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8-2-10
RLOKC Race #5 Report
After an
early morning overcast sky burned off, Race #5 of the Red
Line Oil Karting Championship ran under sunny skies with a
slight breeze to make the day perfect for racing at the Jim
Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway.
Due to the continued large turn out of the Rotax
Masters/Masters Light race group, they was split into two
different races and the action in both classes made for
great watching. The Trapeze Arts "Move of the Race" award
went to Amber Friedberg for her multiple passes in the
Senior Rotax Main and the Hard Luck award from Metal Mashers
went to Steve Peterson.
GoPro / Sanzaru Game Mini Max
Mini Max was the GoPro featured class of the day with the
winner taking home a GoPro Hero Camera. After taking pole
and all the race wins last month, Michael Avansino continued
his streak by taking the pole on the Sprint track layout
ahead of Michael Michoff and Cole Davis. In both heats,
Avansino took the lead at the green and was never challenged
with Michoff and Davis taking second and third. In the Main,
Avansino took the lead again at the green flag with Colin
Daley getting into second going into turn two. Michoff
worked his way past the improving Daily but was now far
behind the streaking Avansino. Dailey held off Davis for
several laps but eventually the veteran Davis was able to
make the pass, but it was too late to catch the top two
karts. In the end, Avansino took his second clean sweep in a
row followed by Michoff, Davis and Dailey. In addition to
the GoPro camera, Avansino won the Sanzaru Games $50 first
place prize.
80 Shifters
With ten karts, the 80 shifter class continues to draw a
good size field. In addition to being good size, the field
was one of the most competitive fields in some time with six
drivers running up front in the lead group. In Qualifying,
Masters points leader Tom Nelson took the pole ahead of the
fast improving Geoff Provo. The only Formula 80 kart of
Justin Gald was third. In the First Heat, Nelson took the
initial lead and held it for a few laps, but the young Gald
got by late in the race to take the win over Nelson and Greg
Richter. In the second Heat, Gald again had to make the pass
on Nelson to take the win followed by Nelson and Marc
Stanley. In the Main, Gald was on the pole and took the lead
at the drop of the green with Nelson, Provo and Stanley
right behind. But while all were watching the lead drivers,
Roger Cornwall started his move through the field from his
sixth place position. Stanley took over third with Cornwall
moving first into fifth, then fourth. Cornwall continued his
march when he got by Stanley near the end of the race and
then he took off to chase down Nelson for the class lead.
Going into the last 180 degree turn before the checkered
flag, Nelson was not aware of the presence of Cornwall
whodrove down into the bottom of the turn and surprised
Nelson who had to stay wide allowing the hard charging
Cornwall to take second overall and the Masters class win.
The overall win went to Gald and with it the Formula 80
class win. Second overall and first in Masters was Roger
Cornwall followed by Nelson, Stanley and Richter.
Senior Rotax and Italian Motors IAME TaG
Amber Friedberg takes her first win of the season.
The IAME Tag karts joined the Senior Rotax karts for this
race. In Qualifying, Carlos Calderon took his second pole in
a row with Jarrett Lile taking the off pole position for the
first time this year. In the first Heat Calderon took the
lead off the green and started to motor away from the field
with Raymund Bustamante, Jr. trying to keep the smooth
Calderon close. Amber Friedberg then started her afternoon
of charges by coming from fourth on the grid to third, then
worked her way past Bustamante and right at the end of the
eight lap heat race, got by Calderon to take the win. In the
second Heat, Calderon again took the lead at the green and
again Friedberg moved through the field to move into second
with three laps to go. With two laps to go, Friedberg made a
pass going into the last turn and took the lead, but on the
last lap, Calderon took the lead back with a strong clean
pass. Going into the last turn just before the checkered,
Friedberg made a pass attempt for the lead but this time she
and Calderon tangle allowing Bustamante to take the win with
Lile second, Calderon third and Friedberg fourth. At the
start of the Main, Bustamante took the lead at the green
flag, Calderon in second and Friedberg got shuffled back to
fifth. This is where Friedberg's charge started and she
first picked off Lile then Matt Weiss. In the mean time,
Calderon took the lead when he got by Bustamante. Friedberg
then got by Bustamante and with just three laps remaining,
she made the pass for the lead getting by Calderon. In the
end Friedberg took her first feature win of 2010, Calderon
second, and Matt Weiss coming home third.
The Italian Motors IAME Tag class ran right behind the
Senior Rotax karts in this race group with Jeff Deehan
taking the pole, the win in both Heats and the class win in
the Main over Michael Torrano.
Rotax Masters
For the first four races of 2010, the Rotax Masters had to
run in the same race group with the Rotax Masters Light
karts. In most races, the Light karts would run up front and
thus overshadow the good efforts of the heavier Rotax
Masters class karts. With ten Masters Light and nine Masters
karts, it was decided to split the two classes.
