kids under 6yrs.
All persons entering the Karting facility must have a wrist band on as per our insurance.
Sunday gates open at 6am.
Registration starts at 7:15am...closes at 8:30am.
Drivers meeting at 8:30am.

For more information, schedule, results, news, rules and sponsor information for the 2009 Northern California Rotax Challenge go to www.norcalrotax.com


 

10-3-09 SCCA PRO RACING VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI CUP BECOMES PRESENTING SPONSOR FOR NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST KARTING EXPOSITION

Las Vegas, NV, October 4, 2009 – Organizers for the SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series have determined that one of the best places to find qualified candidates for their program will be at the largest exposition dedicated to all things karting, PKE2010.

A significant number of VW’s top series drivers come from the North American performance karting community, so as the event’s presenting sponsor, VW Jetta TDI Cup will combine their final Driver’s Selection Event with the PKE2010 in Las Vegas immediately following the exposition. Potential series competitors will converge at the South Point Hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard to compete for the coveted series invitation.

Volkswagen will integrate their brand throughout the event with 2010 vehicles in virtually every corner of the show.  Managing Director of the event, Ray Verhelst, said, “Their presence will be felt everywhere, from the VW Competitor’s Cafe on the main exhibit floor to the Trophy Kart exhibition jump where off-road karts will be flying over a new Volkswagen Touareg!”

The Jetta TDI Cup sponsorship of PKE2010 will solidify its relationship with the North American karting community. Jetta TDI Cup Technical Director, Dennis McCormack stated “While we are clearly a step up on the driver ladder system, we want our competitors to remain in karting as a means to keep their driving skills sharp. By using performance karting as the basis for the initial selection process, each year competitors will need to return to their racing roots to earn another chance at qualifying for the series.”

McCormack went on to say, “In choosing to create a partnership with the PKE organization, we are firm believers that this show’s format, location and focus will not only serve the Jetta TDI Cup needs, but it will become an educational benchmark for thousands of karting enthusiasts to learn about all the various performance karting outlets and to actually get hands-on product knowledge. VW is proud to be a part of this exciting marketing opportunity.”

An outdoor track has been created specifically for the PKE2010 show, and the opportunity to utilize it is an important reason for the partnership with VW. 

The Final Drivers Selection Committee will be breaking up the group of candidates into segments to be tested behind the wheel of CRG/Rotax karts on the sprint course and in new Volkswagen GTI’s on a specially-designed Autocross area.  Both courses will be housed at the South Point Hotel.  Training on and off the track will be held in the hotel’s massive events center, and the final drivers challenge will be off site on a local road course.

Each task is designed to be incrementally more challenging, allowing the judges to whittle down candidates until they end up with the final 25. According to McCormack, “This will be like a driver’s boot camp with challenges that will force the drivers to reach down deep to bring their best skills to the table.”

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup.
During the Jetta TDI Cup season, drivers will compete in events on road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared and maintained Jetta TDI's powered by clean diesel. In addition to more than $50,000 in prize money at stake during the season, the series champion will receive Volkswagen factory career advancement support with a value up to $100,000. Each driver who competes in the series will also earn a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season. 

The Jetta TDI Cup car is powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder TDI clean diesel engine with six-speed, double-clutch, automatic DSG transmission. The car is only slightly modified from stock with race suspension and brakes. More information and an online prospective driver application is available at www.volkswagenjettacup.com.

Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Eos, Golf, New Beetle, New Beetle Convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, Passat wagon, Tiguan, Touareg 2 and Routan through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2009 Volkswagens come standard-equipped with the Electronic Stabilization Program. This is important because the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called ESC the most effective new vehicle safety technology since the safety belt. Visit Volkswagen of America online at vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.

PKE2010 is the largest performance karting exposition in North America. Scheduled for February 5-7, 2010 at the South Point Hotel and Casino on the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard, this will be the only pure karting event with a full exhibit floor, indoor and outdoor live racing and the largest karting buy and sell swap ever held. The website is www.pke2010.com and is now accepting indoor team registrations, exhibitor reservations and hotel accommodations.

International Motorsports Marketing, LLC is a leading event management and marketing organization behind motorsports marketing and branding with a specific emphasis on performance karting in North America. The company is involved with publishing, digital media marketing, event management and competitive race series programs. The organization’s management team has more than 40 years in successful motorsports sales and marketing, matched with the production of hundreds of successful events and major exhibitions around the world.

10-1-09 Race #7 Report for the 2009 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge

The Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge returned to action at the famed Infineon Raceway in what was a picture perfect autumn day. With temperatures hovering around 90 degrees, the warm day was perfectly matched for the hot action on track.

