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Archives March 2011

3-29-11 Cambrian Go Karts Bronson Eggert and Tj Fisher Front Row at ProKart
Photos By Race Media Group

It was another wet weekend for the second round of the SKUSA! pro kart north schedule and this stop was at Prairie City. Fresh off the teams four big wins from the previous weekend confidence was high and the teams unity showed. " Its good the have confidence, and its good to use the momentum from a previous good weekend, but the reality is that at the shop somewhere around Tuesday afternoon we forget about the great weekend we just had and start focusing on what's coming next. It's all too easy to let that invincible feeling get the best of you and before you know it your slipping. " Said Donald Durbin jr.

Cambrians Team for the weekend consisted of a very talented group with Garret Dixon, Carter Herrera, Danny Rubino and Scott Huffaker in the stacked mini rok class, TJ Fisher and Bronson Eggert in the Tag Sr. class, Jamie Wilson heading up the S2 class and Derrick Delong in the Tag Masters.

The Day started off very well, Bronson Eggert Qualified his Birel Ry30 on the pole and his teammate Tj Fisher off pole right next to him. " this was a very proud moment for me, mostly because it was a conversation that Steve ( tj's father ) and I had before the season began and while both boys have had plenty of success this year they have been on different weekends, so for both drivers to be in the front was very special." Donald commented.

the First heat was exciting, Bronson lead the field to the green flag and stood on the gas pedal and left the field behind and cruised to a win. Meanwhile Tj Fisher got turned around in turn 5 and lost his second place position and immediately found himself in 7th. This is where confidence can be your an asset....the young pilot collected himself, shook it off and used his new found rain experience to work himself past everyone but his team mate finishing second.

The Second heat saw Eggert and Fisher leading the field to the green when suddenly Bronson Eggert's engine started shorting out, forcing him to pull off to the grass, " this was heartbreaking for me to watch, " explains Donald . " the poor guy is leading the race, the last this we need or want is a part failure, and it turned out to be a problem with the spark plug we had just replaced. " this allowed Tj to consistently put distance between him and the field winning the second heat.

The Main was not much different, TJ Took the green and never made a wrong turn, he put seconds in between him and the stacked field of talented drivers and took his Cambrian Go Karts prepared RK ( birel ) leopard powered kart to his first Pro Kart Victory and did it in style. " Thank you so much to Cambrian Go Karts! " Said the ecstatic TJ. " They pulled out my old Leopard and completely went through it and this thing is amazing! I cant say enough about them, thanks for the perfect weekend guys. "

The Mini Rok class was just as exciting as we saw our very own Scott Huffaker qualify in the rain on the front row with his team mates Rubino, Dixon and Herrera in tow ready for battle. Scott got out to an early lead as Danny Rubino carved his way from last to inside the top 5 carefully positioning himself for the main event.

the Second heat showed Scott get hit from behind and loose his second place position but Carter Herrera and Danny Rubino moved up through the field once again.

In the Main event Danny Rubino Jumped into second place and put a big gap between him and the rest of the field bringing home another solid finish for Cambrian Go Karts, Scott Huffaker carved his way through the class and finished with an impressive fifth place finish as he powered past Davey Manti for the last spot on the podium. " I'm very proud once again with these young drivers, they are patient and trusting. Danny was so frustrated after qualifying when it didn't go very well and he found himself in the back, and he should be frustrated...he is a great driver but his consistent effort throughout the day and never give up attitude helped him finish second and looks like he is now the points leader in the class. Great driving Danny, we are all very proud of you.

Look for Cambrian Go Karts Sat and Sunday at Kinsmen Kart Club for the Xover this weekend.

3-29-11 Fischer Earns First Prokart Challenge North Victory at Prairie City
Photos By Race Media Group


TaG Senior driver bags first main event triumph while Woolf takes second straight S2 feature win

Nearly every category at the second round of the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge North program - contested at the All Star Karting facility in Prairie City, CA - saw a new winner. The competitors in the seven divisions battled wet conditions throughout the race day, providing an added challenge to the technical 3/4-mile ‘Grand Prix’ circuit – with all drivers in attendance earning a 100-point ‘rain’ bonus toward the season ending championship. Leading the way for those first-time winners on March 26 was TaG Senior driver TJ Fischer, who earned his first series victory. The lone exception was S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto driver Jared Woolf, earning his second straight feature win in the category.

Bronson Eggert led the way during the Peterson Wealth Management-sponsored TaG Senior qualifying session, posting a 50.207-lap to earn the pole position for heat one. Fischer was just a bit off, as both posted faster times than round one winner Austin Elliott. Eggert led all 12 laps of heat one, while Fischer fell to fourth early but regained the spots he lost to Elliott and Jess Peterson. Fischer inherited the top spot when both Eggert and Peterson were unable to start the second heat with mechanical issues, running to the win with Elliott in tow. Fischer continued on through the main event, going wire to wire from the pole position to outrun Elliott for his first series victory. Shelby Sander completed her series debut with a third place finish and the second straight event with a female driver on the podium for the class.

2010 S5 Junior Stock Moto SKUSA Pro Tour champion Daniel Langon was the driver to beat following qualifying in the Sunshine Daydream-sponsored S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto category, putting down a hot lap of 49.918. A poor start to begin heat one put him behind early, but not for long as he recovered back to the top spot by lap three, going on to take the win. Langon put down a better opening lap for heat two and led the way – until a charging Woolf began to pressure. After retiring on the opening lap of heat one, Woolf drove up from the tail of the grid to Langon’s bumper, taking over the lead as they took the white flag. Woolf scored the win with Langon in second. At the start of the feature, Langon fell behind once again with two competitors from other categories sliding in between him and Woolf. That was until lap six when Woolf went off course and lost positions, including the lead to Langon. On lap 10, Langon returned the favor as he too went off course. Woolf retook the lead, with Jamie Wilson holding second over Langon. In the end, Woolf took the victory over Langon with Wilson retiring on lap 17, giving Chris Ouimet the third step of the podium.

Jarred Campbell marked his PKC North 2011 debut with a victory in the Bordogna Racing-sponsored TaG Junior division. Campbell was quickest in qualifying (51.031) of the 12 drivers, clearing the field by six-tenths. The start of heat one did not go his way as he spun in the opening lap to record a DNF. Reigning SKUSA Pro Tour champion Luis Tyrrell went on to take the win over “Nitro Nick” Sommers. At the start of heat two, Sommers got the jump on Tyrrell to go wire-to-wire for the win – with Tyrrell finishing second over point leader Blaine Rocha. Sommers held on to the top spot through the opening laps of the feature, but quickly became under fire by Campbell. Starting eighth, Campbell was into the top-three by lap two and began running down Sommers. The two put on a great show for the remainder of the 20-lap main event, with Campbell escaping to a one-second victory over Sommers. Jack Freese completed the podium over Tyrrell and round one winner Austin Dement to mix up the championship chase heading into round three.

Reigning SKUSA Pro Tour champion Ethan Wilson returned to his winning ways at Prairie City, sweeping the day in the Cambrian Go-Karts-sponsored TaG Master division. Wilson posted a 51.349-lap in qualifying to earn the pole position. From there, Wilson went on to lead all 12 laps of heat one and heat two, in addition to the green-to-checkered victory in the main event. Round one winner Glenn McKinnon finished second with PKC newcomer Corey Mitchell placing third.

The Cambrian Go-Karts-sponsored TaG Cadet class was hotly contested from the opening practice to the final lap of the feature. Scott Huffaker was the quickest in qualifying (54.348), with Hunter Kelly and Hunter Corbitt within six-hundredths of his time. The start to heat one shuffled up the field, with Huffaker and round one sweeper Davey Manthei Jr. able to break away. Huffaker led until the final lap when Manthei took the spot and the win. Manthei went flag-to-flag in heat two all alone after Huffaker was shuffled back early on, leaving Kelly in the second spot. Kelly grabbed the lead as the green flag waved to start the feature, while Manthei dropped down the order after some early race shuffling. Kelly would go unchallenged to score his first series victory, with Danny Rubino and Corbitt completing the podium. Huffaker and Manthei would finish fifth and sixth, respectively, behind Cole Davis.

Chris Yettito completed an event sweep in the S3 Novice Stock Moto category, outrunning round one winner Ryan Rasberry, which is setting up to be a season long battle for the series championship. Jim Kidd took home his first victory in the Fastech Racing-sponsored S4 Master Stock Moto division. Nick Galante was quickest in qualifying and the opening heat, but Kidd took home the win in heat two. Galante led the first half of the feature, before Kidd took over the spot and was able to hold him off to the checkered.

The SKUSA ProKart Challenge North program will take the month of April off to allow racers a full month to prepare for the upcoming SKUSA Pro Tour SpringNationals at Musselman Honda Circuit (formerly P1 Kart Circuit) in Tucson, AZ on April 29-May 1. The series will return on May 27-28 for round three – traveling for the first time in its history outside the state of California – to the Desert Park Raceway in Reno, Nevada. The SKUSA crew will be back trackside prior to the SKUSA Pro Tour 2011 opener for round three of the PKC South program on April 8-9 at the Buttonwillow Raceway Park kart track in Buttonwillow. This will be a good time to get in one last SKUSA race prior to the Pro Tour SpringNationals.

 

3-25-11 Monterey Bay Karters March 2011 Newsletter



•Effective April 1, 2011, all Club races will be run “Rain or Shine”. We are doing this at the request of the majority of racers who would like to run rain or shine and add consistency to our program by being able to count on running all scheduled days.

•Any brand of rain tire will initially be accepted, new or used
 
•Once a race has been officially declared a “Rain” race, all participating “current” club members will receive 100 bonus points towards their season total.

•If your 2011 Club membership is not paid, you must pay non-member pricing. Sorry, no exceptions.

•We will be overlapping SKUSA / IKF rules in the Tag SR class in order to hopefully boost participation. Club members running for points must adhere to IKF rules, all others may run under SKUSA rules. You will run together but will be scored separately.

•Wristband pricing has been updated as follows:
Kids 4 and under – Free
Kids 5 thru 12 - $6 (1) Day / $10 (2) Day
Adults $10 (1) Day / $15 (2) Day

** This puts us in line with all NorCal tracks**

*** Wristbands are mandatory at all times. We unfortunately have to step up enforcement on this. Too many people are ignoring this. If you are found in the Pit area without a wristband, you will be asked to leave the Pit area until your wristband is on / purchased. I hope all of you understand the Track’s position on this. If you don’t have a wristband on, you are not insured (liability) and are not permitted to be in the Pit area. Thank you in advance for your understanding on this.

