4-26-11 Stockton Kart Club Schedule Update

Mark your calendars......

The "rained out" Stockton Go-Kart Club Race of March 26th has been rescheduled for Saturday, June 25th. We will be moving the June 25th scheduled "SWAP MEET" to another date and should have the date for your shortly, but wanted everyone to put the new race date on their calendars ASAP. An updated Club & Series Race Date schedule is attached.

Also, we will be hosting the next Outlaw Series Event on May 21st and 22nd, press release with details will be on it's way to everyone soon!!!
Everyone is having a great time with this new series and we all appreciate all the support. Do we have some club members who are interested in working/helping out on either of these days? If so, please either give me a call or send me an e-mail.

Thanks
Chris

4-26-11 2011 NNKC Championship Race #1

Kicking off 2011, the Reno Kart Club saw 51 entries to our first race. The weather was very unpredictable throughout the week and weekend. We hope next race turns out to be the big one. There was some great racing all day long in all the classes. KK, Sr. Clone, Jr. Clone, Shifter and TaG classes saw the same drivers who just keep on winning. Our race director, Tom Halbasch, did an excellent job and was very fair to all the drivers. Dave Brant was at his usual self with top of the line flagging duties. Next race is May 15th. Lets get it on!!



Kid Karts

3 Kid Karters came out to race on this beautiful 55 degree day. Setting the pace as usual was Nolan Wyman with 59 second lap. Gavin Van Cott is a returning Kid Karter himself and looked faster than he was last year. Greg Kennedy came out after missing the last few races of 2010. Little Nolan was able to win all the heats and the main event by a substantial margin. Greg was able to hang on to 2nd with Gavin coming in 3rd place. We hope to have 1 or 2 more KK's out for the next race. Story by Brian R.


Jr 2 Clone

6 karts came out for this class. It was a surprise to see so many 12-15 year old kids getting into the clone class. Kicking things off was Logan Wyman who pulled off pole with a blistering 44.9 time, a full second faster than 2nd place Dean Andrews. Logan would go on to win the first heat with Dean a half second behind. The second heat had more action in it as the start would see newcomer Tyler Rivera go from last to 3rd in the first turn. Shannon Wyman would lead the race till lap 5, when her old brother Logan decided he wanted the lead. That's how they would finish that heat; Logan, Shannon and Tyler in 3rd. The main event brought out some great racing as well. Shannon would get the lead from the start and hold the position till lap 5 again, when Dean Andrews made the pass for first. Just behind them, former racer Joey Rivera and Tyler (cousins) were having a great battle for 4th. Rookie McKenna Rivera had a good little race going until she crashed into the hay bales in turn 2. But the kids saved the passing for the final lap as Logan shot by Dean for the lead. Tyler would end up making the pass on Joey at the end of the straight. That's how they finished this spectacular race with Logan in 1st, Dean in 2nd, Shannon 3rd, Tyler 4th and Joey in 5th followed by McKenna in 6th. Story by Brian R.


TaG Senior

There were three drivers in the tag senior class and they came out firing. Qualifying started and saw Chelsi Wagner jump out with the quick time. Matt Koerner's transponder wasn't working which relegated him to the back of the pack and Sean Doyle qualified second. The first heat started and everybody fell into line. Matt got by Sean for 2nd place early in the race and Chelsi remained in the lead. The second heat saw Matt start on pole for the invert and Sean and Chelsi behind him. That is how the whole race would go and that's how they finished. The main started as Chelsi was off pole and Matt right next to her. Early in the race Chelsi started to get away from Matt, but he put his head down and caught back up. Sean found himself tangled up with one of the TaG Master drivers and he ended the race on the side of the track. Chelsi was caught up in other TaG Master carnage and that allowed Matt to close the gap. Half way through the race she got caught up in a spin on the last corner and Matt found his way by her. This is how it would end with Matt Koerner taking his first TaG Senior victory with Chelsi in second and Sean with a DNF. Story by Matt K.


