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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Classes Previews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3-27-09 Jim Russell International Karting Sunday Series - TaG Grand Masters Preview

April 5th begins the 8th season of the Jim Russell International Karting
Championship Series. And one of the largest and most popular classes will
return to the Sunday Series this year, that being the TaG Grand Masters class. This class for drivers 45 years and older was started 5 years ago and has been a series favorite ever since. Some of Norcal’s best veteran drivers have competed and won races in the Grand Masters including Randy and Ray Wetmore, Bill McCallaster, Rick Munson, Joel Giacometti, Woody Poynter, Ken Western, Mat Kattanek and Michael Sherrard.
The rules for the TaG Grand Masters will be similar to years past. #390 pound weight, IKF IAME Cup and the older IKF National Cup rules will apply to the engines, fuel will be ERC 98, oil will be Burris Hi-Rev Castor or Motul 800 2T Off Road mixed to a ratio of 16:1, tires are Bridgestone YHC. Entry fee for 2009 will be $105, $5 off if you have your own transponder. All crew, family and friends are FREE, that is right, no charge for all your friends. Food is available from J&D’s Snack Shack.
The Jim Russell International Karting Championship Series will run April 5, May 3, June 7, July 19, August 30, September 27 and October 25. The class championship will be based on the best 6 of 7 races. The track layout for the April 5th race will be the National track with 3 other track layouts to be used during the year.
The race day schedule will be Registration from 8:00 to 9:00, Three 12 minutepractice sessions from 9:00 to 12:00, 5 lap Qualify, 10 lap Prefinals and 15 lap Mains. This is over an hour of track time, the most of any series in Norcal. And you are on your way home by 4:30.
So come out and race on one of the best tracks in Northern California, or just come out and see some great racing. Spectators are free.
For more information about the Jim Russell International Karting Championship Series, contact Bob Belino at bbelino@jimrussellusa.com and for technical and rule questions contact the race director Ric Shaw at racedirectorric@hotmail.com.

3-30-09 11 DRIVERS EMERGE FROM RSWC TALENT SHOOTOUT

Latest drivers to join the prestigious driver development program are set to compete in variety of race series in 2009  
 

The renowned national talent search for the driver development program conducted by Ron Sutton's Winner's Circle has now concluded, as 11 new drivers have been selected to take part in the prestigious program in 2009. With support from Lucas Oil, K & N Filters and Sunoco Race Fuels, this year’s winners include Nick Beard, Jessica Clark, Trevor Christiani, Marten Hansen, Alex Jacobsen, Joey Licata, Kyle Longmore, Mindy McCord, Bobby Runyan, Keegan Walmer and Brandon White.  These talented young competitors will race in variety of series this coming season, following strong performances in the annual driver shootout.

The Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle Shootout is designed to identify talented, young up-and-coming drivers from across the United States and Canada with the potential and commitment to achieve a driving career in NASCAR. Following an application process in which over 751 hopefuls submitted their racing resumes, 130 drivers and families were interviewed, prior to 44 racers being selected to take part in the ‘08 Shootout. Conducted over two three-day weekends in early November, in identical race cars on an asphalt oval track in Northern California, 11 drivers were selected to join existing RSWC drivers in the driver development program this season.

A native of Midland, Texas, Nick Beard joins the RSWC following a championship-winning career in the karting ranks. The 18 year-old captured the Southwest Roadracing Association 125cc Shifter and Formula Shifter titles last year, having previous won the 80cc Shifter championship in 2007, and the 2005 Road Race Grand National Championship in the 80cc Shifter class. In his first season of car racing, Beard will get behind the wheel of a USAC Ford Focus Midget.

One of two female drivers entering the Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle program in 2009, Jessica Clark already has a good deal of racing experience success on her resume despite her young age. The 15 year-old from Westlake Village, Calif., found initial success in karting, before making the move to Jr. Midgets, where she quickly made her way to victory lane. After earning four main event wins in 2008. Clark will race a USAC Ford Focus Midget in 2009.

Trevor Christiani, of Ukiah, Calif., becomes part of the RSWC driver program following a successful past couple of years behind the wheel. After becoming the youngest driver to win an Open 500 Championship win at age 11, the now 14 year-old won a Modified Trophy Dash and finished among the top-five in his inaugural Super late Model race. This coming season, Christiani will pilot a Grand American Modified.