•We are currently working with Boy Scouts Troop #134 from Marina to hopefully take over full time concessions for all race and practice days. We hope to have them onsite each day from 8am till 3pm. We will update as we know more.

•I want to thank everybody that made it out to the Practice Day / Swap Meet. Turnout was great, hopefully a sign of events to come.

Alan Freese -
MBK President
 

3-25-11 TAG Racing International Announces Posting of 2011 Technical Rules


TAG Racing International today announced the posting of the 2011 technical rules to the www.tagracing.net website and the updated list of participating 2011 TAG Regional series track programs.

We are proud to welcome “Mid state Kart Club” “Indy Karting Series” “I-5 Corridor Series” and The “Oregon State Karting Championship Series” as Regional series.

In addition we would like acknowledge and provide web links to the series listed below as returning series with additional series yet to be announced before the season begins.

Badger Kart Club www.badgerkartclub.com
Great Lakes Pro Series www.glproseries.com
Heartland Sprint Series www.bpmotorsportsgroup.com
Indy Karting Series www.indykartingseries.com
I-5 Corridor series www.I5Corridorseries.com
Kart Racers of America www.newcastleraceway.com
Mid state Kart Club www.midstateskartclub.com
Midwest sprint Series www.midwestsprint.com
Oregon State Karting Championship www.patscres.com
Pikes Peak Kart Racing Series www.ppkrc.com
Rock Island Grand Prix www.rockislandgrandprix.com
Skusa Central States Challenge www.centralstateschallenge.com
Championship Enduro Series www.championshipenduro.com
IMI Motorsports Complex www.imimotorsports.com

Dave Larson, President of the sanctioning body said:
"We are proud to have the addition of new regional series and welcome back the returning series”

The 7th TAG World Championships at New Castle Motorsports Park in Indianapolis August 19, 20 and 21st, 2011 will be open to all TAG Racing International and TAG USA members. Karters wishing to join TAG Racing International / TAG USA may go to www.tagracing.net to register online. The Top Ten TAG Members of a qualifying series will receive a reduced entry fee for the TAG Worlds. Racers should keep watching the TAG website as it will provide updated information as the race date moves closer




 

3-24-11 Kartel Race WKA Outlaw Race Report

This past weekend Kartel Made the trek out to Prairie City Kart track for the Second round of the WKA Outlaw Series. The Weather was reporting 70MPH winds combined with the heavy down pour, so the team prepared karts for rain during Saturday morning practice. With many drivers under the kartel banner racing in the rain this weekend for the first time, this was sure to be a wet and wild event for all.

Davey Manthei from Washington, led the team in the Cadet Classifications Qualifying his Wild Kart/Magnum Comer in first position. Starting on the front row, Davey used his wet weather skills pulling a comfortable lead to win the heat race. The start of the Final was a bit more challenging for the northwestern native, as the second place kart was putting pressure on the youngster right away. As the race progressed the second place kart made some attempts, but was ultimately unable to power by. Davey led from start to finish in one exciting race. First time Cadet rain racer and Kartel Teammate Jack von Quillich drove to an outstanding third place finish. Posting very quick practice times on Saturday, Jack used the data gathered and drove a smart race to gather valuable Championship points.

Zach MacLean is building his resume as a Super Sportsman Senior driver to watch. Zach was leading the pace with consistent fast times, and slowly pulled away to a straight away victory. MacLean drove a great race and is now leading the points.

With everyone knowing how competitive kart racing is at all levels and at all ages, the ultra competitive Masters division is non the less. This class is perfect for the weekend warrior or newer drivers looking to have fun. Corey Mitchel showed how much fun this Masters class really is. The kartel driver was unable to attend Saturday testing and has never driven on Bridgestone Rain Tires so Sunday had a steep learning curve. Corey drove a flawless Qualifying session to put his Magnum Rotax/Wild Kart on Pole. Starting on the front row for the final Cory did a great job of adapting to the conditions and earned himself his first WKA Outlaw win!!

Kartel/Magnum had three Drivers in the KPV-1 category. Jason Pettit Kicked off Qualifying by laying down a fast lap to secure the pole position. Roy Fulmer Jr. qualified off pole. Great effort for the team! Davey Manthei worked his way through a talented group of kids to take the win in the heat race and secured a front row starting position for the final. Kartel/Magnum took the podium in the final with Manthei, Pettit and Fulmer representing the team well.

Kartel had a stellar driver line up in the KPV-2 class. Leading Qualifying was Austin Elliot. Blaine Rocha qualified Fifth for his first Rain race ever, following Blaine was Branden Tomko, Sonny Cervelli, and Taylor Jacobs. This was the first rain race for a lot of the KPV field and final race had a first turn incident which took out some of the team. Sonny and Austin avoided the wreck and Austin put his head down and checked out. Sonny had his hands full the entire 15 laps with a 5 kart battle, once he won that fight, running comparable times to the leader, Cervelli ran out of laps and settled for third. This was Cervellis' first race on his Top Kart and showed he will be a contender at the remaining races.

Next up for Kartel is the SKUSA Pro Kart North at Prairie City this coming weekend. For any information on Wild Kart, Top Kart or Magnum Racing Engines contact Erik at 916-383-5278 or erik@kartelmotorsports.com


 

3-24-11 An Impressive 2011 Season for TJ Fischer With a Stunning Weekend at Gatorz Challenge of The America’s
Story By RMG Race Media Group
Photo By Sean Burr

TJ Fischer made some big changes in the offseason to prepare for his 2011 season in Karting. With the move from Wild Kart to the winning RK Chassis by Birel, and flying under the Cambrian Go-Karts banner; Fischer’s early 2011 season has proven successful. The 17 year old Fischer's busy early season schedule culminated in a surprise victory at the Gatorz Challenge of The America’s Race located at the Jim Russell International Karting Center Sonoma, California. The Jim Russell International Karting Center is one of the country’s leading karting facilities. The Track layout offers a mix of 16 high, mid and low speed corners, sloping tic tac toe linked by 2 straightaway’s, challenging karters to the toughest track and longest track of .76 miles in Northern California.

Under the guidance of Donald Durbin Jr, TJ Fischer has been making great progress in the Gatorz Series leading into the Infineon Championship Race this past weekend. Finishing in the 7th position out of a stellar 40 kart field full of multi champions at the last Gatorz race in Fontana, was proof TJ was getting more comfortable with the new Rotax package, the newly developed RK chassis, the Cambrian Go-Kart team, and was steadily acclimating to the demands of a driver in the most competitive Rotax class and TaG program.

Making his way to the Jim Russell International Karting Center TJ Fischer knew he was going to be competing with the best of the best in the Sr. Rotax class. 35 competitors came from all over International map targeting North, Central and South America as well as Australia. While Fischer was one of only several drivers with spectacularly quick times in dry conditions on Thursday’s practice, the team knew the rain was coming. So Thursday’s practice turned into getting familiar with the track. As expected, Friday’s soggy practices led Cambrian to tune Fischer's RK Machine for very wet conditions. By the end of the day on Friday, the team felt the changes made to the kart for Saturday’s Race Day were in the right direction for the weekend weather conditions.  Fischer ended Friday Practice standing at a frustrating 23rd quickest, but he also knew the team was more interested in gathering valuable data to package a well-tuned rain set-up for Saturday's race.

In Saturday qualifying Fischer began to improve dramatically as expected, landing the 15th position with a 103.510 fast time. Starting inside 8th row for the prefinal, TJ knew Cambrian had put together a fast package, that was getting faster every time it went on the track.  To have success in the final, TJ knew he had to finish in the Top 10 in the pre-final.  Unfortunately, with such a large field, the expected large incident happened in turn one shuffling TJ back to the 25th position. This didn’t discourage Fischer as he went to work quickly passing half a dozen karts on lap one. With the conditions deteriorating, and any missed braking points or misplaced wheels resulting in a spin, enormous pressure was felt by the drivers to execute mistake free while working through the field. Not to be deterred, by lap two Fischer was already in the 14th position and eager to keep picking off more positions. For the next 2 laps Fischer gained another 2 more positions each lap putting him in the 10th position.  Fischer maintained a steady 10th place finish which put him outside on the 5th row for the final.

The most spectacular final battle to ever go down in Gatorz Sr Rotax history was about to happen and TJ Fischer was starting 10th out of 35 karts. On the start of the final Fischer gained an impressive 5 positions in turn one moving him to the 5th position. The next 19 laps were entertaining and nail biting, keeping everyone on their toes fearing what would happen next. The racing dynamic was further enhanced because the top 5 drivers brought an international flair bringing success from Australia, Canada, Mexico and USA (Fischer). Fischer battling for the fifth spot with another driver caused him to fall back to 6th by lap three. Lap four Fischer found himself in the 4th position knocking on the back of the driver in 3rd. Fischer found himself making multiple passes and position changes on almost every corner on every lap putting TJ as low as 5th position and a high of 3rd. As the race wound down, TJ moved up to 4th position with an incredible pass on the outside going into turn one, darting past the the Australian driver who was maintaining a protective inside line.  Several laps later second and third place tangled in turn one, opening the door for TJ to slip past both.  It almost worked.  But as TJ was beginning to move past the opportunity disappeared, and Fischer found himself in a drag race with the former second place leading into the flooded tic tac toe. TJ won this critical dual and eased into P2, leaving him 2 laps to catch the leader before the checkered flag dropped. The crazy last lap began with Fischer gaining on the Leader, and 3rd place gaining on Fischer.  It all changed when the leader placed a tire wrong, spinning off the track and handing the race lead over to Fischer. TJ roared to the race win, with 2nd place in hot pursuit, with a margin of just .3 seconds separating them.   The Cambrian team roared with approval as the Gatorz series entered one more new race winner to the record books.

Day 2 of the Gatorz Challenge of The America’s Finale was the complete opposite for Fischer. Morning warmup showed TJ 5th fastest, even though he ran only 1 lap, and everyone knew in the pits that he was the driver to beat. Fischer Qualified 3rd fastest, barely missing pole by an impressive .138 seconds. In the Prefinal Fischer ran a steady 4th place finish leading him to start on the outside second row for the Final. In the Final on lap 10, TJ made the pass for third and cruised to an easy 3rd place finish. Thus, putting TJ on the podium for 2 consecutive days and the only American placed on the podium for the Sr Rotax class for both days.