F-125

The three F-125's were the first out on the cold morning track. All three karts were running stock moto's. But the drivers were surprised at the amount of traction. For the first heat, John Morgan would line up first. Todd Thompson making his return after a few years away would line up second and Raul Rodriguez making his F-125 premier, would line up third. Morgan was able to lead into turn one. Todd closed the gap to Morgan but was not able to get by on the short track. In the second heat invert, Todd was on inside and John lined up second. Both karts got a good start and were side by side going into turn one. John had nowhere to go and tried an over under move into turn two. Todd being the veteran he is, knew it was coming and blocked the move. Morgan was not able to make up the lost ground as Todd was getting his groove back and ran a clean race. Raul was having throttle spring issues but was able to get some good laps in. Lining up for the final, Morgan would again be on pole with Todd off pole. Todd was able to hole shot Morgan off the line & lead into turn one. Thompson and Morgan chased each other around but any ground John was able to make up slipped away with small mistakes here and there. Todd showed his experience running a clean consistent heat, winning by a little less then 2 seconds over Morgan. Rodriguez also showed great promise putting some great laps together and finishing third. Being that his was his first F-125 race and never running this configuration, Rodriguez had a great first race. Each driver showed good times in the final. Thompson ran a best of 36.687 on lap 7. Morgan ran a best of 36.693 in lap 12 and Rodriguez ran a best of 39.068 on lap 5. Next race (long track) will have at least six 125's out for serious business. Story by John M.



TaG Masters

Tag Master had a great turn out for the first race. During qualifying, 2010 TaG Masters Champ Brian Rivera would grab the top spot with a 37.703 beating out former returning member Steve Ryckebosch. Sophmore karter John Morgan #25 got third in Qual.

In the first heat, the third row with help from behind, ended up 3 wide entering going into turn one. Brother of Steve, Mike Ryckebosch and 2009 Champ Dan Harris would make contact resulting in Dan going hard into the barriers. Mike R. was able to continue but Harris limped to the pits with a broken kart. Lap 1 ended with Rivera in front and followed by the hard charging Steve R. Newcomer to TaG Masters, Tom Koerner was able to get by Scott Andrews on lap 2. But Tom K. would have an issue on lap 3 dropping out of the race. Mike R. then had a mechanical that dropped him out on lap 4. At the end of the heat, S. Ryckebosch would capitalize on Rivera's mistake as Rivera would brush the barrier coming onto the straightaway. Steve R would take the first heat win of the year followed by Rivera, Morgan, Andrews, McMullen and Yochum.

The second heat would invert the top 6. Mike R. would lead to the green flag followed by Andrews, Harris, Morgan, Steve R., Rivera, Westenberg, Yochum & McMullen. The first attempt at the start had the outside row jump & to Morgan's dismay his first time leading in Tag Masters was short lived. The second start was fair. Mike R. lead out of turn 2 followed by Steve R. who got a great start. Dan Harris then got a wheel on the inside of Steve R. going into 3. Both karts would run wide allowing Morgan to get the inside line & pass both, but obviously there was another inside line and Rivera dove to the inside line with no pavement in front of him but dirt! He railed through and came out behind Harris in 3rd. Coming around for lap 1 it would be Mike R, Harris, Rivera, and Morgan. Mr. Brant in the flagstand thought it would be a good idea to let the field see a rolled up black flag to try and get the drivers to regain some of their composure. By the third lap Rivera was pressuring Mike R. for the lead & Steve R. was chasing Morgan trying to take third. Rivera made a late brake pass going into turn 1 to take the lead from Mike R. on the last lap. When the dust settled the top 3 were Rivera, Mike R. and Morgan.

The stage was then set for the final. Rivera again would be on the pole, follwed by Steve R., Morgan and Mike R. Coming out of turn one Morgan was able to get by Steve R, but got passed by Mike R. before entering turn 3. At the end of lap 1, Rivera was already stretching his lead followed by Mike R, Morgan, and veteran Mike McMullen. The racing was hot the entire race. But Rivera kept pouring on the fast times and built up a 15 second advantage over Morgan. That's how they would finish, with Rivera taking the honors, follwed by Morgan and Steve R. who had managed to plow through the field after his bad start. Story by John M.


