THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE WORLD KARTING ASSOCIATION
JUNE 2012 VOL. 42, NO. 6
WKA Season is getting HOT!
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May 2012
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WKA’s Karting Scene is published monthly by World Karting Association® 6051 Victory Lane Concord, NC 28027 Phone: 704-455-1606 Fax: 704-455-1609 Contents ©2010 by World Karting (#ISSN 0194-7605). All Rights Reserved. Any use of articles or contents from this magazine, WKA’s Karting Scene (#ISSN 01947605), is prohibited unless written authorization is given by WKA’s Karting Scene. As the official publication of the World Karting Association at 6051 Victory Lane, Concord, North Carolina 28027, this magazine carries authorized notices and articles pertaining to the World Karting Association, Inc. Otherwise, no responsibility is assumed for statements of writers. Manuscripts or art work submitted to WKA’s Karting Scene (#ISSN 0194-7605) should be accompanied by self-addressed envelope and return postage. No responsibility is assumed for return of unsolicited manuscripts or art work. Advertising: A WKA’s Karting Scene Media Kit is available to interested companies. Contact Marie Borsuk via email at marie@worldkarting.com or call, 704-455-1606, Ext. 11.
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Photo by: Sean Buur - sbuur@worldkarting.com May 2012
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National Gold Cup racing makes successful return to Barnesville
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he WKA RLV Tuned Exhaust Products Gold Cup Series ended an 18-year hiatus this past weekend with the running of the Michigan Kart Supply Nationals at the historic Lamar County Speedway in Barnesville, Georgia, a track that hadn’t seen national racing since 1994. The Georgia Sprint Karting Association did a wonderful job prepping the Barnesville track and facility for a national event. While a different experience for most who hadn’t been to the Atlantaarea venue, majority of the Gold Cup teams left delighted with the club’s efforts and satisfied with the
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venue as a national event host. Approximately 250 entries filled the Barnesville pit area. The track, a tight quarter-mile, considered a “bullring” by most sprint circuit’s standards, provided a new challenge to Gold Cup racers. Some teams rose to the occasion and put together fantastic weekends on the blue-collar circuit, while others struggled and left the venue shaking their heads and wondering what should have been different on their mounts. Two racing families that adapted to the Barnesville circuit very well were the Wisconsin-based Zellners and Jacksonville, Florida’s Smith family. worldkarting.com
Young Gabriel Zellner won the pair of Sportsman 1 Animal main events to bring his 2012 total to three feature wins on the Gold Cup circuit. Gabriel’s older brother, Jacob Zellner, won Saturday’s Sportsman 2 Lite main over Connor Tebbe and finished a strong second to Tebbe in Sunday’s Sportsman 2 Heavy. Jacob also tried his hand in the Sportsman 2 Box Stock divisions for the first time and came away with a pair of third-place runs in Sportsman 2 Box Stock Final 1 and 2. Twin brothers Aren and Tyler Smith shined at Barnesville, a track they had more experience than most via their Southeast sprint racing efforts over the last couple years. Tyler bested his brother to win Saturday’s Jr Lite feature and added a second feature triumph in Sunday’s Jr Box Stock Final 2. Aren Smith captured several top-five finishes, led by his big win over Jacob Heavlow in Saturday’s Jr Heavy feature. As mentioned, Aren also finished second in Jr Lite, third in both Jr Box Stock finals and fourth in Restricted Junior. Here’s a rundown of each division from the Gold Cup’s long-awaited return to the Lamar County Speedway.
May 2012
LO206 Kid Kart Cale Hall and Tanner Carter split the LO206 Kid Kart features. The class, which was making its second-ever appearance on a national stage, saw a nice increase in kart counts from three entrants at the March Jacksonville opener to five youngsters at Barnesville. Saturday’s race saw Hall win by a hefty 22-second margin over Dalton Smith. Riley Smith, Duquan Lane and Carter were third through fifth. “I’m very happy to be able to win a Gold Cup at my home track,” the 8-year-old Hall offered after his win. “I’m so excited about being the first factory ride for Razor Chassis. Thank you to Mr. Steve Roberts and Mr. Ed McGlone, and thank you to Ms. Stacy Roberts for encouraging me to race for donuts!” Sunday’s Kid Kart feature was much closer as Carter redeemed himself with a 2.6-second victory over Hall. Dalton Smith was six seconds back in third, Riley Smith fourth and Lane fifth. Sportsman 1 As mentioned, Gabriel Zellner was the driver to beat in the Animal versions of Sportsman 1. The Arrow pilot bested Maryland’s Wyatt Frantz by a 4.7-second
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have been possible without Mr. Darrin Tebbe letting us borrow his son’s motor, since my motor broke during Saturday’s feature. I would also like to thank Mr. Robbie Ullah for sponsoring me in the Sportsman 1 race this weekend.”