TJ's next event is the SKUSA North Series at Prairie City, followed by the Norcal Rotax Max Challenge held at the Jim Russell International Karting Center April 10th, finally ending April at the Skusa Pro Tour Spring Nationals at Musselman Honda Circuit Tucson, Arizona.  TJ Fischer would like to thank his current Sponsors & Partners: Cambrian Go-Karts, Rathbun Associates, Gregg Drilling, Spy Optics, Axcel Fast Graphics, and RMG Race Media Group for all of their continued support. More information about TJ Fischer can be found at his website www.TJFischerRacing.com

 

3-23-11 Cambrian Go Karts Wins Big in Challenge of the Americas Race

They call it the Challenge of the Americas because that is exactly what is going on at every event, the best from the U.S. Canada, Mexico, South America and Australia all get on a plane or in their rigs and meat for a hair raising 3 day event. All Rotax power plants Every chassis mfg. you can think of, all doing everything in their power to win because when the dust settles the series winner gets the right to represent their country in the Rotax World Finals and its all paid for.

Cambrian Go Karts arrived at the track with a good feeling about their preparation and their drivers ability to get the job done. With great representation in every class the team lined up very talented drivers to go to battle. Young Cody Dempster in the Micro Max class, Michael Michoff, Scott Huffaker and Wilson Skjerven in the Mini Max Class, Jason Dempster on a Jr. Rotax, TJ Fischer in the 40 car field of Rotax international and Donald Durbin Jr. in Rotax Masters.

Thursday was sunny and warm and it brought all the competitors out to play and when the day ended the the whole group was quick as we have come to expect but what was a surprise was Team leader Donald Durbin Jr. " I really pushed to do this event and a lot of people worked hard to make it happen for me, but honestly I didn't know how it would all turn out, I haven't competed in two years and the closer we got to the track the more I worked myself up......so to end the first day 5 tenths of a second faster than the field allowed me to calm my nerves and enjoy myself. "

But the rain came and never let up. Starting Friday morning the track was wet and never again dried, so all that was gained on Thursday was lost but the upbeat group held their heads high and started over again. " the worst thing about the rain for us is when it starts and stops. " " there is so much to do to the kart to really get it ready for a race in the rain that simply putting tires on if it dries out is not really an option, so the fact that it was always wet was honestly fine with us."

The Races came on Saturday and brought a lot of satisfaction to the San Jose based team, starting in the morning Cody Dempster from Colorado Stomped the micro max field with his Cambrian Go karts prepared Birel C28 and sealed his place 1st place position in the championship.

Scott Huffaker drove his heart out and calmly passed everything in his sight until he was out of opponents finding himself leading the biggest race of his young karting career, he crossed the finish line in the lead and won the race. " this was a big win for us " said Donald Durbin, " the mini max class is packed with talent from the front to the back and to walk away with the gold makes me so proud of the drivers we are grooming, Scott never cracked under pressure and never once put a wheel wrong, I am so proud of him. "

Just when we thought we had all the excitement we can handle for one day the highly anticipated Rotax international class was up and Cambrian Go Karts player in the field was TJ Fisher. " The class is cut throat, 1 tenth can equate to 10 sometimes more positions in qualifying and while TJ has been doing very well all year, qualifying is a tough act to master, and in the dry we knew what we had......I was curious to see what we had in the rain. " What they found they had was a very smart racer who was able to compete at the highest level and not slip up and end his day early. " TJ is a machine, as he passed Australia's own David Sera on the outside of the straight away and never looked back. Putting distance between him and the 38 other karts on the track he finished the 20 lap race in 1st place and earned the respect of his peers, it was a very popular win.

Cambrian Go Karts Pit boss showed to to qualify his # 79 Birel Ry30 and quickly realized the radiator was leaking water, fast. With very strict rules in the series nothing is allowed to be done to the engine once in the hot pit so qualifying was not an option. " I got out of the kart and saw the look in my dads eyes and new he was feeling like he let me down, and true in my hay day I would have reacted not exactly professionally, but this really isn't about me anymore and I have a lot of impressionable eyeballs on me. " So instead Donald removed his helmet, looked at his dad and said " just going to be that much more interesting isn't it. " In the first heat Donald started last on the grid of 16 karts and on lap 5 he was in the lead and it stayed that way all through out the day. " I think its important to be able to practice what you preach, and while winning is important it isn't everything, I really press hard on these young drivers about passing, to me it is more important. The fastest driver in the world can win from the pole week in and week out but what he does when you start him in 12th is when people start to pay attention to what he or she can do? "

If there is anything we can help you with Cambrian Go Karts is in the shop, on the web and at your track and more that happy to do anything to improve your day. 408-377-5278 www.cambriangokarts.com look for us every week to give you a report of our drivers at your tracks.

 

3-22-11 Gatorz Challenge of the Americas - Sonoma Report

It just wouldn’t be the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas without a little bit of rain to make the Canadians feel more welcome. However, there aren’t many people that would describe the rain that befell the final weekend of the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California over the weekend as a ‘little bit of rain’.

However, even with a lake in the ‘Tic Tac Toe’ section of the National configuration of the kart track at Infineon Raceway forming, nothing was going to stop the one hundred drivers of the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas from battling for their trips to the Rotax Grand Nationals and Rotax Grand Finals. The event, while soggy, would provide an exciting conclusion for all classes in what has been the most successful season yet of the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas.

Saturday
Rolison Performance Group DD2 / Arrow Karts DD2
Nicholas Latifi looked set to clinch his DD2 class championship after four straight wins, even though Derek Wang put a chink in his armor by taking pole position in qualifying. Latifi took the pre-main, and led the field at the start of the main. He began to put distance on Wang in second place, and his fifth win of the season seemed to be a few easy laps away – until he suffered gearbox failure on the thirteenth lap of the race, sidelining his kart. Wang then took the point and ran alone to the checkered, recording his first win of the season. Second overall was the winner of DD2 Masters, Andre Ericksen, with Matt Ostiguy third overall.

One Racegear Rotax Masters
The main focus in the Rotax Masters race was the close championship battle between Bill Kann and Scott Falcone, as the two entered the Sonoma weekend separated by a scant few points. However, it was local driver Donald Durbin, Jr. and Arie Luyendyk who would act as spoilers as they mixed it up with Kann and Falcone throughout the day.

Durbin lined up for the Final first with Kann in second, but it was Falcone who got the drop on the field at the start. From the moment he took the lead, he was untouchable, and pulled away from the field in the heavy downpour. Durbin, Jr. gave chase while Kann and Luyendyk battled for the final podium spot throughout the race.

But Falcone’s pace was relentless – he lapped up to fifth place in the field – and he handily took the victory with Durbin, Jr. in second. Kann eventually passed Luyendyk for good to finish third, which meant the Masters class championship wouldn’t be settled until Sunday’s race was run.

Tony Kart West Rotax Senior
It was another monster field for Rotax Senior as thirty-five karts answered the bell in Sonoma. Leading the charge into the first turn was Bryce Choquer, with Tyler Wheeler off-pole and Chris Glover in third. However, it was fourth-starting Kiel Spaulding who was on the move at the start of the race as he jumped up to second on the opening lap and took the lead on the third lap. From that point he simply took off as a huge battle raged behind between Choquer, David Sera, T.J. Fischer, Tyler Wheeler, and Daniel Burkett. Points leader Felipe Fraga had a difficult day, suffering a DNF in the pre-main and unable to move up any higher in the main than 17th.

The battle went on throughout the race but Spaulding was in total control – until the last lap, when he spun off course. Fischer, running second at the time, inherited the lead and took the surprise victory, with Wheeler right behind him in second and Jorge Cevallos in third.

Overdrive Karting Junior Rotax
Artie Carpenter and Brody Zink led the field down the front straight at the start, but it was Skylar Dunning who took the lead from Carpenter after the first lap and put on a driving clinic for the rest of the field. While he set sail – almost literally in the rain - the battle for the rest of the podium was heating up as Dakota Dickerson and points leader Parker Thompson were moving forward through the field.

Dunning simply put on a driving clinic while Dickerson was able to move past Marco Eakins for second in the final stages. When the checkered fell, Dunning had a comfortable gap and took the win with Dickerson in second and Eakins in third. Thompson would finish fourth, his first non-podium in the season, but his result was good enough to secure him the Junior Rotax championship and a trip to the Rotax Grand Finals.

Holeshot Race Products Mini Max
Sting Ray Robb and Scott Huffaker led a large Mini Max field into the first turn at the start of the main, while points leader Scott Wick and his closes pursuer, Royal McKee were stuck in the middle of the pack.

From the start, Robb was untouchable, and he began to pull away from the rest of the field. Robb dominated the fourteen lap race until the tenth lap, when he was black-flagged after his rear bumper came detached from his kart. The attention then focused on the new leader, Huffaker, who had Kami Moreira-Laliberte giving chase. However, a mistake never came, and Huffaker took the win with Moreira-Laliberte in second and Garrett Gulenchyn in third.

In the championship battle, McKee took a chunk out of Wick’s lead as his eighth place was ahead of Wick’s thirteenth.

Apollo Motorsports Micro Max
Cody Dempster led the field at the start and quickly began to pull away from the field. As he did, all eyes were on Hannah Greenmeier, who worked her way past Conner Wick and Griffin Dowler. Although she came close, she ran out of time to challenge for the lead, and Dempster took the win with Greemeier in second and Wick in third.

Sunday
Rolison Performance Group DD2 / Arrow Karts DD2
After his troubles on Saturday, Latifi looked to finish the season with his fifth win to seal his championship and his trip to the Rotax Grand Finals. Leading the field at the start, Latifi made a mistake in the ‘Tic Tac Toe’ complex on the opening lap, spinning off track and giving the lead to Wang.

Thanks to that mistake, Wang led the field from start to finish, taking his second win of the weekend. Latifi recovered and would finish second, but that was more than good enough to secure his DD-2 class championship. Ericksen again won DD-2 Masters, and January Grove would take that class championship after six races.

One Racegear Rotax Masters
Durbin, Jr. led John Crow and championship contender Bill Kann to the green flag in the main while the other championship contender, Scott Falcone, was mired down in eleventh. Crow hit trouble early, slowing over the first lap and retiring quickly after that, and Durbin, Jr. was suddenly without a challenger at the front of the field. Falcone was able to make a great start, jumping up to third after two laps while Kann fell down to sixth.

The difficult conditions probably contributed to Falcone going off track on the fourth lap, falling down the order. Things got worse for Falcone, however, as he went off course again when his tire rod became disconnected from the spindle of his kart. In full championship mode, however, Falcone fixed his kart on the side of the track and jumped back into the race, despite having lost a lap.

While all this was going on, however, Durbin, Jr. cruised home to take the win with Arie Luyendyk finishing second and Brian Robson taking his first podium of the season in third. Kann would finish the race in eighth, but Falcone’s points for ninth narrowly earned him the Rotax Masters class championship.