Jr 1-2 Cycle

Six of the seven expected Junior 1 boys showed up for this first race of the season. We want to welcome two new additions to this years JR-1 contingent, Qualik Tuliva and Jacob Brown. Turbo Sombatsiri came with a tired pit crew trying to get his brakes working properly the night before with limited success.

Qualifying saw Richard Stock as the top qualifier with a time of 45.317 on a cold track followed by Conner Van Cott at 46.209, Isaac Wyett at 46.941, and Turbo Sombatsiri at 47.858. The 1st heat saw Richard Stock on the pole trying to run slow enough to line up the field for the start. He ended up fouling out the spark plug and watched from the infield as Conner Van Cott lead a close battle with Isaac and Turbo all within 6 seconds of each other when they saw the checkered flag.

The second Heat started off better with Turbo leading the first two laps while Conner passed Richard on the first lap, then passed Isaac, only to then make contact with Turbo on turn 2 which also collected Isaac. This maylay let Richard cruise by on the inside to take the lead followed Turbo and Conner. Then Conner made his move to second as Turbo's brake problems re-emerged to let Qualik take 3rd and Jacob cruise to a 4th place finish.

For the Final 16 lap main, Conner Van Cott would take the lead followed by Richard Stock, Turbo Sombatsiri, Isaac Wyett, Qualik Tuliva, and Jacob Brown. Turbo got by Isaac quickly while Richard tailed Conner paitently, waiting for Conner to make a mistake. 3 laps later the duo encountered lapped traffic in the S's with Conner breaking right and Richard breaking left, taking the inside line onto the main straight and closing the door on Conner. Stock would never look back and take the checkered flags. Richard racked up 44.548 second lap times taking him to a 16 second lead over 2nd place Conner Van Cott at the checkered flag followed by Turbo in 3rd place, Isaac taking 4th, Qualik Tuliva finishing 5th and Jacob Brown rounding out the field finishing 6th. Story by Larry S.


TaG Novice

Tag Novice found Don "The Bumper Man" Faris putting the #4 in the pole position for the first race of the season. Following behind were Javier Avila in the #1, Gary "Speedy G" Guzelis in the #2 and “Saving His Engine” Bruce Garafola in the #44 kart. Heat one found three karts on the track, the #44 mysteriously missing. Faris led the race to finish 1st, Avila dropping out on the 6th lap with mechanical trouble leaving Guzelis with second. Bruce reappeared for Heat 2 but Javier this time was missing due to engine problems. Heat 2 finished as it started…Faris, Garafola, and Guzelis. The main event was again another solid race by all the Novice drivers. Avila would not start due to his continued motor problems. Guzelis (not so Speedy G), would eventually spin out and go out of the race by lap 12. That left Bruce and Don to fight it out. Garafola would beat Faris to the line by 2.3 seconds and claim his first TaG win. Congrats Bruce! Story by Gary G.

F-80 Senior 10 entries - No race write-up submitted. Please check mylaps for race results

Sr. Clone 7 entries - No race write-up submitted. Please check mylaps for race results
 

4-26-11 Red Line Oil Karting Championship Round Two Preview

After a strong turnout for the season opener, the Red Line Oil Karting Championship will shift gears and use the tight Sprint track configuration for round two on Sunday, May 1st at the Jim Russell International Karting Center. The GoPro featured class will be 80 Masters, where the race winner will take home a GoPro HD Hero Camera.

Several classes will feature some very close and competitive racing. The Rotax Senior class with nine strong drivers in the field last month should again highlight a very competitive race with several drivers taking a shot at de-throning round one winner Carlos Calderon. First time 80 Masters winner Charles Hastings should expect a strong challenge from at least three other past winners including defending class champ Tom Nelson. Look for a battle royal in the Sanzaru Games Rotax Mini Max class where competive racing was experienced by all ten drivers last month. Expect Michael Avansino, Michael Michoff and Scott Huffaker to once again fight for the win and $50 in cash. Second and third places will take home $30 and $20, respectively. Mini Max class sponsor Sanzaru Games will be awarding cash prizes all season long. With seven drivers, the 'club' IAME TaG class started the season with good driver interest and competitive racing. With nine drivers, the SKUSA rules based S2 and S4 race group not only saw good numbers for the season opener, but also provided some outstanding racing.