margin to score the win in Saturday’s Performance North-sponsored Sportsman 1 Lite. Jason Alder, Matthew Miller and Zachary Wells ran third through fifth in the nine-kart field. Sunday’s weekend capper saw Alder sneak into second place and cross the stripe 1.4 seconds back of Gabriel. Frantz proved consistent with a third-place run with Coyote racers Joshua Stark and Nick Fauci fourth and fifth. Maryland’s Matthew Miller scored his first Gold Cup triumph with the win in Jr Sportsman 1 Box Stock Final 1. Miller won by a cool three-second gap over Cody Hall. Jacksonville winner Zachary Wells was third, Jason Alder fourth and Nick Torres fifth. Sunday’s Jr Sportsman 1 Box Stock Final 2 featured a close race for the win between Hall and Miller. Hall ended up crossing the stripe nearly a second ahead of Miller for the score. The pair was well ahead of thirdplace Wells, fourth-place Torres and fifth-place Alder. “The last lap was a special feeling knowing I was going to cross the finish line first to win my first Gold Cup!” Cody Hall said after his win. “I’m excited to win my first Gold Cup at my home track. It wouldn’t
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Sportsman 2 Georgia’s Connor Tebbe captured a couple of Sportsman 2 mains as he continues his surge as one of the top young Gold Cup talents. Tebbe started the weekend off with a 4.4-second triumph over Dylan Murry in Jr Sportsman 2 Box Stock Final 1. Jacob Zellner was third and Evan Cowen fourth. “Dylan Murry was pushing me hard; we race like that at about every local race here,” Tebbe commented after his Box Stock triumph. “Our Razor 2.0 chassis was working great. I just had to keep focused with all the pressure from the No. 40 kart. Special thanks to Steve and Stacy Roberts for the awesome Razor chassis and great engine.” Tebbe’s second win came in Sportsman 2 Heavy, which saw him make a last-lap pass and win a fierce battle over Jacob Zellner. The official margin of victory was just 0.199 seconds as the pair raced away from the rest of the field in a terrific race. “I spun early in the race and thought my race was over but we were able to come back and get the win,” Tebbe said. “Our Razor chassis is four years old now – one of the first few built. It’s still getting the job done! Special thanks to Steve Baker for giving us competitive power and working hard to keep us up front.” Murry was again 4.4 seconds back, this time finishing worldkarting.com
third. Maryland’s Trent Barnes was fourth and Ohio’s David Kalb Jr. fifth. Saturday’s American Power Sports Sportsman 2 Lite hosted an impressive four-kart battle for the win among J. Zellner, Tebbe, Murry and T. Barnes. The four finished within 0.673 seconds of one another with Zellner earning the win by just a kartlength over Tebbe. Murry was third and Barnes fourth. Tyler Frantz lost touch with the lead pack but fended off several karts to round out the top five. Murry denied Tebbe of a weekend hat trick in Jr Sportsman 2 Box Stock Final 2. Murry wheeled his Razor to a 0.501-second triumph over Tebbe in the 20-lapper. Jacob Zellner was third. Junior After Jacob Heavlow dominated in Jacksonville, the Maryland racer couldn’t work the same success in Barnesville.
Ohio racer, wheeled her No. 5 Coyote to her first WKA national win by a half-second margin over fellow Coyote racers Ryan Bavineau and C.J. Leturneau. Barnes was fourth and Heavlow fifth in the 10-kart field. Tanner Lee raced his Razor to the Razor Chassis / Roberts Kart Shop Restricted Junior victory. Bavineau was second on his Coyote, Luoma third, Aren Smith fourth and Leturneau fifth.
The closest Heavlow came to a win was in Saturday’s Jr Heavy, which saw his MGM finish a close second to Aren Smith’s Razor chassis. C.J. Leturneau was third on a Coyote; Douglas Barnes Jr. and Ryan Bavineau rounded out the top five.
Lee’s Restricted Junior triumph came a day after he scored the win in a close race with Tyler Smith in Jr Box Stock Final 1. Lee crossed the line just 0.132 seconds ahead of T. Smith in the 20-lapper. The pair was about 2.5 seconds ahead of third-place A. Smith. Haley Kummer was fourth and Michigan’s Tyler Woods fifth.
Tyler Smith won the other Jr Animal main on Saturday with a triumph over Aren in Barnes Paving Jr Lite. Sarah Luoma was third, Heavlow fourth and Dustin Demattia fifth.
T. Smith denied Lee of a Jr Box Stock sweep with a 0.796-second win in Sunday’s version of the class. Lee was second, A. Smith third, Woods fourth and Kummer fifth.
Sarah Luoma beat all the boys in Sunday’s Thor Oil Jr Medium main event. Luoma, an American Power Sports / Residential Electrical Services-sponsored
Derek Sobel swept the Franklinkart.com X30 Junior mains. The finish was identical both days with Sobel taking the wins over Dustin Stross and Justin Kreiner.
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Sobel led every lap of each main event aboard his TS Racing / Spanky’s Eatery-sponsored DR Kart. Senior Animal Tony Wimmer bested a good field of Margay Racing Products Animal Amateur Medium racers Sunday afternoon. Wimmer pulled his 2visualize, Inc.-sponsored Bandit away from Harry Smith for a 4.5-second score in the 20-lap main. Jacksonville winner Ryan Bennett was third, Matthew Wimmer fourth and Case Hall fifth. “I didn’t know what to do at the end of the race so I just fist pumped coming down the straightaway. Throw it in and hope it sticks; thank you to everyone for all the support,” Wimmer said. After missing Jacksonville, Maryland’s Chris Wells returned to the Gold Cup at Barnesville and immediately returned to Victory Lane with a big win in Friday night’s Animal Heavy Money Race. Aboard his No. 00 MGM chassis, Wells won the 20-lapper over Michigan Kart Supply Coyote racer Dakota Bell, MGM house driver Tyler Sandmeyer, Matt Wimmer and Jacksonville Money Race victor
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Sean Meier. The top four finished within 0.682 seconds of one another. On par with most Money Race fields over the last couple years, 18 karts started the popular event. Wells wasn’t done Friday night; he returned Saturday to claim the Coyote Motorsports Stock Lite main over Matt Wimmer and Bell, who qualified best and won the heat race. Tony Wimmer and Joshua Stiefel rounded out the top five in the 10-kart field. Saturday’s other senior Animal main saw 17 karts start MGM Stock Heavy. Veteran Gary Lawson, who didn’t run the Money Race, wasted no time figuring out Barnesville’s tight quarter-mile and swept the day in Stock Heavy. Lawson qualified over three-tenths better than anyone before dominating the heat and main on his faithful No. 10 Arrow. Lawson finished nearly three seconds ahead of Jacksonville Stock Heavy winner Sandmeyer in the main. Richie Kuhn took third, Dylan Zobkiw fourth and Meier fifth. Sunday’s anticipated Stock Medium saw Lawson retire on lap 12 while running second to Meier. Lawson’s worldkarting.com
misfortune allowed Meier, who passed Lawson in turn three on lap five, to cruise to his first national victory of the season aboard his Coyote Motorsports-owned No. 30. Bell and Billy Fraser made it a Coyote sweep of the top-three positions. Wells’ MGM was fourth and New York’s Ben Wagenhals fifth on an Arrow. “I have to thank Jim Lipari, Barry Hastings and my dad for helping me prepare the best Coyote I have ever driven. Also thanks to Baker Racing Engines for the great Animal power,” Meier said after the win.