Tony Kart West Rotax Senior
The final Rotax Senior race of the season was action packed from the beginning as Tyler Wheeler led David Sera, Stepanova Nekeel, and thirty-two other karts to the start. Championship leader Felipe Fraga started in eighth place, behind his closest pursuer – Nekeel – but still within striking distance of his championship.

Wheeler led the first several laps but had Sera putting some serious pressure on him for the lead, which he finally took on the sixth lap. Once clear of the field, Sera was untouchable and he pulled away from Wheeler. T.J. Fischer and Chris Glover both passed Nekeel for third and forth, moving him to fifth, while Fraga was right behind in sixth but did not know that he was to be given a two position penalty for rough driving.

In the end, however, it would make little difference as Sera handily took the race win with Wheeler in second and Fischer in third. With Nekeel finishing fifth and Fraga reclassified in eighth, it was still enough for the Brazilian to take the Rotax Senior class championship and a trip to the Rotax Grand Finals.

Overdrive Karting Junior Rotax
Champion-elect Parker Thompson and Brody Zink led the field to the start of the Junior Rotax final, which lost fifth-starting Matthew Moniz even before the green flag flew. Zink drove around Thompson at the start and nobody would see him again as he clearly had the wet conditions figured out better than anyone else. Thompson stayed close but appeared to not want to push the issue too much, with his championship locked up, but he still had the pace to stay clear of the rest of the field.

After the opening lap excitement, the race would be fairly uneventful as Zink pulled away throughout the race to eventually take the win by nearly four seconds. Thompson would cap his championship with a run to second place, while Jake Craig ran alone to finish in third place.

Holeshot Race Products Mini Max
With the rain falling much harder for the start of the Mini Max race, Royal McKee led Michael Avansino, Kyle Wick, and Giafranco Mazzaferro into the first corner. Wick jumped up to second at the start to challenge McKee with Avansino in third, but the three would run in that order throughout the entire race. Unable to pass McKee, Wick and Avansino waited for a mistake that never came, while behind them, Kami Moreira-Laliberte and Mazzaferro, battled for fourth.

After fourteen laps, McKee took the checkered flag with Wick right behind in second and Avansino in third.McKee’s win in the premain as well as the main would complete his come from behind run to win the Mini Max class championship and a trip to the Rotax Grand Nationals.

Apollo Motorsports Micro Max
The final race of the season saw Griffin Dowler jump out to the lead ahead of Cody Dempster, Hannah Greenmeier and Conner Wick. Dempster took the lead on the second lap but went off the track two laps later, allowing Greenmeier into the lead with Wick right behind in second. The two battled for several laps but Greenmeier was able to pull away to a substantial lead.

Behind, Dowler went off course a few times and Dempster was charging hard. With only two laps remaining, he passed Wick for second place. He would run out of time to make a run at the lead, and with the crowd cheering, Greemeier took the win with almost ten seconds in hand over Dempster. However, Dempster was placed behind Wick in the final standings, so Wick was awarded second with Dempster third.

The result, however, was good enough for Dempster to earn the Micro Max class championship.

The 2011 Gatorz Challenge of the Americas Champions
Tony Kart West Rotax Senior – Felipe Fraga
Overdrive Karting Junior Rotax – Parker Thompson
Rolison Performance Group DD2 – Nicholas Latifi
Arrow Karts DD2 Masters – January Grove
One Racegear Rotax Masters – Scott Falcone
Holeshot Race Products Mini Max – Royal McKee
Apollo Motorsports Micro Max – Cody Dempster
 

3-22-11 Brody Zink Scores Victory at Gatorz Challenge of the Americas Finale

The final two rounds of the 2011 Gatorz Challenge of the Americas were held this last weekend at the Jim Russell International Karting Center, Sonoma, California.

Like last month at Calspeed, the Challenge drivers had to contend with very wet weather conditions throughout the weekend.

Having missed out on Thursday and Friday’s practice sessions due to being at school, Brody hit the track for the first time Saturday morning for qualifying where he quickly laid down fast laps in the wet session, securing 4th position on the starting grid.

For the heat race, Brody would start behind Artie Carpenter. Following Carpenter through turn one at the start, Brody paced Artie for the remainder of the race as both drivers pulled away from the field.

Carpenter won the heat race with Brody finishing second, ahead of 3rd  placed Skylar Dunning.

Satuday’s very wet main race saw Brody start from the off-pole postion. At the drop of the green flag, Zink’s kart got hit in the side at turn one which put him back into third as the field approached Tic-Tac-Toe which was by now flooded with very deep water.

Unfortunately this water flooded the air box on Brody’s kart causing the engine to lose power and ultimately dropped him to 6th at the checkered flag.

Sunday’s final round was more of the same wet weather racing.

After making some minor chassis set-up changes overnight, Zink was able to qualify his #355 Kosmic Kart on the front row, taking the off-pole position, starting beside series champion Parker Thompson.

In the heat race, Thompson led the race with Zink in hot pursuit of the Canadian. Thompson won the heat race with Zink in 2nd and Parker McKean in 3rd.

For the main race on Sunday afternoon the sun came out, but the track was still very wet and rain tires were still needed. Rain clouds were looming in the distance.

At the drop of the green flag, Brody was able to edge past Thompson’s TonyKart into the first corner and pulled away to a comfortable lead, which he held for the remainder of the race taking the win, with Thompson 2nd and Jake Craig’s CRG in 3rd place.

“We have been fast at all of the Challenge races, it feels great to finally take a Gatorz win after all this hard work” said Brody after the event.

Brody would like to thank J3 competition for supplying fast Kosmic karts and parts, Chris Freckleton at Buddy Rice Karting for providing the engine power. Racetech Kart Seats. Also my Mom, Dad and Sister for supporting my karting.

For more information on Brody Zink, including press release and media information, please contact Greg Zink at gzinkinc@aol.com or call 530 416 6311

3-20-11 All Star Karting Circuit Gearing Up For Round Two Of Prokart Challenge North

Prairie City Kart Club facility to host first-ever Superkarts! USA regional event next weekend

Next weekend will welcome a second new facility to the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge North program for the 2011 season. All Star Karting in Rancho Cordova, California – east of downtown Sacramento – will host round two of the PKC North series on March 25-26. Round one last month at the Kinsmen Kart Club facility in Dixon brought together regular and new competitors to the opening event, in addition to new series winners. With a second new location in as many events, more new talent is expected to battle in the nine categories offered over the weekend.

SKUSA will utilize the 3/4-mile ‘Grand Prix’ circuit of the All Star Karting facility – home of the Prairie City Kart Club – which offers up to four different configurations. All Star Karting President Joey Hand is a veteran karter and professional sports car driver. With his family and friends at his side to help with the day-to-day operations, the atmosphere is a fun, family-oriented place with plenty of strong, local competitors. Hand, an established karter and reigning co-winner at the 2011 Rolex 24 hours of Daytona 24, knows that karting is an established sport of its own, in addition to helping build the future stars of motorsports. This type of attitude is exactly what the SKUSA organization welcomes within its members, race programs and tracks.

“SKUSA is excited to be offering another new venue for our racers,” commented Tom Kutscher of Superkarts! USA. “The Hand family is first-class and the racers of the Prairie City Kart Club have welcomed us with open arms to their facility. Next weekend should be another positive event for our organization and the sport as a whole. I can’t wait to greet the returning drivers from round one as well as the newcomers from the PCKC.”

Looking to continue the momentum from round one is Peterson Wealth Management-sponsored TaG Senior winner Austin Elliott. The Senior rookie completed his debut with a clean sweep of the on-track action for the class, including a wire-to-wire feature win. Fellow young guns TJ Fischer and Kathryn Cornell slotted in behind him during the day. The second headline category, S1 Pro Stock Moto sponsored by Leading Edge Motorsports, saw Brett Buckwalter come away with the feature win – although his did-not-start in heat two cost him valuable points to sit five markers back of runner-up Jason Toft in the points.

Jared Woolf nearly completed a class sweep, controlling the action in the Sunshine Daydream Creations-sponsored S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto. The 31y kart led the way for much of the day – except for retiring early in heat two. Woolf would, however, bounce back to take the main event win. Adam Booker, Sean McDonald and Jamie Wilson are looking to challenge Woolf at the All Star facility, as well as promoting driver Luis Tyrrell who is sure to bring additional competition to the field. Ryan Rasberry swept the action in the S3 Novice Stock Moto division, as Chris Yettito chased him on the day. More S3 drivers are expected to make their first start at round two.

The Fastech Racing-sponsored S4 Master Stock Moto class welcomed its first new winner since the 2009 season – which was followed by a dominating year by class champion Jeff Smith in 2010. Returning PKC competitor Casey Scherer banked a feature win for round one last month, with promises of more to come. Scherer was able to outrun and outlast an attrition-filled event for the victory. Converted G1 driver Jim Kidd placed second in his first S4 start, with veteran karter Rob Soares missing out on a chance at the win following a mistake in the closing laps.

The Master and Junior categories in TaG received a boost of new competitors, providing some great racing at the opening weekend in Dixon. Glenn McKinnon drove a near perfect event in the Cambrian Go-Karts-sponsored TaG Master category, as he bested the current SKUSA Pro Tour #1 plate of Ethan Wilson. Randy Froom finished third in the feature and recorded the fast lap of the main event to earn a 10-point bonus toward the season championship. Austin Dement took home the win in the Bordogna Racing Engines-sponsored TaG Junior feature, though class rookie Blaine Rocha leads the championship chase, taking top honors in qualifying and the two heat races.

TaG Cadet made its debut as part of the ProKart Challenge North program in Dixon, with Davey Manthei Jr. sweeping the action in the Cambrian Go-Karts-sponsored class. Hunter Corbitt and Garrett Dixon were his main challengers, with a total of 11 drivers making the event. SKUSA is welcoming new drivers to round two by offering free Vortex Mini Rok engine rentals. More information is available by contacting the SKUSA office.

ProKart Challenge North will continue to offer a free Friday practice day to anyone who has not run a PKC or SKUSA race in the past two years (a savings of $60) when registering for their first event of 2011. In addition, the discounted price structure – which lowers the package price for an entry and race tires down to just $295 if the racer registers online – is also still available. Pre-registration pricing applies if completed before the midnight deadline on Wednesday, March 23 at www.skusastore.com . The specially-branded MG ‘SKUSA’ tire – the new official tire for all Superkarts! USA events – will continue to be utilized following rave reviews after the first three events of the season.

Information regarding round two of the ProKart Challenge North at the All Star Karting circuit in Prairie City can be found at the following link (http://www.superkartsusa.com/regional/pkc-north/round-2-2011.html). For more information on anything related to the ProKart Challenge or Superkarts! USA, visit their website – www.superkartsusa.com – or call the SKUSA head office at 951-491-0808.
 