Saturday practice is available from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm with pre-race registration also available at Saturday. Entry fee for the race is $100 plus $10 for transponder rental, $10 for pit passes and $50 for Saturday practice. Sunday's schedule starts at 8:20 am with the first heat taking the green flag at 10:45 am.

Spectator information: With a second event at Infineon Raceway on this race weekend, all spectators, crew and drivers must go to the old Jim Russell building to buy a pit pass and to sign in for the karting event. Your wrist band will admit you into the raceway. When you pull into the Infineon Raceway entrance, look to the right and you will see the Red Line Oil Karting Championship sign with the arrow pointing to the right. Park next to the brick wall and go behind the wall to the old Russell building.

For additional information about the Red Line Oil Karting Championship, visit: www.redlineoilkarting.com  or www.norcalrotax.com .
 

4-28-11 Superkarts USA Pro Tour Invades Tucson For 2011 Opener

Honda Racing/HPD SpringNationals kicks off second season of tour

 The Superkarts! USA organization is ready to launch its much-anticipated 2011 SKUSA Pro Tour season with this weekend’s Honda Racing/HPD SpringNationals. Over 160 racers from across the United States, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand will all converge at the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, AZ for three days of action that includes two full rounds of racing counting towards the season championship point chase. With the support of Honda and the many karting operations that have committed to the season, the eight categories competing are sure to see the largest fields assembled of any shifterkart and TaG event over the course of the year, other than the SuperNationals this fall.

“Since we wrapped our 2010 season last November, we have spent many hours preparing for this weekend in Tucson and the entire Pro Tour,” stated Superkarts! USA President Tom Kutscher. “We feel the program we’ve assembled is among the best programs in the country, if not North America. If you have a shifterkart or TaG, you need to be part of this deal. Our numbers are showing that and we are happy to welcome all these racers and teams. I’d also like to thank the Musselman Honda Circuit for their efforts to welcome us this weekend.”

The Musselman Honda Circuit, formerly known as the P1 Kart Circuit, is a replica of the famous Suzuka Kart Track in Japan, matching its length at 1.264km (0.7986-miles) with the same 13 corners. At 34’ wide, the track provides plenty of room for large fields and ample passing opportunities. For the SpringNationals, the track will be used in the counter-clockwise configuration, where the current track record stands at 48.964 seconds.

Aside from the positive atmosphere throughout the paddock at the SKUSA Pro Tour events, an increased prize fund and expansion of the SKUSA ‘Circle of Champions’ support package have helped to bring in the higher entry numbers as many competitors seek a piece of this year’s series prize package. SKUSA will dish out roughly $30,000 in event prize money and points fund distribution throughout 2011, in addition to $25,000 in racer support for the 2012 Pro Tour through the ‘Circle of Champions’ program. SKUSA will be providing all their 2011 Pro Tour champions with complimentary entries, race tires, fuel, and oil for the following season. In Tucson, the two pro classes - S1 and TaG Senior - will battle for the $1,000 to be awarded to the event winner (cumulative point leader on the weekend), with second and third earning $500 and $250, respectively.

Other perks for those competing at the Pro Tour include guaranteed SuperSunday starting positions for the classes that will be open to 80 entries at the Pro Tour finale - the SKUSA SuperNationals, which will likely include S2, S4, TaG Senior, TaG Junior and TaG Cadet. The top three drivers in Pro Tour points in those categories after the SKUSA SummerNationals will be rewarded with guaranteed starting positions in the main event should they not make the main following the heat races or the Last Chance Qualifier. In addition, as was the case for the inaugural TaG Cadet Pro Tour champion (Colton Herta), the 2011 class champion will be awarded a partially supported trip to the 2012 Rok Cup International Final in Italy. Support includes the event entry fee, a new OTK chassis with engine to use for the race, tires for the race, one set of practice tires, race fuel and a hotel stay for the driver (four nights). Airfare is not included. SKUSA will also provide the driver with a race suit to wear, as the driver will be representing the organization on the world stage.