Born and raised in Sweden, Marten Hansen enters the RSWC program after recently moving to the USA to advance his racing career. Over the course of the last five years, the 20 year-old has raced both open-wheel and closed wheel cars with good success, winning the SSK/Renault Junior Cup in 2006 and the STCC/Camaro Cup Junior Championship in 2008. In his first season of North American competition, Hansen will race a NASCAR Grand American Modified.

A resident of San Jose, Calif., Alex Jacobsen enters the Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle program and his first season of car competition after finding success in the karting ranks. The highlight for the 14 year-old was winning the Dixon/Davis/Prairie City Crossover Championship and the Dixon class championship in only his second season of competition. Jacobsen will pilot a USAC Junior Ford Focus Midget on dirt in 2009.

17 year-old Joey Licata joins the Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle program following an accomplished career in karting and a recent move to spec truck racing. The Los Angeles, Calif., driver won a total of 17 karting championships since first getting behind the wheel, most recently capturing four IKF Grand National titles in 2008. Licata contested his first season ASA Speed Truck competition last year and will get behind the wheel of a NASCAR Grand American Modified this season.

Kyle Longmore, of Camarillo, Calif., enters his first season of the RSWC following a stellar karting career and recent success behind the wheel of a racing truck. The now 18 year-old won an impressive 14 national championships and four Grand National Championships in IKF competition before making the move to cars, where he promptly won races in Skip Barber competition. Longmore will race both a NASCAR Grand American Modified and a NASCAR Late Model in 2009, after making his West Coast Pro Trucks debut last year.

A native of Billings, Mon., Mindy McCord is the second female driver selected to the RSWC via the shootout. The 15 year-old joins the program, after winning two Quarter Midget championship titles in the Western USA. This coming season, McCord will pilot a USAC Ford Focus Midget.

Like many of the Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle drivers, 16 year-old Bobby Runyan joins the program following a multiple years of racing in the karting ranks. The Denair, Calif., driver enters his first-season of car competition having won two IKF championship titles. In 2009, Runyan will race a Formula Ford in SCCA Regional competition.

A resident of Portland, Ore., Keegan Walmer enters the 2009 RSWC program having already achieved a great deal behind the wheel. The 14 year-old won nine regional Quarter Midget titles before most recently capturing a Winternational title. Walmer will race a USAC Ford Focus Midget in 2009.

At just 13 years of age, Brandon White joins the Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle program after achieving success in the dirt karting ranks. The resident of Eureka, Calif., has scored numerous wins over the past three years in Southern Oregon Outlaw and Red Bluff Outlaw series competition, most recently finishing second in his rookie 250 class campaign. In 2009, White will drive a USAC Junior Ford Focus Midget on pavement.

 