Barry was the only entrant in Animal Modified Heavy and scored his second Gold Cup win of the season.
“I thank God for the Senior Box Stock / X30 ability to do what I love to Followers of the Gold Cup were do and that is to compete predicting over two-dozen entrants in the Sr Box Stock on the race track and talk classes at Barnesville, where to others about the good the Clone group is a strong one. Surprisingly, only 16 racers made news of Jesus Christ” the call for Saturday’s Sr Box
Kyle Flores was the only entrant in Super Heavy. Flores made a qualifying run to gain credit for the win.
Steve Roberts and Tim Stiefel split the Masters features. Racing at his home track, Roberts wheeled his Razor to the victory in Saturday’s Masters Medium. Stiefel, Michael Chapman and David Barry finished second through fourth. Roberts had problems in Sunday’s Target Distributing May 2012
Masters Heavy feature, handing the lead and eventual victory to Stiefel. Roberts was credited with second and Barry third.
Final 2 program.
Stock Final 1 and 14 for Sunday’s
Local racer and ageless veteran Bob Barthelemy passed Matt Kessinger on lap six and raced his No. 3 Razor to the weekend’s first Sr Box Stock main by nearly a second advantage over Steve Frank. However, Frank was disqualified in post-race tech, handing the runner-up position to Ohio’s Eric Fagan, who scored the Sr Box Stock Final 2 victory at Jacksonville. Patrick O’Neal was third, Carter Schlenke fourth and Tyler Bell
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fifth.
Wilson commented.
“I thank God for the ability to do what I love to do and that is to compete on the race track and talk to others about the good news of Jesus Christ,” Barthelemy said. “I participated in approximately 14 WKA nationals between 1972 and 1979, finishing on the podium four times – two fourths and two seconds – but on April 28, 2012, my 23rd wedding anniversary, I was able to win my first WKA national event. Praise God!”
Jacob Duvall made it four-for-four on the Gold Cup season in the X30 Senior division. Duvall, who swept Jacksonville, wheeled his DR Kart to a pair of convincing victories at Barnesville.
Dicky Wilson, another tried and true karting veteran, scored the victory in the Sr Box Stock Final 2 weekend capper. Wilson, aboard a new 2012 CKI Evolution chassis, pulled out to a 1.3-second advantage over Fagan by the time the checkers waved. Bell captured his second top-five finish of the weekend with a thirdplace effort. Barthelemy couldn’t match his Saturday success and came home fourth. Matthew Horst rounded out the top five.
With a successful round two at Barnesville in the books, competitors now turn their attention to round three, the Baker Racing Engines Nationals July 13-15 at South Bend, Indiana’s Michiana Raceway Park.
Cale Rogers was second in Saturday’s Final 1; Allen Maxwell third and Jay Vormwald fourth. On Sunday, Vormwald ran second to Duvall with Rogers crossing the stripe third.
The Baker Racing Engines Nationals entry form is now available. Competitors have until May 20 to get pre-entries to WKA and pay the cheapest prices. Preregistration is open until June 27.
“It’s great seeing WKA back in Barnesville, and it was good to hear Tony the Toe announcing the race,”
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May 2012
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Chelootz is a fourrace winner at Pittsburgh Man Cup
May 2012
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T
he World Karting Association Mazda / Bridgestone Manufacturers Cup Series renewed its 2012 season this past weekend with the CRG America Nationals at Pittsburgh Int’l Race Complex, the popular western Pennsylvania venue formerly known as BeaveRun. A terrific turnout of 547 entries filled the PIRC pit area for the third round of the WKA’s 2-cycle national tour; ironically enough, last year’s fourth round of the Man Cup at Pittsburgh in August featured the exact same entry count. Spring, Texas’ Mason Chelootz was the big winner on the weekend, netting an astounding four feature wins, including a sweep of the TaG and Komet senior mains. Chelootz dominated three of the four finals he won. The closest margin of victory in the four races came in Chelootz’s last win of the weekend, TaG Final 2, which saw the Top Kart pilot cross the finish stripe a little over a half-second in front of Chris Wehrheim. The Texan’s other three scores were by over 2.4 seconds.