3-15-11 Cambrian Go Karts Justin Yanez, Carter Herrera and Grayson Browne Deliver For The Team
Photo By RMG Race Media Group

The X overs are already here, and the Cambrian Go Karts team is ready. With round 1 placed at Prairie City the team arrived Friday with many drivers and their new karts to prep for the up coming Pro Kart race and for some the xover race on Sunday. " I love that we are everywhere, " said Donald Durbin of Cambrian Go Karts. " We have a truck with some testing today at infineon for the Gatorz race with my father, and a large crowd here with me prepping for this weekend. " we can share notes with the ones who cant be here today, as well as those with my dad. It really shows the power of numbers and we are moving forward every time we hit the track.

Sundays xover race was a great race, the track put on a great race and our guys did awesome. Justin Yanez who just moved into HPV 2 has already won his first race against the best of the best, finished 4th in his second race ( due to bad luck ) and was on point this weekend putting his Birel ry30 powered by Cambrian Go Karts on the front row with a stacked field.

In the first heat Justin lead most of the race putting distance between him and the field, and with a little slip of the steering wheel found him self in 6th. when the main event came the kart was prepped and ready for action and those of you who have seed this young man race know that his strong suit is passing........in corners where most don't dare to try. " Justin is gifted, I wish I could say I taught him everything he knows and though we have been together since he was 5 it became very apparent to me that if we can just give him what he needs in the chassis.....he will do the rest, I would bet on it any day. " So when I told him to put his car into third place on the start and then pace the leader from there, that is exactly what he did. It was a long race and a lot happened but when it came to the end he found himself on the leaders bumper looking for a way around, they crossed the finish line and Justin Yanez had posted the fastest lap of the race by 4 tenths of a second. " I cant tell you how proud I am of him, he showed patience, maturity and race craft. None of those qualities would you expect from a quit 10 year old.....but you can find them in him. Congratulations Justin, you always make us proud.

Carter Herrera Put his HPV 1 Birel c28 on the podium this weekend for the Cambrian Go Karts team and showed stamina and patience all weekend.
" I am so happy for Carter, he was leading the Jr-1 field 10 minutes ago, got out of the kart and into the next one it seemed like right away and raced his heart out. " Said Donald Durbin. We had a really good time this weekend with the young driver and I look forward to many more, he is young and very strong. 3rd place is awesome and especially at a track that hasn't been one of his strongest in the past......but will be in the future. Look for Carter to do very well when he comes back with his mini rok on his kart for the pro kart race in two weeks.

Bad Luck for Grayson Browne as he showed so well in practice as well as qualifying. Always at the top on the charts the team was very excited about having both HPV2 drivers on the podium but a drive train problem ended his main event early and well never know what could have been. " I really feel for Grayson, he is such a mellow young man, nothing gets him too upset and I don't know how he does it. we have been luck to have the opportunity to work together this year as the swap to the Birel chassis has really catapulted him to being a front runner which makes me very happy to have a hand in. "

Next week, challenge of the Americas at infineon for the Cambrian Go Karts Team....... and the boss is racing.
 

3-15-11 Amber Friedberg - Challenge of the Americas - Pan Am RMC

After a successful 2010 season, Amber Friedberg decided to take on a new challenge: the 2011 Pan American Rotax Max Challenge. This challenge introduces a new age of Rotax Max racing in the Americas. As an official International Rotax Max Challenge, the Pan American RMC will provide an opportunity for Rotaxians from all over North, Central and South America, the Caribbean and indeed every country in the world, to compete against the best Rotax Max racers from the Americas at the incredible Pan Am Championship Event in September.

Amber Friedberg: “I had a great 2010 season in the NorCal Rotax Challenge, won races, gathered several 2nd and 3rd places and finished 3rd in my championship. I now feel ready for a next step in my racing career: I will further develop my racing skills within The Pan American Rotax Max Challenge teaming up with the very talented Sean McDonald. We will both enter an Energy kart and will be racing with Infinity Karting. We look forward to this first 2011 Rotax Pan Am Western Qualifier Event (March 18-20) and hope to obtain a good result at Infineon Raceway to put Energy and Infinity at the top!”

Sean McDonald: “My main plans for the 2011 racing season are to compete in the SKUSA Prokart Challenge North in the S2 Semi-Pro Shifter Class, the SKUSA Pro Tour in the S2 Semi-Pro Shifter class, and the SKUSA Supernationals in the S2 Semi-Pro Shifter Class. I will also be competing in the NorCal Rotax series in senior Rotax class. I believe the 2011 racing season will be a great season for me with lots of competition.”
Amber Friedberg: “My last practice went well! I haven't been good in the rain, but today was an accomplishment and I learned a lot. I’m very confident for next weekend!

I would like to thank everybody for making this possible with special thanks to Sean McDonald, Dave McDonald, David Carrasco, SwedeTech Racing engines, Scott Conway Racing and to my mechanic Nick Galante.”

Formula Kart Productions will live broadcast the Pan Am Championship Event, and select other Pan Am events, on Pan Am LIVE!, guaranteeing the events will be seen by tens of thousands of motorsports enthusiasts around the globe

3-8-11 Kathryn Cornell Debuts Strong in Tag Sr as Rookie Driver
Story & Photo By RMG Race Media Group

Kathryn Cornell had a successful 2010 year in Tag Jr & HPV 2 Jr and is looking to do the same in 2011 as she moves up to the Sr Division with the BIG Dogs. After her results in her Sr debut this past weekend it looks as if she is already on the right track for her 2011 Season.

 Kathryn showed strong results at the Prokart Challenge North Race Held at Kinsmen Kart Club this past weekend. Moving up to the Sr level can be an advantage or a disadvantage. The Advantages are if you stay in a class with a similar motor package as you had in your Jr 2 class, you already have built experience and can run very competitive right out of the box. A Disadvantage can be if you choose a different motor package that you’re not familiar with and use your rookie year learning it. Kathryn decided to stay with the class she is familiar with which is Tag. She ran against Big name karters and she knew she needed to be fast and consistent to come out on top.

 With some training in the off season Kathryn was ready to go Saturday Morning for her first practice. Kathryn was the fastest driver in first practice out of 15 other Sr drivers with a 28.700 lap time.  In Practice 2 her mechanic Brian Keck made some changes to see if they can improve more which placed them 3rd fastest.  In Qualifying Cornell put her Intrepid Machine top 3 with a time of 28.577 only .090 from 1st. The first heat came around and Cornell put all her efforts into focusing on driving smooth, consistent and fast.  Cornell finished the first 12 lap heat in second with the fastest kart in the race with a 28.324. In Heat 2 Kathryn again, finished 2nd.  In the main Cornell started on the outside front row with hopes to get an early lead instead tucked in behind the leader to follow the leader for most of the race until Kathryn went to make a move and got shuffled back to 3rd. Cornell had a successful top 3 finish and looks to continue improving in Tag Sr. Kathryn will be looking forward to her next race at the SKUSA Pro Tour Spring Nationals held at Musselman Honda Circuit, Tucson Arizona April 30- May1.

“I was definitely nervous jumping up but being fastest in the practice definitely boosted my ego and encouraged me to believe I am capable of running up front. I must say it was cool to see my competitor Austin and I up front as rookie drivers,” Says Kathryn. Kathryn’s goals for the 2011 Season is to improve as a driver as well as test her driving capability which she feels as though she can achieve in tag senior.

Kathryn Cornell Motorsports is in partnership with Valued Engineering, Leading Edge and RMG Race Media Group. Kart Tuning provided by Brian Keck, Engines Powered By Joe White Racing Engines and Media Development and Racing Promotions provided by RaceMediaGroup.com

 

3-7-11 Outlaw, New Series, Same Family
Story & Photos RMG Race Media Group

In 2011 a new Kart Racing Series has emerged in the "Outlaw" Series.  Making 6 stops throughout the Northern California and the Central Valley, Kinsmen Kart Club opened the first ever Norcal Outlaw Race. Rains storms haunted the region leading up to the event and was finally put to rest in the early morning hours on Sunday providing racers with a fresh, clean and dry track. The Norcal Outlaw Series welcomed 10 classes including the new popular Box Stock Clone class. 78 entries hit the track and made the race day smooth with no red flags or complications. 

First up were the Rising Stars of Karting, Kid Karts, Tomas Mejia who grabbed the Norcal Gold Rush Championship, showed he was the driver to beat. Fastech's Mejia was blazing fast in practice with 2 seconds over P2. In qualifying, Cambrian Go Kart's Santino Gigliotti stepped up to the plate with pole position and following close behind was Tomas Mejia. Gigliotti took advantage of the start to grab an early lead in the heat while Mejia made a slide job on Gigliotti on Lap 6 and never looked back. The mains saw 3 different lead changes as Camilo Mejia got the early lead and was passed by Gigliotti. Gigliotti had bad luck on lap 4 which left him watching from the sidelines. Once again Tomas Mejia took control and led the rest of the race and cruised to his first Outlaw victory. Camilo 2nd,Arianah 3rd, Fastech's Oliver Calvo 4th and GSR's Stephon Daniel 5th. 

Taking a Headline role for the Norcal Outlaw event was Bordogna's Hunter Kelly Powered by Bordogna Racing Engines  in Jr 1-2 Cycle. Hunter Kelly’s motor had so much power that he had walked away with an easy sweep of the Jr 1-2 Cycle class. Hunter took the top spot in qualifying with Stockton’s Eric Nascimento 2nd followed by Northwest Driver Kartel Motorsport's Davie Manthei Jr. Kelly cruised to an easy victory while the field behind him all shuffled for position. Bordogna's Eric Nascimento had a great battle with Hunter Corbitt for the 4th position then later Nascimento suffered a DNF which led him to a challenge in the final. Hunter Kelly earned his first victory for 2011 while Manthei Jr settled for 2nd, followed by Hunter Corbitt, Kartel Motorsport's Jack von Quilich and Eric Nascimento the Jr 1-2 Cycle Top 5. 

Next up was Tag Masters and each driver had the potential to earn their Outlaw Victory. Cambrian go Kart's Mike Ketterman and Cambrian Go Kart's Dan Brown showed fast results in practice. Qualifying showed Brown edging out the pole position by .138 over Ketterman. Brown led the entire 12 laps of the heat with the pressure of Kartel Motorsport's Corey Mitchell on his rear bumper. In the main both Ketterman and Mitchell put on a great show of swapping lead positions until lap 15 the two tangled up and both suffered DNF’s. Brown grabbed the lead and cruised to an easy victory. 