3-20-09 Prairie City Opener Racing Action

Track Warrior Race Report
Prairie City Race # 1
By Bev Ban

You could feel the electricity in the air, smell the new tires and race fuel in the air as people came out of the wood work ready to do battle at the first Pc club race of the year. looking around the pit and grid areas you could spot all kinds of fresh new things ,The coolest new item at the track was the giant Brian Terrill memorial metal Kart that over looked the grid and trophy area.It is such a pleasure to see such a wonderful young man honored in this way. Brian is loved by so many and for his parents to see his memorial Kart over looking the Race track seems quite fitting for such a wonderful family.
There was more eye candy to see lids,(helmets) fresh graphics, new pods, new karts, even some new race suits and fresh new drivers at the track as well as a few drivers that have been away from the scene for awhile made their marks out there during the day.
There were kids moving up to the next level in racing, all bright eyed were the kiddie kart graduates from 2008 moving on up in the world and enjoying the new freedom of speed under their feet. Then you had some drivers moving into Shifters from the Parilla and Yamaha ranks, the F200 guys showed up with around 13 karts. fresh X drivers filled the field in almost every class.
The weather looked a bit gloomy and sure enough before practice or drivers meeting could take place the skies opened up early on Sunday making drivers and their crews ask why today?
A new member to Pc jumped in his truck and came back with a giant blower and vac. that helped the others who were out there driving their cars and trucks on the track trying to dry it as quickly as possible to get the race in. I Missed the pictures of the day not getting any shots of the dads and pit crew members out driving in their cars and the big dryer......not sure where my mind was.
The practice was cut down to 3 laps, qualify was 5 minutes except the last class of the day the Tag Senior's ended up getting rain and a yellow thrown in the middle of the session giving them only a few laps to get it done in. Ryan Rasberry who moved up from Hpv4 picked up the pole even though he wasn't able to celebrate and enjoy it much until he finished picking hay out of his helmet after the wet track on turn 1 put him into the hay bales. he was able to put it back on the track in short order and that Swisshutless machine didn't suffer that much in the turn of events. The skies stayed grey with rain for over an hour and the track drying started up all over again. Gary was as detrermined as the drivers to get the race in today and only a few people left when it started to rain. Everyone else just pushed under their tents sharing their dry spots with those who didn't have a place to park out of the weather and shared some fun times in the trailers eating and hanging out waiting for it to stop raining.
*a big thanks to everyone who dried the track out today so we could get the race in.
The races; All I can really say is "WOW" There were some good hard racing going on today.
I can't really tell you about every class because it would take 4 pages to do that.
I will pick out a few classes of the day that kept people on the fence and were very close racing for the day.
Nitro Nick Sommers and Team Nitro pulled off a double today, picking up the much deserved win in the Jr. 1-2 cycle as well as HPV1. there were some tough drivers in that class and a real battle going on back in the pack. Nitro pretty much said " see ya later guys, and checked out" leaving the rest of the drivers to fight it out changing places every chance they got. It was quite the race to watch from the side lines. * good clean driving, good job !
Another Class to watch were the F200 guys, you needed ear plugs if you got to close to them but boy there were some dicing around out there by David Gwin going down the hill that made you hold your breath a bit. the drivers were pretty closely matched and they really made some moves back and forth on each other. I am looking forward to watching these guys drive more often.
Yamaha, this class is always a good one to watch; these drivers are good, they are fast and they hang it out there and drive to the limits every last lap. New Member Kart # 33 Gerry Remeiro Jr put out some smoking laps, a blast from the past from what I hear this driver was one to watch. Gallagher got the pole setter on the start but kart # 33 picked him off a short time later and these guys battled the race through until turn 7 they got tangled up when they came off turn 2 side by side and mixed it up leaving Gallagher facing traffic as the #33 pulled back into the pack and gave chase to Jesse Gwin who smoothly drove past the boys when they tangled up. Jessee picked up the win followed by #33 who was black flagged and moved back behind Gallagher.
The finish was Jesse Gwin winner bringing Emmick Cobra Racing to winner circle yet again followed by Ryan Casner 2nd. and Geoff Nickless 3rd.
 
 

Jim Russell Sunday Series Preview –
80 Shifter Classes

The first race of the Jim Russell Sunday Series will be April 5th. For 2009, the Jim Russell Sunday Series at Infineon Raceway will feature 3 different 80 shifter classes (along with three Junior 1 classes and the TaG Grand Masters class). The combination of the Infineon kart track and lots of track time of the Sunday Series offers the 80 shifter racer the best value in Northern California.
The 2009 Jim Russell Series will feature three 80 shifter classes, Senior 80, 80 Masters/Heavy Driver, and 80 Grand Masters. After a one year hiatus, the Senior 80 class (16 years old and up, 360 pounds) will return to the Infineon track and offer the best young guns in Norcal a race event on the best shifter track in Northern California. 80 Masters (30 years old and up, 375 pounds) will be offered for the first time with a slight age change. The 80 Masters class has offered the Masters drivers a great class in the past that is reasonable to run but with the excitement of a shifter kart. Also running with the Masters class will be Heavy drivers, these are drivers 16 years and up but the driver must be over 200 pounds.
80 Grand Masters will again run in 2009. This is a Infineon unique class that has historically pulled 10 or more karts each race in past years. This class is for the drivers 45 and over and will run at 385 pounds.
Engine rules will be the same as IKF 80 shifter rules, gas will be ERC 110, oil to be either Burris Hi Rev Castor or Motul 80 2T Off Road and the tires are the Bridgestone YHC (any Bridgestone rain tire will be allowed in rain situations). All races will be run rain or shine.
The one Infineon unique rule that all kart must be follow is that the mufflers on all shifter karts must be the RLV or M4 14 inch muffler. If you have not tried one of these mufflers, you will be surprised how little these muffers change the power and how much more civilized the sound of the karts become, karts that sound like racing machines instead of screaming machines. You can get the 14 inch mufflers from any one of the series supporting shops listed below.
The Jim Russell Sunday Series only offers a maximum of 6 race groups. With this, the race day starts at 9:00am and all racing is over by 4:00. All classses will get three 12 minute practice sessions, a 5 lap Qualify, 10 lap Prefinal and 15 lap Main event. This is over one hour of track time. There is no series in Norcal that gives you more track time on race day.
Entry fee for 2009 is $105, which includes transponder and no charge for all pit crew, family and friends. That is right no pit pass charge for crew, family or friends. A $5 discount will be given if a karter has their own transponder. Food is available at the track from J&D Snack Shack. In addition to the parts and supplies available from the Jim Russell Proshop, there will be a number of shops attending the Sunday Series including Marin Karting, G-Force Motorsports, Cameron Karting and Cambrian Go Karts. All these shops support shifter customers.
The Jim Russell Series is a 7 race series with the best 6 races counting toward the championship. The Series will use 4 different track layouts during the season to vary the racing challenge of the Infineon track. Practice days at the Infineon track are available and one can check the schedule by going to www.jimrussellusa.com and click on karting then look for the rolling 3 week Practice schedule. The dates of the Sunday Series are: April 5, May 3, June 7, July 19, August 30, Sept 27, Oct 25.
For more information, please email race director Ric Shaw at
racedirector-ric@hotmail.com. Also contact Ric to request getting on the JimRussell Series email list.