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“It was a great weekend in Pennsylvania,” expressed Chelootz after his five podiums. “I really like the track and the competition is high in WKA. With three events remaining, I am starting to focus more on the points at each and every event but will do my best each weekend to win.” Although Chelootz was the only racer to accomplish the feat, three drivers had a shot at triple- or quadruple-win weekends entering Sunday’s final day of competition. Florida’s Ashley Rogero and Ohio’s Leonardo Stoia each won a pair of main events Saturday and were working to do the same Sunday. Rogero and Stoia both ran into some hard luck in their Sunday classes and were halted at two wins apiece on the weekend. Illinois’ Kyle Kalish, who was shut out of victory lane on Saturday, redeemed himself on Sunday with a sweep of the day’s junior divisions to equal Rogero’s Saturday afternoon accomplishment.
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Indiana’s Zach Holden joined Stoia as a double winner in the Sportsman ranks. Holden scored the Yamaha Sportsman 1 win on Saturday in a race with Stoia that ended in a near dead heat and backed it up Sunday with a last-lap pass on David Malukas in Yamaha Sportsman 2. Holden’s Pittsburgh wins marked his fourth and fifth Man Cup triumphs of the season in what’s been a terrific year to date for the Comet Kart Sales-backed racer. Connecticut’s Alex Verhagen continued his hot streak in WKA competition with another weekend sweep of the Yamaha Rookie Sportsman divisions. After a disappointing outing at the Daytona season opener, Verhagen has now won four races in a row in Yamaha Rookie with weekend sweeps at Kershaw and Pittsbugh. Scott Ferris joined the TaG Masters division for the first time in the Man Cup and promptly wheeled his Top Kart to a sweep of the class. In a couple of exciting races, Ferris bested Bobby Cummings in Saturday’s Final 1 and fended off late-race challenges from Brian McHattie in Final 2.
May 2012
The weekend’s only single-class winners were Chris Wehrheim in Parilla Leopard, Brandon Adkins in Yamaha Supercan Lite and Patrick Olsen in Yamaha Supercan Heavy. Here’s a rundown of each of the 20 classes to take the green flag for round three of the Man Cup at Pittsburgh. New Jersey Sprint Series Yamaha Rookie Sportsman Final 1 Alex Verhagen fought off all challengers in Saturday’s weekend-opening Yamaha Rookie division. Verhargen raced his Haase to the Streeter Super Stands Pole Award, prefinal win and final triumph by a tight 0.036-second margin over Top Kart racer Tyler Ferris. Samuel Paley was third, Kyra Frederick fourth and Jason Welage fifth. The Rookie class boasted 24 entrants on the weekend in another strong showing for the second-year Manufacturers Cup division. Mike Doty Racing Yamaha Rookie Sportsman Final 2
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Alex Verhagen completed his weekend dominance of the Rookie division with his fourth Man Cup score of the year in Rookie Sportsman Final 2. Verhagen held a hungry Jason Welage at bay throughout the 13-lapper. In fact, Welage had the lead for several laps before Verhagen made an inside pass in turn one to retake the top spot. He was never seriously challenged down the stretch, although Welage was only a few kart-lengths back throughout right until the checkers waved. Max Kaeser completed a good weekend to take third. Samuel Paley was fourth and Tyler Ferris netted his second top-five of the weekend with a fifth-place run. Welage won the prefinal and Verhagen won the Streeter Super Stands Pole Award with a quick lap of 1:05.374. RLV Tuned Exhaust Products Cadet Sportsman Final 1 Leonardo Stoia kicked off the Jr Sportsman divisions at Pittsburgh with a close triumph over Zach Holden in the Cadet Sportsman weekend opener. The race was a preview of what was to come as Stoia and his No. 27 PCR dueled with Holden’s No. 2 Arrow in nearly every round of Sportsman competition throughout May 2012
the event. This one saw Stoia best Holden by a mere 0.018 seconds. The lead duo finished with about 10 kartlengths between them and third-place David Malukas. Brendan Cullura was fourth and J.P. Southern Jr. fifth. Sixth through 10th were Brandon Lemke, Michael D’Orlando, Michael Cruz, Braden Eves and Garrett Moran. Eves won the Pole Award with a lap of 1:04.241. Grand Products / Top Kart Cadet Sportsman Final 2 When Zach Holden and Leonardo Stoia both retired from the Cadet Final 1 main event early, the door was wide open for a new winner. David Malukas quickly put his No. 79 Birel out front and led Nick Luedeke until the red flag waved about halfway into the 13-lapper. When the race restarted, Malukas lost the lead for a short time before retaking it and fending off a hard-charging Theo Chick and Brandon Lemke to the finish to score his first-ever WKA Manufacturers Cup feature win after about three years of trying.