Bordogna's Elijah Prycaodzko was a proud man by the end of the day. Elijah earned his first Tag Sr victory after a long hard battle with Andrew Columbini.  Rookie Tag driver Bordogna's Travis Henry showed promising results until the main he suffered mechanical issues resulting in a DNF. 

The largest class of the day was HPV 2. GSR's Sonny Cervelli was testing out a Tony Kart Chassis from Multi Champion David Vasquez for the weekend and proved to keep him competitive. Morning practice Cervelli showed fast laps as his tough competitor NorcalKarters.com #1 Ranked Jr2 Driver and Multi Champion Kartel Motorsport's Austin Elliott right there in tow. Home track driver GSR's Harrison Mills had enough to show  both Cervelli and Elliott that he was just as fast. Cervelli came across the stripe as the fastest driver as Jarred Campbell was just .043 seconds off Cervelli followed by Kartel Motorsport's Taylor Jacobs, Harrison Mills and Cambrian Go Kart's Greyson Browne. Norcal’s toughest Jr 2 Drivers were both starting on the front row and Cervelli grabbed the early lead. Four drivers Mills, Cambrian Go Kart's Justin Yanez, Kartel Motorsport's Brandon Tomko and Elliott were collected in a flooded turn one wreck. Campbell made a pass on Cervelli in lap 7 and never looked back. Campbell once again took the lead on the start of the Final and cruised to a 4.935 lead. Blake Murdock was 2nd with Mills at an amazing 3rd place finish after starting from the back of the pack followed by Justin Yanez and Cervelli your top five. 

Super Sportsman was definitely the race to watch. David Vasquez put his Tony Kart machine on top in qualifying with Kartel Motorsport's Zach Maclean and Ryan Sisemore in tow. Zach Maclean took advantage of the start with the outside front row with an early led. Maclean and Sisemore swapped positions a few times until Maclean’s kart came in for the long haul and grabbed the lead. Shelby Sander made her way up the second position to put her on the front row of the main. Vasquez and Sander battled for the lead position on the start, Sander would get shuffled back a few positions. Maclean was coming through the field quick after getting put to the back for illegal starts. This allowed Maclean to catch Bordogna's Matt Chase and battle it out for the second position. As Vasquez cruised to a 1.495 victory Maclean came home second with Sander third, Chase 4th and Sisemore 5th 

Lake Tahoe’s Hot shoe Cambrian go Kart's Garrett Dixon came out in 2011 on his game and posted fast times in practice and in qualifying for the HPV-1 Division. Dixon got the early lead, but was passed by Kartel Motorsport's Pettit. As Dixon and Pettit continued to battle, Kartel Motorsport's Davey Manthei Jr was able to sneak by both drivers for the lead, Manthei never looked back and cruised. Garrett Dixon came home second followed by Gigliotti, Nascimento and Cambrian Go Karts Michael Harvey. 

Andrew Kemp made a return back to Sprint racing after taking a year off to run the Road Race Series. Andrew showed he hadn't lost his step and was fastest all day. Andrew won the main with Tyler Waymire second. Chuck Hastings easily swept qualifying, the heat race and the main event in the 80 Masters class. John Montis second and Wayne Bundy third. 

Last up was the new Norcal class Box Stock Clones. David Vasquez pulling a double duty day at the track was fastest early. Scribner Plastic's Rob Nascimento showed is fellow racers he was fast in qualifying with Vasquez closely behind with .187 seconds. In the heat Rob Nascimento grab the early lead until Jeff Nelson  blazed past him. This left Vasquez in second with Chad Nascimento third and Rob Nascimento fourth.  In the main Nelson walked away to an easy victory leaving Vasquez and Rob Nascimento to battle it out for the second position. Rob  Nascimento finished 2nd followed by David Vasquez, Chad Nascimento and Anthony Hernandez your fast top five.  

The Outlaw Action will be back in full throttle for race number two held at All Star Karting facility in Prairie City, CA on March 20th. Race photos from Race Media Group can be found at http://scribnerracingpromotions.zenfolio.com/ . Lodging Discount for Prairie City Race will be at the luxury “Hotel Sierra of Rancho Cordova.” Scribner Motorsports has come to an agreement with the nearby Hotel to the Prairie City Kart Track for 2011. Hotel Sierra of Rancho Cordova will offer special discounted rates to Karters staying at the hotel for Prairie City Events.
 
When Racers use the Promotional Race Code SM51, they can receive the luxurious rooms at a Discounted rate, and will also receive a Money Voucher for the Bistro Bar in the hotel. Standard King Suites start at $79 a night and the Double Queen Suite starts at $89 a night. Also available is a two Bedroom suite which has two bathrooms with one Room having a King Bed and the other room having two Queen beds, with a Living room in the middle. All rooms have High Speed Internet and Flat Screen Television.

Racers can call the hotel at 1-800-4-SIERRA or 916-638-4141 to book their rooms under the SM51 discount rate.

Racers are encouraged to read more about Hotel Sierra on www.WestCoastKarters.com

3-7-11 Cambrian Go Karts Scott Huffaker Successful at Region 7 IKF
Photo By RMG Race Media Group

Scott Huffaker and Family got the news on Friday about the Rotax race at Dixon being cancelled due to rain and wouldn't take no for an answer. With the trailer packed and young Scotts determination to win his willing parents knew they needed to find a race for Cambrian Go Karts up and coming driver to compete in. Region 7 had an IKF race that same Sunday so off they went.

The Family arrived in Fontana at about 2pm on sat. and with the help of Cambrian Go Karts Ace Tuner Josh Veloz they were immediately at the Top of the Charts. Sunday Morning came and Scott Huffakers Birel was on the front row. In the early laps of the the heat race he was shuffled back to 5th but the calm driver knew he had the speed and put his head down and picked them off one by one. " This is the part that makes me the happiest, to go down to someone else's backyard and win is great but when Josh reported back to me and said he systematically passed the top five drivers to win the first heat was what really made me proud. " Passing is hard, and truthfully not Scotts strongest suit, so to hear that was what made my day. "

The main events came and the Scott Drove his Birel flawlessly to take the win. " I feel very lucky to have friends and customers who is passionate about this as I am. This Family wanted to race this weekend and they were going to no matter what, I wish we could have all been there with them but sending Josh Veloz who has been heading up our Jr. Department for the last few years was everything Scott needed. CONGRATULATIONS SCOTT!! Great job.
 

3-7-11 Bordogna Engines Started The Season Dominating at Outlaw Series
 Story & Photo By RMG Race Media Group

Bordogna Racing Engines completed 2010 with Success and was fast right out of the box for the 2011 season. Team Bordogna’s first race of the year was at the Norcal Outlaw event held at Kinsmen Kart Club. Bordogna’s Driver Hunter Kelly who dominated the Junior 1-2 Cycle class in the last Norcal Gold Rush in 2010 repeated the same accomplishments for the Norcal Outlaw race. Kelly who run’s Bordogna’s complete package not only runs Bordogna’s engines also runs Bordogna’s Chassis. Kelly Swept the Jr 1-2 Cycle class, while Eric Nascimento qualified off pole putting Bordogna power on the front row of the heat race. As Kelly walked away from the rest of the field, Eric Nascimento had a great battle with another driver for the 4th position then later Nascimento broke his chain which led him to a challenge in the final. Nascimento had a great run working his way up from the back of the pack to a top 5 finish in the main.

Rookie Tag Sr Driver Elijah Prychidzko won his first ever race with an “x” on his numbers on his Bordogna Chassis as well. Elijah’s motor proved to be fast which led to great passes from starting last in the main. Elijah as a rookie showed that he has a lot of potential and good driving ability.

Followed by the Norcal Outlaw race was the new traveling series in Norcal, Prokart Challenge North opening its first race once again at Kinsmen Kart Club. The Outlaw event had become a great testing tool for the following weekend’s Prokart event. Bordogna’s drivers knew they were going to be successful. Hunter Kelly debuting the new Jr 1 class Mini Rok motor was fast all day during Fridays practice. Problems faced for Kelly’s race motor Saturday morning with crank issues led Kelly to start last in the main. Danny Bordogna with his great motor knowledge fixed the problem and sent Kelly on his way in the main with an amazing 5th place finish in his first ever Prokart Race.

Norcal Hot Shoe and Rookie Driver Nitro Nick Sommers got to advance up to the Junior 2 level for 2011 showing great improvements. Sommers had scheduling conflicts for Friday and couldn’t take advantage of Fridays practice to learn his new Tag motor had to show it all in 2 practice sessions on Saturday morning. Saturday’s practice sessions Sommers laid down fast times and qualified 0.1 seconds from the pole sitter. Nitro Nick showed solid finishes battling with the lead group in both heat races and finished 4th in his first ever prokart race. “I am so happy for this 4th place finish and thank you Danny for the awesome Bordogna Chassis. I am pretty sure if I didn’t catch a lot of traffic in qualifying, I should have made the pole position. I will definitely go for it at the next Prokart race at Prairie City.” Says Nitro Nick Sommers

Danny Bordogna is looking forward to providing his best on track support to all of his drivers for 2011 at the Norcal Outlaw, Prokart Challenge North and the Gold Rush Race Series, offering Engine Rental Program. If anyone is interested in joining the fastest team with great track support and the most successful engine builder, feel free to contact Danny Bordogna at 916.256.0385 or visit www.Bordogna.us “Crib of Champions” for more info.

 

 

3-3-11 Austin Elliott Dominates Tag Sr in his Rookie Debut at Prokart Challenge North Opener
Story & Photos By Race Media Group

Austin Elliott is off to a great start for his 2011 season in his Tag Sr debut with a screaming fast time, 2 Heat wins and a Main Event Victory at The Pro Kart Challenge North Opener held at the "G-Force Track" Kinsmen Kart Club. 15 year old Elliott, Kartel Motorsports and Top Kart driver, was Fresh from the Jr 2 Level and came out with Bang against 15 other drivers, some of which hold very impressive résumé's.

Austin has been training extensively in the off season to prepare for his big SR debut. Friday Practice started off to a wet start. The rain storm had left Kinsmen Kart Club with a lake to start pumping away. As soon as the track was dry enough Austin Started his testing to get his Top Kart Machine perfectly tuned for Saturday’s race. He had preformed enough testing and tuning to perfect his Top Kart Chassis. Austin had out tuned and beaten his new competitor’s times. Once Elliott was satisfied with his tuning capabilities he knew his 78 machine was ready for race day.