Taking the pole and leading the class down to the green flag
for both Heats was Cameron Evans, his first pole this year,
followed by points leader Andre Eriksen and the young driver
Barry Lee who was running his first Masters class race this
year. At the start, Eriksen took the lead followed by Evans
and Lee. Lee and Evans swapped places by the end of the
race. The second Heat was a repeat of the first race with
Eriksen taking the lead early and coming home ahead of Lee
and Evans. In the Main, Eriksen took the lead from the pole
and looked like he was not going to be challenged. Evans had
problems early on and had to retire turning over the third
place spot to Jerry Pretti. With less than five laps to go,
Eriksen started slowing a bit and Lee got within one second
of the class leader, but time ran out before Lee could make
a serious challenge for the lead.
Rotax Masters Light
This Nor Cal regional class has continued to be popular
since the drivers can run a the same 365 pound weight as
Senior Rotax. Points leader Mary Beth Wilson took yet
another pole ahead of 2009 champ Andrea Delfanti with Mert
Solis in third. In the first Heat, Wilson took the early
lead and went on to a convincing win with Luca Delfanti,
taking second and Mert Solis third after Andrea Delfanti had
kart problems and had to retire early. In the second Heat,
Andrea Delfanti took the lead at the start and went on to a
two second win over Wilson with Solis in third. In the Main,
Wilson was on pole with Solis right next to her. At the
green flag, Solis took the lead and for thirteen laps was
driving his best drive of the year just ahead of Wilson, but
right near the end of the Main, Wilson found the spot to
make her move and took over and held the lead to the
checkered flag. Solis had to settle for a well-deserved
second with Andrea Delfanti taking third but having to hold
off Steve Weiss the entire fifteen laps of the Main.
Rotax Micro Max
With only two karts in this eight to ten year old class,
Annie Breidinger took the clean sweep over her sister Toni
Breidinger by winning the Pole and all the races during the
day. Toni did challenge Annie in the Main by leading the
first half of the race, but in the end, Annie took the win.
Cambrian Go-Karts Junior Rotax
The Junior Rotax drivers took the track with Brody Zink
taking pole followed by Sean McDonald and Bobby Tifft. In
the first Heat, Zink controlled the race with Tifft in
second and McDonald having to retire after three laps.
Things heated up quite a bit in the second Heat with Tifft
and McDonald both picking up the pace and staying right on
the rear bumper of the 2009 class champ, Zink. McDonald
wanted to repeat his Race #1 win on this day to close out
his Junior Rotax career with a win. McDonald will be moving
up to Senior Rotax next month now that he is quickly
approaching six feet tall. The three karts went into the
last lap nose to tail. As they entered the last turn, Tifft
drove deep to the bottom of the turn and took over the
corner and thus the race lead to win the heat race. In the
Main, Zink went into the lead with McDonald right behind
with Tifft on McDonald's bumper. As Tifft battled with
McDonald, Zink was able to pull away to take a four second
win with McDonald holding off Tifft to take second.
Rotax DD2 and 125 Stock Moto Masters
After their first class race last month, the 125 stock Moto
Masters had no entries this month due to one blown engine
and a last minute change of plans to another competitor. The
Rotax DD2 karts held up their end of the class with some
very good race action. In Qualifying, January Grove took the
pole over David Palic and Bob Olson. In the first Heat, The
lady DD2 driver took the initial lead for the first part of
the race, but Palic challenged and took the lead late in the
race and went on his first race win in the DD2 class. In the
second Heat, Grove pulled away at the drop of the green and
charged off to take a strong nine second win over Palic with
Charles Duncan taking third. In the Main, something seemed
amiss with Grove's kart right at the drop of the green flag.
Palic went into the lead with Grove falling back and
retiring on the second lap. Palic looked to be in position
for an easy win, except that Charles Duncan continued to
improve his kart as the day went along running laps over two
seconds faster in the Main than he ran in Qualifying. Near
the end of the fifteen lap race, Duncan got within striking
distance of Palic but ran out of time to make a serious
challenge.
All results can be seen at www.mylaps.com. The next race for
the Northern California Rotax Challenge portion of the Red
Line Oil Karting Championship will be at The Kinsmen Kart
Club in Dixon on Sunday, August 22nd where the Rotax classes
will join the Kinsmen Kart Club for the first of two Dixon
events this year. All the RLOKC classes will return to the
Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway
on Sunday, August 29th where the race will run on the
original National track layout. For more information about
the Red Line Oil Karting Championship and the Northern
California Rotax Challenge go to
www.cameronkarting.com or www.norcalrotax.com
The Red Line Oil Karting Championship is supported by the
sponsors below with over $20,000 in prizes available to the
racers. For information about the sponsors, please click the
sponsor block below.
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