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“I tried to hit my marks in every corner on every lap. I knew they were there and I just didn’t want to make it easy for them on the last laps. I’m so excited to get my first WKA win! I have to thank my dad, my tuner Jason Birdsell, my coach Wes Phillips, engine builder Doug Fleming and the entire MKP team. They are the best!” Malukas proclaimed after his big win. Chick and Lemke ran second and third, Michael D’Orlando fourth and Braden Eves fifth. Six through 10th were Simon Sikes, Johnny Smith, Adam Sturgill, Jared Cordova and Michael Cruz. Luedeke won the Pole Award and backed it up with the prefinal win. Adkins Speed Center Komet Sportsman Leonardo Stoia led a pair of PCRs across the stripe in this 13-lap main. Stoia battled Braden Eves, Garrett Moran and Zach Holden throughout the race and
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ended up claiming his second win of the day over Eves. Moran and Holden took third and fourth. The margin between first and fourth was only 0.379 seconds. David Malukas led early but faded to a fifthplace result. Holden won the Pole Award by a mere 0.120 seconds over Malukas. PCR Komet Jr Lite After a disappointing run in Komet Jr Heavy on Saturday that saw him get disqualified, Kyle Kalish returned Sunday and left little doubt that he belonged with Ashley Rogero as one of the top-two junior competitors at Pitt Race. Kalish wheeled his No. 19 Merlin to a convincing 2.6-second victory over defending Triple Crown champion Joel Jens. Gresham Wagner continued his strong weekend with a another third-place result aboard his MRP Birel. Ryan Raffa had his best outing since advancing to the junior divisions with a fourthworldkarting.com
place finish. Garrett Johnston rounded out the top five. Mike McAndrews, Jake Johnston, Brandon Jarsocrak, Clay Vaneerd and Austin McCusker finished in the latter half of the top 10. Kalish swept the class with the prefinal win and Streeter Pole Award. Orlando Kart Center Komet Jr Heavy Ashley Rogero continues to show she’s one of, if not the racer to beat in the ultra-competitive Man Cup junior classes. Rogero chauffeured her Tony Kart to an uncontested victory in Komet Jr Heavy for her first win of the weekend. Rogero pulled out to nearly a fivesecond lead over Kershaw double winner Brandon Jarsocrak. Gresham Wagner was third, Kyle Kirkwood fourth and Jake Johnston fifth. Sixth through 10th were Joel Jens, Clay Vaneerd, Jared Thomas, Andrew Bujdoso and Skylar Robinson. May 2012
Rogero won the Pole Award with a time of 58.047. Kyle Kalish bested Rogero in the heat race but ran into problems on the grid for the final and was relegated to the last starting position before being disqualified. TSRacing.com Komet Heavy Mason Chelootz made it look easy in the weekend’s first final, Komet Heavy. The Texas Top Kart racer won by the largest margin of victory of the weekend – a 6.9-second-advantage thrashing over Patrick Olsen (Birel) and Raquel Martinez (Top Kart). Jonathan Kotyk took fourth and Jacob Donald fifth in the short eightkart field. Chelootz swept the class; his Pole Award time was a fast 58.726 around the 0.8-mile 13-turn Pittsburgh course. J3 Competition Komet Lite
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Jonathan Kotyk made things a little more interesting in the Sunday version of Komet senior, Komet Lite. Kotyk wheeled his Tony Kart to the Streeter Pole Award and prefinal victory; however, when the green flag waved for the 13-lap main, Mason Chelootz wasted no time muscling his Top Kart to the top spot. Chelootz passed Kotyk on lap one and pulled out to a 2.4-second lead before the checkers waved. The win gave Chelootz his second triumph of the season in Komet Lite and fifth overall in the pair of senior Komet divisions. Kotyk battled hard with Raquel Martinez for second and ended up making a last-lap pass on the Californian for the runner-up spot. Jacob Donald was fourth and Jarrett Duncovich rounded out the top five. Grand Products / Top Kart Parilla Leopard Chris Wehrheim captured his second Man Cup win of the 2012 season with a convincing drive to the victory in Saturday’s Leopard-only division. Wehrheim and his Top Kart started third and muscled the lead away from Kyle Smith a few laps into the race and never looked back.
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Smith crossed the stripe 1.7 seconds back in the runner-up spot, about a half-second ahead of Mason Chelootz. The race marked the only main Chelootz lost all weekend. Robby Seward and Jacob Knueven completed the fast five. Smith won the heat race and Wehrheim sat on the pole with a quick lap of 55.805. Franklinkart.com TaG Final 1 Mason Chelootz’s second triumph of the weekend came in this one by a cool 2.7-second margin over PCR pilot and defending TaG national champion Robert Bujdoso. Chelootz’s Top Kart beat out a pair of PCRs in the 29-kart race as Kyle Smith finished third. Jonathan Kotyk had one of his best Man Cup weekends to date and one of the highlights was a fourth-place result in the weekend’s first TaG main. Jacob Donald continues to run strong in his rookie year in the senior divisions and claimed fifth. Sixth through 10th read Robby Seward, Mark Boos, Chris Wehrheim, Tommy Andersen and Carter Fatuch. Chelootz won the Streeter Super Stands Pole Award and the eight-lap prefinal. OTK Kart USA worldkarting.com
TaG Final 2 Mason Chelootz did it again in the TaG weekend capper. The end result was the closest margin of victory of the weekend for Chelootz; his Grand Product Top Kart teammate Chris Wehrheim led most of the first half of the race before Chelootz scooted by and raced to the win by 0.647 seconds. “The TaG kart was really working well this weekend and the power was awesome. I felt like I could put the kart anywhere on the track and be fast,” Chelootz said after the weekend sweep of TaG. Jonathan Kotyk continued his fine weekend with another podium, this time third place. Kyle Smith netted his third top five of the weekend in fourth; veteran Brandon Adkins rounded out the top five. Sixth through 10 saw Jacob Knueven, Robert Bujdoso, Tommy Andersen, Trenton Walko and T.J. Koyen. Andersen won the Fast Time award and prefinal but ran into problems on the opening lap of the feature and had to settle for eighth. th
DRT Racing TaG Masters Final 1 Scott Ferris turned 35 years old in late April and the former TaG regular wasted no time moving into the May 2012
TaG Masters division. Ferris, always competitive in TaG racing against many drivers some 15 to 20 years to his junior, didn’t waste anytime putting his Top Kart in victory lane, either. Ferris engaged in a fierce battle with Bobby Cummings and Brian McHattie in an entertaining race. McHattie led a good portion of the affair before Ferris moved to the inside and past the Exprit driver. Cummings did the same thing on the last lap, where contact was made that sent McHattie through the grass and to a third-place finish, behind Ferris and Cummings. Steve Rumsey was fourth and Tim Hannen completed the top five in a competitive 19-kart field. McHattie won the Streeter Pole Award. Margay Racing Products TaG Masters Final 2 Jeff Jewell found some speed on his Margay and won the Pole Award and prefinal in the Sunday version of TaG Masters. Jewell ran into problems on the opening lap of the final and lost valuable track position. His misfortune opened the door for Scott Ferris and Brian McHattie to race away from the field. Ferris looked to have it in the bag until McHattie made a valiant charge and closed the gap to a kart-
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length with one lap to go. McHattie tried to make an inside move in turn two on the last lap but didn’t have enough, allowing Ferris some breathing room throughout the rest of the final lap and a sweep of the TaG Masters divisions.