Saturday morning rolled around and Austin was in full race mode ready to debut his first race as a SR driver. The morning practice was a success until second practice he had a minor transponder issue but the entire pits knew he was posting fast times and that he was the driver to beat.  Austin grabbed the Pole Position by .054 seconds. Elliott knew he had to make sure his Parilla was perfectly tuned for the start of the heat race to get the jump on the Rotax starting beside him on the front row. Elliott won his the first heat and repeated his results in the second heat Elliott winning with a 2.379 second lead. In the final, Austin had the full advantage of the start and walked away from the field and came across the finish line with a 2.820 second victory.

“I think my first SR Win was a great experience, I learned from the race and just had a great time racing. I look forward to my next SR races and competitors. I Keep Pushing for the Win, No Matter What!” Says Austin.  Austin’s goals for 2011 are to win most of the races and learn as much as he can about the Sport of Racing.

Austin's next Senior event is the Prokart Challenge North Race held at Prairie City Kart Club, March 26.  Austin Elliott Racing would like to thank their current Sponsors & Partners:  Sons of Stafford Plumbing, Fresno Tap Recycling, The Door & Window Stop, Stat Medical Billing, Avery Dennison & Custom Vehicle Wraps, Fine Line CAD Services, Wesley Boswell, Grand Products, P1 Racing Engines, Race Karts Inc, Kartel Motorsports, and RMG Race Media Group for all of their continued support. More information about Austin can be found at his website www.AustinElliottRacing.com

 

 
 

3-3-11 Cambrian Go Karts Welcomes New Kid Kart Driver to Their Team

Cambrian Go Karts is set to kick off the Nor Cal Rotax race at Dixon this coming weekend with a long list of races already completed this season the team has already traveled to Phoenix AZ, Riverside Ca and Fontana for the challenge of the Americas Rotax races as well as the pro kart south opener and with nothing but success as well as a head start to their own season which is now beginning.

This weekend is especially special to Donald Durbin Jr. the san Jose based shop and Team owner of Cambrian Go Karts as it marks his oldest daughter Jadyn's 5th birthday which mean she gets to showcase the pink birel her father custom built for her on her 4th birthday.

" I would never dream of pushing her to do this, in fact those of you who know how busy race days are in our tent can probably appreciate that if Jadyn and Jorja didn't have any interest in racing Dad wouldn't be hurt. The fact of the matter is that all they want to do is race and be a " racer " just like their Dad.

" I'm so excited to be one of the dads who stands in the infield as their young ones race around the track and learn about all the traits that Karting has to offer." " I grew up at the track, and now so have my two children and I couldn't ask for a better environment." She looks so proud walking around with the boys in her class with her suit casually set down on her waist as all the " racers" do. I love it.

Please help me cheer on Jadyn as she takes her first green flag this weekend............weather permitting. Please consider this my promise to write a detailed press release for Cambrian Go Karts every Monday after every race we attend.

3-2-11 Kartel Motorsports Pro Kart North Report

Kartel Motorsports had a short week, as the weather held out for the Saturday race, Friday was different story. As the sky's broke free of clouds in the afternoon, the drivers hit the track for a few test sessions. These sessions were very important, as some of our drivers were new to Pro Kart and their respective classes. Racing under the Kartel banner for the Pro Kart north events as well as The Pro Tour for 2011 will be Davey Manthei Jr. as well as Jack VonQuilich both on a Wild Kart/Magnum Engines in Mini RoK. New to the team in Mini RoK is local hot shoe Cole Davis. This trio of drivers all posted very fast times in Friday's sessions, and carried there momentum into Saturdays qualifying round. Davey put his Wild Kart on pole and Cole Davis Qualified off pole. Kartel Front row was a great start to the new to Nor Cal Class!! Jack had a great run in all heat races and unfortunately did not finish the final, due to contact. Cole was attempting a last lap pass for third and after contact failed to finish as well. Davey Manthei swept the weekend, posting fast times in every timed session, and taking the final as well.

Another well known name in Cadet Racing across the Country has been Blaine Rocha. Blaine has moved out of Cadet and into a full sized kart and has not skipped a beat. Not only new to Jr 2 racing and a full sized Chassis, Blaine has never driven a Jr Tag, so the limited time on Friday practice was very important for the up and commer. He had zero problem adapting to the faster kart and softer tires. Right off the trailer Blaine was fast and stayed there. Blaine kept the pace and put his Wild kart/Magnum Parilla on Pole for Qualification. Blaine kept his cool and ran consistent heat laps to secure his pole starting position for the 20 lap final. Rocha crossed the finish line in second place with a great start to a promising season for the talented driver. 2010 SKUSA National Champion Luis Tyrrell had a hard fought battle all day. He was able to keep his pace and secure valuable points going into the next round next month.

For the 2011 season, long time Shifter pilot and National Champion Adam Booker made the long trek out to the Dixon facility to Prepare for the Pro Tour, and recieved a nice welcome back to racing. Adam is a International Semi Pro Amateur Softball player during the Karting off season, so shifting into a new focus was as natural as hitting a home run. Booker did just that. Never skipping a beat the Softball Phenom was in top form and raced his Wild Kart/Magnum to a second place finish in the final. Way to go slugger!

Finally Kartel Tag Sr Driver, Austin Elliott, has also made a transition during the off season. Elliott left the Jr ranks on top and slid over to the Sr ranks in the same position, On top. Austin grabbed the pole position during the qualification round, and kept pace all day. Sweeping the event in Kartel fashion, Austin Elliott won his very first Sr race, in a class stacked with National champions.

Next up for Kartel will be the WKA Outlaw Series at All Start Kart Track. For more information on Kartel or the Wild Kart line contact Erik at 916-383-5278 or online at kartelmotorsports.com



 

3-2-11 Norcal Rookies Perform Well at Prokart Challenge North Opener
 Photos By Race Media Group

Superkarts! USA regional program opens 2011 season at Kinsmen Kart Club facility

A new era has dawned on the ProKart Challenge North program with the opening round of the 2011 season at the Kinsmen Kart Club facility in Dixon, California. Entering its fourth season, the PKC North operation will branch out to a total of five new circuits – including Dixon – to fill out the six-race championship program after centering the first three seasons around one facility. Despite the terrible weather forecast for the weekend, Friday’s practice day and, more importantly, Saturday’s race day was accomplished under sunny, albeit cold, skies. The temperature did not hamper the action on track, as the eight categories provided excellent racing. Austin Elliott made his Senior debut on the weekend, scoring the impressive victory in the competitive TaG Senior category. Brett Buckwalter, Jared Woolf, Ryan Rasberry, Casey Scherer, Glenn McKinnon, Austin Dement, and Davey Manthei, Jr. also kicked the season off with exciting victories.

The Dixon circuit is a short eight-turn, 3/8-mile circuit that demands a well-tuned kart package –and PKC tested the endurance of the drivers with two 12-lap heat races and a 20-lap main event. With the new expansion of the PKC North series, the opening round welcomed many new and happy competitors to the program, some of which took home a victory, with all of the drivers respecting one another throughout the day with no major incidents.

“We can label this as a successful opening event,” commented Tom Kutscher, SKUSA President, reflecting on the weekend. “The weather put a scare in us and a few racers, but our staff and the competitors stuck with it and produced a great Saturday of racing. I’m happy to see a lot of new faces in the crowd, mixed in with a number of our loyal participants. The people here at Kinsmen welcomed us, and we hope to continue our relationship in the future. This event will help build the new foundation of our program for the rest of the season.”

Taking the headline role for the event was the Peterson Wealth Management-sponsored TaG Senior category where Senior rookie Austin Elliott stole the show throughout the day in the 15-kart field. Elliott and fellow TaG Senior rookies TJ Fischer and Kathryn Cornell (Intrepid) made their debut in the category, setting the tone as they took the top three slots in qualifying over veteran David Harwin. Elliott showed the way in both heat races, while Cornell bested Fischer in each of the 12-lap runs as the rest of the field shuffled for position behind them. At ease with leading the field to the green flag for the main event, Elliott quickly put some distance between himself and the fight for second. Running untouched as he did for the entire day, Elliott would take home the big victory by 2.82 seconds. Fischer was able to work by Cornell for the second position to round out a very young but talented podium. Troy Diede placed fourth as he beat out Mike Botelho.

Brett Buckwalter began his championship chase in the Leading Edge Motorsports-sponsored S1 Pro Stock Moto class with a near-perfect weekend. Out qualifying Jason Toft, Buckwalter drove away to the win in the opening heat race. Unable to make the starting grid for the second heat due to a mechanical issue, Buckwalter had to watch from the sidelines for the second round as Toft took the win. Bouncing back for the feature, Buckwalter led all 20 laps of the feature race to earn win number one of the season, nearly nine seconds over Toft.

Starting out last season with two runner-up finishes, Jared Woolf improved on that with a victory at the 2011 opener in the Sunshine Daydream Creations-sponsored S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto class. The fight for the 10 bonus points for top qualifying time was a tight battle, with Woolf edging out last year’s S5 champion Daniel Langon by six-hundredths of a second. Woolf grabbed the holeshot and powered away from the S2 rookie to score the first heat win. Poised for a second heat win, Woolf was leading the way until lap five when pushing the limits of his Intrepid, he dropped off course and ended his race. This gave the lead to Reed Stevens, until Adam Booker and Sean McDonald snuck by for position on the final lap. As the lights went green to begin the 20-lap feature, Stevens stalled on the front row of the S2 grid, shuffling the field around him as they launched off the line. Coming across the stripe for the first time, Booker led the way – with Woolf gaining the most to sit second. The duo would run that way until lap 16, when Woolf pulled the trigger to work by for the lead. Woolf stretched out to a near three-second advantage by the time the checkered flag waved to secure the victory, with Booker crossing ahead of Jamie Wilson to complete the podium. The S3 Novice Stock Moto class witnessed an event sweep by Ryan Rasberry as he outran Chris Yettito in each on-track session.

In the Fastech Racing-sponsored S4 Master Stock Moto, a sweep was in the making – until Casey Scherer broke through for his first PKC victory. Previous TaG Master winner and champion Rob Soares made his first S4 start by securing the pole position in qualifying over Colorado driver Mike McDonough. Soares took both heat wins while McDonough, fellow Colorado driver David Conyers and Scherer fought over the second spot. The feature saw the field dwindle following a couple incidents. The opening lap put McDonough and two others on the sidelines while on lap three, Conyers suffered a broken radiator after contact with another competitor. Soares and Scherer continued on up front – with Scherer taking over the top spot on lap seven. Soares examined his teammate for a number of laps and tried for a pass, when he misjudged the move and took himself out of the race on lap 16. Scherer would go on to take the win handedly over former G1 driver Jim Kidd, with Nick Galante crossing the line third. However, Galante was removed from the results with an improper reed cage. This moved Soares up to the third step of the podium.