Thanks to the ‘Circle of Champions’ program, all eight title winners from 2010 will be back to contest the Pro Tour in 2011. Six of the eight will attempt to defend their coveted #1 SKUSA plate, with the other two moving up the organization’s internal ladder system. Californian Fritz Leesmann will defend his title in the S1 Pro Stock Moto category. A host of talented drivers will be looking to steal the crown from Leesmann, including last year’s S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto champ Derek Crockett. With Crockett advancing up to the pro level, leading the S2 championship contender list is 2010 runner-up Matt Alcorn. With 30 drivers having entered the S2 class prior to hitting Tucson, the SpringNationals could still be anyone’s for the taking. Among those entered include last year’s S5 Junior Stock Moto champion Daniel Langon, as well as several other current and former S5 graduates.

Defending S4 Master Stock Moto champion Phil Conte will begin his title defense in Tucson against a deep field as 31 other drivers have thrown their names into the mix as contenders. On paper, a long list of drivers look to have the goods to challenge for the title, however, it won’t be until Saturday morning qualifying when the real contenders will step up. The growing S5 Junior Stock Moto division has witnessed two strong graduating classes that have depleted the current numbers, but there is still a group of young and talented drivers looking to step into the spotlight in 2011. Last year’s championship runner-up Austin Schimmel and third place finisher Alex Tartaglia lead the charge for the title heading into Tucson.

TaG Senior holds the largest entry total prior to trackside registration with 33 drivers filling the competitor list. Defending class champion Phil Giebler elected to return to defend his title, rather than transfer to the S1 category as previously stated. Another noteworthy entry to the TaG Senior roster is defending SKUSA SuperNationals winner - Brazilian Andre Nicastro. TaG Master has seen a large growth to the entry numbers already with nearly 20 drivers registered to contest the opening round of the Pro Tour. The top three from last year’s championship chase all return to battle once again with Ethan Wilson carrying the #1 plate, while Steve Wiener and Brian McHattie will don the #2 and #3 plates, respectively. Behind them is a hungry group of competitors looking to claim those positions come November.

NorCal pilot Luis Tyrrell has elected to return for his final year in the Junior ranks and will defend his TaG Junior title in 2011. A number of returning drivers will keep Tyrrell honest as the season goes on, as will the addition of some very quick TaG Cadet graduates. One driver with the target on his back in the TaG Cadet division is Colton Herta, as he made the category his own in 2010. Herta will proudly run the #1 plate in his title defense. National #3 driver Noah Grey and a handful of others will look to dethrone the young second-generation pilot.

Teams and competitors will begin moving into the Musselman Honda Circuit on Thursday (April 28) to set up camp for the weekend and complete their registration. SKUSA will be hosting a Pro Tour Kick-off Party at the host hotel - JW Marriott Starr Pass - at 7:00 pm that evening. Drivers hit the track on Friday morning to begin the on-track action with six sessions per class. Saturday will fire up round one of the Pro Tour with qualifying set to begin at 9:20am. Two heat races will follow and the main events are scheduled to begin at 2:50pm. The same format will follow on Sunday, as the results will count as round two for the point chase. For complete details on the event, be sure to visit the event page on the SKUSA website (http://www.superkartsusa.com/national/skusa-pro-tour/spring-nationals.html). A reminder to all competitors and those that wish to attend as the Tucson area does not observe Daylight Savings and is at Mountain Standard Time.

Superkarts! USA has partnered with eKartingNews.com once again, as they will be providing their ‘EKN Trackside Live’ coverage throughout the weekend. Highlighting their coverage will be the live play-by-play audio from qualifying to the final main event. EKN Publisher and long-time voice of Superkarts! USA Rob Howden will emcee the audio coverage via their webpage (www.ekartingnews.com/live), in addition to their unmatched written coverage and forum updates throughout the weekend.

For any questions or inquires regarding the SKUSA Pro Tour are encouraged to visit their website - www.superkartsusa.com - or contact the SKUSA head office at 951-491-0808.