the Yamaha Sportsman mains with a last-lap pass on David Malukas for the Sunday score. Malukas, who won the Cadet feature earlier in the day, led much of the race before leaving the door open for Holden with only a handful of corners left.
Scot Carapellatti was third, Jewell made it back to fourth and Kim Carapellatti fifth.
“We really wanted to close out the weekend with a win, especially after not being able to start the Cadet race,” Holden said. “Thanks to my dad for all his hard work, Comet Kart Sales, Kyle Ludwick and KartSport North America.”
Comet Kart Sales Yamaha Sportsman 1 The closest finish of the weekend saw Zach Holden (Arrow) and Leonardo Stoia (PCR) cross the finish stripe in a dead heat. Scoring showed Holden ahead by 0.005 seconds. The finish was reversed for a time before a protest and appeal were heard, ultimately giving the win back to Holden in a wild course of events. “What a race!” Zach said, reflecting on his first win of the event and fourth of the season. “I don’t think it could have been any closer. Thankfully we came out on top.” Nick Luedeke raced to a third-place finish aboard his Kosmic. Daytona winner Jared Cordova was fourth and Neil Verhagen fifth. Sixth through 10th were Braden Eves, Garrett Moran, David Malukas, Kaleb Allison and Kaden Harter. Stoia bested 34 other entrants to win the Pole Award and prefinal. MRP / Birel Yamaha Sportsman 2 Zach Holden completed the sweep of
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Leonardo Stoia was third, Neil Verhagen notched his second top-five result of the weekend in fourth and J.P. Southern Jr. was fifth. Braden Eves, Garrett Moran, Thayne Chapin, Nick Luedeke and Brandon Lemke filled the top 10. Eves was the Streeter Pole Award and Stoia won the heat race. Woltjer Racing Engines Yamaha Jr Lite A close Yamaha Jr race saw the top-five finishers cross the checkers within a half-second of one another. The leader of the pack was Florida Tony Kart racer Ashley Rogero, who won her second race of the day after claiming Komet Jr Heavy earlier. Kyle Kalish was only 0.094 seconds back in second, Joel Jens third, Mike McAndrews fourth and Kyle Kirkwood fifth. Gresham Wagner, Skylar Robinson, Jake Johnston, Matt Solarczyk and Austin Osborne ran sixth through 10th. The Yamaha Jr divisions were the largest fields of the weekend; 43 started the Yamaha Jr Lite final. Grant Quinlan won the Pole Award and Kalish scored the prefinal win. Verde Speed Resources Yamaha Jr Heavy A couple of Kyles were the story in the last race of the weekend as Merlin racer Kyle Kalish and Walldinger Racing Arrow pilot Kyle Kirkwood raced away from the rest of the 42-kart field to settle this one among themselves. Kalish led the entire race with Kirkwood hot on his heels. Fans waited for Kirkwood to make a move on the last lap, but it never happened and Kalish ran to the win without a serious challenge from the Florida racer. worldkarting.com
Skylar Robinson had one of the fastest karts on the track and moved from sixth to finish third. Joel Jens was fourth and Grant Quinlan notched his only topfive result of the weekend in fifth. Mike McAndrews, Gresham Wagner, Brandon Jarsocrak, Matt Solarczyk and Sarah Carmon were sixth through 10th. Austin Osborne won the Streeter Pole Award. Yamaha Supercan Lite Supercan Lite was all Brandon Adkins. The Birel pilot swept the class by claiming the Pole Award, prefinal win and main event triumph by 2.1 seconds over Patrick Olsen. However, Olsen was disqualified in post-race tech, giving the runner-up spot to Weston Moon. Dakota Pesek was third, Cody Gardner fourth and Travis Reisig fifth. Twenty karts started the Saturday version of Supercan Lite, including a couple of American-made chassis in the form of Margays and a Coyote. APPCO Yamaha Supercan Heavy After Brandon Adkins won the Streeter Pole Award most onlookers figured the remainder of the Supercan Heavy show would belong to the Pennsylvania pilot. However, Tony Jump, who qualified second, wheeled
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his Margay past Adkins’ Birel to win the prefinal. The final belonged to neither Jump nor Adkins, but a strong-running Patrick Olsen. Olsen raced his Birel to an early lead and pulled out to a convincing threesecond lead over Jump before the checkers waved. Jump and Collin Griffin crossed the stripe second and third but both were bounced in post-race tech, giving the runner-up position to Mark Boos. James Brock was third, Dakota Pesek fourth and Travis Reisig fifth in the 21-kart field. SPL Kid Karts Three kid karters gained laps and valuable experience around the 0.8-mile Pittsburgh Wilson Circuit. Elizabeth Gray, Austin Kendig and Donald Whorton II made every round of the Kid Kart exhibitions throughout the weekend. All three drivers looked good on the track as they prepare to advance to the Yamaha Rookie Sportsman division in the coming years. Next up for the WKA Manufacturers Cup is a July 6-8 date for the MKP Nationals at South Bend, Indiana’s Michiana Raceway Park.