3-19-09 Jim Russell Sunday Series Preview - Expanded 80 Shifter Focus

Jim Russell Sunday Series Preview –80 Shifter Classes
The first race of the Jim Russell Sunday Series will be April 5th. For 2009, the Jim Russell Sunday Series at Infineon Raceway will feature 3 different 80 shifter classes (along with three Junior 1 classes and the TaG Grand Masters class). The combination of the Infineon kart track and lots of track time of the Sunday Series offers the 80 shifter racer the best value in Northern California. The 2009 Jim Russell Series will feature three 80 shifter classes, Senior 80, 80 Masters/Heavy Driver, and 80 Grand Masters.

After a one year hiatus, the Senior 80 class (16 years old and up, 360 pounds) will return to the Infineon track and offer the best young guns in Norcal a race event on the best shifter track in Northern California.
80 Masters (30 years old and up, 375 pounds) will be offered for the first time with a slight age change. The 80 Masters class has offered the Masters drivers a great class in the past that is reasonable to run but with the excitement of a shifter kart. Also running with the Masters class will be Heavy drivers, these are drivers 16 years and up but the driver must be over 200 pounds.

80 Grand Masters will again run in 2009. This is a Infineon unique class that has historically pulled 10 or more karts each race in past years. This class is for the drivers 45 and over and will run at 385 pounds.
Engine rules will be the same as IKF 80 shifter rules, gas will be ERC 110, oil to be either Burris Hi Rev Castor or Motul 80 2T Off Road and the tires are the Bridgestone YHC (any Bridgestone rain tire will be allowed in rain situations). All races will be run rain or shine.

The one Infineon unique rule that all kart must be follow is that the mufflers on all shifter karts must be the RLV or M4 14 inch muffler. If you have not tried one of these mufflers, you will be surprised how little these muffers change the power and how much more civilized the sound of the karts become, karts that sound like racing machines instead of screaming machines. You can get the 14 inch mufflers from any one of the series supporting shops listed below.
The Jim Russell Sunday Series only offers a maximum of 6 race groups. With this, the race day starts at 9:00am and all racing is over by 4:00. All classses will get three 12 minute practice sessions, a 5 lap Qualify, 10 lap Prefinal and 15 lap Main event. This is over one hour of track time. There is no series in Norcal that gives you more track time on race day.

Entry fee for 2009 is $105, which includes transponder and no charge for all pit crew, family and friends. That is right no pit pass charge for crew, family or friends. A $5 discount will be given if a karter has their own transponder. Food is available at the track from J&D Snack Shack. In addition to the parts and supplies available from the Jim Russell Proshop, there will be a number of shops attending the Sunday Series including Marin Karting, G-Force Motorsports, Cameron Karting and Cambrian Go Karts. All these shops support shifter customers.

The Jim Russell Series is a 7 race series with the best 6 races counting toward the championship. The Series will use 4 different track layouts during the season to vary the racing challenge of the Infineon track. Practice days at the Infineon track are available and one can check the schedule by going to www.jimrussellusa.com and click on karting then look for the rolling 3 week Practice schedule. The dates of the Sunday Series are: April 5, May 3, June 7,July 19, August 30, Sept 27, Oct 25.

For more information, please email race director Ric Shaw at
racedirector-ric@hotmail.com. Also contact Ric to request getting on the JimRussell Series email list.