Glenn McKinnon was able to escape the opening round with the victory in the Cambrian Go Karts-sponsored TaG Master division. McKinnon snatched the pole position ahead of reigning SKUSA Pro Tour TaG Master champion Ethan Wilson by a slim 0.087-second. McKinnon drove away to a large win in the first heat before placing behind Wilson in the second. The top four kept close in the 20-lap feature, with Wilson leading the majority of the way over McKinnon – who appeared to be buying his time. On the final lap, McKinnon would stick a pass to overtake the top spot from Wilson, holding on to take the checkered. Randy Froom held off Derrick DeLong for the third step of the podium.

Austin Dement ruined Blaine Rocha’s chance at an event sweep in the Bordogna Racing Engines TaG Junior category, stealing the feature win in the 13-kart race. Rocha showed the way from qualifying to the start of the feature, leading all 24 laps from the two heat races and until lap 13 of the feature – when Dement took over the top spot. Dement, a championship contender last season, edged out the Cadet graduate to take the win by just two-tenths at the checkered flag. Rocha settled for second, with Ashlie Couch completing her first PKC start with a third place podium finish.

Making its debut as part of the ProKart Challenge North program, the Cambrian Go Karts-sponsored TaG Cadet class welcomed 11 new competitors to the series. Stealing the spotlight throughout the day was Davey Manthei Jr. as he piloted his Wildkart at the front in each of the on-track sessions. After scoring the pole position, Manthei took the win in both heat races before he would be challenged in the feature. Hunter Corbitt and Garrett Dixon were able to relegate Manthei back to third in the opening laps of the main event. Returning the favor quickly, Manthei reassumed the lead on lap four. Able to break away from his challengers, Manthei powered on to the victory by nearly three-seconds, with Corbitt holding Dixon at bay for the runner up spot.

The SKUSA crew will be back in action for the PKC North program, as round two is set for the All Star Karting facility in Prairie City, CA on March 25-26 – just two weeks after the ProKart Challenge South series hosts its second round on March 11-12 at the Willow Springs Raceway kart track in Rosamond, CA. Plans are in full force for the second season of the SKUSA Pro Tour – with nearly 200 drivers expected to contest the 2011 SpringNationals at Musselman Honda Circuit (formerly P1 Kart Circuit) in Tucson, AZ on April 29 - May 1.
 

3-1-11 Six Suspended WKA Trustees Reinstated Following Committee Meeting

The following is a statement from the World Karting Association regarding the suspension of six Trustees

Pursuant to the WKA Code of Regulations, the WKA Board of Trustees appointed an internal committee (the "Committee") to hear and decide the appeals on the temporary membership suspensions of Robby Harper, Bobby Moore, Steve Rumsey, Don Guilbeault, Tony Granata, and Steve Jacobson (the "Appellants"). To ensure fair and impartial hearings, the Trustees appointed five (5) hearing committee members who were randomly selected from a pool of all past WKA Trustees. The appeals were heard on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at the WKA headquarters in Concord, North Carolina.

The Committee found that it was clear that all parties involved believed that they were acting in accordance with a reasonable interpretation of WKA's rules, regulations and protocol. The Committee further found that while all parties may have made some minor errors, everyone was acting in good faith under the facts and circumstances to which they had available at the time.

Based on these findings, and on the agreement of the parties, the Committee decided that the temporary suspensions of each of the Appellants' master memberships shall be lifted.

By virtue of the lifting of their temporary suspensions, the Committee found that the Appellants shall be reinstated to their positions as Trustees and that their master memberships shall be fully reinstated.

Following the appeals hearings, everyone agreed that it was great to have these issues resolved and everyone was excited about the upcoming racing season.




 

3-1-11 Monterey Bay Karters 1st Annual Go Kart/ Minibike Swap Meet

This Saturday March 5th at 8am-4pm- Rain or Shine
Vendors $20 10x10 Space or Free with Paid Practice
Go Kart Practice Saturday March 5th 8am-4pm
Go Kart Races Sunday March 6th 8am

Track Located at Marina Airport- Follow Sings
Visit www.MontereyBayKarters.com for more info

 

3-1-11 Northern California Rotax Challenge Set for Season Opener at Dixon

The Northern California Rotax Challenge (NCRC) will open its 2011 season at Dixon as they will run as part of the Kinsmen Kart Club Race this coming Sunday, March 6th. This the fourth year in a row Northern California's exclusive Rotax series will run two races at the storied Dixon track along with eight races at the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway. The NCRC is part of the Red Line Oil Karting Championship which will open its 2011 season with all the series classes at the Jim Russell International Karting Center on Sunday, April 10th.

All seven of the Rotax classes will be run on Sunday. Mini Max, Rotax Senior and the combined Rotax Masters- Masters Light races are expected to have large and very competitive fields. The Dixon track will offer the Rotax drivers a very different challenge from the track at the Jim Russell International Karting Center. The short and tight Dixon track will put a premium on kart handling and setting up for passes.

This will be the first time in history the NCRC's season opener will be at Dixon. The format of the event will be similar to last year with practice on Saturday, at a cost of $30. The Sunday race format is two practices, a two lap qualifying session, one heat race and a twelve to fifteen lap Main. The entry fee for Sunday is $75 for Rotax drivers. Rotax membership is required for all National Rotax classes (Micro Max, Mini Max, Junior Max, Senior Max, Masters, DD2, and DD2 Masters). You can download the form by clicking here. Membership forms will also be available at the race at the Cameron Karting pit.

The 2011 Nor Cal Rotax Challenge is shaping up to be the best challenge series in Nor Cal history. In 2010, new Rotax entry records for were up for the 5th year in a row. 2011 has added excitement that will help increase entries in the world's largest karting formula. For the first time in five years, the Rotax Grand National will be held in the Western United States, at the fast Miller Motorsports Park kart track near Salt Lake City, Utah. Many Nor Cal drivers are planning to make a run at the Nationals due to the Utah location. The NCRC has been one of the top five regional series in the country for several years running.

All the Red Line Oil Karting Championship classes will come together for the first race at the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway on Sunday, April 10th. Joining the Rotax classes will be KVP1, KPV2, TaG Junior, three senior TaG classes, 80 Masters and two 125 Stock Moto classes.

For more information on the Northern California Rotax Challenge and the Red Line Oil Karting Championship, complete class lineup, schedule and rules, go to www.norcalrotax.com . For other questions, contact race director Ric Shaw at racedirector-ric@hotmail.com 

 

3-1-11 Laguna Seca Open Track Day is Approaching Fast

Registration is going smoothly for Laguna Seca April 11, Monday. Space is filling up & we will only have 30 drivers max, first come first serve. Please visit calkarters.com for information, forms, and the registration link. Full width rear bumpers are not required, also no paddock fees.

Current schedule for open track days:

Laguna Seca- April 11, $179 5 sessions of 20-25min heats

Thunderhill Raceway (Willows Ca) July 10 $125 5 sessions of 20-25min heats

Thank You
Jason Santander
408-718-1756


We book open practice track days at major big tracks like Laguna Seca, Thunderhill & Infineon Raceway. We are not affiliated with NCK.


 

3-1-11 Masters Classes Flourish at The Red Line Oil Karting Championship

For seven of the past nine years, the largest group of drivers running the Red Line Oil Karting Championship (RLOKC) and the Jim Russell Karting Series before that, has been Masters drivers. At one time, there were as many as seven different Masters classes covering Rotax, shifters and TaG formulas. In 2011, there are five different Masters classes: TaG Masters, 80 Masters, Rotax Masters Light, Rotax Masters and Rotax DD2 Masters.

So why have the Masters drivers been such a large part of the karting program the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway?

Maybe it is the track. Since it opened for business in 2002, the Jim Russell International Karting Center has provided Northern California karters with the opportunity to drive and race on the finest racing circuit in Northern California. The track layouts offer a multitude of challenging corners as well as three or four very good passing zones which allows drivers to set up and execute good racing passes without having to resort to the bump and pass technique common in karting.

Maybe it is the cross section of drivers. The Jim Russell International Karting Center draws an interesting cross section of drivers. In addition to the traditional karting driver, the track has drawn drivers from the sports car world. Many of these drivers started out driving a kart to just keep up their car racing skills, but then found out how much fun it was competing with others drivers and that the modern karts of today offer great racing challenge at a cost far less than racing cars. Then there are the new drivers who were introduced to karting by way of the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School and Arrive and Drive programs. Also, the location of the track is about an hour drive from San Jose, Sacramento and the East Bay, making it easy to get to the track for a large number of current and potential karters.

Maybe it's the facility. the Jim Russell International Karting Center has an on site kart shop, one major shop on site and another shop within ten minutes of the track. There is access to good food either at the track or just ten minutes down the road. It has a large paddock with enough area to have a pit spot up front where the action is, or in the back where the family can hang out without the noise of the Hot Pit. Then there are the bathrooms with hot and cold running water and air conditioning in the summer time and heat in the winter.

Maybe it's the race organization. The RLOKC and the Jim Russell Series of the past have made it a point to focus on attracting the young lions to racing, the new and experienced junior driver, and the Masters driver. Race Director Ric Shaw says it best, "We focus on having a competitive Masters race program with the main objective of remembering the drivers need to go to work on Monday. I want to see the Masters driver learn skill and patience in their approach to racing and avoid just pushing through people to get to the front." Ric has the reputation of making tough calls to assure a competitive, but fair race environment.

If you are a Masters driver, come by the Red Line Oil Karting Championship events and check out the Masters class action. You can see the series line up and rules at cameronkarting.com or norcalrotax.com or contact race director Ric Shaw at racedirector-ric@hotmail.com. The first race for the Rotax classes is Sunday, March 6th at the Kinsmen Kart Club in Dixon. All Masters classes will run at the Jim Russell International Karting Center on Sunday, April 10th and again on Sunday, May 1st with six additional races throughout the year.

The 2011 Class Master class line up at the Red Line Oil Karting Championship:

Rotax Masters - The National class at 405#.

Rotax Masters Light - a regional class set up to allow the slight and lean Masters drivers to run at a much lower weight of 365#.

80 Masters - The longest running Masters class at the Jim Russell International Karting Center racing under the Norcal rules and pulling in eight to twelve drivers on a regular basis for the last several years.

TaG Masters - The multi- engine TaG class for ages 32 and over.

Rotax DD2 Masters - The fast two-speed direct drive (DD2) class was added as a Masters class a couple of years ago. This class appeals to the driver who wants something more in a Rotax kart without the mess of a chain.

 

 

 

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