Junior Rotax and Mini Max
The first race of the day was a combined race group of Junior Rotax, Mini Max and HPV-1 drivers. In qualifying, the top two times were set by Junior Rotax drivers Brody Zink and Niki Luna followed by Mini Max drivers Drew Setzer, JR Raczko, Harrison Mills and Cole Davis with HPV-1 driver Michael Avansino rounding out the field.

In the pre-main, Zink took the lead and went virtually uncontested as Luna's kart had an engine problem from the outset. Setzer took over second place followed by Raczko as Luna soldiered on to take fourth overall followed by Mills, Davis and Avansino.

In the main, Luna had his engine corrected and he was poised to do battle again starting from the front row. Luna took the lead into turn one and held off a hard charging Zink through the first couple of laps. The pressure couldn't be held as Zink made a clean pass on lap three and went on to a sixteen second win. Setzer took the lead in the Mini Max class at the green flag and was never challenged the entire race. Raczko held second followed by Cole Davis who got past Mills early on during the Main.

Senior Rotax
With five winners in the first 6 races, the Senior Rotax class has been the most tightly contested race series in the Northern California. All five winners were present to take the green for round seven. Qualifying saw Wes Phillips take the pole ahead of Nic LeDuc, Matthew Powers, Jordan Jadallah and Nikola Radosavljevich.

The twelve lap pre-main kicked off with Phillips in the lead followed closely by Powers and LeDuc. The field kept in line for the duration with Phillips crossing the line first followed by LeDuc, Powers, Radosavlievich and David Harwin in fifth.

At the start of the main, Phillips, Powers and LeDuc started to pull away from the pack, swapping the lead several times during the first half of the race. Powers took the lead on lap five and looked like he may be the sixth different race winner of 2009, but disaster struck on lap eight when he threw a chain in the middle of the tic-tac-toe.

LeDuc took the lead with Phillips right behind, exchanging the lead several times for the remainder of the eighteen lap main event. Behind the lead duo, the racing was hot, as Radosavlievich, Jake Mottaz and Harwin battled for third place. Mottaz took control of third spot, but was slightly hampered by a missing nose piece. Series regular and Jim Russell FJR-50 competitor, Gregory Liefooghe, started the main in eighth and worked his way up through the field, eventually getting by Mottaz for third place. A great battle for fifth place raged for the last half of the race between Harwin, Matthew Weiss and Carlos Calderon.

At the end of the all the close action, Phillips took the win just 1.4 seconds ahead of LeDuc, Liefooghe and Mottaz in fourth. Mottaz did not make weight when he was weighed without the nose of his kart, promoting Harwin into fourth with Weiss rounding out the top five.

Micro Max/Junior 1 Comer
Nicky Hays took the pole ahead of the lone Comer of Michael Avansino followed by Michael Michoff and Toni Breidinger. At the start of the Pre-Main, Hays, Avansino and Michoff started a back and forth battle that would last all day. Action was tight in the dwindling laps of the pre-main as Michoff and Hays came together in turn one, causing both to spin. Going on to recover, the duo were still able to finish second and third respectively with Avansino picking up the win.

The main saw a continuation of the fight with the top three drivers exchanging positions throughout the run. Michoff was able to work by Avansino and pulled out a short lead. Hays was also able to make a move by the Comer driver, setting his sights on leader Michoff. In the end, Michoff's lead was too much as he took the win by just over a second ahead of Hays, Avansino in third in the Comer followed by Toni Breidinger, Annie Breidinger and Sarah Setzer.

80 Shifters
The 80 Shifter field saw nine drivers line up for what was some great on track action. Steve Peterson took the pole ahead of Marc Stanley and Gerry Williams in the qualifying session. At the start of the pre-main, Peterson got off to a poor start and fell back a few spots. Stanley sprung into the lead by turn one and went unchallenged to cross the line first. Williams settled into second position, finishing just ahead of Tom Nelson and Cody McKinney.

Stanley again took the lead as the green flag signaled the start of the main. As Stanley checked out on the field, the action continued amongst the drivers behind him. Williams looked like he was going to have a comfortable drive to second, but midway through the eighteen lap race, his engine started losing power and was passed by Nelson, McKinney, Ben Fisher and Steve Peterson. The engine issues proved fatal for Williams, as he had to retire along with McKinney. Stanley cruised to an uneventful win, with Nelson scoring

valuable points coming home second and maintaining his championship lead. Fisher was able to score the third place spot with David Mendez coming home fourth overall and first in the Masters class.