3-19-09 Northern California Rotax dealers unite to sponsor Rotax members in the 2009 Rotax National Points race

 
 
Northern California Rotax dealers Marin Karting, Cambrian Go-Karts and SwedeTech have teamed up to sponsor all Northern California Rotax Challenge drivers who wish to participate in the US RMax Challenge (USRMC) National Points program.
 
Most Rotax members are not aware there is cost involved to participate in the National Points Standing.  The Nor Cal Rotax Challenge (NCRC) must pay a fee to USRMC for every RMax member participating in each NCRC race.   Marin Karting, Cambrian Go-Karts and SwedeTech will each contribute $500 each to cover this cost and support our local racers, who in turn support the Rotax program by signing up for RMax membership.
 
The payments collected by USRMC support the national Rotax program and also help to fund entries for drivers representing the US and the Rotax Grand Finals.
 
"It's great to see some joint involvement and cooperation amongst these established karting companies," commented Adrian Szwarcburg, NCRC series organizer.  "All three companies are giving back directly to Nor Cal RMax members  with a pledge to cover the cost of submitting our series race results to the National Points Standings.  Working together can only continue to promote the growth of the series and the sport of karting in general.  I urge all racers to support these companies in 2009".
 
2008 was the inaugural year of the Rotax National Points Standings.  Northern California drivers finished on top in three of the four national Rotax classes run in the NCRC series.   The Rotax National Points Champions for 2008 from NCRC were Gregory Liefooghe in Senior Rotax, Glen Poy-Wing in Rotax DD2 and David Carlisle in Rotax Masters.   Other notable Nor Cal mentions were Donavon Wheeler, 3rd in Junior Rotax, David Arnstein, 4th in Rotax DD2 and Cameron Pringle, 5th in Senior Rotax.
 
The Rotax National Points Standings was developed and implemented last year to recognize all registered RMax Challenge members in the US, and rank them against others in their class across the nation.  The standings are based on finishes from local series races using a weighted points system.
 
Race results for drivers who are 2009 Rotax members will be submitted for the National Points Standings.  Rotax membership is not required to race in the NCRC series in 2009.
 

3-14-09 Once In a Lifetime Karting with Racing Champion


  Local racer Patrick O'Neill and his company O'Neill Construction,
  Inc, have generously donated a karting experience to the Marin
  School of the Arts Foundation's online auction fundraiser. 

  For experienced kart racers this is a great opportunity to improve
  your track skills and get the edge you need to win the next race.
  For beginners it's a great way to drive a world class machine on a
  top local track with the guidance of a professional racer.  Either
  way these opportunities don't come around very often!

  Patrick has been passionate about racing since he was a kid and
  is an up-and-coming Formula racing champ.  In 2006, Patrick won
  the San Francisco SCCA Formula Atlantic Championship and won
  the West Coast Star Mazda Championship.  In 2007, he won the
  Formula Russell Championship, winning 16 races out of 18.  In
  2008, he was the points leader in the Star Mazda West Coast
  Championship. Along the way, he has set many track records!

  There are also plenty of other interesting items up for bid.  Please
  help support a great cause!
 

3-10-09 Rachel Jean the “Racing Machine” weekend event

My name is Rachel Jean and this is an article about my first IFK race.   I just recently bought two new karts, one 2007 and a new 2009 Intrepid Cruiser.  I raced in two classes this weekend, Saturday HVP-4, and Sunday HPV-2.  I have raced NorCal club races before, but not IKF, and on top of that Redding was a new track to me. 

Friday’s morning open practice, I couldn’t attend because of school, but in the afternoon I was able to do two practice sessions before race day. I went out and found out that I was the only girl racing with all boys in both my classes. Girl power baby!

Since I had never been to the track and had only a couple hours to go out and learn the configurations; it was both hard for me and my dad – the team wrench for the weekend. We weren’t sure what gears would be best to run, plus the new mychron4 was not working. Based upon what Rick Scribner said, we had to go old school, listen to the exhaust sound, engine revs, and our speed against the other karts on the track.  I liked the technicality of the track and long straight away, but was struggling through corners one through three, and not gaining enough exit speed for the straight away.  Rick Scribner told me that corner one sets me up for the next two corners as well as the main long straight away. 

One thing that was different from other tracks I had raced at in the past was that your either on the gas or on the peddle the whole time.  It was about finding the momentum and the flow of the track. I had to adapt more to that style, but as Rick Scribner (one of my sponsors -ScribnerMotorsports) came to my rescue again, he watched my driving; he realized that I was trail breaking through the same three corners. I was scrubbing most of my speed and struggling to get the right exit speed for the straight away. What I was doing was not intentional; just something I was used to. All I had to do is know that as I was going into corner two was to tap on the break once, roll my foot onto the throttle and let the kart drift its way around the corner at speed, same goes with corner three. This was allowing the kart to carry momentum around the corner and keep the revs up.