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West Series
WKA West Super Series round three race report 05.29.2012 (PRAIRIE CITY, Calif.) – Just shy of 100 karters were welcomed to All Star Kart Track in Prairie City, CA for the 3rd round in the 2012 WKA West Super Series, presented by Bridgestone, RLV, and Grand Products. Drivers were eager to take to the track Sunday morning and beat the inevitable heat. KPV1 Starting the day off at All Star Kart Track was the KPV1 class which attracted 15 karters from ages 9 to 12. Jason Pettit and Roy Fulmer set the bar early with Pettit Qualifying pole with a 46.708 and Fulmer a 46.784. Going into the Heats, this class made it clear that there was no shoe in for 1st position today. Roy Fulmer, Jason Pettit and Chase Farley remained your top 3 during the Pre Final and began to pull away from the rest of the class making this a battle for 4th May 2012
position and that going to Horatio Fitz-Simon with Nascimento hot on his trail. Rounding out the Main Event, Fulmer, Pettit and Farley once again broke away from the pack leaving Roy Fulmer to take the First place followed by Jason Pettit, Chase Farley, Horatio Fitz-Simon and Richard Stock to complete your top 5. Kid Karts Kid Karts would follow KPV 1 onto the track with Sam Wood laying down a poll time for qualifying at 57.330, more than a two second gap between Wood and the 2nd place qualifier of Alec Acevedo. Wood kept his top spot throughout Heat 1 and the Pre Final but ran into some trouble in the main, spinning on lap 2 Wood saves himself only to end up in the barriers in the Snake Pit in lap 3. Cody Batterton was left to defend his 1st place spot but the real battle was between Alec Bridgman and Alec Acevedo for 2nd position. Batterton
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took the 1st place win in the Main Event followed by Alec Bridgman, Alec Acevedo and Race Godelson. KPV2 KPV 2 proved to be a greatly anticipated race with Sonny Cervelli making his comeback after losing steering in WKA Round 2 in Davis last month. Cervelli delivered by qualifying 3rd with a 44.287 just shy of six tenths off of our poll setter Blake Murdock. Cervelli made his move in Heat 1 and finished 1st with Blake Murdock, Blaine Rocha, Cole Davis and Isaac Martin making up the top 5. In a shocking turn of events, Murdock was sent into the barriers in turn 4 on the second lap, making Cervelli followed by Blaine Rocha, Cole Davis, Michaela LaSpina and Grayson Browne the group to beat. Into the Main, Cervelli puts a huge gap between himself and his competition and setting fast lap for that class at 44.532. Rocha, Murdock, Davis, and LaSpina all put the pressure on in the Main Event and we can’t wait to see them in the next round of this series! Clone Sr. Continuing their rein of being the biggest class with 20 karts were the Clone Sr drivers. It looked to be an easy day for Jon Ban, qualifying poll at a 35.797
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followed just one tenth off by Brad Delk but Brain Hill was not going down without a fight and he took the top spot in the Heat 1 with Rob Nascimento just itching to battle it out later in the day. A battle was starting in the Pre Final with quite a few spun karts coming out of turn 1. Making their way out of the wreckage were Brian Hill, Rob Nascimento, Justin Henry, Lizzie Tidwell, Chad Nascimento, Jon Ban, Carol Brown, Wayne Bundy, RJ Kahler and Shane Szuh. Ban looked to the inside to take 4th place from C. Nascimento and he did it making a great pass only to be met by a popped chain and taking him out of the Pre Final. Giving the Clone Sr drivers a run worldkarting.com
for their money, Hill pulls away from the pack but the real taker would be Justin Henry who made his way from last all the way up to 2nd place! Henry was DQ’d in tech but we will give credit where credit is due for his great driving! Brian Hill takes the win for the Main Event and having held 2nd throughout the finale was Brandon Shaw and Rob Nascimento not far behind him. Jon Ban climbed his way back up through the field giving him a 3rd place finish, not easy to do with RJ Kahler and Nick Grossi not making that a walk in the park for Ban. Clone Jr. Jake Pipal may have been the only Clone Jr of the day but he ran with the Sr drivers all day showing that he will not be pushed around and he was here to drive! Keeping to the back of the Sr pack, Jake Pipal threw down a qualifying time of 52.164 and took all the points for this race and we are all looking forward to seeing him shine at the fourth round in the WKA West Series. Sr. Super Sportsman Bryan Parmenter showed his skill in the Super Sportsman Qualifying session putting out a poll time
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of 45.825 just one tenth ahead of Anthony Snow, setting the scene for a very close race day. Snow came out on top in the Heat 1 with a gap over Parmenter and Bryan Gallagher who was followed closely by Jarred Wolff. After a complete Restart in the Pre Final, Snow shot into first with Parmenter coming for him and Gallagher not letting either of them forget that he’s there. Snow made this look like a piece of cake giving himself a 4 kart gap between himself and the pack. Battling fiercely resulted in Parmenter and Gallagher taking themselves out and putting Wolff, Nick Robertson and James Brussard to start the Main in 2nd, 3rd and 4th where Parmenter and Gallagher knew they needed to put some work in to get back to the top. Working his way through the field, Parmenter took the 2nd position from Wolff and didn’t give Snow the distance on him this time and toward the last few laps really closed that gap but finished 2nd to Snow, making 3rd Wolff followed by Robertson, Brussard and Gallagher. Jr. 1-2 Cycle Jr 1-2 Cycle drivers are ages 9 – 12, and with a 12 kart field were eager to have their chance at seat time.