Rotax DD2
Seven DD2 karts took the track in what turned out to be the most highly contested race of the year. In qualifying, David Arnstein got the best of Troy Castaneda to take the pole followed by Kyle Gimple and Bronson Eggert. Arnstein took the lead into turn one of the pre-main with Castaneda and Gimple in close tow. On lap two, Arnstein and Castaneda couldn't stay out of each other's way, and contact ended both of their races. Gimple moved into the lead followed closely by Eggert and January Grove. Fighting a bent spindle after clipping the wreckage of Arnstein and Castaneda, Gimple made it through to take the win.

With all the crash damage repaired, the main was set for a charge as the fastest drivers were forced to start from the rear. Eggert took the lead off the green followed by Gimple, Arnstein, Grove, Castaneda, David Palic and Dave Moody. The top five drivers ran in a tight pack as the drivers were passing each other several times a lap. A break through came as Arnstein took the point with Castaneda and Gimple right behind. In what was setting up to be a repeat of contact from the pre-main, Castaneda made a strong but clean pass over Arnstein to take the lead late in the run with Gimple also slipping by. Castaneda, returning from his runner-up finish at the Rotax Grand Nationals, pulled away to take a five second lead to the checkered flag, while Gimple pressed hard to stay ahead of Arnstein at the line.

Rotax Masters and Masters Light
Nine karts, five Masters and four Lights, took the track for this combined race group. Normally competing in the shifter ranks, Steve Cameron came out for one of his rare kart racing appearances strapped with fresh Rotax power. It did not take long for the experienced Cameron (Lights) to get the hang of the power difference, putting his kart on pole just ahead of David Harwin (Masters). Andrea Delfanti (Lights) settled for the third position followed by Mary Beth Wilson (Lights).

Cameron took the lead at the green flag in the pre-main and was never challenged. Harwin and Delfanti battled for most of the race with Delfanti getting by near the end to take second. Jack Arluck (Masters) worked his way up to fourth with Andre Eriksen (Masters) in fifth just ahead of Wilson.

Delfanti was able to take the fight to Cameron in the Main as the two Lights drivers battled the entire eighteen laps. Delfanti did all he could to find a way by, but had to settle for second spot at the line.

The racing action continued behind the lead pack as Harwin controlled the third spot and with it, the Masters class lead. Engine problems hit the class points leading Harwin and who fell back to eighth place by the end of
the race. Arluck took over the third position and was able to cruise home to his first Masters class win. Eriksen came home fourth with his best drive of the year, however it wasn't easy as Jerry Pretti maintained pressure on him throughout the run.

Race #8 of the Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge will be run on Sunday, October 11th, at the Kinsmen Kart Club in Dixon, California. The series returns to the Jim Russell International Karting Center on Saturday, October 24th for race #9 with the season finale race #10 back at Kinsmen Kart Club on Sunday, November 8th.

Full race results including MyLaps data posted on series website at http://results.norcalrotax.com
Snapshots of the event have been posted at http://www.norcalrotax.com/multimedia
www.norcalrotax.com

10-1-09 MMS Racing Engines Region 6 Report

Region 6 Gold Cup Series Over:
 
With the Region 6 Gold Cup series coming to an end in Canby Oregon this past weekend, Davie Manthei, with MMS Racing Engines power was in the hunt for the championship and he was hot on the trail in last weekend’s race. He raced in the TaG Cadet class and ran away with a win. He was challenged in the first heat and in the main but only for a few laps. He went on to blow away the competition and win by more than a half a lap. Davie had a good motor and an even better set up. His dad Dave Manthei had his kart on rails the whole event. Davie just had to get in and drive like everyone knew he could.
 
          The Gold Cup had a special guest also, all the way from Reno, NV,  where MMS Karting is located. Chelsi Wagner made the trip up to Canby Oregon to represent MMS Karting and her home club/track, Northern Nevada Kart Club. She had some trouble in qualifying as she qualified in 13th out of 14. She made up for it in the first heat though moving from her 13th spot to an 8th  place finish. She missed the big accident that happened the first lap, first turn and came out of that in 3rd but they red flagged the race and put the karts back in the order that they started in and restarted the race. She was in the back pack for a while but then made her way up in the field by making intelligent passes and other drivers spinning. She started the 2nd heat in 8th and only got around one person to finish the heat in 7th place. Wagner then went on in the main and finished a very close 5th place, less than 1/2 second between 2nd and 5th at the finish line. There was a lot of action going on in the race and that is how MMS Karting drivers like it. MMS Karting is very proud of their drivers. They have said time and time again that MMS Karting has great drivers and the fact that two of their drivers got top 5 finishes and one that had never been to the track before just proves it to all that didn’t believe