Saturday I woke up so nervous, I wasn’t sure how the day was going to go.  We go to the track to find that it was reasonably cold outside; cold weather is not my cup of tea, that’s for sure. We unloaded the karts from the trailer, went through tech by Eight o’clock, then to the drivers meeting just like any other club race I had been to in the past. Come to think of it, the morning went by pretty leisurely. Then first practice came alone, and in the past I have been known for starting out slow. But today was a new race, a new day and a new start. I warmed my tires and away I went, let my mind go free, with the use of Rick Scribner’s advice from the night before. I had a good practice, except for wrong gearing, and we were still not able to see what rpm’s I was running. We got another practice. Still I wasn’t feeling comfortable with the gearing.  For qualifying we put on new tires, and did better but I was off the kid in front of me by one second and the top kid by almost three seconds.

I wasn’t as nervous anymore, a bit frustrated but we were working to solve the problem. IKF feels just like a club race, I didn’t feel anymore pressured. Time for the main and we were on the grid wait. We did the parade lap and was coming on to the straight, my motor didn’t have much get up and go speed. So by corner one everyone else had got a pull on me. I drove hard to catch up, but there was something wrong with the motor, it wouldn’t pull down the straight. I finished the ten lap race. We realized we still hadn’t got the right gear. We thought that if we put a higher gear it would help me catch up through the corners I was struggling with.

The main came, and on the parade lap I could feel this is my chance to get someone. Starts are my absolute favorite; the adrenaline rush of going slow then racing to the first corner gets me pumped up. The green flag goes and I’m on the outside, I slide to the inside, see an open gap, I go for it, pass one guy from the outside (one down four to go). But at the apex of the corner the leading guy spins out, I try to go by but smack right into him.  It all happened to fast, all I know is I hit him hard, and my kart just smacked back down, hurting my wrist and whole body. I go another lap around but something doesn’t feel right. I turning into corner three, and the kart didn’t turn with the wheel, I went off the track into the grass; didn’t even get to finish the race. When coming into the pits I was a little upset but knew I still had Sunday to race.

Sunday morning was the time change but my clock didn’t - so I didn’t have to worry about loosing any sleep.  It was just me and my dad now because the Leading Edge Team had left Saturday night.  We had bent my frame on my brand new non raced 09 Intrepid Cruiser, but couldn’t figure out where, so luckily we had the 2007 practice chassis. This race day went by much faster than Saturday. It was around noon and time for the heat race. I had qualified last and had figured out that I need to step up my game to try and keep up with the boys.

The start was going good and I had definitely had the motor power to keep up with them unlike Saturday. At the start I took someone on corner one but then took me back on the straight. I finished last. I came into the pits to realize that the lower needle on the engine was closed. So the motor wasn’t getting all the gas that it should have been getting. We twist tied it and was ready for the main.  Again I had a smoking start and drove hard through out the whole race. I came into the pits after the twenty laps and was pretty upset. My dad greeted me with a hug. By the time I had got to my pit area I had tears in my eyes. I struggled with gear and motor problems and driving all weekend. So it had all just got to me by this time.

            Andrew (my dad) sat down with me and talked through it with me. He said it was just my emotions getting to me and that I did very well, it’s only my first IKF event and I did what I could do to the best of my ability. I understand that, I thought about it and calmed down, I have only been racing since July of last year and I’m already doing IKF, and the boys I raced today have been driving a lot longer than me. I just need more seat time, and track practice. Overall this was a great learning experience for me, I was able to see what it was like and work hard to keep up with the “big boy’s”, although some are pretty short. I had increased my lap times by three seconds from Friday to Sunday.  This weekend had some rough spots but the team was able to work through them.

We have the team spirit, the gear and the will to go much faster. So look out up front for “Rachel Jean” the new IKF racing machine.

 I would also like to thank my sponsors, ScribnerMotorSports, Leading Edge, Running Dawg, The Stephens, Design by WMR, Roseville Auto Plaza, Becki Brunelli, Kennec Inc, and my suppliers, Zamp, Intrepid Karts, and HighRev Motors. A special kiss goes out to Scotty of MMI – I see more apple pie in your future (OK you too Dougy).

“We’re in it – to win it”

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

Sophomore season on the horizon for Northern California program

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