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Matthew Martin made a name for himself qualifying with a 48.853, two tenths over Wyatt Couch and three tenths over Richard Stock. Martin held that lead in the Heat 1 and the Pre Final sessions with Couch and Gino Gigliotti hot on his trail and making sure Martin felt the pressure by staying right on the back of him. The green flag flies in the Main Event and Gigliotti jumps into 1st place for the first few laps only to be passed in turn one by Martin. Matthew Proud did a great job holding his 3rd place spot for a great portion of the race only to succumb to the pressure he was feeling from Wyatt Couch and Richard Stock who followed suit to come into the 4th place finish. Just when we thought Martin was in the clear, Martin comes up to the group of lappers in the distance, looking back to see Gigliotti reeling him in fast and in one smooth move Gigliotti takes 1st place just in time to see the white flag fly! Gigliotti holds off Martin in the finish with Couch, Stock and Proud right behind him. Formula 80 Masters/80 Senior A small field for the shifters showed no short of excitement starting the day with the Formula 80 Sr driver Adam Booker qualifying two tenths above Jon Ban and Josh Cole who was DQ’d from Qualifying. Formula 80 Master driver Steve Nagai qualified 44.407 and stayed close to the Sr drivers throughout the day. Heading into the Heat 1, Cole held the top spot for awhile but was feeling the heat from Booker and Ban was also closing in hard. Booker takes it
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down the front stretch and takes the 1st place finish from Cole and following that line was Ban who slides to the inside of Cole with three laps to go and takes the 2nd place finish. Cole attempted to redeem himself in the Pre Final and really put the heat on Booker trying to get by. Booker and Cole get tangled, Cole pulls through but Booker is left on the sidelines to start 3rd for the Main Event. Booker didn’t go quietly and threw himself quickly into 2nd in front of Ban and Nagai but still two kart lengths away from catching Cole. Winding down to the last six laps Cole missed a gear and gave Booker the opportunity needed to regain his 1st place finish and taking himself out of the race.80 Senior 2nd place finish going to Jon Ban and Steve Nagai taking 1st place position and points for the 80 Masters. TAG Masters/TAG Senior/ TAG Junior With a mix of Seniors, Masters and a Junior driver was our TAG class. Corey Mitchell put in the work throughout the day to hold everyone off and after a qualifying time of 44.090, 6 tenths faster than Ray Zarick, Mitchell dominated the day with 1st place finishes throughout for the Masters, leaving Zarick and Dennis Goodson to battle it out for 2nd and 3rd places. Zarick steadily held 2nd but Goodson saved the best for last and sent Zarick down to 3rd in the Main Event. Qualifying 1st for the Seniors, Chris Mugnaini set the poll at 44.392 leaving Wayne Ash two tenths behind and Andrew Colombini one tenth off of worldkarting.com
Ash who in the sessions to come left Mugnaini and Colombini to fight for 2nd and 3rd positions. 1st place finishes in the Heat 1 session, Pre Final and Main Event, great accomplishments being that this is Ash’s second race ever, Great driving Ash!! Our TAG Junior driver Isaac Martin qualified at 44.668 and took home the 1st place trophy and points for his class for the day. Spec PRD The most anticipated class of the day, the Spec PRD drivers who had spectators on the edge of their seats all day! With a 14 kart field they head into the Qualifying session with Shelby Sander laying out a fast time of 44.103 and Matt Chase not far off of Sander at a 44.151 and Ryan Sisemore just 3 tenths off of Chase. Heat 1 got exciting from the second the green flag flew with Chase taking pole position from Sander who was all over Chase’s bumper making sure he knew that she was coming for her spot back! Sisemore saw an opportunity and took over 2nd place above Sander who returns the favor by taking her spot back and creating felt pressure for Sisemore from Brandon Tomko who makes a successful pass on Sisemore. Back in 2nd place Sander looks anywhere she can to get around Chase and with the white flag flying, makes her move and brings the crowd to their feet as she makes a great pass coming out of turn
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four, starting her 1st for the Pre Final and sending Chase into 2nd! Showing she has what it takes, Sander dominating the field in Pre Final and the Main and setting fast laps in each of those Sander takes home the 1st place trophy! Chase held tight on the back of Sander all day and finished the Main Event in the 2nd position followed by Ashlie Couch in 3rd who fought her way through the field all day. Sisemore remained toward the front of the pack all day but in the Main Event ended up tangled with Tomko and ultimately not able to finish. The 4th place finish went to Brandon Tomko followed by Amber Friedberg, Ryan Casner and Arielle Kuntz. Big thanks go out to Sponsor RLV, who provided track-side support all weekend, Track Warrior Photos, Melanie Miller Photography, Bridgestone and Grand Products. The 2012 WKA West Super Series next travels to Northern Nevada for Round 4, scheduled for June 10th at the Desert Park Raceway, in Reno, hosted by the Northern Nevada Kart Club. Practice and Pit Parking is available the day prior, June 9. Entry Forms and information can be found at www.WKADistrict10. com or by visiting the club’s website, www.NNKC.com
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